Baksteen

So that's what your face looks like... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

-sigh- low jump numbers, not an instructor, yadda yadda yadda --- I did neither tandem, nor AFF but I know one thing: The instruction you'll receive in AFF is a lot different and way more extensive than the instructions for a single tandem. The first freefall can be overwhelming regardless of the course you choose - it was that for me, even though it only lasted five seconds. As I see it, once you decide you want to become a skydiver, loose tandems are just a waste of money. I'd save it for your AFF course, if I were you. You may or may not forget to arch (or whatever) during your AFF level 1, but your instructors can probably remind you. As to what may happen, don't sweat it, two very experienced instructors will be holding on to you during the freefall part of your first AFF jumps. Tell them about your worries when they are training you, and they probably can say a lot to boost your confidence, way better than anyone over the internet can. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Me, right after being savaged by a pride of snowflakes. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Upon reading it again, my post seems a little harsher than I intended. My apologies for that, it wasn't meant to be directed at you. You're absolutely right, i wasn't there, and don't know OP nor Yahoo nor context neither. My blood just boils when i consider that some people out there actually DO think like that. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

DSE, it's not about the ability to pack tandems, it's about how you approach doing it. What makes "Yahoo" a terrible skydiver, regardless of his other skills, is this little sentence: If you'd not be happy jumping a packjob, just what the hell are you doing sending other people up with it? I mean, you say you cannot pack tandems? Point is, you know this, and you're not doing it. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Cat: Dude, you are SO suffering from compensation urges... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Let's resurrect this

This is class! All I need now is a Dutch version... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Hear, hear! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Last sunday i had a close call. Still shaken, I dropped my chute in the packing area and went to sit in the bar for a while. When I entered, this song was coming over the radio: "Opportunity," by Pete Murray And so it goes another lonely day Your savin time but your miles away Your fly was drownin in some bitter tea For seeing lost opportunity Find your mirror go and look inside And see the talent you always hide Don't go kidd yourself well not today Satisfaction's not to far away Hold on now your exits here It's waiting just for you Don't pause too long It's fading now It's ending all too soon you'll see Soon you'll see Your coffee's warm but your milk is sour Life is short but your here to flower Dream yourself along another day Never miss opportunity Don't be scared of what you cannot see Your only fear is possibility Never wonder what the hell went wrong Your second chance may never come along Hold on now your exits here It's waiting just for you Don't pause too long It's fading now It's ending all too soon you'll see Soon you'll see Hold on now your exits here It's waiting just for you Don't pause too long It's fading now It's ending all too soon you'll see Soon you'll see [x5] "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

The article deals with CEOs, but I do not think it concerns them exclusively. When you apply for your new job with your average modest salary, do you put skydiving as one of your hobbies on your resume? I'm not entirely sure that that would be a good idea, the reason being the lack of knowledge about our sport among the general public. So what is more important; their right to know who they're hiring, or your right to pursue your interests? This is not a solution, and a rediculous kind of compensation. Besides the fact that being flown around in some kind of glorified taxi is totally different from piloting, what exactly do they try to achieve? The risk of a fatal crash is still there, they just get to blame the CEO's death on a different individual. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

:4 : ? I'm not sure.. does *earning* beer compensate for *owing* beer in the tallies, if not in actually having to buy any? Beer owed: * not landing obstacle free for the first time (grazed barbed wire with arm and leg , followed by a perfect standup landing somehow) * Finished my canopy control requirements * First jump with my new helmet * Achieving my A-licence Beer earned: While checking other student's pack jobs I: * Caught a near certain pilot chute in tow, due to misrouted bridle * Caught a possible bag lock due to stows wrapping each other * Caught a misrouted static-line (from six feet away) Here's another thing. I made four jumps, yet I packed eight parachutes this week. Somehow I cant help but think I must be doing something wrong... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

