aresye

I was a little bit of a potato chipper at first. My biggest problem was my arch. I had such a problem keeping my pelvis down, and my legs up. I was always in some form of forward movement. Made the instructors have to work to stay with me. Once I graduated to solos, I finally got it, and now I think I have amazing freefall control. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm in the Navy, and a buddy in my class had to go through SERE school. He got waterboarded, and most likely I will too when I go. If they can waterboard us, and beat the living crap out of us for training, well..let's just say I have no sympathy whatsoever if a prisoner that wants to cut my head off with a saw gets waterboarded too. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I've had a similar thing happen to me not too long ago. When I really thought about it, the more it dawned on me that we really weren't the right type for eachother. I mean think of it this way, if she married some football jock, what does that tell you about her taste? Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

$4.15 here in Coronado, CA. Glad I can buy gas on base instead ($3.79). Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Just read that on the news this morning. Must agree, there definitely are some messed up people in this world. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I remember reading an article about this. From what I took of it, it sounds like even if you loosen the chest strap all the way while under canopy, you're still very safe. I'm not sure about a performance increase. Could be slight, but what I can really see it doing is helping a lot with landing, and being able to prepare for a PLF easier. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I only have 15 jumps, and I still suffer from gear fear, especially since I've bought my first rig. I haven't jumped it yet, but even though it fits me well, the hole is a little bigger than what I've been jumping so far, and I just had to be reading stories of people falling out of their harnesses. Stupid me. I've noticed a lot of different kinds of fear, since I went through tandem, IAF, and now jump solo. 1. First time fear. The quickest to get over. The one tandem passengers often feel. There really isn't much more to them than, "I hope my chute opens." 2. Gear fear. This is the longest lasting in my personal opinion, but it's good. Hell, I still have a lot of gear fear. Gear fear makes you very picky when inspecting your rig, sometimes getting more than 1 other person to inspect it for you. I check my three 3's at least 3-4 times while in the plane. Gear fear keeps you alive, and it's when this fear goes completely away when people start relaxing their standards, and that's when malfunctions occur. 3. Exit fear. This one is wierd and seems to come and go with me. There's a lot of different factors that can play into it though, such as temperature, thick clouds, wind, plane turbulence, etc. I always got pretty freaked out when my hands got really cold at the doorway. Plus, not feeling confident on your exit can lead to this. 4. Performance fear. I suffered from it a lot through my AFF. It caused me to tense up, and therefore I barely could keep a stable arch, often having a little forward movement. When I did my first solo, that fear was gone. There were no ways to fail my own dive, and I just felt this freedom I've never had before. The best way to handle gear fear, is to carefully inspect the rig yourself, and take your time getting it on, and getting it comfortable. Rushing to put my gear on always led to gear fear for me. Best way to overcome performance fear, is to practice. Always practicing, especially arching and exits. My best dives came when I've practiced the most. Overally, skydiving always has the general little bit of fear to it. If it didn't, it wouldn't be so much fun. Now I'm still trying to figure out why I remain to be scared of heights, regardless of my 12-something minutes of freefall. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I strongly suggest Emerald Coast Skydiving in Alabama, and Skydive Elsinore in California. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm heading up there this weekend, for both Saturday and Sunday. I'll probably see you there! Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Also, both the container and the main have around 200 jumps. The main is outfitted with micro lines. Depending on how they handle, I may or may not switch to a thicker line set. If the 200 jumps are on the micro line set, I'll have to replace those within 200 jumps anyway. I've heard the main problem with micro lines is a lot of people don't want to do CReW, due to the possibility of entanglment. As far as my experience level goes, I won't be getting into that kind of work for a long time. The reserve has no jumps on it, and the bartack mod has been performed. The seller says the rig is in excellent condition, and from the pictures he has sent, it does. I guess I'll just wait and see what the riggers say, but it looks like this may be a great deal for a durable, first rig. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

