DrDom

hahaha ^^^ that! I think I'm still doing the same Best advice is don't worry about PASSING EVERY LEVEL THE FIRST TIME. There isnt a rush. Just do the dive flow the best you can every jump and realize if you have to repeat a level: so what? Its 25 to "A" anyhow. Take your time, don't rush, relax, and enjoy the jumps. I tried to psych myself out by saying I would NOT fail any steps. I haven't yet but I still have 7 and my tracking... not so good. So if i repeat it there isnt a hardship, just more learning. Talk to your instructors, LISTEN to your instructors, they will get you through it and You'll be great! But as they all seem to remind me, its a sport for hippie stoners and yoga instructors.... its all breathe and relax, the rest will come, but you start there. Enjoy the FJC, its a lot of fun and a LOT of info. Get a good night rest, and absorb EVERYTHING you can! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Whaaaaaaaaaat theeeeeeee fuuuuuuuuuuuck? uh... uh... what did i just watch and how do i get that 2 minutes of my life back on a lighter note I was calculating the cost of Oreos vs Cocaine and I think Oreos are even more economical than some blow. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Can someone explain a kill-line pilot chute? Not sure what this is and wont be at the DZ for a bit... cheers :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

I could not jump because of wind. I went home and showed my wife and then later my son the steps of getting to the exit position, the exit count, the dive flow, checking the canopy. I had went through it several times before I went to bed. To me there was some benefit of the overnight wait. Actually, this is pretty true as well.. I hadnt thought of it but I went home and watched a series of Australian videos I think called "cutaway" showing various malfunctions and clearing, looked at canopy pics, went through arch, control, mentally walked through the exit and landing. I think I would have been fine jumping the same day but it would have probably been "OMG I'm in a plane!" followed by "AHHH! DOOR" followed by a fall I dont remember and a PLF. Either way, I have to admit I really enjoyed ground school, there were only 4 of us and it really made me comfortable on the first jump... 3 days later ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

The nuns used to yell at us when we'd all pick up the papers and inhale deeply. LOVE that smell. Can you still get that anywhere??? Seems you can find damn near anything on amazon.com You are not the contents of your wallet.

I guess they graduated FJC so they can make a first jump. I said I 'completed ground school' but did not feel I passed until I landed a canopy. The only reason mine was separate was simply the fact the weather was crap on my FJC day I did have a chance to read and hit the tunnel before I jumped... which wasnt bad. Not sure what the best to do is but I know a few people went to the FJC and never returned to jump You are not the contents of your wallet.

this made me laugh a bit I've had people say "well what if your reserve fails" and I say "what if your seatbelt fails? what kind of 'plan b' do you have on your motorcycle? what if your life jacket breaks when you hit the water? What if you fall down your stairs?" Life carries risk because in the end we all die. The reality is that most people refuse to overcome fear and just live with it. They make themselves "safe" so they can die of heart attacks or diabetes or car accidents. And apparrently we should be fine with that. Risk v Rewars is the never ending struggle. I remind people at times that skydiving accidents make national news because they are sensational and rare, but how many people daily die of car accidents? People like to engage in groupthink, and groupthink says "we should all be afraid of this and anyone who is not afraid is crazy!" We don't have a death wish, if we did we wouldnt be nervous when we do this You are not the contents of your wallet.

well, lets say that I'm pretty much in the same boat as you at the same point in my career (1 jump behind) I did a tandem with barely a day of notice to my wife and she freaked out. My family all said "You're so irresponsible" because "When you die who will take care of your wife, you have a mortgage, etc". I've found that you really cant break some people of it. However, there are some options. First, you can invite them to the drop zone. I have found if people experience a lot of folks "under canopy" landing smiling and not having any major problems... it demystifies it a bit. Really this is the tragedy of the unknown. People dont understand skydiving, people dont want to understand, they are afraid of it, and if they are afraid of it they want you to be afraid so they arent alone. Skydiving isnt for everyone. Neither is SCUBA, motorcycles, and snowboarding. But those things dont scare people like skydiving. Where can you find a circle of friends who gets you? Same place you do your AFF training. You're 60? Awesome. That means you're old enough to drink with us. Last time at the DZ I had a guy chat me up who had just done his tandem a week ago as a 65th anniversary gift. He was signing up for AFF. He had similar problem as you with family. I've noticed that over time my family has lessened. I also talk to them a little less about it. Sometimes they ask and I show them a video if I have it. Or I tell them all the wonders of it. But never fear, the DZ is full of people willing to have a beer with you. They will jump with you, teach you, encourage you, and eventually you'll have a whole new family that DOES get you. SOrry for the long winded response, but keep your head up! The ankle will heal, the diving will continue, and friends will be made. Act your age? What does that mean exactly? Should we buy you a rocking chair and you can sit on your front porch all day and yell at kids to get off your lawn? Seriously, 60 is young, embrace it :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

aaaaaaand when sold there are other newbies like me who may want some of the "barely used" merchandise in near new condition which helps everyone! Being a "full sized male" means it would probably be a downsize for me You are not the contents of your wallet.

