Boomerdog

My wife surprised the hell out of me with a Christmas gift in 2011 then continues to surprise me that she's going to learn to. Went through training, we both have our "A" license now working on our "B" license. i'm a cancer survivor (so far) and have accepted the fact that "something" is eventually going to kill me. Once I could accept that, no more barriers to stuff like skydiving.

So each of us comes into this world with nothing and as naked as peeled grape and we leave this world with nothing and the only reason the undertaker puts clothes on your dead @$$ is so that people can gawk at you. Skydiving was a gift from my wife to me that totally surprised the hell out of me then she adds to the surprise by telling me she's going to learn as well. She gave me that gift as she watched me battle cancer and it was a battle to be certain. Sure, it cost $$$. So that only means I chose to spend the $$$ on skydiving instead of something else. No regrets...I'm having the time of my life. Every jump is light years better than what i'd enjoy at an amusement park and I've made friends and become part of a great community...priceless. Sacrifice? Hardly! I got the better part of the deal.

Good suggestion. Doubt it'll work.

Yup...I have my political beliefs. Fortunately at the DZ, I forget all about that. When I'm in free fall screaming to Earth at 120+, politics AND EVERYTHING ELSE is well off my radar. The ONLY thingI'm thinking about and enjoying at the moment is the jump and if I want to enjoy more jumps, I also need to think PULL...the rest is bull$#it.

I repeated four jumps, BFD. Did you fail or did you not execute the required actions necessary to progress. It is apparent that in all of your jumps, you pulled and landed with a good canopy. Think about that.

See...you're not alone! Courage as has been aptly stated, is having the hell scared out of you and doing it anyway. Good luck! Keep Jumping! Blue Skies!

Good post and great question. I'm a very novice skydiver as my profile shows but I've been SCUBA diving for 40+ years. Both have one thing in common in that we have to do one thing to survive. In SCUBA diving you have to regain the surface and make it back to the shore or the boat. In skydiving, you have to pull the pilot and get a good canopy then land it; stand up or PLF. The writings of everyone here who talk about the fear and concern of the first jumps are both honest and correct. Going up, I would "die a thousand deaths." Once I got out of the airplane, I was OK. Once I got a good canopy, BETTER, and once I landed, I wanted to do it again. Then I realized, I had to get back in that airplane. But as time goes by with an increased number of jumps, the yips do go away. It takes a while but they go away to be replaced by the confidence from acquired skills BUT NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. Check, recheck and verify both yourself and your equipment are ready to jump. Risk can never be totally eliminated but it can be minimized. Unlike SCUBA diving where you dive with a buddy to help in case of an emergency, in skydiving, you're on your own. In an emergency, there's no one to help you but yourself. Like the input of other posts here, this is one of the hard and fast stark realities of this sport you will have to accept if you decide to go through with it. Waxing philosophically (just a little), I've learned as a cancer survivor that life is a precious gift but not to be taken too seriously for none of us will get out of it alive. In my very short time in the skydiving community, I've met a lot of people who live and act this virtuous principle and I have not met a skydiver who had a death wish. Jumping out of an airplane is certainly a risk, so is getting out of bed in the morning. Furthermore, if you step back and think about it, is there ANY guarantee any of us will be alive in the next ten minutes with our feet firmly planted on the ground? I'm a late comer to the sport but I'm not leaving. I haven't bought the rocking chair yet; someday. But if I'm going to die in that rocking chair, let it be (I hope) AFTER I've come home from the DZ having enjoyed the day of jumping with my friends. I don't encourage or discourage anyone about becoming a skydiver; it's a decision each individual must make. I'm glad I decided to pursue skydiving. It's the ultimate thrill ride (I don't have to spend the $$$ to go to any amusement park now) and the friends I've made and the times we share at the DZ are priceless. There are many other skydivers here I know I have philosophical and political disagreements with but they will first, foremost, and always my friends and whatever our disagrements, I'll always have their back and I'd like to think they would have mine. Welcome and good luck in the next steps should you decide to pursue.

Or perhaps I misunderstood. When I hear or read "guns and Bloomberg," I think of the former mayor of NYC. If there is a bloomberg on this board and my feeble mind recalls that there is, then I was certainly not refering to the latter.

Bloomberg eh? I can assure you that any potential connection to me and the former village idiot of NYC is a figment of your imagination. The sad part is that Bloomberg is now an idiot looking for a village and he's far from welcome in my neck of the woods.

With all due respect and courtesy... WOULD YOU PUHLEAZE REFRAIN FROM INSULTING THE RATS!

hippies on the launch consoles with the codes and the keys???? Bummer dude!

dumb@$$ed judge!

you forgot...PERIOD!

Newspaper reports (and they are reports not facts) indicates the shooter is a retired police officer with several years of SWAT experience. The question for the justice system is whether the magnitude of the conforntation was to the degree that the shooter's life was threatened. Florida as we know, is a stand your ground (Castle Doctrine) state. If the shooter cannot prove the threat to him was potnetially lethal, his use of deadly force may be determined criminal.

No offense taken nor did I think at any time of reading your post was it intended. Catholic theology and cannon law is at times complex and erroneously condensed and sound bited in the wrong direction.

