floridadiver81 0 #1 November 25, 2006 well..i found this forum today...well..my brother pointed me in this direction as he is a member also. I did my first tandem yesterday and i wanted back in the plane to go again!! Im currently in Mississippi visit my brother for th'e Thanksgiving holiday and he took me for my birthday present. It was one that i will definitely never forget....as it was the first to get me into the sport. I've already reseached online and found a DZ 20 minutes from where i am stationed..which is NAS Jacksonville, florida...hence the screen name. i've contacted them and their price is 1290 for obtaining my class A license. i'm told thats a pretty fair price and that covers everything as long as i successfully complete each level the first time and don't have to repeat it. I bought my first jump log also...which i plan on filling up upon many more too. With having a DZ so close to work...i hope to be up there in numbers and experience with the rest of the veterans!"Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #2 November 26, 2006 Welcome to the forums! 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eule 0 #3 November 26, 2006 QuoteI did my first tandem yesterday BEER! QuoteI've already reseached online and found a DZ 20 minutes from where i am stationed.. I second skymama's recommendation to check out a few different dropzones before picking one out. This isn't a knock on any particular dropzone (I live nowhere near Florida) but is just a way for you to find a place that you like the best. You need to be pretty comfortable with the whole situation before you go jumping out of a plane. :) So far, I've hung out at six different dropzones (and jumped at two of those) and they're all different. Some of them have bigger planes and more staff, but even the small ones that all have a Cessna 182 and three or four instructors just "feel" different from one another. Quotewhich is NAS Jacksonville, florida...hence the screen name. I don't know about the Navy, but I'm pretty sure a few Army bases have sport parachute clubs for servicemen. These are for fun jumping, not for jumping as part of your job in the military. I understand that these are often cheaper than privately-run dropzones, so you might ask around and see what might be available on base. Something that I am less sure of, but that I have seen discussed here: I _think_ you might have to get some kind of sign-off from your CO to jump on a regular basis, or at least tell them about it. (Cue standard jokes about "damaging government property".) Again I am very fuzzy on the details, but I know I've seen some discussion of this on dropzone.com. I'm pretty sure there are current members of all the services here, so they might be able to give you better advice. Quotei'm told thats a pretty fair price and that covers everything as long as i successfully complete each level the first time and don't have to repeat it. Depending on the instruction type, that's either a pretty good (IAD/static line) or amazingly good (AFF) price. You might verify that it includes all 25 jumps that are the minimum for an A license, rather than just the initial 7-10 jumps it takes before you can jump by yourself. With any type of instruction, there are a lot of people that sail right through without any repeats and get their license in the minimum possible number of jumps. Then there are a lot of other people (like me) that have so much fun on a certain level that they do it a whole bunch of times. :) So don't freak out if you have to repeat a level. (Of course, every time I say this, a bunch of people post that they were born in freefall and got their license in five jumps, or something. :) ) If you haven't found them already, you might like to read the "five steps to getting started" articles and the glossary for further explanation of finding a DZ, training methods, etc. Welcome! EulePLF does not stand for Please Land on Face. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfloyd 0 #4 November 26, 2006 Congrats on your first jump! It just keeps getting better! My drinking team has a skydiving problem Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #5 November 26, 2006 I fully intend on working my way around florida. but....correct me if im wrong...the "training" has to be done at one dz? i haven't gotten that far yet as far as the researching. Im really trying to find a zone that has a pay as you go for the AFF. It would make it much easier on me..rather than forking out the 1290 that i really dont have right now....lol."Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #6 November 26, 2006 yes...i had three bud's after i got outta the jumpsuit And yes i am fully aware of the conditions of the military. My chain of command knew i was going to do it before i went on leave...and no one said anything negative about it at all. I even asked each one directly if they have any problems with it....and recieved no negative responces. Now...that was with one jump. Im going to run a request before i start my AFF course being that starting AFF is a little more serious about skydiving than one tandem jump. And..even if they dissapprove it.....they dont have to know what i do on my off time. Im not letting some old man who has no life tell me that i cant do something that makes me happen...screw that! Im going to ask around about the on base jumping..but i dont think that is availble being that i have been stationed there for over a year and have never seen canopies around the base...that and the fact that the base is a high traffic air base...i dont think they