DrDom

never been so scared in my life never been so eager to jump out of a plane since ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE4yjGgllRQ You are not the contents of your wallet.

That happened to me on one of my first jumps. That was the longest canopy ride I ever had. Well.. that's about the most painful thing I can imagine at this hour... Throw on some Disc music... I guess its the SECOND most painful thing then ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Awesome thanks guys! To clarify, I'm not planning a rig/canopy/AAD/etc purchase for a while. I really don't mind renting that for a loooong time. I like slow canopy rides right now and want to work on fundamentals. Its more of a thought that I could be more comfortable in clothes that fit (the rigs for rent fit me like a glove, I like them). Thinking of gloves... my first landing I botched I tore up my palm a bit (nothing major) and thought maybe a pair of super lightweight leather gloves may have made the difference in not ending up so beaten on the rock. Those, though, make me the most nervous because I'm still not loving the idea of losing any tactile sensation. Quick Q on helmets: I do not like the look of a full face (I know, everyone says there is a cool factor but I like an open face) but I like the idea if I were to faceplant that something is in front of me. Maybe remnant from my motorcycle years. Pro/Con for them other than look? I just need one that keeps wind noise down (my tinnitus kills me after jumps) Thank you all VERY much, this has been enlightening :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

*** Out of curiosity since I've never had to piss into a cup to write code, but do they also test for alcohol? I'm not sure if anyone uses the EtG test for alcohol anymore... it was horribly unreliable. There were some great studies where volunteers drank fairly sizable quantities of alcohol and had negative tests. I'm not sure about the false positives on it. Plus it was expensive and if you really wanted a quick and easy test just have them breathe into the machine :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

That happened to me on one of my first jumps. That was the longest canopy ride I ever had. Well.. that's about the most painful thing I can imagine at this hour... You are not the contents of your wallet.

At 5 jumps I'd go for tunnel time and trips to southern DZ's before buying gear. Once you get off student status you'll get annoyed at having to borrow the DZ's helmets, alti's, suits...then the real spending starts. I'd avoid an Argus AAD. I have a fair budget for tunnel time, my wife may not approve of travel to jump in the winter but I'm working on that (maybe find a medical conference someplace warm that has a DZ nearby.... then I can have work pay for it!) ... I doubt I'll finish my A by the end of the year so i'll have to re-establish currency regardless. I hate cold climates. I was thinking maybe goggles , helmet, gloves... stuff that's "clothing" and wont be really outgrown or change much. Are these good purchases or just stuff I'll end up putting on the classifieds later? Should I buy it used? I worry that I will be getting along fine with student stuff and hit my A and suddenly have to buy a BUNCH of stuff at once to keep going. Trying to space out the madness, and stay married. Argus AAD... i'm a long way from an AAD purchase but I'll filter that in the back of my mind to not get :) I'll happily take "don't buy ______" for advice so I don't waste time later ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

They make you have cystoscopy every few years for a history of kidney stones?!?!?! I'll be the 4th doc to tell you that's ridiculous. Seriously. You are not the contents of your wallet.

bit of an amateur question here but... is there any REAL drawback to used gear? I guess you cant choose the specifics as well and some stuff probably gets out of date, but I'd imagine since some people jump their gear a long time its maintains its safety and functionality well? On the flip side, if nobody bought new gear, there wouldn't be as much "like new" used gear. Reminds me of people who buy a car just to trade it in a year later for something else... You are not the contents of your wallet.

If you're in New England I can hook you up with my hospital's Wound Healing Center who does hyperbaric therapy if you need it. I'm not sure how the whole process works but I know a lot of people have great literature on the positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as noted above, avoid the peroxide, wash with soap and water and slather it with whatever antibiotic ointment you have. Peroxide is pretty caustic, keep it getting stains off teeth ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

