mr_music11

Sooo.. if it were a job interview, unless my personal/off time activities came up, I don't know that I'd bring it up... However, in my day to day life... conversations with.... heck! anybody! Im ready willing and able to talk about my passion for skydiving. I'll use almost any opportunity that I can to endulge my senses in reliving my most recent or otherwise fun skydive. Besides creating a very large smile on my face, it sometimes encourages someone to take that tandem jump becuz the've always thought about it, but until me, hadnt made the decision. Iam proud of my skydiving status. It helps to describe, somewhat define, part of who I am. And I love to share! Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

yeah.. dont really care how you add it up.. skydiving is NOT a cheap sport. Tunnel or otherwise.. its been said countless times on this site...... save your pennies. Cuz no matter which direction you take, you're bound to spend your pennies! blue ones If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Ehhh.. dont worry about it! I too had the same thoughts as I was entering AFF.( I was enrolled in my AFF 2 wks after my 1st jump/tandem) You get lots of ground instruction from your instructors. I didnt have a radio for my AFF jumps, but was just fine. By the time that you are reaching the ground on your 1st AFF/steering the chute yourself, there is a great relief that you "made it" ! and are returning to earth safely. So, remember your PLF... relax! breathe! You'll be great! Blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

[reply Where do you jump that it cost $19 a jump? Lodi, CA If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Ok.. put in terms as such, comparitivly so, yes.. cheaper.. but still.... wish I was ballin' more outta control so that I could afford that $750/hr even with 3 others! (I dont remember my experience being so cheap @the one in union city but cant remember the "block time" rate we got at the time) If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Funny... I've heard of the opposite as well... McCain wins=move. Honostly these days.. if you claim that you are a politician, in my eyes.. you already have 2 strikes against you, no matter what party you are affiliated with. Im tired of the standard rhetoric, the laudry list of ficticious statements that seem to be thrown about so easily by those put into positions of power. No matter who ends up in office.. they will have one heck of a mess to clean up! With that said, I still believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, where we do have a much larger set of freedoms than most. Freedoms that are increasingly coming under attack, all in the name of homeland security or financial stability. Wake up people! Encourage all of age to vote! Raise your voice and make a difference! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Nope... tunnel time does'nt count towards your freefall time.. had the same thought as you when I went to the wind tunnel in Union City, CA. However, as I'm sure others will chime in about, it is an EXTREMELY valuable tool in the learning curve. Lots of fun! But boy howdy is it expensive.. is usually best if you buy a block of time with friends and split the cost/time. As with most things skydiving.. save your pennies! Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Thank you for sharing... went thru a similar experience myself this past week(drove down to the DZ, hit one little glitch and the small fears that I had inside me grew, reared up and pushed the decision to not jump, when I think about it, I probably could have jumped without any troubles or problems) Have been kinda kickin' myself over it.. need to stop being my own worst critic. As previously mentioned in this thread... the sky will always be there.. waiting for another chance to redeem that which you have counted as a negative experience. Although all our experiences, we should learn from... not that they are bad or good.. just learning experiences. Again, thanks for sharing and making me feel better about some of those fears that I was afraid to admit even to myself.. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Ahhh .. no worries!! You will have plenty an opportunity to redeem yourself! (At least that is what I have to remind myself everytime that I feel that the jump went less than what I would want) The fact that you were able to walk away speaks volumes.. as stated target envy has ruined many a jumpers day! We will always have those jumps that will leave us and maybe even others less than impressed with our skills. All you can do is learn from each of your jumps, enjoy them... and dont be TOO hard on yourself. If you're like me, you are probably your own worst critic and that can be self defeating. Good luck...continued success and blue skies! P.S. check out the other threads on the site that detail some of the stupid stuff people have done (yes even those with LOTS more expreience than you or I at the moment) You'll feel better about your experience and at the same time get a giggle or two while learning from others stories! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Dont take no for an answer! Im sure that there is a DZ out there for you. May take a little more looking, but by all means... DONT STOP!! You will find many stories on this site of people whose lives have been completely changed/transformed becuz of skydiving. This could be you too! The joys that it can bring, the friendships that you will make are unforgetable. Keep us all posted! Good luck and blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

.....only 2 dozen times? No, most of us "normal" folks watch it hundreds of times... you're behind the curve buddy! ha ha ha.. jus' funnin'.. very norm! I still get the jitters watching it... put it on my ipod so that I can get that "fix" when ever I needed! Its VERY addictive.. start saving your pennies now for your rig/jump tix. Its a wonderfull community in a beautiful sport. Welcome.. ENJOY! Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

