SPAWNmaster

Hi there, I'd like to write a gear review but for the life of me can't figure out how!!

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. you'll surely find people who have used skydiving to move forward or it has given them a new life. either way we're all in it for our own reasons. the feeling is the same, everyone in the sport understands it, but its a personal motivation so not everyone has the same reason. know what i mean?

as a low time jumper with a few cloud experiences im going to agree with this. on 2 seperate occasions I have been in freefall in a cloud formation where you couldn't get a visual reference...its pretty disorienting but the important thing is to stay altitude aware and keep cool (and enjoy...clouds are mad fun). I've been told that if im ever stuck in a cloud under canopy the best thing to do to avoid disorientation or canopy collision is to keep a steady turn till i come out the bottom. i've only had to do it once so far but its a great idea if you ask me.

its crazy...im in the boat with a lot of other people here. i used to be a reputable dj playing house music at big clubs. sold all my gear, paid for AFF and ended up using my parents credit cards to pay for jumps while my personal jump money goes directly to gear. soooo addictive!!!! if my parents weren't paying for college, it's certain id have dropped out a few months ago and start skydiving full time.

its different. as you become more experienced and get into new disciplines you become fearful of new variables. when i did my first tandem i was afraid for all the wrong reasons. and to the op: expect the gear fear to subside after 10 or so more jumps. we're all different but generally 20-30 jumps from what i know is usually what it takes. hopefully you will always feel some anxiety on a jump. like they say "complacency kills"

yea one of my roommates was thinking about splitting a TF account with us but not sure if its worth it. would be fun to participate in the photoshops and whatnot.

the thought had crossed my mind but it was too good a thing to pass up in fear of a couple "repost" comments hope all the non farkers get hooked

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3531440

yup...i remember that feeling!

Wow... I've considered going to two audibles when I decide to start freeflying, but always thought of using them set to the same altitudes.. I may have to give that a shot when I finally go to two I don't know that is a lot of beeps going off in your ears, I am of the mind set of keeping things simple. agreed! I wouldn't want to spend any more time than necessary trying to figure out what beeping means what, rather I use my audible as a supplement to my altitrack. Additionally, I've become more altitude aware since using my audible and my internal freefall clock basically coincides with the audible cues. Anyways here are my settings: 5000 = stop activites and trackaway 3000 = pull or should be under canopy 1500 = if i'm still in freefall I should be doing EP's if i hear this alarm

Goddamn, Nick...every post I read of yours both from DZ.com and Basejumper.com I always learn something. Here's to helpful jumpers *beer*

Awesome guys thanks so much for all the info & resources! Blues, Andrew

That's right! The kid with 45 jumps is asking! But seriously...I'd like to start learning as much as humanly possible about my gear. What is the best way to get into rigging, learning the ins and outs of every function of harnesses, containers, deployment systems, canopies, fabrics, lines, etc? I know it's kind of a broad question but I hope I'm getting my question across. Are there rigging courses offered or something? or should I just stick to nagging packers and riggers about the various intricacies of these things?

4.5 hrs to cross keys 3hrs to the ranch 3hrs to skys the limit i'm kind of a nomad these days looking for a home dz...it sucks having to drive so far especially when i dont have a car (have to borrow my roommates whenever he's not in a foul mood). skydive fingerlakes is like 45 min from me, but i dont have my rig yet (wings 14 week waiting period!!!) so will have to wait a while till they get their rental rig out.

Would any more experienced jumpers recommend getting on double fronts (just a little bit) to help get some forward drive ~500 in a high wind situation?

tips from one n00b to another: during AFF the only thing that will alleviate any fear or anxiety is the confidence that you will do what you have practiced/visualized. once you're out the door it's good times... but be sure to visualize, repeat, practice, practice, practice until you know your dive flow inside and out. if you are anything like I was you'll be likely be terrified on the ride up levels 1-4. that's fine, it's normal! just make sure you practice and do everything you are trained to do and it'll come out fine. blue skies

Probably not, as every one of us has at least one person in our lives that will never jump for that reason, even though we would love for them to do it. Being able to fly is part of what makes it fun. Another part is the people, although that can also be the worst part (it really sucks when your friends die). For me, a really big part is that it's both physically and mentally challenging. Skydiving is not safe. What part of throwing yourself at the ground at a high rate of speed relying on some fabric and lines to save you sounds safe to you? agreed. skydiving, while incredibly fun and personally rewarding is nothing more than risk mitigation. you are a skydiver not because you jump out of planes, but imho because you save your life on every jump and happen to enjoy the hell out of that world that exists in freefall. like everything in life it's a matter weighing the risk and benefits...and while some would safe the risk is lower than BASE or other extreme activities (and yes the technology has gotten to an amazing point) you kid no one to assume that skydiving is inherently "safe". and as far as those who don't get it or who couldn't possibly imagine what good could come out of jumping out of planes, well they should try it. if not, then that's fine, it's not for everyone. but for those who give no consideration to the idea that others find hapiness doing something that they themselves would never do... well, those are the ones we call "whuffos". my 2cts.

Skymama you changed your pic...is this from your wedding? To the OP: http://www.skyfestboogie.com/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,26/ That's the link for the Skyfest heli jumps sign-up. See you guys there!

very good advice from redlegphi. however I'd like to add that in my experience it kind of is like riding a bike in that time away doesn't necessarily mean you lose your "skylegs". i've only ever gone 2 months without jumping but when i did my recurrency jump it felt like i had not stopped. hope that helps. blue skies

Our first son had almost enough jumps to get his A licence before he was born.

I wonder if there's any way to study this in the tunnel to do some real research on streamlined tracking. This would be helpful to put rest to all the debate about Atmo as well. I know they have tunnels for wing suit testing... On another note I was wondering. I've been doing a lot of solo tracking dives lately which is how all this came about...but I noticed that I can steer with my upper torso and head (maybe using my head automatically makes the torso follow). Is this the best way to steer a track? Does anyone predominantly use their legs instead? I found it a bit harder to control using just my legs as you really have to swing your hips out and can potentially carve out too much and stall your track. Input?

thanks. i will be sure to post the video if i get one. im a busy college student so we'll see when i get to the DZ. i was actually pretty stable as a student and never had any oscillations or "potato chipping" during AFF which is why I was asking about this (i thought it was specific to tracking or something up until now). another question for the experienced guys out there: is it more effective to track with my legs close together? is there considerable difference having my legs wide open or will that just slow my fall rate more?

I found that out the hard way! I tried to exit the other day into a relaxed delta and found myself launching a headdown! tracking is so much fun! thanks to everyone who has posted here for advice...i'll be sure to try and get on a tracking dive with someone next time im at the DZ.

lawlz

thanks for the advice guys. is there a way to register for SCR jumps through the Skyfest website or will I be able to just get in on it when i show up for the boogie? blues