UDSkyJunkie

I took mine with Kip Lohmiller, and he was excellent. Very much an emphasis on knowing your strengths and weaknesses, keeping the former, and working the latter. Very personalized, although I had the advantage of being in the course by myself (however I also took the coach course with 7 other people, and he still managed to personalize that to the degree possible). He'll make you work your ass off no matter how good you are, and won't give you a rating if you don't deserve it. That said, if you're not ready, he'll work with you a ton. Can't say who else in the midwest is good or bad, but I can say there are definately some people around here who shouldn't have ratings... so far none of the people I have that opinion about got their rating from Kip. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Personally I could not possibly care less if baseball players use steroids... but then I wouldn't care if baseball vanished from earth either. Anyway, I forget who it was but some comedian said that we should have categories for athletes like we do for drag racing. Stock: All natural, period. Super-stock: Like all the guys doping in the tour-de-france... sure, it's not really "natural" but it sure as hell isn't steroids. Top-fuel: I won't be satisfied until I see an olympic sprinter who has cut off his legs and grafted himself to a cheetah! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Don't sell either! Seriously, there is absolutely no reason you need to. Get a simple ring (I'm not saying a peice of sh*t, just a simple ring that doesn't have a giant freaking rock on it). Nice, classy rings are out there for very reasonable prices, especially if your GF likes non-diamond stones. My fiance's ring cost about $200. It doesn't look like a typical engagement ring so a lot of people don't think that's what it is... instead, random people tell her all the time "wow! that's a gorgeous ring!" and ask where she found it. Answer? the jewelry department at Sears. She couldn't be happier, and yes, she knows what it cost. If you can't find something under $500 that she would like, IMO she's not worth it. I'm not saying it's bad to pay more if one has the money, just that if one DOESN'T have the money or has to sell important things to get it, they shouldn't feel pressured to splurge. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Highly recommend used gear as a first purchase, just don't rush out and buy the first thing you see, or you might end up with something expensive or crappy. For what it's worth, my first rig and cost was: PD 170 9-cell in good shape Micro-raven 150 reserve with 1 ride Cypress with 9 years left "used" vector III with zero jumps on it Total cost: $2,550 100 jumps later I sold the PD 170 and bought a Sabre1 135 at a net cost of $550, kept that setup for several years. To this day, still jumping the original vector and cypress. There are great deals out there, you just have to look. That part about packing is true too... not only does it earn some money on the side, but it teaches you alot about equipment, and it introduces you to a lot of people who are then more willing to give you a good deal on used gear if they are selling. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Ya know, I remember from my aerodynamics course that a spinning cylinder does in fact create lift, so long as the fluid is viscous, because the air on top is moving faster relative to the cylinder than the air on bottom. Of course, that still requires the cylinder to be moving relative to the air. But I have to agree... that's a myth?!? WTF? "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

This reminds me of a conversation my father (also a skydiver) had with a particularly thick-headed co-worker. Said "gentleman" absolutely refused to believe it was possible to maneuver oneself in the air, since it is a "frictionless environment". He said to my dad's face that RW is simply impossible, that my father was lying, and that the video was doctored. (no shit, I'm not even making this up). Anyway, after awhile my dad got pretty irritated and asked this guy "ok, how do planes maneuver around then?". "Because planes have ENGINES!" "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I wouldn't say there is a "norm"... some people get their A license in a month, others take a year. The faster the better, and you're definately better off saving up for a few months and getting them done in less time than waiting weeks/months between jumps. It'll be a lot easier on your mind and nerves, and reduces the odds of repeating jumps. Unfortunately, "cheap" and "frugal" do not describe skydiving students. I don't want to discourage you, but it is a reality that the first year of getting into the sport will cost several thousand dollars. I would budget a minimum of $6,000 for your first year to get you through your "A" license and purchase good used gear and other miscellaneous equipment. After you have those things out of the way it gets a lot more affordable and if you can only spare $100 once or twice a month you can still do a reasonable amount of jumping and have fun. There are also opportunities to earn some money on the side at most DZ's to help pay for the habit. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