I assume this is my comment you are responding to. I will not pretend to be dialed in, just trying to be helpful to a fellow student. relaxing has helped me a lot, I hoped to share that is all. I guess the only advice I'd have is "talk to your instructors" and you can disregard the prior ;) cheers to the both of you You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hello all, My wife had asked me the other day if there was any gear that I needed as I progressed as a student in skydiving pushing toward my A license. The reason she asked is because she's more than aware that its not exactly a cheap sport and it got me thinking... where DOES one start? As the winter hits and we get dormant in New England I figured it was a good time to pick up some items. Anyhow, advice on what to start? I don't "need" anything until off A I would imagine... but are there things I can use toward the end of my training while transitioning from student gear? Anything I should AVOID? Thanks all :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well, I'm only a smidge ahead of you in progression having just done level 4. Level 3 was about learning how to correct for some drift and it sounds like you did it perfectly. Its as much a skill as a confidence builder ("I'm not being held! look at me go!"). In terms of what next, I say go for your level 4. You'll need to do 90 degree turns, but if you can correct your heading in freefall, you know how to do this. Take your time. What the worst? You could repeat 4. But instructors tend to REALLY think about who they are releasing to higher levels. If you were unsafe you would be on level 3 still. My instructors said that when they land they talk about the dive. They had a while whilst you floated down, and they both had to decide you were good to go. As for prepping for 4 you have a few options: You can practice your turns at home or at the DZ on the ground (use an ottoman or stool to get you off the ground), or if you have the time, I also agree the wind tunnel is a good tool. I'll be there practicing flips and barrel rolls this week (in NH). Why? Well, I'm curious how it feels is really all. You may be curious how a fast and slow turn feels. You can do it with your only risk being hitting the mat ;) Remember that skydiving is NOT NATURAL. Its not how the brain and body are wired. You have to undo a lot of evolution and relax a lot of stress to get it right. You've got this. Remember to be confident in yourself, to breathe, to relax, and never forget you CAN do this, and WILL! Lastly, its good of you to question progression, you should probably talk to your instructors as well, because they will explain why they are confident you are ready. That's what they are there for. They don't want you Z-ing out as much as you don't want to. They take a lot of pride in putting out people they will someday jump with. Oh, and remember to never stop smiling. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Certainly cost is a huge problem. If it truly is MORE then its going to drive students from it. When I told the Mrs how much it would be for my first few jumps she almost lost her mind. Once you're cleared solo none of this matters per se, so the question is: What IS the difference? If someone can learn from a tandem then so be it. Some people may even WANT to do it this way. Pros: Builds confidence, canopy control with an expert, direct feedback, comfort in the sky. Cons: Cost, less control over the jump. May instill LESS confidence in some people since they have major training wheels. AFF: Pros: tried and true, cost is established, seems to work and builds good skills. CONS: maybe some people aren't ready on jump 1 or 2 for being alone out there without more direct control. Alone under canopy. I can see it both ways. I think the paths both have validity and I think students should have a choice unless there is objective data to the contrary. As for me... I didn't care how it went, I figured after a few jumps its all gravy :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Awesome! On my Level3 (CatC) I had some unreal dread from when I woke up until we got to altitude. I actually considered riding the plane down. NO IDEA why. I was like "what am I doing? this is just STUPID". Door opened and I got my head out and was like "YES! YES YES! THIS IS WHY I'M HERE!" and had a blast. Level 4 was all excitement. I get butterflies on the flight up, but instead of the swarming mess, I think they are doing relative work now. I am excited about Level 5, and hope the remainder of the 3 weeks of our season in New England hold out. I would dearly love to get some coach jumps in... Congrats on your cleared to coach... every jump gets more fun and less angst. AS for being an addict waiting for a fix... yep... we pretty much are. But instead of drugs, we are addicted to LIFE. And a little dopamine/adrenaline ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

