Learning to skydive - taking the time to do it right

[Ragnarok 0]

I did AFF jumps 1 and 2 almost two weeks ago. I was hooked from the start. I will finish AFF and go on the get an "A" license. Like all my other hobbies I have had, I was ready to get everything I needed to skidive - rig, suit, everything THAT SAME DAY I JUMPED!!! Turns out, unlike other hobies, you can't do that.

I was in such a frenzy of excitement I wanted to jump right it (no pun intended). I could not wait to fly my OWN gear. Well, I have chilled since then - thanks to the advice from this forum.

I will wait until the time is right (God give me patience, but HURRY!) to buy my own rig. I do want to buy my own jumpsuit - something about wearing other peoples clothes that have been sweated (or worse) in.

I got an altimeter and some gloves. I am a Nurse and like to keep the hands in good shape. The altimeter I got is a Altimaster Neptune (sp?) - I am sure it will be more than enough for me.

So, here is to ENJOYING being a noob/student, learning the right things the right way - and loving every minute of it!

Cheers,

Steve

_________________________________________
Twin Otter N203-Echo,29 July 2006
Cessna P206 N2537X, 19 April 2008
Blue Skies Forever

[feuergnom 29]

one of the first things to do: get rid of that sig-line of yours

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[btucker 0]

Really dig your energy! Good luck with AFF. It is a long hard expensive slog, certianly the most challanging & rewarding thing I've ever done.

wahooo!

Blue Dreams Benno

[Cudlo 0]

Quote

one of the first things to do: get rid of that sig-line of yours

Its a quote from "Over There"

_________________________________________
"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." - Kierkegaard

[Ragnarok 0]

I was 'Over There' for a year. As far as I am concerned, I can deal with the occasional person who has a prob with it. I worked in the Hospital in the Green Zone in Baghdad. I took care of the enemy as much as I took care of American Troops. I was shot at, mortered, lost count of the rockets that hit the hospital. I worked 15+ hour days for weeks on end with little time off to rest. I have used lethal force and have had my life in danger more times than I EVER care to recall. I hated the enemy and what they did to people. For those with rose colored glasses on, it is a VERY UGLY PLACE. People die horrible deaths EVERY day. The enemy kills innocent women and children - to include their OWN families. I saw the worse kind of human suffering, and I have problems keeping the images, smells, and sounds out of my head. If you have not been there, you do not understand. I used that quote BEFORE it was on 'Over There'. I paid my dues, and unless the mods think the sig is out of line - it stays until I change it. I also found out the wife was messing around on me while I was over there. I need no sympathy or kind words, thank you. After getting kicked in the nuts like that, it is taking me some time to pull them down out of my throat and put them back where they belong.

Which is why I took up skydiving. Something I always wanted to do. I will be 33 next week and I have alot of living to make up for. I have found the greatest thing to do with my spare time.

end rant----


Thanks for all the advice and direction.

_________________________________________
Twin Otter N203-Echo,29 July 2006
Cessna P206 N2537X, 19 April 2008
Blue Skies Forever

[Meux 0]

Steve.

Good Morning, welcome back and thank you for your service. It's a little easier for me to chuckle at a joke about red is positive than it is to see the picture of them holding up Bergs head after they cut it off.

I just read an article this morning about surviving an affair. It can be done. It's not about the third person.It's about the relationship and whether you're willing to give it what it needs. I wish you both the best. It is a tough time.

Regarding skydiving, not sure where you live but I'd like to make some recommendations on getting up to the A license and maybe a little beyond.

I'm a noob too, so take this with a grain of salt.

With in a couple jumps of finishing AFF I'd recommend taking a canopy course. Scott Miller at Deland does a great job. I'm not sure if there are others around the country who do it, this forum is a great place to find that out. As you progress in skydiving you might be a belly flier or a head down type. That means different things, but one thing is always the same, flying your parachute safely to the ground.

Once you're confidant flying the parachute you can decide which way you're going to fall. In time you can probably do both, but in the beginning I'd recommend focusing on one or the other. For me, I want to become a good belly flier. Someday, once I've gained some confidence with that, I may get some help on other ways to fall.

I spent about 20 minutes in the tunnel with a coach learning fall rate and other handy little things. It helped immensely. If there is a tunnel nearby, I'd suggest that you find a good coach and do some sessions there. It will save you time and money in reaching a point where you can fly your body.

Order a SIM and prepare for the B licence as well. Those second 25 jumps come quickly and before you know it, you're ready for a B.

After that, its a matter of finding a couple people you can hang with at the DZ, and work with them on having fun and becoming a better skydiver.

