agbaker 0 #1 July 16, 2006 Just wanted to introduce myself to the community. My name is Adam Baker, 36 yrs young and I'm from Houston, Texas. Did my 1st Tandem from 14,000' at Spaceland Skydive in Rosharon, TX just outside downtown Houston. IT WAS AWESOME!, beyond words, and something I've always wanted to do. I was supposed to be jumping with 5 other friends but they all bailed on me in the last hour before the jump!? I want to get into the AFF program they offer there and was wondering if anyone could advise me if there is anything I need to read, view, or purchase to help with my training. I hope I can achieve my A license within the next couple of months so that I can start to enjoy the sport on a regular basis as so many of you say you do! Thanks in advance for all you help and input, Adam Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
countzero 7 #2 July 16, 2006 congrats!! did you get video to show your friends what they missed out on?diamonds are a dawgs best friend Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eule 0 #3 July 16, 2006 QuoteI was supposed to be jumping with 5 other friends but they all bailed on me in the last hour before the jump!? This is not an uncommon occurence. :) When you're at the dropzone for your student jumps, ask some of the tandem students about this - you'll find that a lot of them meant to come with a group of 5 or 6 people, but more and more of them bailed out as the day approached. One lady I talked to last summer was supposed to come with her brother and some of his buddies from work, but the guys - all firefighters - bailed out... QuoteI want to get into the AFF program they offer there and was wondering if anyone could advise me if there is anything I need to read, view, or purchase to help with my training. Most likely, you don't _have_ to do anything other than show up on the day of your class with whatever paperwork the DZ requires. You might need to bring your ID to sign another waiver, for instance. The best way to find out is to ask the DZ when you book your class. Disclaimer: I am a new jumper myself, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Also, listen to your instructors. What they say takes precedence over anything you read here, in print, or scratched on the wall of the men's room at the DZ. If you have any questions, ask your instructor - there are no stupid questions. Having said that... If you _want_ to study up before you take the class, there are some online resources. You may have already found the "learn to skydive" stuff here. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) publishes the Skydiver's Information Manual (SIM). It is updated every year and you can buy a paper copy from USPA, read it online, or download it as a PDF here. The 2007 edition will probably come out sometime in September, so if you want to save a few bucks, you might read it online now and wait on buying one until the new edition is out. There are also some books you can read. I read this one before I started my training and this one came out a little later - both are aimed at the new skydiver. I think that reading the book was helpful, at least for the ground school part of the class. As far as gear goes, the use of all the gear you will need for the jump should be covered in the price of the jump, at least for the first several jumps. The only piece of gear I bought early on was a set of goggles. I wear glasses and the DZ only had a couple of pair of over-the-glasses goggles. One pair was pretty good and the other pair was kind of beat. I usually managed to score the good pair, but one day, there was another four-eyed student there who got the good pair first. He got down before I went, so I got to use the good pair - after I took them to the bathroom and cleaned all the sweat off of them. After that I got my own pair. You may be able to get some things at the DZ, or there are several online and mail-order places. A couple of pieces of advice (but remember what I said about asking your instructors): 1. Relax! At first you will wonder why everyone is saying this to you. Later on you'll figure it out. :) 2. Don't freak out if you end up having to do one or more AFF levels over again. Some people make it right through in the minimum number of jumps but most people (IMHO) repeat at least one level. Welcome! EulePLF does not stand for Please Land on Face. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #4 July 17, 2006 Hey! Yea, I don't think there's really too much to do before your AFF 1 class. There's only so much you can read about, but until you actually hear it and do it from an instructor, it really won't sink in....also, the instructors set different rules and jazz than books may say. Since I am a college student, looking to save $$$ by not failing an AFF level, after my AFF lvl 1 jump, I went to the wind tunnel. I did the same after my lvl 2 jump. And the results? Didn't fail a level! And my confidence was boosted immensly. So if you have access to a tunnel, definitely consider taking some time in it. And the key word to remember: SMILE!!!Good luck on AFF!