I'm an ER Doc, and learning how to take advice/criticism is the single biggest hindrance to improvement in medicine. Any time I'm "helped" by a colleague... I thank them and learn from it. Its the only way we get better. Hopefully we can see more of that :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Ah, the Potato Chipping problem. I think almost EVERYONE does it once or twice in training. Arching and the "boxman" position is NOT NATURAL. We don't walk around like that. We could but... that would be weird. Anyhow, we tend as a species to curl forward especially when anxious. In a fight, our body crunches in and pushes pelvis back to protect our genitals (our evolutionary "currency" if you will). When you jump from a plane, if you just "threw" an average person out with no training they would probably flail and curl foetal. You have to undo this by actively relaxing. I used to de-arch on exit. I'd get tense and feel my instructor shaking me for a second or two. I thought "OMFG I'M UNSTABLE!" but as soon as I'd relax it was easy. Best advice is right before exit take a deep breath and imagine EVERY muscle of your body from head to toe relaxing and maintain that out the plane. Then SMILE. I know it sounds stupid but the brain processes smiling to the amygdala (emotion center) and slows it down releasing tension. Smiling is not a fight or flight response, neither is breathing slowly. So you can unravel all that pretty quickly. If you cant get yourself to relax, go to the tunnel and tell them you want them to put you in for 2 minutes at a time and do NOTHING but hold stable. NOTHING. No turns no flips no docks. Just learn the position. It helps, I did 6 minutes of nothing but floating. Head up, arms in position, legs out, **** to the dirt. Finally, practice at home. lay on the floor prone, put your feet up on the couch and arms out. Try to look at the ceiling. Do some yoga and running stretches. Most men are not flexible where it helps, so start the stretch. You'll be ok, a little chipping happens but the single best thing you can do in the moment is recognize it, and then increase your arch, check arms/legs, and breathe. Guarantee you'll stop it. If not I'll buy you a beer. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Sadly the only thing I could say is try other DZ's. Use it as a reason to travel. When you meet people there, encourage them to travel your way as well. You can influence your DZ a little through business. Unfortunately, from what I've seen, DZs are a little like bars. THey all have slightly different flavours even though you can drink at all of them. I hope you find some fun jumpers, I'm a little blessed in New England and there are tons of them here. Feel free to drop in any time and meet some... very friendly. as for the beer to learn to pack... I'd have to fight off the packers if I offered beer to teach. Beer is the ultimate currency. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Ok to be nervous but you'll be "driving the bus" under a big canopy. Its hard to mess it up unless you REALLY try. When youre way up just do some turns and flares to get used to it. If you get too far out usually they will have you on radio. Keep relaxed, and you'll be just fine :) Enjoy AFF, its exciting to say the least! You are not the contents of your wallet.

Hey Mr Germain, I am a new skydiver (just finished Level 4) and have to say that I actually read two of your books (Transcending Fear and The Parachute and its Pilot) prior to my AFF FJC. The reason is that despite REALLY wanting to do this, I had a huuuuge door monster problem. Huge. To the point that I backed up my AFF course twice, and when we didn't jump on the FJC day I had a hard time going back. So I did some visualization (I do this for auto racing as well), spent a little time at the wind tunnel, talked to people, and learned as much as possible. I focused on breathing and relaxing. The next thing I did was sheepishly admit to my instructors (two delightful women Jacqueline and Meghan, if you're out there THANK YOU!) that I had the fear. Jacqueline did my FJC and Meghan I had just met. Both talked me through the dive and had me practice a full jump flow starting with walk to the truck.... all right in the room. When we got in the plane, they were ALL smiles. They were relaxed. Other people were smiling and enjoying the ride. The door opened for some clear and pulls... Holy crap was I scared! I remember Meghan saying "OK, take a deep breath, and shake out the fear. Now walk me through your dive again, step by step". The door closed and we got to 14k. Terror set in, and they sensed it. "Are you ready to skydive?" and I reluctantly said "YES!". Jacqueline walked to the door and Meghan said "Just remember your training, breathe, and smile. You're going to do GREAT". At the door, I was getting settled and once more I was told "No need to rush, I want you to take a deep breath, relax, then look at the prop and start your dive flow. Its going to be awesome!" And then... deep breath, relaxation, and out we went. And everything happened as was explained. I still remember both my instructors reminding me to SMILE. I kept telling myself on the way down "X,000feet... breathe, arch, RELAX... smile!" In a split second my mind went from terror to euphoria. If it were not for my instructors being so calm, relaxed, reassuring... I don't know if I could have ever done it. I've had 2 more AFF instructors since, and all of them carried with them that same smiling, confident attitude. I left the plane without a harness hold on my last jump, and my instructor was SO confident that I felt alive at the door, not scared. And the flow gets better every time I'm more relaxed. Every jump since has been anticipation and joy. The psychology is truly amazing. Learning to dull your physiologic response, to learn how to mitigate the adrenaline and dopamine flush, and use breathing to slow the sensory overload. One of the gifts was that the instructors didn't just "throw me out a door", they made me WANT to go out that door. My experience thus far with instructors is that they are part therapist and part skydive expert. What they do for skittish students like me... is amazing. Their ability to influence MY mind through their actions has changed the game for the better. And thank you for the book. What you have written has probably changed the way I live and think as much as jumping. I learned to see the world a bit differently. To breathe, to relax, to BE. As an ER doc, I get frazzled at work sometimes... and I recount your teachings. So, sorry for getting long winded, but wanted to say thanks to you for your contribution to both the sport and psychology; and wanted to openly thank my instructors for silencing my door monster and turning it into a welcoming entrance to the sky. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Agreed, thank you! You are not the contents of your wallet.

