jncoughlin

Hi Luna; I finished AFF 5 weeks ago. Have not been able to jump since then because I went to the tunnel in Florida and tore my rotator cuff in my shoulder. Your first AFF jump is very intimidating for anyone. There's alot going on. Althoug losing altitude awareness is very serious, learning that it can happen is very valuable. On my second AFF jump, the JM's thought I did great. However, while driving home I realized that while I was looking at my alti every 5 seconds, I was not registering in my brain what altitude I was actually at. All I was realizing was that I was not yet at 6K. That's a form of lack of alti awareness. On the next dive I made a point of shouting it to myself. It helps. You'll do fine. Don't worry. Relax (easy for me to say) and have a good time. AFF actually gets easier after level 4. Good luck and let me know how you do. I'm dying to get back in the air but I can't arch with my left shoulder. I find myself staring at the sky too much!

Just got finished w/ AFF but had the same experience. For heading, I kinda just looked to see if I was turning. No big deal although I tended to reference myself against my JM, who was probably compensating for a gentle turn. As for alti awareness, it's something to be careful of. On my first 3 jumps, i realized afer that I was looking at the altimeter and mentally registering (I'm not at 5,500) yet, instead of noting the actual altitude. Then I started shouting the reading to myself. But on my graduation dive, I only tracked for about 4 seconds and then pulled. I think I pulled high (6,500 ish). Agian, not altitude aware. I'm going to do 5 fun jumps and work on reading altitude every 500 feet. Maybe that'll help.

Whiskey I REALLY know what you're feeling. I did a tandem last year in November, the last day our DZ was open (Boston Providence Skydiving, a great place with great people). I loved the tandem. At the end of May, I started AFF. Weather and work have not cooperated but I finally got through level VII 3 weeks ago. I have not jumped since!!!!!!!Not even my first solo. Why? I have been busy, I did injure my shoulder (not jumping) and I am good at finding excuses. In other words I guess I'm nervous. I am going soon, maybe tomorrow. If so at least 3 jumps to build confidence. I guess nerves are good. I certainly received great training and am confident in my abilities so far. It's just fear of the unknown. I can tell you that every time I have jumped the thrill lasts for weeks. I find myself staring at the sky through my car's sunroof. I dream about skydiving most nights. It's the most profound experience I've ever had. But I still get nervous. Only two things to do. Either quit now or get 30 jumps behind me ASAP. I think I'll jump tomorrow and go for 4! Hang in there. You'll love it.

Don't be nervous !!!! I know: Easier said than done! I started AFF in late May and completed Level VII two weeks ago. Next is solo but I'll never forget that first jump. Practice the dive flow until you think you're crazy. It's actually very easy in the air. You'll fly better and have more control if you completely relx. Good luck and welcome to the best sport in the world. When your canopy opens and it's quiet, you'll understand why the birds sing.

Never saw it but will ask to see it next visit. Right now my schedule absolutely sucks. Work interferes with skydiving. That's not right!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. I don't feel as stupid snd am confident I can get out of this situation if it ever happens again. More importantly I'll avoid it if at all possible.

I'm a newbie, just off AFF and I turned 50 last year. My wife thought skydiving was merely a midlife crisis. Now I'm in WHUFFO hell as I try to constantly explain it to her. Q: What happens if the parachute won't open? A: We have another one. Q; Suppose you forget to pull the thingie? a: (I decide not to delve into the topic of altitude awareness). We have a computer that opens it for us. Q: Suppose both parachites fail? A: (I decide not to admit that it's not your day that day). I explian the statistics and compare those to the more mundane risks that she experiences every day such as driving or commercial flying. Q: You spend way too much time thinking about skydiving, reading about skydiving, watching skydiving videos, etc. You'd rather be skydiving than be with me!!! A: How about those Red Sox today!!!!

