FlyingRhenquest

Oooh a king air! This wasn't at Mile Hi by any chance, was it? You know that half my AFF jumps I mentioned that I "failed" earlier? Every single one of them was out of a king air. The early AFF exit with two instructors out of that plane is a huge pain in the ass, and I told them as much in the retrospectives. I'd come in on the weekend, do a jump out of the otter (With its much larger door) and pass it, and then come in during the week, do one out of the king air and have the same situation you described. That's how I first failed my AFF2. I only lost one of my instructors, but we took so long flailing around trying to get stable that we didn't have time to complete the objectives. I thought it might have been just me, but I think they maybe should reconsider how they do early AFF exits out of that plane. Once I got to the point where I could climb out on my own, I was fine. That doesn't work very well until you get over being intimidated by the door, though, and that's different for everyone. What I'd suggest is talk to your instructors about the problem you had last time and see if they have advice on how to solve it. Also, once you get your rig on, head over to the door mock-up and practice your exit there until you're comfortable with it. The king air door is actually a wee bit easier to get out of than their mock up, so if you can do it out of the mockup it'll be easier in the air. From inside the plane, take a deep breath, put your right foot forward with your toe right at the corner of the exit, then put your left heel against the back of the exit and you should be golden. Remember that the WORST POSSIBLE thing that can happen here at the exit is you fall out of the plane early and you have a parachute! So it's not a big deal if that happens! But I guarantee you that your strength will be enough to hold you, your instructors will make sure that doesn't happen and if you can just relax and act like that 12,000 foot drop is no different than doing it out of the mock up on the ground, you'll be fine! I was! If it's at Mile Hi, ask manifest if Bruce is around. I'll be there this weekend, probably around 11AM or so, unless the weather just completely sucks. I'll be happy to hang out with you over at the mockup and give you some pointers. The weather should be nicer this weekend too, so maybe there will be enough people for them to be flying the otter. If that's the case, I suggest that you try to knock out your first 3 jumps ASAP. Once you get down to one instructor and climbing out, it's a lot easier to get out of a king air. That's a nice plane to do your later jumps out of. It may seem like a long path ahead of you now, but AFF will be over in a flash. I was stunned at how fast progress went on those early jumps. I'd have never called that I'd be climbing around like a freaking spider monkey outside the plane by AFF 4. But there you go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgG4hwKbH4. Funnily enough by then I was so used to the king air that when I did my first solo exit out of the otter, it felt like we were standing still. That exit still makes me laugh! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdsUICa7zY. I wonder if I could replicate it now. I might have to try it again out of the otter one of these days just for giggles. I'd have failed that jump if I were any less stable or altitude aware once I got stable. After watching the video we agreed it was OK for me to move on to my 6. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

OK seriously the longer this thread gets, the more of a "What the fuck am I doing with my life" moment I'm having here. I started skydiving, the last time that happened! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Yeah, he should have stolen some dubstep! Then he could have all like wub wub, wub wub wub, wub wub, wub wub DROP! ... Wub wub wub wub! Wub wub wub wub wub! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

He's just takin' care of business right there! Chuck the skydivers out and then get back on the ground to pick up the next load! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I had the oddest dream the other day that I met a family of 8 whose father had calculated that if the entire family used the bathroom while at McDonalds, they'd effectively pay for the meals of two of the family members (In the cost of toilet paper the family would use.) The oddest thing about that dream was that my subconscious seems to be open to the idea of eating at a McDonalds again, ever. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Wow, I didn't think you could pull and still fail AFF 1. What exactly do you have to do on exit to get to that point? Short of chucking both instructors out the door and then going 5 seconds later, I can't think of anything. And if that's what you did, kudos to you! On a more serious note, failing one of the AFF jumps is not a big deal. Hell, I failed about half of mine. It doesn't reflect on what kind of skydiver you'll turn out to be. I'm only 66 jumps in and that's all a distant memory! I wouldn't even call it failing, honestly. I learned more, hell WE, learned more, from the jumps I failed than the ones I passed. I feel like I'm a better skydiver than I'd have been if everything had gone flawlessly those first 7 jumps. A somewhat poorer skydiver, but definitely better! Any jump where you take something away from it is a success. And if anyone tries to tell you different, well chuck 'em out the door and then go yourself 5 seconds later! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

