skygirl1

Welcome.......thanx for the intro......good luck with your AFF......I went from static line to aff.....what a whole new world! Skydiving actually became fun!...not that I did not have fun during static-line, but having someone to jump with and seeing someone else's eyes..........the smiles.........a whole new world for me...... you are gonna have a blast! blue skies and safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I started out exactly as you did.........3 tandems then into static line.......my biggest fear was being able t o breath.......my 1st tandem I could not breath at all.........my second tandem was training....I could not breath and pulled at 7k.......I wanted to quit skydiving.....thank god I lived on a dropzone and people worked with me..... all the jumpers told me as soon as I quit WORRYING about breathing it would come natural....and it did.............I am finishing up my progression in Aff.....jumped from 14,000 feet here in florida.......and breathing has never been a issue for me anymore...... On the ground I lay down on the bench and relax my whole body........in the plane I go through my gear checks and the dive flow.......once i quit thinking about breathing I was able to breath....... I have never used a full face helmet yet.....I am actually afraid too.........I don't think I will like the feeling of something over my face....... just relax........on the ground and in the plane.....think of everything BUT breathing....... good luck skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I am still a newbie.......but I lived at a dropzone for months......and from what I can remember the DZO can tell anyone especially a student they need to find another dropzone to go too.......I was grounded for awhile due to a neck injury from a hard opening on my back........ hopefully more experienced jumpers than I can answer this question for you..... safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I feel your pain Sunman..... I lived in a trailer at my home dropzone.......learning how to pack before I got into jumping.......I loved waking up to the airplane for the first load of the morning.......and beer-o-clock at the end of the day.......but I got sick of being broke...so I got a waitressing job off the dropzone part time..........then the cold wisconsin nights blew in......freezing my ass off at night.....so, moved to florida for the season......did not work out.....thank god BF is a corporate airline mechanic......so now we are going back to wisconsin for the season to live in our trailer and be broke.......pouring sweat in the hot sun..........but still love waking up to the first load in the morning skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

yeah, what he said..............thanx for saving me the typing.........totally agree with you...... blue skies and safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

Happy birthday friend......... I just turned 31 this year........I was hoping people would forget my birthday......but skydivers don't forget blue skies and safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

good point skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

CONGRADULATIONS!!!!!!!..........keep jumpin' and be safe....... blue skies and safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

.....LOL!!!!!......... " Mean people SUCK!"

I cannot wait until I can start packing my own gear again..........since moving to florida I am not allowed to pack my gear since I am still on student status....and I hate 95 percent of my openings....they hurt.....and I still have bruises.....when I go back to wisconsin I am just going to be loving my own openings again....... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I am a packer........and I have one jumper that demands a snivel on his opening because of a back injury from skydiving last year.........so when i pack his parachute I roll the nose about 5 times........he loves my openings..........he pulls.....he looks up...sees the snivel....smiles........has a beautiful, soft opening..........he only reached for his handles one time..........he had a good snivel going.....canopy started to inflate.....collapsed again....he reached for his handles.....canopy decided to open...........he loved that one too!!! skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I have not jumped in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! because of frigging pnemonia........I look up in the skies and just want to scream.....it has been gorgeous here in Florida..........man, this just ain't right.... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

well.............my first career was a police officer....then I became a maximum security prison guard in a male prison.............I don't trust anyone when it comes to my safety.........it is up to me to save my own life.........and there are some real dandies out there..............I guess I became paranoid when I became an officer.........there is no differance in a male owning a gun versus a female.... A gun is not deadly..........the person owning the gun is..........and as far as anyone owning a gun for self-defense..........make sure you check the laws in the state in which you live.........self-defense laws differ...........if you shoot someone whom enters your home and you are in immenent danger for your life or the life of your family..........and you shoot....you can still be charged and go through criminal proceedings until you are cleared.....in some states you can still be convicted.......you may not serve jail time.........just be careful and check your state laws and penal code system for your state. be safe people skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

Welcome back!!!!! I remember my re-currency jump.....whew....what a nerve racker

Thank you for your deep thoughts.....I enjoyed reading your post........and learned alot......thank you again..... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

completely agree..........ATTITUDE!!!