There are similarities and differences between the tunnel vs. the plane. The similarities are basically what you describe... in both cases you are going from no wind to a lot of wind, and the physical sensations are similar if the aircraft exit is smooth, though many jumps aren't so smooth. The differences are more in your head than physical... the obvious heigtened adrenaline is one big difference as pointed out. The other big difference is visual. While a good aircraft exit feels similar to a good tunnel entrace to me, the relative wind coming from the horizontal can be distracting and disorienting until you learn to ignore the horizon and focus on where the wind is coming from and where others are in relation to yourself. Also, in the tunnel there is no "hill" where the wind starts slow and then speeds up gradually. Finally, it depends a bit on the aircraft and what slot you're exiting from. If it's side-door and you're exiting from the outside, then you're already in the wind before you "exit". If you're exiting from the inside is more similar to a tunnel. If you're exiting from a tailgate (casa or skyvan) the sensation is VERY similar. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Not a bad decision at all, but as said you may have trouble finding one unless you're buying new, and even then your options will be limited. For used stuff in those sizes you'll want to make sure you know what you're getting (i.e. 240 navigator would be a great choice, but 240 sharpchuter, an old F-111 design, not so much). It depends on the size and model and your budget, but if you're willing to spend time looking it can be done. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Wether a 230 is the right size for you is really a question to ask your local instructors who know your skills, but it doesn't raise any red flags in my mind. Often people site 1:1 as a MAX for novice jumpers and encourage them to choose a W/L of 0.8 - 0.9, however it is more of a concern with smaller students, as 1:1 may put them on a 150 or smaller, which dramatically changes the flight characteristics vs. a 230 at the same W/L. Sizes above 230 are also difficult to find, as many models don't come any bigger. For example, to my knowledge PD only offers >230 on two ZP models, the Navigator (240, 260, 280) and the Sabre2 (260). Finally, 1:1 vs. 1.03:1 is really not important... I would say don't bother looking past the tenths digit, as people's weight can fluctuate several pounds throughout the day without noticing a difference in flight. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Lots of great advice here. One thing i don't think I saw... some larger DZ's (Eloy is one) have multiple landing areas, and inevitably whichever one is right next to the hanger is super-congested, and the others are not. Don't be too manly to take the alternate if you're uncomfortable with 20 (or 40 or 60 or 100) other people in the air at the same time. Yes, it means you have to walk more than 50 feet, but it's worth it. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I liked the superbowl commercial where two guys are playing rock-paper-scissors for a bag of doritos and one guy just throws a rock at the other guy's head and knocks him out... "But I threw paper!" "Well, I threw a rock!!" "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Most detailed, objective description is probably PD's flight characteristcs article on the Spectre. It mostly compares the Spectre (typical modern semi-elliptical 7-cell) to the Sabre2 (typical modern semi-elliptical 9-cell). Lots of other interesting and useful information as well. here's the link: http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/Spectre-Flight-Char.pdf "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Damn right you could! Funny story on that note: way back my dad was training 8-way out in Alberta out of a small-door beech (basically the same door as a KA). At the time, the practice was to freefly the exit instead of launching the first point. As you can imagine, freeflying 8 people out of a door that small meant a lot of separation if you did anything wrong, but it was all they had so they figured out a way. They had this incredibly intricate exit... every foot and hand, every grip, every detail down to fractions of an inch... he said the group was so tight that the count was literally "inhale, exhale, explode out the door". Since they did exactly the same exit every time, it led to incredible consistancy, and as luck would have it, the canadian nationals were out of a small-door beech that year, which noone else had trained out of. I guess the result was that this no-name team from alberta beat every team to the first point on almost every round, including the national champions... of course after the first point they sucked. so who knows... learn it well, and maybe you can kick airspeed's ass if we ever have nationals out of a kingair. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