I wish the best for you. Good luck on every front.

Cheers,

Mo

[Ragnarok 0]

Oh, I am divorcing the wife - sooner the better. And it is all good. No worries, mon.

I would like to find a wind tunnel, sounds like a great thing to practice and learn on.

What is a SIM?

I like freefall, maybe not going to be into freeflying as much as canopy piloting, though. I have alot of jumps to do, so there is time yet that I will have to find my 'niche', if you will.

Thank you, and it is MY pleasure to serve. Someone has to 'watch the wall', right?

_________________________________________
Twin Otter N203-Echo,29 July 2006
Cessna P206 N2537X, 19 April 2008
Blue Skies Forever

[skybytch 273]

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I do want to buy my own jumpsuit

That's an excellent idea, and now is actually a good time to do it - order now and you'll have it soon after finishing your student jumps. Delivery times for custom vary but you can expect anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks wait. If you're willing to spend a bit more you can get a rush order and have it in 2-4 weeks (time and extra cost depends on manufacturer).

I'll join in on commenting on your sig line, since it was brought up. Thank you for going over there and doing that job; you have all my respect. You have good reasons to use that sig but... realize that this is an international website. Not everyone who posts here lives in the US, including the site owner. Just be aware that your sig line could cause some people to judge you negatively.

[panzwami 0]

Skydiver's Information Manual. You can get excerpts from it on USPA.org, or you can order a full, bound copy. It's a great resource for any skydiver, but especially for someone who's just starting out.

And definitely get in the tunnel if you can. It's a bit expensive, but some tunnel time at this point in the game will really help develop good habits and avoid bad ones.

Oh, and I think the sig line kicks ass.

[Diversgodown 0]

Quote

Quote

I do want to buy my own jumpsuit

That's an excellent idea, and now is actually a good time to do it - order now and you'll have it soon after finishing your student jumps. Delivery times for custom vary but you can expect anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks wait. If you're willing to spend a bit more you can get a rush order and have it in 2-4 weeks (time and extra cost depends on manufacturer).

I'll join in on commenting on your sig line, since it was brought up. Thank you for going over there and doing that job; you have all my respect. You have good reasons to use that sig but... realize that this is an international website. Not everyone who posts here lives in the US, including the site owner. Just be aware that your sig line could cause some people to judge you negatively.

You could put terrorists nuts!! because nobody likes a terrorist (cowards and sonsofbitches) but not all Iraqis are terrorists. Just a thought. I could care less, I know what you mean just some other people may not.

***Glory Favors the Bold***

[Superman32 0]

Here is a link to the SIM http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/2005SIM/section1.htm

I know what you mean about wanting everything all at once, and jumping head first into something new.
Something you can definately get right now is a helmet and goggles. Just check with your DZ if you are thinking about a full face helmet, often times students are not allowed to use them.

On to the other subject,
Thank you for your service. We us a nation are in a terrible place and in a terrible time.
Today, is an especially difficult day as they have release more 911 and radio comm. tapes. I personally do not want to re-live it.
I'm sickened by decisions that have been made which dishonor those that have died and will continue to die. We are now stuck.
Once again thank you for your service and sacrifice.

P.S. congratulations on having your first thread moved to SC

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[Joellercoaster 6]

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Just be aware that your sig line could cause some people to judge you negatively.

Yes.

There are even still some people left in the US in that category, I hear.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[jraf 0]

Quote

I was 'Over There' for a year. As far as I am concerned, I can deal with the occasional person who has a prob with it. I worked in the Hospital in the Green Zone in Baghdad. I took care of the enemy as much as I took care of American Troops. I was shot at, mortered, lost count of the rockets that hit the hospital. I worked 15+ hour days for weeks on end with little time off to rest. I have used lethal force and have had my life in danger more times than I EVER care to recall. I hated the enemy and what they did to people. For those with rose colored glasses on, it is a VERY UGLY PLACE. People die horrible deaths EVERY day. The enemy kills innocent women and children - to include their OWN families. I saw the worse kind of human suffering, and I have problems keeping the images, smells, and sounds out of my head. If you have not been there, you do not understand. I used that quote BEFORE it was on 'Over There'. I paid my dues, and unless the mods think the sig is out of line - it stays until I change it. I also found out the wife was messing around on me while I was over there. I need no sympathy or kind words, thank you. After getting kicked in the nuts like that, it is taking me some time to pull them down out of my throat and put them back where they belong.

