Concerns of a newbie.

[chasingthedream 0]

Any input appreciated!!

Last weekend I went up in a plane for the first time!! A 3 seater Piper. I wanted to do that because I thought it was silly to be 23 years old and never have flown. Flying was not nearly what I expected but we only went up about 3,000 feet. Also Ive been thinking about skydiving off and on for the last 3 years so I wanted to go flying before I went "flying"!

Heres my dilema:

I think the freefall will be bomb, and I imagine it would produce a once in a lifetime rush!! But im not a fan of heights and once the chute is pulled im scared that time will move too slow to keep my fears held down by adrenaline. Too add to that I am not a fan of roller coasters ( I would jump out of the plane 5x faster than I would jump on a coaster)... so could I tell a tandem instructor that and him just make it a steady ride? Im looking more for a euphoric experience, not a wild ride.

Also Ive read some of the incident forum and was wondering if the chance of incident for a first time tandem is just as much as with a person with 1000 jumps under there belts? Basically is going tandem relatively safe?

Ill shut up now! Thanks Guys.

[piratemike 0]

Tandem jumps are safer than sport jumps.

Sport jumping is quite a bit safer than taking a ride in a small plane like you did.

Freefall is -awesome-.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Quote

Any input appreciated!!

Last weekend I went up in a plane for the first time!! A 3 seater Piper. I wanted to do that because I thought it was silly to be 23 years old and never have flown. Flying was not nearly what I expected but we only went up about 3,000 feet. Also Ive been thinking about skydiving off and on for the last 3 years so I wanted to go flying before I went "flying"!

Heres my dilema:

I think the freefall will be bomb, and I imagine it would produce a once in a lifetime rush!! But im not a fan of heights and once the chute is pulled im scared that time will move too slow to keep my fears held down by adrenaline. Too add to that I am not a fan of roller coasters ( I would jump out of the plane 5x faster than I would jump on a coaster)... so could I tell a tandem instructor that and him just make it a steady ride? Im looking more for a euphoric experience, not a wild ride.

Also Ive read some of the incident forum and was wondering if the chance of incident for a first time tandem is just as much as with a person with 1000 jumps under there belts? Basically is going tandem relatively safe?

Ill shut up now! Thanks Guys.

You're jumping out of an airplane. There are no guarantees.We could tell you it is the safest thing in the world and you could still be the next tandem fatality. No one ever thinks their next jump is going to be the last.

[NotBond 0]

Do a tandem for starters.

For a lot of people, there is a terrific amount of sensory overload, and some fear, too. In a tandem rig, you can participate somewhat, depending on the instructor, or just be "cargo" if it's too overwhelming or you're feeling ill.

On my first tandem, my brain basically shut down. I have the video, but it's like watching someone else. The second was MUCH better, I knew what was going to happen and could concentrate on the fun aspect.

Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

[NotBond 0]

Quote

You're jumping out of an airplane. There are no guarantees.We could tell you it is the safest thing in the world and you could still be the next tandem fatality. No one ever thinks their next jump is going to be the last.

He's right - that's exactly what you are doing. There is a certain amount of hazard involved. however, I believe that tandem accidents are much less common than single person jumpers. The equipment is more docile, the instructor has hundreds, if not thousands of jumps, and you are not in control - it seems most skydiving accidents are the result of poor judgment, vs equipment failure.

Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

[billvon 3,111]

>so could I tell a tandem instructor that and him just make it a steady ride?

Yes. He cannot make it perfectly steady, but he can definitely make an effort to not make it too "radical."

>Also Ive read some of the incident forum and was wondering if the chance of
>incident for a first time tandem is just as much as with a person with 1000 jumps
>under there belts? Basically is going tandem relatively safe?

Skydiving isn't a safe sport. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. It is _fairly_ safe, however, if you're careful, listen to your instructor, and do what you're trained to do.

An example that many people use is that "it's safer than driving." That's not really true. Perhaps a better example would be that it's more dangerous than driving, but safer than driving after you've had a beer or two. (And most people seem to have no problem doing that.)

[anarki 0]

hi, i'm just as new as you but with one tandem jump. To me doing my first tandem jump is like getting a tattoo. Your not going to go up to the tattoo shop and put art on your body by just any one. Your going to look at the artist work and talk with him alittle. Thats what i did, i went to the dz and just spent 4hrs one day looking at the way they run things(asking anything that comes to my mind) they will help you (i did not jump this day). I talk to the ti i was going to jump with and see if me and him where on the same page.(that he understands what i want) and if i like him. I did and in so made me trust him even more, then if i had just jumped with out getting to know him at all. I guess when it comes time to exit, all you have is the trust and faith in this ti to get you back safely to the ground. Make it easier on your self, go up and spend a day getting to know the staff of your dz.(i bet it will help a lot)

guess what's 250 lbs and flys like a brick? me

[NotBond 0]

Quote

hi, i'm just as new as you but with one tandem jump. To me doing my first tandem jump is like getting a tattoo. Your not going to go up to the tattoo shop and put art on your body by just any one. Your going to look at the artist work and talk with him alittle. Thats what i did, i went to the dz and just spent 4hrs one day looking at the way they run things(asking anything that comes to my mind) they will help you (i did not jump this day). I talk to the ti i was going to jump with and see if me and him where on the same page.(that he understands what i want) and if i like him. i did and in so made me trust him even more, then if i had just jumped with out getting to know him at all. I guess when it comes time to exit, all you have is the trust and faith in this ti to get you back safely to the ground. Make it easier on your self, go up and spend a day getting to know the staff of your dz.(i bet it will help a lot)

That's real good advice!

Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

[anarki 0]

Quote

Quote

hi, i'm just as new as you but with one tandem jump. To me doing my first tandem jump is like getting a tattoo. Your not going to go up to the tattoo shop and put art on your body by just any one. Your going to look at the artist work and talk with him alittle. Thats what i did, i went to the dz and just spent 4hrs one day looking at the way they run things(asking anything that comes to my mind) they will help you (i did not jump this day). I talk to the ti i was going to jump with and see if me and him where on the same page.(that he understands what i want) and if i like him. i did and in so made me trust him even more, then if i had just jumped with out getting to know him at all. I guess when it comes time to exit, all you have is the trust and faith in this ti to get you back safely to the ground. Make it easier on your self, go up and spend a day getting to know the staff of your dz.(i bet it will help a lot)

That's real good advice!

thanks man

guess what's 250 lbs and flys like a brick? me