use a different plane? I know that's probably not an option, but the King Air has to be the worst plane ever for 4-way. 2 thoughts... your point guy can grip the OC so the OC has both hands to hold the bar, which will help with prop-blast. And you (tail) are probably better off gripping IC in the door and taking OC on the way out instead of the other way around... getting into position is more awkward, but the OC won't be instantly 5 feet away like the IC is. There's no way you're going to get a grip on the IC right out the door consistantly by "flying enough". In an otter/caravan tail can head-jam and take both grips, but probably not in a King air. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I'm a rigger, and I still know what you mean. Since a lot of us do 95% of our work solo, we have to figure out our tricks mostly on our own... which means that when we see another rigger we usually see their tricks as something completely new! Then that leads to conversations where two riggers are debating the best way to do something, and anyone overhearing probably gets a bit uncomfortable. My solution? I'm my own rigger! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Zappa? ehn... I prefer his old band-mate Steve Vai. As with Zappa, you've got to be into some wacky stuff to like Vai, but his guitar work is freaking GENIOUS. Saw him live a couple years back, it was unbelievable. Also Joe Satriani. And I'm glad someone finally mentioned Andres Segovia! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Everything! More seriously, what helped me more than anything else in getting my AFFI rating was doing a lot of 4-way. NOTHING else teaches you flying skills as quickly/efficiently. I understand that joining a team isn't everyone's cup of tea, but above-average RW skills are essential to being a good coach/AFFI, and if you want to be one you need to focus on RW. Freefly, wingsuit and all that other stuff is cool and fun, but not very helpful when you've got a student spinning on their back. If you've got some RW competitors at your DZ talk to them about the "mantis" flying style and start working on it now, while your muscle memory is still forming... everything about it is 1000% better than the way most people fly, but you'll rarely see a non-4-way guy using it. Other than that, I'd say try to pay attention to the instructors/coaches/organizers around you... make a note of who does a great job and who does a not-so-great job and why, and make mental notes to emulate the behavior of the good ones. Good teaching skills are as important as good flying skills. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

this isn't intended to be a smart-ass comment, but if you can click on the AAD's classifieds and find multiple AAD's under 500 bucks on the first page, then it's not really THAT hard to find. A little patience may be required, and you might get beaten to the best deals if you're not quick, but it's definately realistic to get that price if you're willing to jump without one for a couple months or search for one over the winter when you're not jumping anyway. That said, I think the best value for AAD's can be found in complete-system offers as opposed to purchasing one separately, if that is an option. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

14.5 stone = about 200 lbs, right? that's really not all that heavy, so unless you're built like a fireplug, a little extra fabric should be all you need. I doubt ZP would help much, although if you don't have them, getting a suit with booties, fat grippers, and inside leg grippers will slow you down a bit, and add functionality as well. If your buddies don't have tight suits, then they're really hosing you and ultimately themselves, as the tighter the suit, the better you can fly. I'm just shy of 140 (10 stone) and regularly fly with people 200-240 lbs (we mid-westerners are a little bigger than you guys in the UK)... weights are the answer, as falling faster is a hell of a lot easier than falling slower. I wear as much as 18 lbs. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