That and people substitute food for the behaviour (nictone doesnt have a huge metabolism effect but it does suppress appetite. ) That and I've heard a lot of smokers go on eating binges because they can actually taste food! You are not the contents of your wallet.

You are not the contents of your wallet.

Solid work, Welcome to the place :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Ain't that the truth. After my tandem I went to an amusement park. Every ride I had about the same excitement as going clothes shopping with my wife. No, I do not like shopping with my wife. Skydiving has been a great motivator to get in shape. The healthier I am the safer I'll be! Plus, I find when I'm at the DZ I tend to forego food for conversation. There is a lot more good convo than good food ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

As an aside, if any of you are having a lot of coughing, you should talk to your doctor. I've given a few patients some albuterol inhalers (like the asthmatics have) and a few have come back saying it really helps. You'll cough just a bit more at first but you'll clear a lot of junk. Remember you have however many years of tar as you smoked in your lungs and those cillia have been dormant since your smoking started. But guess what... 1) you have done what most say is one of the hardest things a human can do (nicotine is one of the most addicting chemicals available to us and also the behavioural component of smoking is near impossible to beat.) 2) Its only going to get a little better every day, it doesnt get worse now that you quit :) Keep your head up. I'm proud of anyone who quits smoking! You are not the contents of your wallet.

wow, that looked so dicey up until about 50,000 feet... no air to bite. and the G meter was giving me a headache! Amazing stuff... You are not the contents of your wallet.

I hear that was not very good. Makes me glad I'm only in them for a ride up ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Admittedly nothing is a "waste" of money if it is important to you. But ask yourself if you want to spend the money buying student ready gear (and still paying someone else to pack it) and then later transitioning to something different is ideal. What you buy now is money you wont have later. That few thousand bucks could be saved for what you want when you graduate (Which I hear is often not the same thing you trained on... even though right now I love my Nav260 student canopy. so pretty up there all red white and blue...). I am not experienced enough to provide real skydive advice, but from a financial side, I feel like your SHWAGG (W = whistle. Required here as student) first and a suit is a better investment. But thats opinion only. If you're independantly wealthy and a few grand doesnt matter... then why even ask our opinion ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

I was under the impression most twin engine planes could fly on one engine; otherwise the loss of a single engine would be catastrophic and thus carry twice the risk of a single engine counterpart. You'd have to trim like nuts, but can a KA not fly with one out??? Any aviators out there able to weigh in? I took a few classes but a pilot I am not. You are not the contents of your wallet.

^^^ love it. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Congrats! I need to do my 7 as well... that reminds me... :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Most metal used in implants are non-ferrous and do not show up on metal detector. Mostly Titanium now (stuff is stronger than the bone, its elegant stuff). The major reason for the shift is that it also will not interfere as much with MRI (which uses big magnets to generate an image). I've heard stories of old metal skull implants causing problems but I dont know how much of that is urban legend. Can I join the club if I have sternal wires from heart surgery??? You are not the contents of your wallet.

I just can not possibly as a physician recommend a meal substitute. You're going from natural materials to factory-made "stuff" most of which your body can not even properly absorb. We have a saying, and I'll stop harping on this if its annoying: Expensive vitamins make expensive urine Expensive Meal Supplements make expensive stool your mileage may vary. Eating real food will do you better for a lifetime. But what do I know? You are not the contents of your wallet.

And believe it or not thousands of time safer! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome to the family here, and welcome to your new Addiction! You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'm still an AFF student myself and jumped only at SkyDive New England. They are a fantastic bunch of folks up there and helped me a lot. Its OK to be nervous, admittedly I am still occasionally nervous. I went to level 4 terrified but once I landed I was ecstatic. 5 and 6 I damn near ran to the plane (and a Cessna at that!). I still have not done 7 because my nerves got the better of me today... and I'm still not sure why and I'm half tempted to go back, I think just some personal issues were distracting me and I feel a lot of pressure to nail every level as best I can. It wasn't even fear of injury, it was just anxiety and worry about performance. If it helps, remember you aren't "alone" in the sky for Level 1 and 2 (and sometimes 3). You have two wonderful and highly trained instructors with you. Trust in their skills and knowledge, ask the questions, and realize a lot of people are out there jumping every day and just fine. If it were COMPLETELY safe, everyone would do it. But you also have to realize its no longer particularly dangerous. But let other people it is, makes you seem even MORE badass than your existing badassery You are not the contents of your wallet.