would have time for jumpers to jump...unles they jump somewhere else...i dunno know..but i will ask around. And thanks for the heads up..i never would have thought of that! I have already read the 5 steps..thanks. They are very helpful for someone new...so im glad they were there. Im going to do more searching when i get back to florida...and acually get my cell phone fixed so i can start calling different dz's and getting info thats not on their websites. And thank you all for the greetings. I can already tell that i will be on the forum alot! And i look forward to seeing some of you inthe air! "Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freefalle 0 #7 November 26, 2006 hey Jason, I sent you a PM. give me a call when you can I have a suggestion for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #8 November 27, 2006 Quotecorrect me if im wrong...the "training" has to be done at one dz? Yes, it is best to try to get them all done at the same dz. I'm just suggesting that you travel to the ones I mentioned before you decide which one would best suit you.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #9 November 27, 2006 Quotehey Jason, I sent you a PM. give me a call when you can I have a suggestion for you. reply sent!"Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #10 November 27, 2006 QuoteQuotecorrect me if im wrong...the "training" has to be done at one dz? Yes, it is best to try to get them all done at the same dz. I'm just suggesting that you travel to the ones I mentioned before you decide which one would best suit you. well..in your opinion since you have alot more experiance than i do..which one would you reccomend jumping at. the DZ i jumped at here in mississippi(gulf coast) is a very nice one. the staff and customers there are extremely friendly and they made my first experiance a very positive one. I hope the dz's in florida are half as good as gulf coast is!"Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #11 November 27, 2006 I know you would get good training at the ones I mentioned. They are totally different in their size though, that's why I suggested you just hang out at each one of them. You can talk to manifest, check out the prices, see the landing areas and facilities. My home dz is DeLand and I love it there. I also know the dzo at Palatka (he posts here as Crutch), and I know you'd get good training there too. It juts all depends on where you are most comfortable.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #12 November 27, 2006 QuoteI know you would get good training at the ones I mentioned. They are totally different in their size though, that's why I suggested you just hang out at each one of them. You can talk to manifest, check out the prices, see the landing areas and facilities. My home dz is DeLand and I love it there. I also know the dzo at Palatka (he posts here as Crutch), and I know you'd get good training there too. It juts all depends on where you are most comfortable. I will definately take your advice into consideration. I will take my time and scout out the different dz's in the area. Thanks! "Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eule 0 #13 November 29, 2006 Quoteyes...i had three bud's after i got outta the jumpsuit You're about 21 beers short, and they're not (all) for you. You will learn all of this in time. :) QuoteIm going to run a request before i start my AFF course being that starting AFF is a little more serious about skydiving than one tandem jump. I had the same kind of conversation with my other half and it was no problem for me to go jump, but I maybe wasn't as clear as I could have been that I wanted to jump more than once. The second time I went to jump I was asked why I was up so early on Saturday and I said "I'm going to go jumping." Response: "What? AGAIN?" We talked some more and it's all cool now. QuoteIm going to ask around about the on base jumping..but i dont think that is availble being that i have been stationed there for over a year and have never seen canopies around the base... That's a good hint. :) I am really fuzzy on this, but I _think_ maybe some of the military-sponsored jump organizations train students at a commercial DZ near the base. The military pays for most or all of it but it doesn't happen on base. Anyway, if it's around, _somebody_ at your base should know about it. You might also ask about it when you call the nearby commerical DZs. EulePLF does not stand for Please Land on Face. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
floridadiver81 0 #14 November 30, 2006 lol...what i meant by "running a request" was getting to clernace from my military chain of command..not a signfigant tother. I just recently staring seeing someone and she knows im doing it and she supporst me 100%. i hope to one day get her into a tandem...just so she somewhat knows why i want to get into the sport. As far as the military sponsored clubs...i going to go the the morale welfare and recreation department tomorrow and start asking some questions. If anyone would know...they would be the ones to have the information on it. If its true..then saving alot of money i will be(in the yoda voice...lol). Either way...if i have to pay the normal price..then ok..ill pay it. in the end...i will be licensed "Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie "Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladydyver 0 #15 December 3, 2006 I am headed down to your neck of the woods this week from the snowy spokane, Wa snow. Enjoy your experiences ...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
