frogerina

I am going Saturday to take my daughter for her first tandem! (She asked for this for her birthday...uh, oh -- this is how things all started for me...) I've warned her that there will be some hanging out time as well...but there will be fireworks and a demo show. We are very excited for our mother-daughter tandem. (Shucks -- I couldn't let her go up all alone, now could I? ...and besides, maybe I can get some additional canopy piloting lessons from my TI!)

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions and thoughts! Our DZ has stopped AFF during the boogie for all the reasons listed above. I really appreciate the time and care (and more time!) each of my instructors has taken with me there on my AFF jumps...but I agree they should have opportunities to play and enjoy themselves. Some of the AFFIs are also doing organizing, etc. through the boogie. I'll get back to starting Cat E soon enough (and I'd like to not have the whole skydiving world witness my truly splendid beginner PLFs...) Meanwhile, they are still doing tandems during the boogie, and my college-aged daughter texted me and asked if she could have a mother-daughter tandem as her upcoming 20th birthday present. She'll be home for the weekend...so I booked us a couple of tandems for this Saturday. (It will be her first skydive. Aww...something for the baby book!) So at least I'll get to be in the sky (and I plan to ask the TI if I can be more involved in this jump...maybe with hand-over-hand guidance I can actually figure out the perfect time to flare!?!?!). We'll see if it's feasible to join in and help out while we're there (maybe we can work for free dinner and a t-shirt!) and plan to hang around for the demo show and fireworks (but then I'll get her underaged and well-supervised by her momma bear self out of there...then again, she is a college junior...oh, the things I don't wanna know...).

That I can do!

I checked, and there's not going to be AFF available during the boogie...which is probably a good thing for all of us. Which kind of goes back to my original thought...give it a bye this year, or come try to meet some folks and start making connections?

So my DZ is starting up a weeklong boogie this week. I'm just an AFF student -- the one who jumps weekday afternoons or early Saturdays to be in uncrowded skies. I hadn't planned to attend this year, as I'm really not ready to be in those busy skies, even if there is a willing AFFI nearby. Generally, I go by myself to do my jumps (hubs is definitely earth-bound!) and I'm getting to know a few of the staff...casually (in a "I've seen you around here before...which jump is it for you?" way). Today one of the TI's asked if I was coming to the Boogie, and really encouraged me to come up. I know I'd not be jumping (my confidence is growing...but I really don't want to crash into someone who knows what they are doing!) but I wouldn't mind seeing the Demo on Saturday night, the fireworks, walking by the vendor's booths and dreaming... But if I'm not jumping, do I suddenly become an honorary (not) whuffo? Is this something to wait a year for -- when I'll (hopefully) have my license and have started to know more folks around the place? I'm torn...

So funny to read this -- I am just at the start of this grand adventure myself, and felt like big stuff after I did both of my Category C jumps in the same day! (Then was done-done-done!) PixieUK -- I feel your weather frustrations -- with my work schedule, I have limited windows when I can get to my dropzone...and the last 2 appointments I have made have been washouts with late summer rain! Ugh...I have sky hunger. Hopefully, early Saturday morning (the next time I hope to head out there!) I'll get to jump before the weather remembers it wants to rain! (And before too many people are up and jumping...I get a little nervous sharing my airspace with too many other folks...'cause I'm still learning how to drive that parachute!) May you have great weekend weather, and a fantastic first (and second and third and...) jump!

While talking about flaring...a rank newbie question. (2 jumps, 2 landings into AFF process). How quickly do you bring the toggles down for that flare? I feel like I've been "sneaking" them down slowly, and haven't yet managed to get into a full flare until I'm somewhat hurriedly practicing my PLF skills. On my first jump course, my instructors just talked about a full flare; after second jump, a different instructor mentioned staging the flare -- thanks to those who have described it. As a scrawny girl on a ginormous canopy (nice to soften the landings, but a lot of umph to flare!) I think that I could have more success with this. Looking forward to my next jump and spending more time working on the flare up high. But yeah...how fast do you perform that flare?

I did a tandem jump, then the FJC. I really wanted to work more on my free fall understanding after that first jump, and my AFF instructor supported me in doing some tunnel time. I worked with a coach who is also an AFFI, and let him know that I wanted to work on the skills I would need to progress through my course. I came home, did my Category B jump, and found that the tunnel work really did translate to the sky. However (and I'm a total noob to all of this!!) I personally don't think I would have gotten as much out of either the tunnel or the sky work if I hadn't had that FJC prior to tunnel, as I went to tunnel with an idea and memory of that first free fall, what I struggled with, and what I needed to work on. As others have said, if you choose to go to the tunnel, make sure your instructor understands that you want to work on "skydiver stuff" rather than just fly for fun.

I stayed at the Element Denver Park Meadows. It was within walking distance of the tunnel, had great breakfast and comfy beds to throw tired bones into! Call the tunnel..they have discount codes for some area hotels. The tunnel itself is in an area with several restaurants, etc. Have a great time in the tunnel!

