How did you learn????

[dropdeded 0]

AFF and way too many recurrency dives.26(for now) total jumps.2 more weeks and yet another recurrency jump.

whatever it takes

dropdeded

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The Dude Abides.
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[ltdiver 3]

Tandem to S/L progression. Didn't have an instructor in the air with me (after the tandems) until after I'd been cleared to solo status! And then it was only to get my RW skills checked off for my 'A' license.

Looking back now, I shutter a bit. That HUGE student rig weighed -almost- as much as me!! It -wanted- to flip me over on my back and only the training on the ground how to ARCH!!! kept me stable during my freefall progresssion.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[jessefs 0]

AFP which included 2 Tandems then 18 AFP jumps. I educated myself about all methods and glad I chose this program.

<* Spread the Love! *>

[neiliss 0]

My first jump was a Tandem. Wanted to be sure that this was the sport for me. After that it was straight AFF. I am really terrible at hop n pop's though, but the rest is going well. I am now on jump 23 with my own gear and my A license after about 2 and half months.

Cheers
Neil

[macey 0]

S/L in 1973 then AFF in 2000 (after a brief layoff).

[rushmc 23]

Static line....only way offered when I started

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[trilete312 0]

S/L which worked great for getting rid of the fear of sitting next to the door wedged into a C182. It was kind of frightening facing the back of the plane on your first jump, they say Door, and suddenly there is this loud noise and a long drop to your left.

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Ready, Set, Gooooooo

[skygirlpc 0]

Tandem progression, three tandems then into IAF. I thought it worked well for me. I agree with the fact that all the different types of training are good for the sport! I really like the idea of people doing a tandem first, It's so low pressure!

As far as time in sport and number of jumps I'm at two years in Jan. and only have 53 jumps. Mostly because of lack of funds. I have never had to do a recurrency jump though, I mostly jumped right at that 30 day mark!

[rushmc 23]

I know what you mean. I started in Iowa. Trying to find days with the wind less than 5 mph made me wait 5 weeks from the time of the first jump class to the first jump. By the time I finally got to go (after 4 refreshers every Saturday) I just wanted to get it over with. You know, get up and get out! The second jump is the one that scared the sh__ out of me. It was that jump that I think I realized what I was doing

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[psw097 0]

Same for me. I did not know about AFF until after I had a license.

[trilete312 0]

The second jump for me was where I knew I was completely hooked. Not just partially, but completely. When I let go of the wing and actually counted to five and noticed how fast the plane got really really small I was hooked. Then you try to tell your Whuffo friends that you were hanging from the wing of a plane at 3500 ft and they don't want to believe you.

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Ready, Set, Gooooooo

[rushmc 23]

They really did not understand did they?
Nice thing about today is even though they may not want to become a sky-junky at least they can try a tandem. Then, after that, any time you meet up with them the greeting starts with a great big smile

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[HeatherB 0]

A tandem/IAD progression of sorts. Small cessna DZ. (Above the Poconos Skydivers in PA)

2 tandems
3 IAD's (you had to do at least 2) from 4 or 4.5
Freefall jumps (with one instructor with you) from 9 or 10 grand

I only got through 10 of the freefall jumps and then I moved away. I wasn't techinically signed off, I still needed to show a good track. 6 months later I came to Z-hills, otherwise I would have stayed in PA and done the other 5 coach-type jumps and graduated that way.

[Iezyka 0]

s/l, i didn´t know of anything else
I think it was a great feeling to do the jumps all by myself... but on the other hand it was rather inefficient and sometimes really boring to do all the packing, briefing and waiting and then only get a short freefall to practise on.

I got video on some freefall jumps, that was great for both learning and motivation. If I would forget everything about skydiving and have to do s/l again, I would try to get more video debriefing.

[Iflyme 0]

I learned IAD ... was having trouble getting a good arch on the 5 second delay, so I did just one PFF jump. After that my flying skills quickly improved. That first jump was in May, '98. 175 jumps now.

[wmw999 2,556]

S/L was the only option in 1975. Made about 1000 jumps from then to 1984, then real sporadic until I took it up again mid-2001. Just got back from Eloy.
Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[f1freak 0]

I had to go through the SL progression, it was the only training available in North Dakota....

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[BikerBabe 0]

None of the above.

I learned to save my life by completing five 10-second solo freefalls (also earned my jump wings). This came after 40 hours of ground training.

Only after my 5 solos did I begin a sort of modified AFF/student progresssion as part of a year spent learning how to be on the Wings of Blue.

I'm pretty sure the AFA is the only place in the US, and maybe even the world, where the student's first jump ever is a solo, unassisted freefall.

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[weid14 0]

I think it was both the Soviets, and the Brits that were tossing people out of planes --- with no parachute. There are links around somewhere to the exact story. The soviets into really deep snow, and the brits into water I believe.

[quatorze 1]

sorta need to allow, for multiple answers here, 9 static lines, became comfortable under canopy, but was out for 6 monthsdue to work, came back AFF, and never needed another radio command, for that I had much better canopy control then the buddy of mine who came and started AFF w/me after my 6 month hiatus

I'm not afriad of dying, I'm afraid of never really living- Erin Engle

[ernokaikkonen 0]

I found just this:

  Quote

First decades of the 20th Century:
Literature discussing the use of parachute troops is published. The concept is considered amusing in most countries but is taken seriously in Germany and in Russia. The Russians practice dropping troops from airplanes in deep snow without parachutes. There are few injuries from shock, but too many fatalities from suffocation. The concept is abandoned.

[quatorze 1]

not to mention those nice big puffy snowdrifts seem to hide some awfully big rocks, yup, not gonna a lot of fun on that one

I'm not afriad of dying, I'm afraid of never really living- Erin Engle

[Nick 0]

Started on S/L got up to 10 sec delays in 15 jumps and then over to AFF (completed in 7 jumps)

Love hop-n-pops.

Nick
Gravity- It's not just a good idea, it's the LAW!

[riggerrob 643]

  Quote

I found just this:

  Quote

First decades of the 20th Century:
Literature discussing the use of parachute troops is published. The concept is considered amusing in most countries but is taken seriously in Germany and in Russia. The Russians practice dropping troops from airplanes in deep snow without parachutes. There are few injuries from shock, but too many fatalities from suffocation. The concept is abandoned.

That rumor persists, but I have never seen documentation.
Considering how many other mistakes the Russian Army made when it invaded Finland, it would not surprise me.

[cgross 1]

IAF - I think it is like AFF....

3 tandems, 8 instructor assisted FF 1 solo and a H&P

Does that sound right?