The person selling it to me gave me all of his personal information today. He's a senior rigger, has worked as a military parachute rigger for many years, and is about to retire this year. He's a very experienced skydiver and instructor. He and I were discussing payment and shipping options. It doesn't sound like he has a problem letting the rigging loft perform an inspection on the rig. So I think the way we'll end up working it out is, he'll send the rig to the loft and have it inspected. I'll check by the loft, and if the inspection is all good, and it's a good rig for me, then I transfer the money to him, and the loft releases the rig to me. Also, to answer a previous question. The rig does have a Cypress right now, but he's installing it on another rig, so I'll have to purchase my own Cypress. The workers at the Square 1 store at my DZ have told me they have some great used Cypress 2s that I can buy between $600-$800. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I've been looking around for a used rig to last me a couple hundred jumps, until I customize my own personal rig. I posted a wanted ad in the classifieds, and a guy got back to me in a couple days with what seems like a pretty good deal. He sent me a few pictures, and the harness looks like it's in good condition, as well as the canopy. I've sent him an email back requesting the DOM, Serial #, and # of jumps for each part of the rig. As of right now, this is what he is offering: All Black Centaurus Container - In great shape. Fits 5'9" 185lbs. I'm 5'10" 190lbs. Spectre 190 Main - ZP Raven 218 Reserve RSL Collapsible Slider Collapsible Pilot Chute - New Micro Lines Doesn't include an AAD, but it can be outfitted with a Cypress. I plan to buy a used Cypress 2 at the Square 1 store at my DZ and having the riggers install it. He's asking for $1200 for everything listed above. Buyer pays shipping. Does this sound like a good rig for a beginner? I'm working my way down to a 190, and plan to be there by the time I get my license. Right now I just want a durable rig to last me for about a year or 2. I don't really care much about looks or colors, yet. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

You only pay $70 a year for a $15,000 personal property insurance? I already use USAA for my car insurance. Will definitely think about the PP when I buy my rig. One night in Pensacola, my friend was packing his main into his container, and the watch that was on our deck saw us. He seemed pretty surprised. I guess it's not typical on watch to catch people packing parachutes in the barracks, lol. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm thinking about either a Wings or Mirage container, mainly because of the military discount, with a 210 main, and a 190 reserve. I weight about 190, so a 210 would be about a 1:1 for me. Plus an AAD of course. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm planning on getting a first rig soon, probably sometime this month, and had a question about storage. I'm pretty sure most of you have houses or apartments, and live alone, with a family member, or with a spouse. I'm in the military and I live in the barracks. Being in San Diego, and approaching sumertime, I obviously don't want to store it in my car. I'm concerned about keeping it in the barracks though as well, because our lockers are only locked by a small combination lock. I trust it to my other gear, but I won't trust it for my rig, especially when people start noticing I own one. Theft is a huge problem in the military, sadly, and the last thing I would want is some untrained booter to steal my rig and then likely kill himself on it. So what would you recommend I do with my rig once I have it. Can I have the dropzone keep it up there? A friend's house I can trust. I basicly have 2 goals: 1. To be secure. 2. To not be tinkered with by other people when I'm not around. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

With the majority so far saying it will likely be a distraction, I'll hold off until I get my license and experience, and be able to jump with others, some of whom will likely have a camera. Definitely want to get licensed soon. Solo jumps were cool at first, but now, it just gets lonely up there, lol. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

