Just did First jump... again! (somewhat long)

[LouYoung 0]

I've been lurking for a whole 2 weeks or so, so I thought I'd introduce myself.

My first first jump was back in '92... or '93. It was an AFF jump given to me for my birthday from my best friend and my friend at the time. (The girl I haven't seen in over 10 years and the guy I haven't seen in at least 5). I was poor, so I never got around to doing AFF 2 for a year after that.

A new friend I met was pretty well off and he used to jump up in Montana before he moved out to AZ to go to college. When he moved, he tossed is logbook (having only 20 or so jumps in it). I berated him. How could he do such a thing? He figured he'd never jump again. But he got interested again and then he offered to pay for six of his friends to go and do a first jump static line. He didn't include me, because I had already done my first jump. Damn! But heading out to the DZ to watch them all do their first jumps got me started. I still had my cheesy little first jump logbook, so I brought it back to the DZ and the guys there recognized my jumpmaster (he wasn't teaching there anymore), Bill Will, if you used to jump Desert Sky Ranch in Buckeye 10 to 12 years ago, so they gave me a little refresher of the AFF1 stuff and brought me right into my level 2 jump. I was hooked. As I went through my AFF jumps, the pool of friends that originally went jumping got smaller and smaller. Four of them never returned. Two of them went through until static line jump number 3 (they both got freaked out by different things that I can detail later if anyone's really interested). But the Montana jumper and I continued until we were off student status and then had a great time learning what we could by jumping together. Then shit happens, he goes into the hospital, we can't jump together for a while, he dies (not from skydiving). I lay off from jumping for a few months. I come back and do another 3 or 4, but find myself really bored and I quit.

At some point, during one of my many residential moves, I toss my logbook, finally understanding why he did years before. I figured I'd never jump again.

Then my brother starts getting near jumping age and expresses the desire to jump. What am I to do? For his 18th birthday I buy him an AFF first jump. While I'm at the dropzone watching his first jump, I fall in love with the DZ atmosphere again. And love what technology has brought to canopies. Holy shit! These guys are nuts. He loves the jump. He's poor. He doesn't jump for 2 more years.

I finally do some research and find out how he can jump on the (relatively) cheap (compared to AFF). Static line, pay cash (for a discount), only go to 3500 feet, etc. I tell him that I'll go jumping with him if he can commit to going all the way (more fun if you go through it with someone else).

So two weeks ago he and I did our second first jump classes.

I stilll have my A-License, so I think I'll probably get through the static line progression faster, but we'll still be going through it together and we're going to have a great time. I love the atmosphere, I love jumping out of planes, and now I have more money to do it! ;)

Anyway, my name is Lou Young, his is Ben. We jump at Desert Sky Center in Buckeye. It's great to find this forum for all of us to get together (didn't have his in the early 90's).

I'm so close, that I'll bet I find myself driving to Eloy during the holiday boogie for a couple days to meet some of you crazies in person.

Hope to meet some of you soon.

Lou

[skymama 37]

Welcome to the forums and back to the sky!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[FrenchyDiver 0]

I know the feeling. I too gave it up after 150 jumps, but for family reasons. I got back after 10 years, although I admit I looked at my log book countless times during that period.
Hope you stay this time, I know I will

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[billinaz 0]

Glad I was able to get you into this sport Lou!