*If you don't like working 15 hour shifts, you should have won the lttery

*If you don't like being shot at, RPG'd and being under mortar fire you should have never joined the army

*If you wanted to keep the wife at home, you shoulde have stayed at home

...so stop winning and say something that makes sense...oh yeah! You're buying a new suit - that's a good start

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[RoysPlayThing 0]

Hello Steve,

I like your post... Although our situations are very different, I have to take AFF very slowly.. maybe even too slow for the sport.. but who knows. It is just nice to know that even for other people that don't have a skydiving disability, can be patient and try to pace themselves.

Last weekend was a rough weekend for me.. not feeling 100% to skydive.. and seeing 3 others around me whip right through AFF in a weekend or two. ... I know every circumstance is different, and I will just have to live by mine and not get down about it...

There's always Rock climbing..

_______________________________________________
My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

[waltappel 1]

Go ahead and use any sig line you want. More than most, you have *earned* the right to use the sig line that you use.

Expect to get a bit of grief over it in the Bonfire, though. Speakers Corner exists for people who want to make no-holds-barred expressions of how they feel about what many would consider to be sensitive topics. At times it's a hard-core, knock-down, drag-out free-for-all war and is inhabited by a lot of really sharp people with intelligent things to say. Occasionally, I hang out there too!

In The Bonfire, any knock-down, drag-outs generally consist of a bunch of people ganging up on someone who has, in their minds, said something either offensive or too hard-core for this forum.

It's kind of a "we are all about peace, love, and nice things here, and if you stir things up, we will beat you to death!" situation. I personally have been targeted and can tell you that after their rage subsides, they once again become the kind, loving folks you expect to see around here.

Thankyou for standing up for our country and congratulations on finding a sport you love. You're making the right choice in deciding to do your homework before buying gear and I think you'll be very glad you did.

I've been around the sport for a while and will give some general advice about buying gear.

First. Buying used gear can be totally ok, but you need to get the advice/services of someone who will look out for your interests. A used rig can be a great deal price-wise, but be a very bad deal for you if it doesn't suit your needs.

Unless you really know what you are doing or have the help of someone who does, don't buy used gear components separately, thinking you are building the perfect rig at the best price by getting the best deal on each component. They all have to fit and work as a system.

As a general rule, don't buy any used gear (or new, for that matter) that will need modification before you can use it.

Try to be a little on the conservative side when choosing a main canopy. No need to be a wimp, but keep in mind that you will likely be skydiving for a long time and will go through at least 3 or 4 different main canopies. Get one that is right for your current skill level and learn to fly the living hell out of it. Even the most docile of canopies can be loads of fun if you know how to fly them to their full capabilities.

Be aware that some skydivers will talk about their gear choices with an evangelical zeal that would make Jimmy Swaggart blush. Most often this is done in a joking way, but realize that bias exists. You need to pick gear that is right for you, your skill set and your budget and your choices will not necessarily match others' choices.

That being said, you would be absolutely nuts not to buy a Racer, with a Triathlon main, and a Raven reserve! Just kidding. That's what I jump and there are reasons behind it, but they are my reasons.

As for new gear, there are a lot of good people out there selling new skydiving gear. I'll mention one that I like a lot:

J. Mike Brown
American Skydiving Systems

He's a no-shit guy that sells great gear at great prices, and you can quote me on that.

Again, I'm not slamming anyone else. I suggest that you talk with as many dealers as you possibly can, test jump different gear, and make the choice that is right for you.

If you were in the Houston area, I'd get you in touch with Bill Lee. He's a Master Rigger and one hell of a great guy--as a friend and a rigger. I don't know any riggers in your area, but I'm sure someone here can steer you to a great one.

Blue Skies!

Walt

[feuergnom 29]

Quote

Go ahead and use any sig line you want. More than most, you have *earned* the right to use the sig line that you use.

exchange "iraqui" with u.s. citizen - i place any bet everybody. even you, would flame him without further notice.

i read a lot of controversial stuff in here, but so far i havent encountered anything that repugnant as this sig-line

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[kelel01 1]

Agreed.

[waltappel 1]

Quote

exchange "iraqui" with u.s. citizen - i place any bet everybody. even you, would flame him without further notice.

i read a lot of controversial stuff in here, but so far i havent encountered anything that repugnant as this sig-line

Without going into the level of detail I would go into in Speakers Corner, I will say this. You would lose the bet.

Walt

[jraf 0]

Hey dude...you are a tough guy, you should get a fast rig...you know, like a 108 foot eliptical. Get it for your A License...it will do you good.

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[Remster 30]

Feel free to change you sigline and ask your questions again, either in this forum, but ideally in general or Training as the post wont get hidden after a bunch of unskydiving related posts.

But please, change your sigline. If you want to have it, then we wont allow your posts out of Speaker's corner.

Remster