skybytch

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Everything posted by skybytch

  1. skybytch
    Visualizing and watching videos is about all you can do. Even though you don't have a lot of jumps, it is kinda like riding a bike. You'll remember how to save yourself. Your flying won't be all that great at first, but it comes back quick. Come home safe. And thank you.
  2. skybytch
    What were you taught in the ground school? Honestly, that's the only input you need to be listening to when it comes to canopy control right now. Waiting as long as possible to flare could have you plowing into the ground, which can be fairly uncomfortable. If you've done the FJC already, you should know how to salvage flaring too high. Most student canopies are big and slow and detuned - it is VERY unlikely that one will stall on you (if you don't have unusually long arms). Not to be a downer, but if you "really" can't get hurt, skydiving may not be the sport for you right now.
  3. skybytch
    (edited for ya) Based on how much money is sitting on the couch, the tandems will fly in much different wind conditions. Cuz skill of the instructor doesn't mean a thing to a DZO when there is money sitting on the couch. You got the rating, go do the jump or go work elsewhere.
  4. skybytch
    OTOH, YOU don't have the right to fuck things up for everyone else. What YOU do reflects on the entire community. When YOU die doing something that others suggested you wait to do, it's not just YOU that is impacted. Nobody is taking anything away from you by suggesting that you get some experience jumping out of airplanes before jumping off a bridge. But nobody is STOPPING you from jumping off a bridge right now. Either suck it up and get the experience so the people who know about what you want to do will be willing to work with you, or shut up and go jump off something. And you might want to grow a skin too - preferably thick. I hear BASE jumpers eat their young even worse than skydivers do.
  5. skybytch
    Jump a full face on a zoo dive? Don't be surprised when I fly over and give you a lick pass.
  6. skybytch
    True. RW, freefly, CRW, wingsuits, instructing and swooping are all pretty much the same. If you've done one skydive in any discipline, you've done everything there is to do in that discipline. There are no new challenges once you've earned an A license.
  7. skybytch
    Might want to make sure she's not the wife/girlfriend of the local rigger first as well.
  8. skybytch
    Sure we can. But barring true financial difficulty, most people who quit the sport do so because they are scared (they re-examined the risk vs reward thing and this time risk won). Most of us aren't going to admit that to other jumpers, so we come up with other "reasons" that sound much better. Saw someone go in? Fear that I'm next. Knees/back/neck not up to it? Fear that I'll hurt them again. etc...
  9. skybytch
    Let me know when you'll be out at the dz again. I'll make a point of being there.
  10. skybytch
    I'd put money on fear being the motivator behind the exit from the sport for most former jumpers. Difference is - most experienced jumpers would never TELL you they are scared of it, while whuffos have no problem expressing their fear.
  11. skybytch
    If an A license increases testicle size in men, what does a D license do to a woman? Do our tits get bigger? Our vaginas get tighter? And what about those poor guys who end up strapped to some non-penis wearer for their tandumb ride? Did their testicles shrink?
  12. skybytch
    It's been over 10 years since the surgery; it's just part of life. Some days it hurts, most days it doesn't. Stretching is a biggie, as riggerrob said. I try not to let it stop me from doing things - since the surgery I've been on a world record skydive, backpacked 100 miles on the PCT and am currently learning to play ice hockey. You absolutely do not need that guy on your back. If I managed to learn to skydive without doing a single tandem, you can handle that first AFF jump. Do the tunnel time and then get to the dz ASAP. The more you think and stress about it... My husband is Keith. He doesn't do tandems but he probably packed the reserves in the tandem rigs you jumped and more than likely rated many of the AFF instructors you'll be jumping with. Hope you do get to jump with him, he's an awesome instructor.
  13. skybytch
    Fear is a huge reason for some experienced jumpers. If I can't trust my fellow jumpers to not kill me, that's fear. And when it only takes watching one or two loads landing to see someone trying to kill someone else...
  14. skybytch
    Well, heck. Why bother asking then? Just go buy a Velo and start swooping. How hard can it be? If you want to swoop and survive, first go reread what AggieDave posted. Five or six times. Buy Brian Germain's book. Read it every night. Find a canopy coach and give them lots of money to teach you the finer points. Jump, jump, jump, jump. And keep the attitude that comes across in the above quote to yourself. Most very experienced jumpers (ie ones who you probably don't like cuz they're just trying to keep you down) will happily find someone else to help once they realize that you have no respect for the years and money they put into learning the things they could teach you.
  15. skybytch
    It actually is easy. And it's not a roll out of the plane - you'll already be outside the plane, standing on the step. You do the count and then step off and fly; your instructors go when you do. Tunnel time is a great idea, but you don't NEED to do it before you do your Cat A. On both Cat A and Cat B you'll have two instructors there to help keep you stable. If you can't quite arch enough, the skydives will still go well. I had L4-S1 fused 10 years ago. My husband (who may be one of your AFF instructors) busted the neck of his femur last year. At least one other of the instructors at Skydance has metal in his femur too. You'll find that many skydivers are just like you - previously broken but refusing to stop living life!
  16. skybytch
    So hot.
  17. skybytch
    Giraffe steaks all around!
  18. skybytch
    Okay, so you had to be reminded. You still saved your own life. That's a good skydive. Part of why you are jumping with instructors right now is because sometimes people do exactly what you did. Completely normal and within the realms of what instructors can expect of someone doing their third skydive. Now get off the internet, get out to the dz and do your Cat D. It's gonna be your funnest skydive yet.
  19. skybytch
    You said the "F" word. Soon you will learn to not use that nasty word on the dz. In the meantime, I like Hefewiezen.
  20. skybytch
    What they are doing is showing you that the only person who cares whether you get hurt or not is you. You now know what the manufacturer thinks, in addition to what your instructors think. The folks who wrote those charts just may have a bit more information about parachutes than your instructors do. It's likely they have more actual skydiving experience than your instructors do. You decide who to listen to. You could get a 170 and be just fine; some people's skill bags fill up before their luck bags empty. You could get a 210 and somehow still manage to hurt yourself. btw, a 15 or 20 year old original Sabre or Triathlon is just as good a first main as a brand new Sabre2... especially if you want to save some money.
  21. skybytch
    Skydiving is way more mental than it is physical; your mind can help you or hold you back just based on what you focus on. I've seen using positive visualizations help my skydiving performance and I've also seen it improve the in air performance of others. It's certainly worth trying. If it doesn't work for you, try something else.
  22. skybytch
    There are LOTS of us!! Untreated ADD/ADHD could be contributing to your current issues. At least mention the childhood diagnosis to whoever you talk to. Treatment options are available that don't include medication.
  23. skybytch
    When overloaded, yes indeed. They fly and land like crap. When loaded at or below 1.0, like they were designed to be, they are just fine. Don't exceed the limitations of a piece of gear and it will perform as designed. Exceed the limitations and and you may have issues. Or in other words, it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools.
  24. skybytch
    Actually, being able to focus on something we are interested in is a hallmark of ADD/ADHD. It's called hyperfocus. It's okay, I'm a psycho too. There's nothing wrong with having emotional or mental problems - no different than having physical ones, just less visible. I hope you can find someone who can help you work through things. Hang in there.
  25. skybytch
    Smart decision, Dave. Uncurrent on pocket rockets isn't wise. The dz will be there when you need a fix. Enjoy every minute with those little ones, they grow up so dang fast.