Getting real yet? Older myself, I found that an hour (15 min a session, 30 minutes a day, over two days) was plenty. My third session was my best (first session of the second day, after I had a night's sleep for my body to program the moves in), and my final 15 minutes, I was really tired and it was hard to be able to get my body to cooperate with all that I wanted it to do. Personally, for me (and I can only speak for myself), I don't think I could have done 2 hours at the outset. However, you've got another day to spread those minutes out... From another newbie...don't expect your first few minutes to be a thing of beauty. However, as you become more familiar with the space, you really will learn, and it becomes a lot of fun. Make sure you and your coach have worked out what you're planning to do during your time slot, and be sure you talk about the signals your coach will be using. Communicate what your goals are, what you want to learn. The tunnel staff there are really a great bunch. It's a comfortable place, and you can watch and enjoy the other people there. They sell minutes to nonskydivers, too, so you may see some different stuff (and adorable kids flying!) during those other times of day. Stay hydrated and well-fed. Be prepared to be sore and possibly have some bruises if you work on the mesh. Remember to enjoy the beautiful area and have fun food and rest during your downtime. Try to get into the sky as soon as you can after you get home. Remember the tunnel work as you fly in the sky. Now I defer back to the people in this forum who know what they're talking about with respect to tunnel. Just my perspective from my first magic hour... Have fun!!

I asked my TI if we would be sliding in (that's what I had seen in videos of tandems) and he said the plan was to land standing. He had me keep my legs up and out of the way until we were on the ground, and we stood up fine. Didn't have the knowledge base to know if it was weather conditions, his preference, our respective sizes, or what the criteria in that decision were...but it worked really well (and more gracefully than my two PLFs so far in AFF...but I'm proud of no injuries or bruises as I roll my way through those landings...) Some day I'll stand it up...when everything is in place!!

Hmm....think maybe he was channeling my first several minutes in the tunnel for inspiration there. And Bignugget -- thanks for the birthday wishes -- not sure hubby had any idea his gift of the tandem was going to become such a gift that keeps on giving...

So I'm the creaky old schoolmarm who received a tandem skydive as a birthday present...was gonna be a one time "that's interesting" deal...ended up fascinated, and started AFF a couple of weeks later...and discovered that I am NOT a natural at this. My AFFI mentioned that wind tunnels existed (okay, say it with me...this woman knew NOTHING about skydiving...except it looked really cool...). Found this site, started asking about wind tunnels, where to go, how best to learn, etc. Got a lot of good information, and a PM from Ari, letting me know he was doing a tunnel camp in CO, and yes, he was willing to take on a very beginning student who wanted to start out with the right information. I was fortunate to be able to book an hour of time over a couple of days at the camp, and in between watching him teaching people head down and sitflying, he would patiently work with me on Skydiving 101. Very patiently. I came back home for my Category B jump...and it was a totally different experience (in my A jump, I had lost my arch and tossed an instructor off...in B, they told me they barely had to hang onto my leg grips, that my positioning in the air was excellent -- all things that would NOT have happened without the careful, attentive coaching in the tunnel, planning before, debrief after.) Ari has phenomenal teaching skills, a great sense of humor, and I think he could fly in that tunnel forever (as I staggered out at the end to find a giant economy-sized bottle of Advil and a soft surface...). Working with Ari was one of the best things I could have done to begin to figure out this alien world of the sky. It was so cool to watch how he worked with the advanced skills of the other folks, take a minute to teach beginning turns (hi...), then back to some amazing advanced flight thing I don't even have a name for yet!

I am NO expert!! I have just done my Category B jump (again -- read n00b!) BUT...after a just-for-fun tandem that led to a less-than-stellar Category A jump, my AFFI suggested tunnel time. I posted a similar question, and the folks here who know what they're talking about (I hope to be one of those someday...) said coaching was such an important part of the picture. They were right. I grabbed all my pennies, nickels, and got myself to a tunnel camp. (Is that an option with your schedule? Although still pricey, it was a better deal than paying for straight tunnel time + coaching.) Today, my Cat B jump (I know -- just the beginnings....but this was a totally foreign world to me!) went really well. I totally credit the careful, specific coaching I received and the time to be able to really work on muscle memory with a coach whose sole job was to help me figure out what I needed to learn, and how best to pull it off. My coaching included pre-flight planning/teaching, and then immediate post-tunnel video review and debrief. So helpful to be able to see for myself what was going on (haven't found anyone willing to jump a mirror with me yet...) and have experienced eyes tell me how to go about learning/fixing. I hope you are able to plan the perfect trip.

Thank you so much for the view of a newish student at work! And thanks to everyone who has commented, shared video links and lists and ideas and PMs. I will be going the end of this month to SkyVenture Colorado!! (Yes, a ways from Ohio, but I got a great deal on a flight) and am set up with a tunnel coach/AFF instructor who is enthusiastic about the challenge of helping a newbie get comfortable and figure out the combination of air and body. Super excited....but also somewhat scared I ain't got it...

Okay, so up front here -- I've had a grand total of one tandem and one AFF jump. In debriefing that first jump, my instructor recommended some wind tunnel time, and I think that would be very helpful, as I was not super-stable in that freefall. I'm in southern Ohio, so I know this would be a bit of a roadtrip. Closest I can find with preliminary research are Flyaway Indoor Skydiving in Pigeon Forge and ParacleteXP in NC. Any others within more-or-less driving distance from Southern OH? First of all, anybody know anything about Flyaway? My instructor mentioned ParacleteXP. With one nontandem jump to my name, I really want to be able to get comfortable in the air, to work on form and learn what a good arch, etc. feel like. Are these reasonable wind tunnel goals? Since this would be a road trip, I really can't bop to the tunnel with much frequency -- could I get this information into my body, and then be back at the DZ to continue my AFF training with more style? (That first freefall of mine was not beautiful. Thank heaven for amazing instructors.) I read here about people getting coaches. One jump me -- would I be okay with the staff there, explaining that I'm not there to play, but to learn good form? How much time, over how many sessions (I know -- I'm asking everyone to get their crystal balls out!) for a true newbie treading in very different waters? Thanks for your help! I really want to figure this out.