It really feels like there should be something we could do to gently nudge crazy people toward just killing themselves without dragging the rest of us into it. I think they'll go where the attention is. So perhaps less media coverage of events like these and more media coverage of autoerotic asphyxiation "accidents." Plus that would boost the economy as sales of Batman costumes would skyrocket. Hmm... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

There was a time, before the last hundred years or so, where most of them would not have survived to adulthood, much less to the point where they'd die of old age. The world is a cold, uncaring place and arbitrarily cruel events happen in it. I grew up on an airbase, and the constant state of being prepared for all out nuclear war pretty much opened my eyes to this fact pretty early on. Before that point I was afraid of many things -- I often say "I used to be afraid of the dark, until I realized I was the most frightening thing in it." Or monsters, except the wrong kind of monsters. Someone who's monstrous on the outside, if they're mean they're easy to steer clear of. Grendel? No problem, I'll just hang out in one of the non-Grendel areas. The people who are monsters on the inside, they're much harder to recognize outside the lair of their windowless van. There's no sense being afraid of things you can't do anything about though, which rules out monsters, nuclear war, death, premature senility, natural disasters, asteroids, losing your job and super AIDs, among others. If you were afraid of all the things you couldn't do anything about, you'd spend your life in a constant state of terror. Of course, if you're the kind of person who lives their life in a constant state of terror over what could be, you're not likely to be reading a skydiving forum, either. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I did AFF. You'd have to talk to someone who went the IAD route to see what they think of the training. I haven't heard anything particularly bad about either one. I bet you could find some IAD jumps on youtube too, so you can see what the difference would be. Come to think of it, I might go see if I can find some, just so I can form an impression of it. I finished my A license requirements back in early September. To date, I have 66 jumps and about half an hour of tunnel time. I'm going to try to get another couple skydives in this weekend if it's not completely miserable

Ooh! You're in for some fun! Tandem: You're strapped to a dude to go out of the plane. Pros: The fastest way to do a skydive, with not much more than a briefing before you go out of the plane. Cons: You're strapped to a dude. (This may be a pro if you like that sort of thing.) AFF/Static Line: A couple different methods of skydiver training. I did AFF myself so I don't know much about static line. AFF is typically a course of a ground school and 7(ish) jumps wherein you learn the basics of how to stay alive while skydiving. Instructors accompany you on your jumps but it's a solo skydiving experience. For what it's worth, I'm quite impressed with the results of my AFF training. I started back in July, so I'm fairly new myself. I suppose it might be a good time to mention vertical wind tunnels. Google for "Indoor Skydiving" in your area. They aren't cheap (Neither is skydiving) but you can learn to fly your body in one without all the distractions of an actual skydive. Distractions like a planet coming up to say "hi" at 120 mph. Veterans here complain that they don't teach you altitude awareness or dealing with those other distractions, but my opinion is that whatever you can do to reduce the sensory overload of your first skydive will probably give you a better chance of paying attention to those other distractions. Edit: Oh, and there's a lot of youtube footage of AFF, Tandem, Freefly, Wingsuit, etc jumps out there. If you want to actually see what something might be like, that's a good place to start. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Good for you! I'm not sure the middle of winter is exactly the best time to start, but whatever works for you. Any reason you're choosing now over, say, spring? Are you planning on doing a tandem or going straight to AFF or static line training? I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Apparently I've always had a bad time in Heathrow. Mom tells me that when I was 2 we went through there on the way to a vacation in Spain and I got hit in the head by an opening car door. I didn't remember that trip, but that blue tunnel at the end of the terminal was eerily familiar when I came through there in the 90's on my way to Romania. The only times I ever go through there are at the beginning or end of a long flight and there's usually a long layover involved. So no matter how nice the airport might be, I'm going to be pissed off there. When I was there, everyone smoked in Romania. And they didn't have emissions controls for their vehicles, so after a week my lungs were killing me. I couldn't wait to get on the plane so I could breathe again. We get on the plane and they announce that it's a smoking flight all the way to London. Fuuuck! I still like hanging around in the Eastern European countries, though. There was some great wine in Romania, the exchange rate was favorable, and everyone there seems to know how to party. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Hooray! I just got my "Congratulations on your A-License" E-Mail from the USPA! Apparently the first time the paperwork got sent in, it went missing. By this point I already have 66 jumps and half an hour of tunnel time. All I really just need water training, a written exam and a checkout dive to qualify for my B. Better late than never, though! I'm really amazed at how far I've come since July. I'm already planning the next several years' vacations around dropzones I can visit. Looks like it'll keep me busy for a while! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I have a bad experience every time I go to London. Mostly I can blame it on Heathrow. Passing through that airport already makes your trip suck. I think the negative karma generated by Heathrow drags the entire city down into a cesspool of negativity! Either that or I was French in a past life. I DO have an overwhelming urge to taunt those English K-nig-its a second time-ah! And shoot cows at them with a catapult... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Hmm, why not just become a tunnel rat in the off season? 15-30 minutes in the tunnel is a hell of a workout. I suspect it's not coincidence that every tunnel instructor I've seen has the same build... I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I'm not really qualified to comment on the biological aspects, though I did go through some pretty brutal situational depression some years ago. I did find that mechanisms I tried to use to escape that -- alcohol, drugs and whatnot, only ever make things worse when you come down off them. Of course, those things didn't have the awesome people you get to hang out with when skydiving. Actually socializing instead of just clamming up in a shell might make a difference. I know a number of people who've gone through trying to get medicated for it, with mixed results. It looks like a difficult balancing act, trying to find one that works with side effects that are tolerable. Also seems like the balance can change at the drop of a hat. When they get it right, it's like they're completely different people. So if you think that "happy" is not possible in the human condition, I'd suggest that you explore medication as a solution. Perhaps you'll discover you were wrong about that. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Flying close formation with really, really big rocks. This! Search youtube for "Wingsuit Proximity". You'll come up with lots of hits! 'Course you need 200 skydives to get into a wingsuit, more skydives to learn how to fly a wingsuit, some base jumps to learn how to base jump and then some wingsuit base jumps to learn how to fly a wingsuit while base jumping. All without killing yourself in the process. Sounds like a recipe for fun to me! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Yo. Base jumping and wingsuit proximity come next :-P Hopefully skydiving keeps you interested for a while heh heh heh I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