And what is your read, or perception, on how dangerous the general public thinks driving is? I heartily agree with your closing statements. Most (90% ?) people are way too casual in their driving habits. Or to put it bluntly, most people are pretty shitty drivers. I found the following comment on youtube, in reply to one of the gazillion Lutz-videos: What else are you gonna tell such a person? Not all people saying stuff like this are trolls. You have to have something to get their attention - or vent your anger and frustration. As to the perception of the danger involved in driving, people keep "safely" doing stuff like: 1) (usually) old people doing 20 on the highway 2) People steering with their knees because their hands are occupied with other stuff, like unwrapping a sweet or changeing their glasses for their sunglasses. 3) People drinking and driving 4) People phoning while driving etc. etc. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Like everyone else said. Everyone thinks their training method best, both the student taking the course, and the instructor teaching it. I'm no exception. But maybe you should ask those instructors (but especially relatively new students too) what they think are the pros and cons of their method. Don't ask how they feel it compares to othger courses, but make your own list, compare, and choose. For instance, this is the way I see it: Jumping in winter at my DZ means that an SL student gets to jump more often - the conditions and clouds are more likely to be ok up to 3500 ft than all the way up to 12000 ft. OTOH, an AFF student gets freefall coaching and feedback from their instructors from day 1, while a SL student has no point of reference in the air at all and has to rely chiefly on ground briefings; and on debriefings based on what they felt, rahter then what the instructor saw. AFF is more intense and you need more money up front. You progress quicker because more is demanded of you per jump. SL is more gradual and cheaper in the beginning. It takes longer to get there, but there is a lot less pressure per jump and in addition, you'll be jumping from higher and higher, rather then lower and lower. Is there a "best" method? I think not. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is entirely up to you to choose the one that you think you can work with. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Maybe. But it can also be used to counter the knee jerk "you must have a deathwish" reaction. Skydiving isn't safe, but (far) less dangerous than the public on average seems to think. People tend to be amazed when I tell them that you can actually control your movements in freefall - some have trouble enough believing that you can steer a parachute, and slow down before landing. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Well, thanks for the great review I'm glad you felt at home. Yes, I was there too; we talked briefly while I was having a quick lunch. Later, while I was packing a chute, you asked me whether I was DZ staff because you wanted needed to pay for your jumps.

Good, bad... Neither, I think. Cheesy maybe. But as far as pickup lines go, at least it is a semi-original (if excessively dorky) one. There's a lot of lines with a far higher vomit-rating. Give him a chance "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Yeah, please tell us, how did you like the new DZ? I'm curious as it turns out that that DZ turned out to be the one I jump at

That pneumatic press is wheezing and banging.. Like a chain-smoking rabbit in the mating season. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

While you basically give good advice, I'd like to point out that the OP has only 25 jumps, and I have 85. Don't you think that for people like us it would be better to trust the rigger's packing more than our judgement as to whether something is landable or not? I'm not saying that I reach for my reserve handle for every linetwist, but I would rather land a perfectly good reserve and get chewed out for a totally unnecessary cutaway, than trying to land a might-be-landable partial mal. I reckon that to jumpers like myself the old "when in doubt, whip it out" is more applicable. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Should minimun requirements apply to me... I would ask the question a bit differently, "DO minimum requirements apply to me?" for example: If I make 16 more jumps, Dutch "minimum requirements" would allow me to jump a Safire2 170, which would then be loaded at exactly 1.3. But I ask myself: Should I want this, knowing where my difficulties lie? Landings themselves are (nearly) always soft and sweet, and freefall generally isn't the problem either. However, last-minute changes in the planning of my approach and in the determination of my conservative pattern are. So I think a more docile canopy type, say a Spectre or a Pilot, of min. 190 sq. ft should be more than exiting enough for me - when I feel I'm ready, not when minimum requirements say I'm ready. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Next on Fox TV: Smokey and the Rabbit "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

But.. but.. who am I going to chase on a tracking dive? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Eat up! Eat up! After all it's nearly Christmas.... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Twenty-five, if my quick count was correct