There are many, many stories of AAD's either outright saving someone, or firing in an instance where someone was in trouble but would have saved themselves (AAD fires mid-snivel after a low pull on the main). There are a comparitively very small number of cases where an AAD has failed to fire and the result has been a fataility. With modern AAD's (cypres, vigil, argus), almost all, if not all of these cases have upon investigation found to not be a failure of the AAD at all, but rather a situation where the conditions required for the AAD to fire were not met (too slow, wrong altitude, low cutaway, ect). It is important to note that these deaths were NOT caused by the AAD. The AAD didn't save them, but the root cause was a mistake (or several) by the deceased. There has been to my knowledge only one incident of a modern AAD causing a fataility... a swooper who was decending fast enough to fire the unit, who got a surprise reserve too low to recover. A very sad day to be sure, however in this case again the AAD was not truly at "fault" as the unit was operated outside of its design parameters. There may be cases of 2-canopy-out firings resulting in main-reserve entanglements then resulting in a fatality, however I have never heard of a confirmed case. In the end it's your call, but the statistics would show the benefits to vastly outweigh the risks. Claims of not having enough money are hard for me to accept, as a used AAD can be had for the price of 2 AFF jumps or about 20 jump tickets for lisenced jumpers. I have also noted several people who are "too poor" to purchase an AAD, yet managed to afford a brand-new $2000 custom container. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

As an AFF instructor, very light students can be a real challenge. However, it is up to us (instructors) not you (students) to make it work... you have enough to think about without worrying about your fall rate. Instructors can do things to stay with you, including wearing baggier suits or sweatshirts over their clothing, and also simply sending the slower-falling instructors with you in the first place. If your current DZ does not have anyone capable of falling with you, you might consider finishing AFF at another DZ. I am not saying you necessarily have poor instructors or a bad DZ, just that some DZ's, especially smaller ones, don't have anyone who is the right body type to jump with very slow falling students. However, as a former light student (about your weight, but 5'7"), I DO recommend that among the first items you purchase once you have your license are a very tight-fitting custom suit and a weight belt or vest (I think belts are more comfortable and versitile). If and when you get a belt/vest, add weight slowly (2lbs or so at a time), as adding weight will change your canopy's wingloading as well as how your body behaves in freefall. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

The fact that you recognize the difference tells me you are probably not on a path to complacency. At least not yet... keep monitoring and you'll stay that way. You should feel good about being relaxed if you are also focused. Being terrified is just as bad as being nonchalant, in my opinion... if you've ever heard of "object fixation", it's an example. I watched a 6th jump student hit an I-beam (sunk into cement next to the hangar) because she was so terrified she couldn't think of anything else. Behind and to the left and right of her was hundreds of acres of obstacle-free landing area, and even the slightest course correction would have prevented a broken pelvis. (could have been worse, thank god for helmets) There is a continuum between being terrified and being complacent. Everyone starts in a different place on that continuum, and you want to move toward the center, where you're confident and relaxed, but still focused and ready for anything. I think you have taken a step in the right direction. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

The best deals I've seen are usually for Aerodyne canopies... usually an Icon/Pilot/Smart combo deal or something of that nature, available from multiple companies, you're best off contacting dealers for pricing, as it changes often. On the container specifically, cheapest is Dolphin, although the Shadow Racer is an incredible deal and IMO a better rig. Personally, that isn't the gear I would purchase... don't get me wrong, it's all high-quality stuff, I just am willing to shell out a few more bucks for what I think is even better stuff, namely UPT and PD equipment. Low prices for new stuff from those guys is a lot harder to find though. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Your observations are correct, but the above is the bottom line, especially at your jump numbers (not meant as an insult, just an observation). If you pull cutaway, reach for silver, and as you're about to pull it you realize your reserve is above you and inflated... cool, I don't have any big issue with not pulling silver at that time. But the PLAN should always be to pull both, because in several situations the RSL/skyhook will NOT activate the reserve (total malfunction, RSL not connected, RSL connected incorrectly, gear without RSL). I personally use the one hand on each handle method (not recommending it, it's just what I do), and try to "beat" the skyhook to the reserve activiation. yes, this is impossible, but that's the way I drill it in my head... this way I onl yhave to learn one emergency procedure for all gear. When I had my first malfunction, the reserve was out so fast everyone though I had an RSL, even though at the time I did not. I think if I'd had the skyhook at the time, but the time the reserve was above my head I'd have already pulled silver. If you're using the 2-handed method that most FJC's teach, the situation you describe is more likley. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."