New To Sport

[JKappel84 0]

Hey Everyone, I am from NY and recently did my First tandem jump and obviously fell in love with it. I am going to get my A License this February over a period of a couple weeks and really looking forward to it. I was curious if all of you could toss some advice in my direction from purchasing my own system to skills while jumping and even proper etiquette or anything along those lines. Hopefully others can benefit from this Thread as well. Thanks for all the help I Cant wait till feb.

[skymama 37]

Welcome to the forums!
Let's see...

Purchasing your own rig: wait on that until after you have your A license. Research the multiple threads that have been posted about the subject and talk to your instructors.

Skills while jumping: Listen to your instructors and coaches and don't be offended if you get constructive criticism. If you are able to go to a wind tunnel, do it.

Proper Etiquette: as in all matters in life, treat others how you would like to be treated.

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

[siddacious 0]

I'll echo skymama's post, and additionally say that you should expect to take more than "a couple of weeks" to get your A license. In addition to needing 25 jumps, you will also have a fair amount of other skills that you'll have to demonstrate before you can get your license.

an overview of what you'll need to be required to do can be found here:
SIM Section 4

It has been about two and a half months since my first AFF class, and even with being at the drop zone almost every weekend and making as much as 6 jumps in a weekend, I still have around another 5 jumps or so to make.

My intention is not to scare you off with how long it may take, but to prepare you for the reality that it will almost certainly take you longer than you expect and certainly longer than you want. Skydiving is an absolutely awesome experience like no other, but becoming licensed to do so is no easy task.

Much luck in your skydiving career, and let us know how it goes.

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[JKappel84 0]

Hey thanks for the response. I called the drop zone I will be doing at it and spoke with the Jumpmaster?is that what they call them? And told him my intentsions. I am planning on heading down to georgia for a couple weeks to get the license because it is warmer there and they are open in february as oppposed to the DZ's here in NY. He had said they are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday that time of year. So I mentioned I would like to do all 25 jumps including the AFF course if possible over the two weekends i am there (6 days). He told me it is very possible as He will book me for the full 6 days weather permitting ahead of time and be sure that i can get everything for the A license while i am there. I feel it is VERY possible to do 25 jumps including my 6 hour ground course over those 6 days ecspecially after the AFF is done because then it is just continuous jumping correct? But i feel I can atleast get my 25 Jumps mayeb not my A License with the skills you mentioned but At least I can earn my jumps over those days and then come jump season here I guess apply for and take care of everything. The gentleman from the drop zone down there had told me it would be possible to obtain it while I am there. If you know different please fill me on so i can be prepared for it. I will have the time and the money to bang it out over those two weekends but if this is not practical please feel free to inform me so i can plan. Thanks again for all your help.

[siddacious 0]

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NOTE: I only have 23 jumps and am no sort of an authority on skydiving. Take what I say with a pile of salt, and weigh more heavily the recommendations of a more experienced jumper. What I say is based only on my experiences as a student and what I hear from other more experienced jumpers.
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25 jumps in six days? I think that is borderline crazy. That comes out to an average of more than 4 jumps a day, more so if you consider that you will almost certainly not get in as many jumps on the first day, due to the length of the class. Also keep in mind that the weather requirements are more strict for students. It was my experience that skydiving can be a fairly draining experience, and on at least one occasion found myself too exhausted from the adrenaline rush to do more than 2 jumps in one day. Your mileage may very.

In addition to the physical reality of trying to do 25 jumps in 6 days, you should think about the mental factors. There is a lot of stuff to learn and trying to cram it all in a short period have the best results, I would think. When I was doing AFF, I failed level 4 twice, and honestly my skydiving improved from it. Being able to take the time to learn from my mistakes and get input from my instructors without feeling like I had to "hurry up and get it right" was definitely a good thing. This is a very important (you know, learning how to save your own life) and enjoyable learning experience that like a fine wine or good sex should not be rushed.

That said, there is value in not having too much down time between jumps. As you read more about skydiving you'll hear about the importance of "being current", that is keeping your skydiving skills fresh. Dedicating a block of time to learning how to skydive as you seem to be doing may be a good thing. Just don't let your desire to get it finished override your desire to get it right.

I think a more reasonable goal would be to finish the AFF course and maybe get in some coach jumps if you have the time.

Lastly, how did you come to choose the DZ in Georgia? Did it come recommended by someone or did you just pick the name out of a hat? I would wonder about a DZ that would be willing to try and get you your A license in 6 days.

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[Ms.sofaking 0]

I am also a beginner and I agree to get advice from experienced jumpers.But, I don't understand the rush for your liscense.And it is possible you might not pass every AFF level the first try.That is common.Personally I like that my instructors who took me through AFF are from my home drop zone.They are not just my mentors,but my friends as well.I will seek their advise for years to come.If your waiting until February, why not wait until March and learn at your home DZ?Although I don't know your personal situation, and I come from small tight knit DZ, maybe it's not like that everywhere.

"I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, except I'll die in the end, she said. So what could really go wrong? -----Brian Andreas

[Taikoen 0]

I wouldn't say it's that unreasonable to get an A license in six days. Unless you're in extremely good physical shape, you will most likely be very sore after the first weekend. As a student, I did as many as 7 coaching jumps in a day, and just because you don't pass every AFF level on your first try doesn't mean it's wasted - you will learn something from every jump, and every jump counts towards the 25 you need for your A license. The weather will really be the largest factor working against you.