Done Deal I've got a pool and a hot-tub. Maybe we can get Wendy to .............. I've still gotta get back for my solo. Maybe Friday. I'm work busy the rest of the week. John

No, it ws Gatsby. They didn't see it; I was well upwind and still at 3500 feet. I told them about it afterward. They didn't seem too surprised. Maybe I understated the severity of it. Gatsby called me on the radio to tell me I passed and "don't forget the beer". Next time I'm there I'll talk to Jeremy about it.

Nathan My weight is 180 and with gear figure about 215 out the door. With the big PD 280 that's a wing loading of only 0.77. Winds were very light at altitude and I didn't sense any turbulence or thermals. The rig just surged and spun up real fast. I think I was too aggressive although I've done that same action on the same parachute twice before without a problem.

It was alot of toggle input applied fast. I did not try to turn in the opposite direction. The turn started and after maybe 90 degrees the canopy just surged forward and twisted up real good. I remember looking at the slack in the steering line as I said "oh shit" and went for the pillow. Then I went for the risers and started kicking. All over in maybe 8 seconds but enough to give me religion about smooth control inputs.

Last Wednesday I finished AFF (yayyyyy). Anyway, I deployed at about 5200 ans was in the saddle around 4500. Since I had plenty of altitude I decided to "explore the performance of the big PD280 student rig". I buried the right toggle and started a spin. All of a sudden the chute surged and the next thing I knew I had a half dozen line twists and I was spinning! As a dumb student my first thought was CHOP! The a quick look at the alti and I realized I could probably deal with it. Which of course I did. Had I been this dumb at 1500 ft. it could have been alot worse. Lesson learned. Even student gear can get you in trouble if you go looking. Now I know.

Don't worry; no hooks, only conservaive learning. I don't want this sport to get a bad rap. I plan on skyflying at least the next 10 years!

I know exactly what you mean. Today I passed AFF-7 (yahoo!. I did level 6 2 weeks ago and could have finished 7 more than one week ago. I kept coming up with excuses: looks too windy, looks like clouds rolling in, hangover, had to re-arrange sock drawer, etc. Finally today I said fukit and played hokey from work in the afternoon. Was nervous as hell all the way to the DZ. Was nervous in the plane. As soon as the door opened, I said lets do this and have fun. Totally kicked ass. Now I'll be high for a week. I guess it's healthy to be nervous. Learn, train study, practice. I still think that part of the thrill and sense of accomplishment of this sport is overcoming your "pre-programmed" fear. Don't get comlplacent. Now I have to do 30 jumps and get through it.

Although I'm a very newbie skydiver, I'm a long time contact lens wearer. Hard lenses are likely to pop out during freefall, unless the freefall is only for a few secinds. Properly fitting soft lenses, such as Acuvue-2 have a good chance of staying in, especially if you blink frequently. You ARE likely to blink frequently if you're in free fall without goggles. Also, there's always the probability that one, but not both, will pop out. I can dive headfirst into water with mine in, eyes open, and never lose 'em. If you're that worried, keep your goggles in aposition where they can be put on quickly. Contacts are still a better bet than prescription goggles, which have all kinds of problems according to what I've heard.

Nathan; It's obviously a conspiracy by Mirage to get you to buy two, or three, of everything. How about a new container in case your gets damaged?

Nathan see ya there. i'll get tere by 4:30 John

N....N Glad it turned out OK. You were just on the next load when I left around 4:30 yesterday. Hope you found the main. As for packing, I noticed that the packers were jammed yesterday and very tired by the end of the afternoon. I'll bet they paked at least 50 rigs each, maybe more. Who knows? BTW: thanks again for the goggles. I'll be there Wednesday. John C

Sounds to me like your "mate" needs his "arse" kicked and that the DZ should ground him. You're lucky.