All I can say about this subject is I thank my Aff instuctor that stopped me in a uncontrollable spin on one of my dives..........I could not stop a turn and all I remember is realizing I was in trouble.......I was only jumping with one JM..........I saw him one time before I lost all altitude awareness and started to black-out............the next thing I knew I felt this THUD........and he had me in some kind of hug it seemed like.........I came out of it and nodded at him to let him know I was alright........he was still holding onto my arms and moved to my right side and nodded at me to make sure I was still with him...he gave me the pull signal....I smiled and pulled........ I have heard some AFF Jm's at various dropzones say they would not risk their life for a student....that is what the ADD is for and such....... that JM that came in on me I will never forget him.....he was my flying angel....... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I learned to pack before I started skydiving......and I was shocked when jumpers would throw down their parachute and tell me to pack it knowing I was just learning.........I can never thank them enough for that.... As for spotting.........my home dropzone in wisconsin only flies cessna 182's...........and part of the training program is spotting....you have to do it and prove you can do it...........once i moved to florida and started jumping out of bigger airplanes it seemed the spotting part of skydiving went out the door......but I am returning to wisconsin this summer so I am sure I will get all the practice in I need......I feel sorry for the first plane load I spot.......hehehehehheeee......... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

well, My first jump was a tandem.....never thought of skydiving in my life until I started dating a skydiver....I never went out to the dz with him....one day i looked at the sky and thought.....I GOTTA TRY! I went tandem cuz I wanted to go to the top and did not know if I would enjoy skydiving.....I did 3 tandems with the plan of going straight into AFF....but static line was more cost effective so that is how I initially learned...........the first time I left the plane with my own parachute was the best feeling in my life.........then I moved to florida and continued aff.............wow.....I just realized that with 18 jumps and still 2 jumps to finish my progression I have done tandem.....static-line.....IAF.....AFF....and jumped out of 3 differant kinds of airplanes..........damn I love this sport! skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

I feel your pain and frustration friend....I have 18 jumps in and have only stood up 5 landings.....and all I hear is practice and time....which I belive. For me it is just timing my flare right and being able to judge my distance to the ground......I have found flying and landing my canopy the hardest and scariest part of skydiving for me......thank god I am good at my PLF Just keep trying and listening to your jumpmasters... You will get it.......as will I. Not to be mean but when experienced jumpers crash out on their butts and are not hurt I just chuckle...it makes me remember no matter how many jumps you have in you are not going to stand up all of your landings....... skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

the pic is awsome..........I cannot wait until I can start training for that........it will be awhile though...my bf is a free flier and it is so cool watching him on video......someday........ skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

man.........all this is just making me shake from excitement!!!!!!! I really like running down from the front of the plane and just screaming on exit..........my adrenaline will be pumping so fast that is probably best suited for me I started static line so I am used to going out by myself out of a cessna 182....and man did I have some UNINTENTIONAL unstable exits.........so this should be alot of fun......... hopefully there will be blue skies next weekend.... safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

Level Six... Intentional Unstable Exit (Bomb Out) and Recovery to Stable Freefall. Perform disorienting maneuvers (Backloops and Frontloops) and return to Stable Freefall, maintaining Altitude Awareness. At "Break-off Altitude" Turn 180°, track for separation, wave off and deploy parachute no lower than 4,000 feet. so if i have to leave intentionally unstable..I am assuming this means I cannot present myself to the relative wind??? skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"

hey all......next weekend I have to do a bomb out exit for my aff level.......just curious as to what others have done for this.....I have heard stories of students grabbing their ankles and being gently pushed out so they go front loops right away and just hit the arch........going out backwards.....any advice is appreciated but I know ultimately it is between my JM and I.....just curious.. blue skies and safe landings skygirl1 " Mean people SUCK!"