I tend to be really hard on myself and over analyze everything. An instructor of mine helped me realize that it's important to practice everything on the ground and see it all working out in my head before I do the jump. When I don't think about what my arms and legs are doing and just do it I find myself much more successful. Most of the responses you're getting seem to be negative about people saying that you're crazy and that it's can't be done. I know that people have gotten licensed in as few as six days. If you want it to happen, put forth your best effort, visualize every jump, practice as much as you can on the ground, and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to let your physical and mental preparation reward you with the jumps you need for your A license. However, if it doesn't happen, don't let yourself get down. For most people, it does take a while to get good at this skydiving stuff.

[JKappel84 0]

You're right everyone seems to be pretty negative about it. As far as why i chose GA is because My family lives down there and I did my Tandem jump down there as more of a fun one time thing with my brothers and I liked the DZ and the instruction i got was awesome. So i am planning a vaction down there in february and figured while im down there why not go for it. I am in pretty good physical shape, I am a firefighter here in NY and am a gym rat. The gentleman on the phone told me it would be very practical and In my personal feeling having minimal time between jumps is a home run. Everything is still fresh and i guess spacing them out over time is good in the sense that you can kind of run it through your head a little more. But I like the sound of te fact that i can come down and then have my instructor brief me and rather than me saying "Ok next week we can touch on that" i can say "Next jump ill get that right" and my next jump will be right then. But i at least want to do my AFF in those 2 weekends thats the Minimum plan. But i believe in shooting further than i can reach and go for the license cause if it works out then it will be excellent if not its fine too at least ill get my AFF and hopefully some jumps in. But as far as calling me crazy...Arent we all a little crazy? I mean we jump out of airplanes here, and additionally i run into burning buildings, so believe me i take zero offense to being called crazy. In Fact i take it as a compliment

[Ms.sofaking 0]

I never said you were crazy.And I think you'll actually benefit more from having many back to back jumps than spreading it out.My progression was slower because of not enough jumps in a day, or to much time between.The more jumps you make the more current you stay.The more you will learn.I admire your ambition.And no jump is a waste.I was just talking about building relationships at your home DZ.Good luck to you.And don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't work how you planned.Skydiving doesn't always go as planned.Take that from a fellow beginner.Get technical advice from the experienced.And have fun!

"I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, except I'll die in the end, she said. So what could really go wrong? -----Brian Andreas

[skymama 37]

May I ask which GA dz you're going to?

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

[siddacious 0]

Quote

I never said you were crazy.

You didn't, but I implied he might be close to it.

to the OP:
Your drive is admirable, and I don't mean to me a negative nanny. Maybe you can pull it off, who knows. I just meant to point out that it may be more challenging than you expect. In the end, you know more about how you approach learning. With your drive to do it, you may well be able to pull it off. Like I said, make sure your desire to get it done dosen't override your desire to get it right.

Good luck!

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[JKappel84 0]

Quote

May I ask which GA dz you're going to?

Sky Dive The Farm....In Rockmart GA. As for the rest I will keep everyone updated and look forward to posting about my success in early march/late feb. We'll see what happens...Take care for now and stay safe

[popsjumper 2]

Jon,
It's good that you are coming back to do AFF. As Hans told you, weather permitting, it is quite possible to get your AFF done in one or two days of jumping and then get as many more towards your A license as possible during the rest of your stay, physical fitness permitting. It's not a rare occurance.

We just had a New Hampshire visitor here that easily completed AFF over the weekend and it was no problem at all for him.

We quite often approve expedited jumping, depending on the student's learning rate of course, and you can be assured that you won't be simply thrown out of a plane just to grab your money, as some other DZs may sometimes do.

I would suggest that you get here the afternoon before so that the ground training can be completed before you start jumping the next day so that after a short morning refresher session, you will be ready to go on the first load.

One caveat. I will more than likely be the one who does your ground training. I will NOT let your training come up short just to expedite jumping. You will be trained until you and I are BOTH comfortable that you have the knowledge and basic skills to jump AFF Level 1. OK? I'm not in the habit of throwing people to the wolves. I hope you can appreciate that.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[JKappel84 0]

Excellent, Now I am even more excited. Is there anything I could read in the meantime to get my self ahead of the game slightly so that I am very well prepared for you to teach me. I tend to be a quick learner so having a background with some of this should be helpful if you have anything i should pick up to read. Also Hans mentioned you are only open friday, saturday, and sunday that tiem of year. So would you want to do the ground course the friday afternoon and then start jumping saturday morning? Thanks for all your help...

[popsjumper 2]

I would like to see you get here Thursday afternoon so that we can do the training that night, refresh you early Friday morning and get you in the air first load on Friday. That will maximize your jump time and give you some time to absorb what you will learn in ground training.

You can read the Skydiver's Information Manual (SIM) online, or purchase a hardcopy, on the USPA.org's website:
http://www.uspa.org/publications/index.htm

If you want to buy a training video, here's a good one to start with. We use parts of it in training - you will see it when you get here. It's a fairly good malfunctions video that can be purchased from Paragear.com:
Item: V9915 - BREAK-AWAY Video (NTSC & PAL) How to avoid and handle malfunctions and much more. $19.99

There's other stuff, too. PM me for additional info.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[siddacious 0]

excellent to hear the voice of experience. I'll quiet down now.

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[popsjumper 2]

I hope I'm not reading your last post wrong.

Your post, (#11), was really good input for the OP.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[JKappel84 0]

Ok Well its all Planned out I will be down there feb 21st Ready to Jump. I was curious, is your first Tandem a loggable Jump? Can that be logged in my log book towards my jumps?