David Wang

awesome!! I felt the same every time I landed too :) After I landed safely I often told myself " See? I did it. " haha. your anxiety/fear level will not completely become zero but it will gradually decrease over time. you don't want it to completely become zero because you want to avoid complacency. Best of luck! Listen to your instructor, take some deep breaths and you will be fine! Keep us posted on how your jump goes!

This. This.

So I asked a friend who is currently working at iFLY and she said that if I had shoulder dislocations I could not do tunnel at iFLY whatsoever. ( and she also said they wouldn’t even consider it unless if it’s been like 10 years after my last dislocation) Is this true?? If this is true then it’s impossible for me to do tunnel again before getting back in the sky. what if I sign something else with the tunnel to take away liability issues? the waiver says “ANYONE THAT HAS CURRENT OR PRIOR HEAD, NECK, BACK OR SHOULDER INJURIES OR HEART PROBLEMS SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN IFLY ACTIVITIES. ” yes, I know I shouldn’t, but can I still do it AT MY OWN RISK?? my understanding is that by signing the waiver I release of liability and promise not to sue. So signing the waiver takes away my right to sue (and I wouldn’t sue anyway) so what is iFLY worrying about? and I found this on the waiver : If you have a current or prior shoulder injury of any kind, we recommend that you do not fly. Previous shoulder injuries increase your risk of aggravating your prior shoulder injury or re-injury. Despite these risks, if you decide to fly, you are agreeing to assume the risk of aggravating the prior injury or re-injury. Prior to entering the tunnel, you must bring this injury to the attention of the flight instructor, who will discuss your options with you. Please keep in mind that we may decline to allow you to fly. “Please keep in mind that we may decline to allow you to fly.” - are there any chances to fly at all?

Almost a year since my accident (September 19th, 2020) Time flies!!! and...what a year. I've been making some great progress in my recovery - had my hardware removed two weeks ago and right now I'm doing great. (pain level is zero) Will start running in a few months. And I have one more surgery in August (shoulder repair) then I will be good. I really, really miss skydiving and sometimes I think about it I start tearing up. I've been taking up a new hobby in these months and it does distract me from thinking about skydiving. But it can't stop me from missing it. But yeah I'm definitely getting closer to flying again. My goal is to return to the sky in 2022 summer and it looks like I'm on track. Blue skies to anyone who are going through the same stuff out there.

Thanks!

Optimist. I've realized that I'm really an optimist after my accident. I didn't even get depression, PTSD, etc etc

I can relate. I haven't fully recovered yet (still have 2 surgeries scheduled) but I'm determined to get my A license. It's gonna be hard, I would be scared, the risk exists. But getting the license has been always a dream and I'm determined to get it. Whether I keep jumping or not after getting my license, that's a different thing and I wouldn't think about it right now. But I know that overcoming injuries, getting back in the sky and achieving my dream represent an end to my journey (did a tandem and got hooked, got through AFF, had an accident and survived, lengthy recovery...etc) What was your goal before you got injured? Do you still want to achieve that goal? I always believe that we will get anything we want if we want them badly enough. Stay safe and I wish you the best!

Lol I watched his video before and it was very funny he said he "almost died."

Hey all... I finally get to know what's going on with my shoulder! I just received my MRI report yesterday. I have a posterior superior labral tear (I guess this is a SLAP) and small Hills Sachs deformity. I think there is a high chance that I will get the labral repair surgery, and I will talk to my sports ortho this Thursday. Does anyone have any experiences with it? What's your best advice for me? Thanks and Blue Skies!

Great article! I remember my first jump...and those emotions & feelings after landing....happiest day of my life. Looking forward to my first comeback jump. "“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely bring my parents to the DZ. Actually I'm planning to attend Celebration of Life with my parents... Idk...will that be a good way to introduce the sport to my parents??

I recommend you utilizing Elsinore coaching program. Instead of doing those boring solos you can continue developing your skills for free. (curious - do you need to pay for your coach's slot?) Have fun and stay safe... :) man you will get your A in no time! (jealous) And come visit Perris some time.