Thanks Snoflake; That's encouraging as I ususally have to do something violent to pop my shoulder. I can ususally reduce it but it takes a few minutes and I'm not sure I could do it while hanging in harness. At least it's my left so I can deploy easily if a problem occurs. As for the gym, I have been lifting most of the winter anticipating that it would help in skydiving. With 1 tandem and 5 real jumps (I'm through level 5 AFF) there's been no problem whatsoever. If your shoulder poped in your sleep then I think I'm safe. As for landing, my plan, assuming it popped in freefall, would be to release only the right brake, leaving the left toggle (my popped shoulder side) stowed. That way I could fly in half brakes and do flat turns by only using the right toggle. As for landing, hope for a stiff breeze, approach in half brakes and PLF.

I'm currently at Level 5 AFF and I've been worried about this injury. My left shoulder has disclocated several times over the years as a result of a skiing accident many years ago. It's been good for the last 8 or more years but once a shoulder dislocates it's probability of recurrence is substantially higher. Since Level 6 and & involve flips, am I asking for trouble ? Also, how do you steer and flare with one arm not working ? All advice is much appreciated.

I've currently completed AFFlevel 5 and am waiting for weather to clear to keep going. From level 1 through 4 I was nervous, as opposed to scared. After each jump I was euphoric; then the next day I started contemplating what I'd done and I got scared. I started thinking that maybe skydiving wasn't for me. A few days would go by and I'd start wanting to try again. On level 4 I went into a flat spin on release and couldn't seem to fix it. Took me 4,000 feet to get straight but I passed the level anyway (maybe because I got straight on my own?). I seriously thought about giving up. A week went by and I decided to try level 5 and get some video. At least if I quit I wanted something to remember the experience by. That skydived kicked ass!!! I had control, good body position, accomplished everything I was supposed to. I drove home more excited then ever to keep going. I'll be nervous before every skydive. I'll check and re-check my gear. I'll expect a mal on every deployment. I'll study every incident report. I'm not interested in hooking and swooping (I'm 50 years old). I won't jump if I'm tired, hungover (well, maybe a little), or in a bad mood. In short, I'll do everything I can to mitigate risk. However, for me, the rewards far outweigh the risks in this sport. I wish I'd discovered it 30 years ago. Everyone has to decide for themselves. Encouragement is good but you have to want to get something in return for your risk. If you're not getting it, then move on to another sport and stay happy. THE MORE YOU LIVE THE LESS YOU DIE.

I'm a newbie. just finished level 4 AFF. Been stuck for 2 weeks because of weather and work schedule but hope to get through Level 6 this weekend (if I can stop losing my heading!). I'm also CEO of a medical instrument company so I can give you the perspective of an interviewer and employer. I look for people who are risk tolerant. That does not mean careless; it means calculated. Business is all about balancing risk and reward; you can't have one without the other. Sounds alot like skydiving. I look for people that can think and act independently. It's tough to do in an interview (everybody's on best behavior) so I like to focus on what they do when they're not working. I ask about hobbies, outside interests, athletics, etc. It does not matter what they do as long as there's a life after work and it demonstrates a certain aspect of their makeup. As for skydivers, I was attracted to the sport because of the people (plus it's fun). The skydiver's I've met are not reckless daredevils; they're calculated risk mitigators. They demonstrate planning, decision making, teamwork, personality and the ability to perform in stress situations. Skydiving lends balance to their lives. (I have three kids; don't think for a minute that I'm reckless just because I've decided to take up skydiving. I studied the risks and I'm signed up for the rewards). So............Not everyone might see things as I do but I'll take a company full of skydivers over a company full of opera fanatics every day (no offense meant to those who like opera). I'd highlight skydiving as an accomplishment and let the interviewer draw their own conclusions. If they consider you too "reckless" then it's probably a shitty place to work anyway.

Gonna try like hell to be there on Saturday although weather might be iffy. Might even be able to "get sick" this afternoon. I work up the road in Norwood MA so it's less than 30 minutes to drive down. I'll be the guy with the grey hair and the natural "arch" in front.