It was nice during my AFF training to have my instructor video most of my jumps. It allowed me to (originally) see how horrible my arch was, and other things I could improve upon. It was also fun to watch my jumps, no doubt about that. From what I've read around on the forums, is you don't want to get into using a camera until after a couple hundred jumps. That seems more for the experienced guys who want to get into freefly camera, more than just shooting a jump. I understand how a helmet cam can potentially get caught on lines during deployment, and other factors that can cause a problem. I have a digital camera, not a camcorder, but an actual, "Smile!" camera. It has the option to record movies, and from what I've used it for so far, the frame rate is great, and it's almost as good as a real camcorder. I have a pouch that I have that can keep the camera secure, in addition to allowing the lens to poke through the center and record while it's secure in the pouch. My question is, would it be okay to feed my chest strap through the pouch's back loop, and secure it to my chest in order to film some of my solo jumps? It's a similar design to many radio pouches that I used for AFF, that were mounted through the chest strap. All I would have to do is hit record before I leave the plane after I check my gear, and then not have to worry about it until after landing. It poses no risk in getting entangled during deployment. In all honesty, it would pretty much be the same as the radio. Turn it on before leaving the plane, and having it attached to the chest strap. So for all I see it, I don't see how it could be a problem for me to take it during a jump, but I want to ask the experienced guys first, and get their opinion on it. If you want a picture of my, "Redneck Freefall Pouch," I'll be happy to upload some. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I checked with a buddy of mine in the service, an FMF Corpsman. I asked him about this very issue, and it seems to go along with what we were taught in rescue swimmer school. If there is any problem with breathing, and the airway is blocked by a helmet, remove the helmet immediately, for you should have access to the airway in case they stop breathing. Of course, you should do it as carefully as possible, maintaining in-line stabilization of the head, and immediately placing the person in a cervical collar once the helmet is removed. "Loss of ABCs is a life-threatening condition, and takes precidence over all other injuries." Life over limb. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Not sure if this has been asked before, but I'm sure many people have thought of it. First off, this is not something I'm talking about doing soon, but maybe a couple years down the line, if I can. I'm active duty military, so I don't get a lot of time with my family. They're very supportive of my new addiction to skydiving, even though they're still a little nervous about it. After all, it is their son jumping out of a plane at 13,000ft. I live in a small town right outside of State College, PA known as Boalsburg. I have an incredibly large field in my backyard (40+ acres), plus many other large fields nearby. You're already thinking, "Oh great, I know exactly what he's trying to do." I want to do a surprise entrance one of the times I have leave in the future, but was wondering what the law is for jumping at a site. I know a couple friends dads who are pilots, who would likely support the idea. I'm not talking about just asking to jump into my field, and having a pilot take me over it. I'm talking about careful planning, wind directions, altitude limitations, clouds, etc. It would not be a spur of the moment thing, but a jump that would take weeks of planning prior to me arriving, and not something I would do anyway if the conditions are not optimal. Just an idea I had, and discussed it with a friend who got me into skydiving and he thinks it's a cool idea, but I want to hear from others on the board if this idea can be molded in the future, or am I just way off target and completely out of my mind? My gut feeling tells me it's not possible because of laws, but I want to clarify this first with other board members. Now commences the ass chewing... Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Thank you all for the replies. I'll ask this weekend at the DZ what a realistic canopy size for me will be 2-3 months down the line, and about the whole process of buying a rig. Wings might have a stock rig that fits me well enough. Just want a decent, well-rounded rig to be able to have sometime between my 30-40th jump. I have the money saved up already, but I obviously don't want to go overboard. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Part of the problem is definitely the spacing between your AFF3 and 4 jumps. I almost had a month break between my level 6 and level 7, and when I did my L7, I was almost as bad as when I started. Flat arch, legs out and tense. Easily corrected on my L8, which was actually the jump where everything clicked. Spend some time practicing your arch. I would always make sure I had it down before I went up. During the actual skydive, relax. I find when I tense up, that's when my muscles tense up, and that's when I'm not stable. I've never gotten into a spin, but I do rock back and forth when I'm unstable. So if you feel yourself getting into a spin again, instead of freaking out and tensing up, just relax your entire body and let your pelvis sag down. I've always recovered to a perfect, stable arch when I do this. Now, I'm not an instructor, far from it. I thought I'd share what worked for me, since I just graduated from my student program and most of my problems and solutions are still fresh in my head. Good luck on the rest of your training! I'm sure you'll do fine. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Well, I thought it would be best to introduce myself first. I'm 20 years old and active duty in the US Navy. I had no real intention to skydive until I made friends with an active duty skydiver in Pensacola, FL. Eventually, after seeing some of his videos, and listening to stories, I decided to work towards my license. I started the Tandem/IAF program at Emerald Coast Skydiving in Alabama, and finished all but my last AFF jump before I had to transfer to San Diego. Everybody was a great friend at Emerald Coast, and I consider it my home DZ. So I finished up my AFF training at Skydive Elsinore, and am currently doing a few solo jumps to get my technique down before progressing to coach jumps. I should be able to get my license within the next month, I hope. Right now I'm already looking into what I would want for a rig. I'm thinking about a wings container, partly because of the 50% military discount, but also because I've heard they're great, and very comfortable. Any recommendations on how to get started on customizing a rig? I know it'll take some time before it can be shipped, and I'll likely be downsizing until then. Right now I weigh approx. 190, and have been jumping a 260. It feels pretty slow, and I've had many stand up landings, I think I'm good to downsize to a 240, but I'll ask my instructors at the dropzone first. When looking for a canopy size on a future rig, is it a realistic goal to look at a 210, considering it will likely be around 3-4 months for my rig to be completed? Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

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