Bruh. What about innocent Asian Americans?

Thank you for sharing your story and advice! I think discussing about risks with my parents won't really work because I've already got hurt once lol. My mom already thinks that it's a dangerous sport....and I know it's not a safe sport..lol. But my definition of "dangerous" may be different from her. I will be at college by then, and I'm planning to get back in the sky in college. I will pay *most* of my tuition. *most* but not *all*. My parents will help pay a small percentage of tuition. Thanks for sharing!!

Welcome to the forum!

However things I can do for my parents (for me as well) are: heal completely before jumping again, being hyper aware of safety and staying safe in the sky.

I can definitely understand her feelings, but HATE what she is doing! I will jump (target date: Summer 2022) whether she likes it or not.

I was just talking to my mom about surgery and she said that I made a bad decision to cut away the main and I'm not qualified to skydive because of that. I was so pissed and I didn't know what to say. This is utterly ridiculous and unfair. Cutting away the main at that low might be a bad decision but landing a down plane would not be a great decision either. It was a complicated situation and I just made the decision that I felt right. I feel so tired just to talk to my mom about skydiving. You guy's stories are awesome!

Ha! I was lucky to have a great instructor with me in AFF and I did all the jumps with her. I learned a ton and had a great time jumping. Kindness, patience, encouragement, safety awareness and constantly emphasizing safety, teacher-student engagement, and overall making all the jump experiences fun and memorable. To be honest I think I have failed to be a testament to their teaching because I was unsafe and got broken this early. But all the memories + passion of flying keep me in the sport.

This is a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing!

That was beautiful...your mom watched you jump. I don't think my mom would ever watch me jump.

Funny story, this morning I was watching a video of "two men BASE jumping from a hotel roof" and in the video there was this girl screaming " oh my god oh my god" and my mom heard that and asked me what it was. I told her that it was BASE jumping and it was cool. My mom immediately replied that I would never allowed to do that. Lol. I think I scared her this morning. She also said if I ever BASE jump she would not regard me as her son anymore. Bruh. I think parents are more scared after I got injured. I can understand though. But I'm also glad that she never said "if I ever skydive she would not regard me as her son". I'm not sure about BASE jumping honestly. I will probably never get into it. But one thing for sure is as soon as I am ready, I will get back in the sky and get my A. Parents can't stop me. And I'm finally going to college this year...sooo... One thing I can do for my parents and also for myself is that I will make sure I heal completely before returning to the sport. It's for my own safety and also for a better and longer skydiving career. Just sharing...What are your experiences with scared parents?

just got back from doctor's office. My x-ray is normal Strengths of my both shoulders are normal I'm getting an MRI to see if surgery is needed If I need surgery, I will be cleared to jump 5 months after surgery

A question has come up - According to my coach, my body position was perfect even though I had a dislocated right shoulder. I have started to wonder if freefall really caused my shoulder to dislocate, or the reserve deployment did, or the impact to the ground did. but my shoulder hurt like hell under the reserve though. Sadly, there is no way to verify this now. I wonder if a jumper can still have a perfect body position with a dislocated shoulder?

lol. I think if I only do rehab on my shoulder, the chance of dislocating again is quite high, especially for young people under age of 20. However, the point of seeing the sports ortho is to find ways to decrease the risk of dislocating again - reconstruction surgery. I believe I cannot completely eliminate the risk though. And this was my first time dislocation. Surgical intervention for first time dislocation has better results than traditional treatments... Yup that's what I learned. Two hand cutaway two hand reserve. But hey, last time I deployed my reserve using only left hand and it was fine! And I also kept the handle!! thumb went through the D ring so I didn't lose it I will for sure talk to my doctors, thanks for the advice! I will fly a big main and a big reserve for quite a while. Probably Sabre 2 230. I think the larger reserve the safer I am in case my shoulder ever dislocates again