Well my friend, you ask some valid questions. If I may, I'll muddy the water a little more as I've already responded to someone else here on the issue of marriage and the Catholic Church. And as a former Protestant who is now Catholic, there are some Protestant denominations that declare I myself will be in an eternal journey for a shady spot with the most committed atheists in the fires of Hell. Nothing against Protestants mind you and I absolutely refuse to argue the converse. Contrary to popular belief, Catholics don't believe that Protestants share the same "fate." Quite the contrary. Your not the only one who has observed such behavior with people who profess themselves to be Christian. I too have seen it and there are times in my life I've either comitted these offenses myself or enabled such behavior and for that I am sorry and must change my ways. While Christianity contains many sound principles to live by (and so many of us don't consistently live by them); that's NOT what Christianity is. Christianity is the belief in a person and the actions of that person and more importantly WHO that person said he was. It is the belief that God became man in Jesus Christ and that God dwelt among his creation as a human and ulitmately paid the horrible price for the sins of all of us past present and future. Many don't accept this but that is their choice. Christians believe that God loves us so much that He has given us the freedom to make that choice. Too many times people pour their "righteous" indignation into the wrong things at the wrong time and they end up getting it wrong altogether. I think a valid criticism of all the denominations within Christianity is that it does not make a sound and reasoned defense of its teachings on the "hot button " issues presenting positive postions on why some things should be avoided. "Thou shalt not"...and then being hypocritical about it is not a good message to the rest of the world. And of course, let's not forget that place called Hell as I am sure many here (myself included) have gotten the finger wag on that one by some well meaning individual. Hell is mentioned 44 times in the New Testament so it must have gotten into someone's head in the annals of antiquity. But if faith is just a "fire insurance policy," to an individual, then perhaps they too are still on shaky ground. I think if we looked at faith not as that fire insurance policy, even less of a theory, and put our priorities as a love affair with God (as God wishes the same with us), then we have a good starting point to begin that divine walk. On the issue of drinking/alcohol...what God made He made good. It's just us humans who get it wrong by taking it to excess or to quote GK Chesterton, "Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable." AND I enjoy a beer or two once the green light is on after a great day of skydiving. My skydiving wife does not like beer...she drives home! One more Chesterton quote if I may. "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." So...my 25 cents and a cup of coffee's worth. Good luck!

Nope. In this case you have this particular point wrong on the specifics of the Roman Catholic Canon and what IT REALLY says. I married a Catholic in a Protestant Church which at the time was a church we both attended. My wife did not secure the approval of the Bishop of the local diocese to marry outside the Catholic Church. Our marrige, however, was recognized by the Church. In fact, the Catholic Church recognizes many marriages performed by other Christian denominations. A few years ago, I made the decision to become a Catholic. Right after the Mass where I was accepted into the Church, my wife and I had our second wedding, performed by a Catholic priest. Why? Because I was now a Catholic and for the Church to recognize the marital union of two Catholics, we were obligated to marrry in the Catholic Church according to the canons of the Catholic Church. Quite frankly, I did not see it as an obligation, I was all too happy to re-marry my lovely wife in the Catholic Church. On the issue of history, you are right. The historical record is clear that the Roman Catholic Church did organize as the first Christian body...some time after the first Easter. I will stop here on this point as I am NOT going to get into a raucaous debate about the Catholic Church being the true church. I'm not going there. Almost two thousand years of church teaching, continuous analysis, some ocassional debate etc still leaves the Church in the position and belief that marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman and the reasons for this position is for anyone here to inquire if they so wish...the Church is honest and up front with extensive reasoning in its position on marriage. Many here may not agree with it, but that's each individual's choice. It is a sacrament taken very seriously and Rome is not going to change its position.

Some lemon - pepper seasoning will accentuate the taste.

From the perspective of a noob who spends his weekends (with his skydiving wife) at the DZ every weekend possible...even in the cold winter. A few quick points. Cleanliness and orderly appearance do matter to first time customers. Every first time customer be they tandem or IAD should be considered a potential AFF student. Don't smother but don't neglect. Don't leave a first time customer to wonder about and formulate their own opinions. Provide a tour, explain what is going on as fun jumpers pack for the next jump. Show them the how's and why's of Manifest;explain the importance of weather and safety. Perhaps doing this first before watching the liability film might help minimize the yips they have about jumpong in the first place. Find a way to get them involved in the ops tempo rhythm and vibe of the DZ. Make them feel a pert of it. The DZO might consider fun jumpers who he/she trusts to show first customers around...be a DZ diplomat so to speak. As a fun jumper now myself with my own equipment, I know the jump fees I pay will not keep the DZ in business. Therefore, if I want my DZ to be there for me to jump, I too have an interest to see that new customers are treated properly all of course, at the direction of the DZO. I've had the priviledge of talking to some first time customers when they approach me. I'd like to think I've been careful but honest in my comments to them. Many of them want to know why I skydive etc etc. and ya never know, they may show up some day to begin AFF.

Whether this pompous ass is done will not speak to a larger issue that should be front and center concern to to all of us here...the use of public agencies and/or infrastructure by elected officials and their appointed minions to use as weapons against those who disagree with them.

My right honorable friend...if you CAN throw him, then we all need to contribute to your Olympic training fund! You'll be assured a gold medal!

Ask em' out in the open...we're a fairly friendly and cuddly group.

I received a gift certificate for one AFF lesson; Christmas 2011. It was a surprise gift from my wife. This was a gift I did not see coming...AT ALL. Three months prior and without me knowing, I made a remark about doing some touring in a town that just happened to have a DZ and I've always enjoyed watching skydivers and the colorful parachutes WITH MY FEET ON THE GROUND. At the time I was recovering from cancer treatment. TO add to the dizzying surprise, my wife informs me she's going to make an AFF jump as well. One jump is not enough, we both got our "A" licenses about a year ago and we keep jumping.

...along with the reading, did the "quick research" also include seeing 60 minutes last Sunday? There are others here much more experienced than I weighing in on your desire to wingsuit fly. It would be good to heed their advise ESPECIALLY if you've gotten feedback from an instructor in this forum. I don't think anyone here (including me) wants to throw a wet blanket on your dream but since you've already admitted you have "no idea what I'm doing"...One step at a time amigo and chances are you'll get the same advise if you go out to Elsinore or Perris.

Probably playing pocket pool too!