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites agbaker 0 #5 July 17, 2006 Oh Yeah, showed it to all my family, friends.... even the ones that bailed, and co-workers, they all say I'm crazzzy! My mother thinks that it was so cool that she said she wished that she could jump with me next time. She's 63 and has a bad back so she said she wanted to make it up to me by paying for my AFF training. I bet you don't hear that to often from parents but just the opposite?!?!? Can't wait to get started! Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pincheck 0 #6 July 17, 2006 welldone and glad you enjoyed your jump Adam Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wildfan75 1 #7 July 17, 2006 Quote she said she wanted to make it up to me by paying for my AFF training. reply] I'm adoptable!!!!! I come college educated (and paid for), I own my home, at the rate I'm going there will be no wedding to pay for, steady job, I already have my class A and rig (the most expensive parts) and I've never been arrested! It gets even better! Have fun and don't be afraid to ask your instructors any questions that pop into your head! And seriously, let me know about the whole adoption thing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites agbaker 0 #8 July 17, 2006 I'm adoptable!!!!! I come college educated (and paid for)..... LOL.... She said thanks but she has her hands full already with me and enough stress to go along with the task! Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites nbblood 0 #9 July 18, 2006 Skydive Spaceland has a Student Training Program (STP) manual that they will give you when you take the first jump course. It has what you need for study material. It has all the dive flows, pop quizs, flight plans, checklists, etc. I'm sure I'll see ya out there.Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ladydyver 0 #10 July 18, 2006 Welcome to a life changing experience! Now....you will never go back!DPH # 2 "I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~ I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
agbaker 0 #5 July 17, 2006 Oh Yeah, showed it to all my family, friends.... even the ones that bailed, and co-workers, they all say I'm crazzzy! My mother thinks that it was so cool that she said she wished that she could jump with me next time. She's 63 and has a bad back so she said she wanted to make it up to me by paying for my AFF training. I bet you don't hear that to often from parents but just the opposite?!?!? Can't wait to get started! Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pincheck 0 #6 July 17, 2006 welldone and glad you enjoyed your jump Adam Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildfan75 1 #7 July 17, 2006 Quote she said she wanted to make it up to me by paying for my AFF training. reply] I'm adoptable!!!!! I come college educated (and paid for), I own my home, at the rate I'm going there will be no wedding to pay for, steady job, I already have my class A and rig (the most expensive parts) and I've never been arrested! It gets even better! Have fun and don't be afraid to ask your instructors any questions that pop into your head! And seriously, let me know about the whole adoption thing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites agbaker 0 #8 July 17, 2006 I'm adoptable!!!!! I come college educated (and paid for)..... LOL.... She said thanks but she has her hands full already with me and enough stress to go along with the task! Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites nbblood 0 #9 July 18, 2006 Skydive Spaceland has a Student Training Program (STP) manual that they will give you when you take the first jump course. It has what you need for study material. It has all the dive flows, pop quizs, flight plans, checklists, etc. I'm sure I'll see ya out there.Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ladydyver 0 #10 July 18, 2006 Welcome to a life changing experience! Now....you will never go back!DPH # 2 "I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~ I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
agbaker 0 #8 July 17, 2006 I'm adoptable!!!!! I come college educated (and paid for)..... LOL.... She said thanks but she has her hands full already with me and enough stress to go along with the task! Live Life To The Fullest & Have No Regrets! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nbblood 0 #9 July 18, 2006 Skydive Spaceland has a Student Training Program (STP) manual that they will give you when you take the first jump course. It has what you need for study material. It has all the dive flows, pop quizs, flight plans, checklists, etc. I'm sure I'll see ya out there.Blues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladydyver 0 #10 July 18, 2006 Welcome to a life changing experience! Now....you will never go back!DPH # 2 "I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~ I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