1) Fucking with my dive flow after I and my instructor have already agreed on the jump. 2) Fidgiting! Just sit the hell still for 20 minutes like everyone else, for God's sake! 3) Farting. I try my best to keep 'em in, because what I got brewing up down there has qualified as 'biological warfare' for the last 4 or 5 years, but man, someone dropped one in the otter a couple months ago that nearly made me hurl. An instructor 3 seats back was like "Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!" I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

"If you whistle while you're pissing, you have two minds, where one is quite sufficient. If you have two minds, you are at war with yourself. If you are at war with yourself, it is easy for an external force to defeat you. This is why Mong-tse wrote 'A man must destroy himself before others can destroy him.'" -Robert Anton Wilson I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Flips kind of reminded me of flips I did off the diving board as a kid, except you don't have to worry about a back or belly flop if you screw it up (Which is why I stopped doing them off a diving board heh heh heh) A lot of the forces and issues you deal with in skydiving are similar to ones you find in gymnastics, ice skating and ballet. I'd think that any sport that requires you to be in good physical condition, be aware of your body orientation and which requires extreme precision would help you with skydiving. Funnily enough, since I started skydiving, I've had more motivation than I've ever had before to get in shape. And I've been looking at gymnastics, parquor and rock climbing and thinking "I think I could do that now..." Hell master the PLF and that's like 2/3rds of parquor right there! Well probably not that much, but it seems like a fundamental skill you'd need for the sport. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I like the review at the end of "The Torchum Never Stops" on Frank Zappa's Thing Fish album. Whenever I'm experiencing something that really, really sucks (usually at work) I'm tempted to improv that review over my current situation. If you want a heaping helping of awesome though, there's always Muse's "Knights of Cydonia". Complete with epic music video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MiHQkQpF_Q I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

I'd say go for it! What you want to avoid is starting your training and then waiting for a month and a half to do another training jump. If you can get good conditions every weekend and can do multiple jumps in a weekend, just go for it! I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Whenever I get down about my job, I just sing a little song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTTwfGopOeY I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Go hang out and talk to the jumpers there. One of my work buddies is a skydiver with a lot more experience than I have, and he was able to provide me with information on the benefits and drawbacks of my home DZ. You'll probably want to find out about the condition of the rental gear, how attentive they are to the maintenance of their aircraft, and how distracted or rushed their instructors are. It might be a good idea to ask if it's a safe dropzone for students to jump at. For example, my coworker has suggested that I avoid going to another nearby dropzone until I have my own rig. Every dropzone is going to have its benefits and drawbacks, so it's really just a matter of finding the right balance that works for you. That answer might change as you gain experience, too. Your needs change as your skills evolve. I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?