QuoteWhat is a BJ worth? think he got teased as a younger person? sorry BJ! love you man! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Wow... reading this thread makes me apprehensive about ever buying a new canopy! Dont get me wrong.. eventually, sure. But... already have a zero P Triathalon 175 ( love it! ) and have had a heck! of a time learnin' how to wrangle that b**** into the D bag(Its your b**** on the ground and your sweet lover in the sky right? ) . Still practicin'... still a noob tryin' to get the dern wings under control!!! Good luck and blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Nothing against those who HAVE to be coordinated. I had the opportunity when looking at buying my 1st set of gear of either going used and piecing together my rig or buying brand new. After doing a lot of looking online and asking around, my best value for money and TIME was..... used. I have a navy blue and yellow wings W11, a triathalon 175 that is blue/orange/salmon/yellow. Besides, I had to ask myself, "who am I trying to impress?" or "when was the last time that you thought about the color of your jumpsuit AS you were exiting the aircraft?" . I'm not planning on doing any competition work or work with cameras where the look has to be "pleasing" to the eye. My ONLY true concern was safety and then comfort in a VERY close 2nd. Im not on a catwalk tryin' to look "cute". But then, Im married, have 2 kids, and 3 grandkids which think Im the coolest grandpa around who jumps outta planes! regardless of the color of my canopy or my jumpsuit. Soo, again, no disrespect, coordinate on... I enjoy seeing what other skydivers are wearing! Just don't be suprised or critical of seein me wearin the purple polkadotted free fly pants with the lime green striped jacket cuz it happend to be last years model on sale that works great and feels comfortable! Blue skies!! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I vote vaporize.... its 420 somewhere! ....ooops, wrong thread! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Thanks all for the suggestions! Actually tried it today! After packing the rig and wrapping it up in a cargo net ended up strapping on the rig (leg and shoulder).. also fastened the chest strap.. then I put a big jacket over the rig and me.. Worked really well, although was taken a little out of my normal riding stance becuz of the added weight and bulk on the back. Thanks again all! Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Wooo hoooo welcome back! Am sure that you will be fine. You've obviously spent some time at altitude since your last jump, so the brain doesnt have to be reminded of what that looks like huh? Paragliding, safer than skydiving?!?... umm ok.. guess that would be a topic for another thread! Congrats.. good luck on knockin' the dust off.. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Wow.. havnt seen your bio in Parachutist magazine, but the "how skydiving changed my life" section has been missing an article.. as many blessings to you as your story has given me chills. blue skies brother! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Dang skippy buddy! Have had thoughts of that happening.. thus my hesitation to do it.. kinda funny tho... if Im going say..hmm 60 mph with the rig on and on the bike, my p/c or reserve pops... is that a slow speed mal or a high speed mal? thanks! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Ok, question.. All of the DZ's that I usually go to are within a range of about 30>45 min depending on traffic.. very nice.. so nice that I have thought to save some gas and therefore money=more jumping, I'd go to the DZ on my motorcycle. However, I cant seem to figure out how to get my rig and me on the bike to the DZ. I dont have a sissy bar/back bar for a passenger, so no way to strap it to the back. I do have saddle bags, but the gear is a little bulky and heavy for them. Any ideas out there? Anyone ever worn the rig as a back pack and ridden the rig there on their back? ( I have a slight fear of the p/c or reserve deploying on the freeway which could be DISASTEROUS! ) Any other ideas? Thanks! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

You know...its funny.. kinda similar for me... but I remind myself that "I AM going to get out of the plane"... you're NOT riding back down (of course within reason! saftey is ALWAYS the priority!) And once I get out of the plane...I'm good to go. My heart races again during PC deployment and waiting for main to inflate.. but... wooooo hooooooooooooo! well worth the amount of fear and/or anxiety that I might have. You'll be fine! Rely on your training.. trust your gear. Have a blast... Although takes a little more time for us "older jumpers" ( dont come down hard on me!!!) to get warmed up.. but when we get there..... WATCH OUT!! blue ones! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Wooo hooo! Congrats on the A! Yes, you will find that some of your friends and family "get it" and others just won't... oh well, theres some interesting threads on this site that adress that very thing!!! Bottom line is... if you're happy skydiving.. then do it.. as Ive read from one of the posters.. I'd rather die trying to live than to live and wonder what it would be like to try. As mentioned.. Lodi, CA is GREAT! for weather. Also not to far from there is Davis, CA and also Lincoln,CA... all within an hour of each other.. if you stayed in Sac you can get to each of them in about 30>40 min depending on traffic. I have gone to Lodi and Davis.. would call either one my home DZ.. lots of friendly folks! ready to help with your learning.. come out where the skies are mostly blue.. and the times are always good. till then...continued success! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Started packing in my AFF class ( yes a pack job jump was required for my A license) Initially packing took what seemed an eternity! Now @jump 40 Im starting to feel more confident in my ability to pack my chute,but used either a packer to do the actuall pack job or watch me very closely to give me pointers and stop me from doing something potentially stupid! As far as my skydiving carreer... I'm still a newbie..so I can't really say whether I will use a packer or not.. but I imagine it will depend on time and money constraints. Im pretty frugal, so I imagine that most of the time I will try to pack it myself. Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Yeah mannnnnnnnnnnn... this is EXACTLY what its all about... Since taking up skydiving I now tell people that I understand why birds sing! Congrats! Blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Welcome back to the wonderfull world of skydiving.. suprised it took this long!! Quite addictive! Have you started your classes? AFF, Static? This place is definately one where you can learn a lot.. but of course I'd say the best learning is hands on! Good luck.. blue skies! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.