No sense of accomplishment? Aside from getting out a plane in flight with little more than nylon to get you safely home? Sounds like an accomplishment. Yeah, you're strapped to "a dude" but so what? I mean, is anyone really that insecure? I think you get a LOT of canopy control help and confidence in a tandem. The more I think on it, the more I think 2 tandems (both "working") is a viable alternative to pure AFF. I like my AFF but maybe that's just because I had great instructors and a good experience. But options are better than no options. If they told me I needed a second tandem, I'd sign up. At the least, you get to chat with an experienced pilot under canopy... and that's pretty cool if you ask me. Beats a radio ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

Solid work! For most people the first is the hardest because there is a lot of unknown. Learning to "let go" and trust in your training served you very well :) Keep at it, and keep that awesome positive outlook You are not the contents of your wallet.

Only that he wasted expensive time & altitude in 'cutting away'. What is there to cutaway from in that situation? Ya beat me to it, Jerry. We train the FJC to "cutaway" every time, but an experienced jumper should later modify his emergency procedures away from "one size fits all." I always say you should be able to think faster than you act.

Be aware we will NEVER see rampant use in the US for a few reasons; 1) You can not buy codeine over the counter like in Russia 2) Heroin is CHEAP and AVAILABLE almost every market that demands it. Nobody will use this with heroin being cheaply available and likely easier to get than having to scam a doc into writing you codeine (which nobody uses anymore) and STILL having to synthesize it. 3) In the US we have opiates so readily available by prescription that give a better effect and are pharmaceutical grade. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, fentanyl, meperidine, even tramadol (which is not even scheduled) gives a similar high. Anyhow, the only problem with the drug is that normally in the refining process the solvent drug is extracted into a pure crystalline form. In this case it is either used directly with the reagents (which include some pretty harsh chemicals) or not purified and when reconstituted is still fairly toxic. But you'll see this as a "third world" problem more than anything. You are not the contents of your wallet.

This worked for me as well. I gotta say, one of the biggest problems is that people get it all wrong. VERY few people lose weight with exercise. You lose weight with diet. You have to pull off 3500 kcal ("calories") per estimated pound of weight. It takes a lot of exercise but there is a better way. Now, not all foods are equal. The reason Vegans tend to lose a lot of weight is actually because fast food and processed foods are often NOT vegan (Except Oreos.... and I do love me oreos but try never to eat them). Processed foods are one of the biggest problems in modern health. Why? First HighFructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is just horrible stuff. Fructose has a very special form of metabolism because its a 5 carbon and not 6 carbon sugar. In the end, "regular" sugar can make you feel full whereas Fructose bypasses this. So why is it in our foods? FOOD COMPANIES NEED YOU TO OVEREAT! The other thing they do is remove AS MUCH of the FIBER as possible. Fiber also makes you feel full. Interestingly if you eat fiber and fructose, its good for you (thus why fruit is ok). A lot of it has to do with a combination of binding the fructose until the large bowel and not actually absorbing it. Meat has its own issues and if you cant go vegan, a SUBSTANTIAL decrease in meat consumption is good. Protein needs are also a myth perpetuated by the meat/dairy industry. We've been lied to for decades; nutritionists and biochemists have known this, but big business suppresses the message. Anyhow, if you want some good info on it, go to youtube and search "Sugar, the bitter truth", its a little biochem heavy but he walks you through the stuff you need to know and makes points for the lay person. Then, watch "Forks over Knives" which is a documentary I show patients that outlines why a plant based diet saves lives and shows case studies of doing what modern medicine can not: reverse arterial plaque buildup! I think 8 case studies of people who had a cath and told they needed bypass but were too sick to tolerate it, and then after a time on a vegan diet... restored flow through the arteries. People don't like me getting all preachy about vegan diet, but its science. And I like science... I'm a nerd like that. But went from 190lbs to 180 in 2 months on a vegan diet; still slowly losing. When all else fails go with what works ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.