jim_32766
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Everything posted by jim_32766
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Rose - yes, I do get annual eye exams, and not just anywhere, I go to the surgeon's office. I had very thick corneas to start and they now claim my corneas are about average. I am very appreciative of the excellent work they did with my challenging vision. Thank you as well for your professional opinion and information shared via this thread. I am sure it will be found and read many times over by skydivers contemplating corrective surgery. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I had a history of being the slowest of our group to descend while scuba diving. It was because I had to work harder to clear my ears. Like others, I tried Sudafed and it helped a little. The thing that helped the most was daily ear-clearing exercises. I would hold my nose closed, open my jaw but close my lips, lower my chin toward my chest, and gently pressurize my ears. After doing this for a while I noticed that I could more readily clear my ears and could descend more quickly. Fast forward a number of years. Now I use the same technique after I am under canopy to clear my ears from the pressurization experienced during freefall. I don't wait until I am on the ground as it's harder to clear with more pressure differential. Hope this helps. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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If I remember correctly my research and discussions with my eye surgeon, there are some limitations regarding the amount of refractive correction needed and potential side-effects from PRK. My surgeon preferred PRK but only up to a point. At that time (4 or more years ago) he advised some patients with higher levels of corrective need toward LASIK over PRK. My case was really unique as I had RK about 17 years before LASIK. I believe LASIK has been nearly discontinued for people that have RK in their history due to the risk of the epithelium "tunneling" as the eye heals, causing bad vision artifacts. I was lucky and did not have that problem. I did have a need for a PRK touch-up in one eye post LASIK. When I think of all the corrective eye surgery I've undergone (RK, LASIK, and PRK) I feel really fortunate to have such great vision now! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Welcome back! A 9 year hiatus? Wow, I felt bad about my 9 month hiatus right after AFF. Oh well, we are both back and that is what counts! Blue skies! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I had lasik a couple of years before getting into skydiving, so I really don't know the answer to your question regarding time away from the sport. I do remember not being able to fly for a few weeks. I had to get an acceptable test read from the surgeon and provide it to an aviation medical examiner prior to being cleared to exercise piloting privileges. I also remember being told no contact sports for a while, but it wasn't a very long period. This is all pretty vague and probably not much help. The end results have all been very worth the hassle! I am sure you will love your new vision! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I wore gas permeable contact lenses and had to stop using them more than an month before the final pre-lasik measurements were taken. I wouldn't risk the effectiveness of the lasik procedure by cheating on the amount of time without the lenses. Either wear glasses to the wedding, and remove them for pictures, or move back the pre-op measurements. It also takes a fair amount of time for your eyes to reach their final state post lasik. Be ready for some fluctuations in vision until that healing is totally complete. Best wishes on the wedding and on the new vision! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Welcome to the forum and to the continuing journey of skydiving. Let us know how the rest of AFF goes and the many jumps thereafter. Blue skies. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Hit the 50-mark woo hoo and loving it
jim_32766 replied to Melt16's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Congrats on the 50 mark! As you say, that is really a good first milestone. I look forward to the day (later this year I hope) when I can make a similar post. I like the comment on owning the gear and hope to follow in your footsteps soon. Blue skies. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. -
Grape - I think you have a great attitude and will really have fun in this sport. The community is filled with nice people that are quite willing to share what they've learned. I hope you enjoy every step of the journey just as your son likely would have. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Welcome back! I think it's great that a person can take time out from this addictive hobby and rejoin later. I too had some time off, in my case right after completing AFF. A re-cert session and jump, some good AFFI input, and of course the obligatory beer or two, and you are right back in the groove. Good news on the T-Otter too. That should allow for more jumps per day over the 182. Blue skies. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Marc, Welcome from another relatively new skydiver! I am sure the weather will be improving quickly this time of year. Let us know more as you progress along. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Now THAT is a cool day. Congrats! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Like most things, the tunnel has its strengths and weaknesses regarding preparing AFF students. I am a recent AFF grad and can remember well the learning experience. I had 17 minutes of tunnel time and a tandem jump prior to starting AFF. I think that combination really helped me with AFF. I was comfortable that I could control by body in freefall from the tunnel time, and I was past the first jump jitters from the tandem. That allowed me to concentrate better on the rest of the tasks. Of course canopy flight and landing were still new and I am still working on regularly making those elusive perfect landings. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I am still a beginner and remember well the apprehension going out the door for the first time. It's not a natural act and self preservation definitely kicks in. Like most, I am sure she was fine later. Of course the tandems are the last out, so I got to see many exits prior to mine. I was in absolute awe of the fearless people diving out of the Otter. The cool thing was that my wife was the tandem right behind me. I sure couldn't afford to look like a ninny at that point. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I have heard good reports about the Waseca folks. The only negative about the airport is wind and season dependent. It's not far from a water treatment plant and can get pretty pungent under the right conditions. Blue skies and clean air! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Wind Tunnel Testimonial for Students w/ Spin Problems
jim_32766 replied to j_gouge's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I think the advice is right on the money, even if you don't have a spin issue to work out. There are always exceptions, but I believe most people would benefit greatly from some tunnel time prior to starting AFF. It lets you work out basic control without the rest if the distractions that come when you first start to jump. Then when you start the AFF sequence you are better able to concentrate on the rest of the tasks. The tunnel time would probably save people from needing to repeat any of the AFF levels, and save money in the long run. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. -
Welcome to skydiving. Yes, it's really easy to get hooked isn't it? Enjoy the journey! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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I love this part " . . . doing the AFF course simply because it's something we'd like to say we've at least done...". That's when it all starts. I remember saying, "Let's go try out the wind tunnel, it looks like fun." Then it was, "Wow, the wind tunnel was great. I really should do a tandem just to see what skydiving is like." That was followed by, "Dang, that was cool. I wonder what it would be like to jump with my own parachute. I should do AFF just for the learning." Then, "AFF was a blast. I wonder how hard it would be to get an A license, and maybe I should buy some of my own gear." It's a slippery slope. I have a feeling this sequence never ends. I hope you have fun on the journey! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Welcome from another relative newbie! As one other responder already mentioned the wind tunnel go a long way to helping you get acclimated. That and doing a tandem before AFF will get the "out the door" anxiety cleared up. I waited a lot longer than you did to get started in skydiving, like 15 years longer. Don't wait any longer - get out there! Let us know how that first jump goes. Regarding bungee jumping - I don't think I could ever do that. There is no ground rush like that in skydiving. You don't really even feel like you are falling at all. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Glad you had fun. It's an amazing experience isn't it? Now you have some idea of what a skydive is like. Are you going to take the next step, jumping out of an airplane? If you are in the Orlando area, drive up to Deland and do a tandem. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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So how did the AFF class go and did you get the first jump completed? I work part time in the DC area and will have to check out Skydive Orange sometime. Blue skies! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Pat - I am glad you started this thread and have kept adding to it over time. You are a great example for all of us. I started skydiving at age 49, relatively young compared to your starting age. I unfortunately had an interruption right after I finished AFF and ended up taking a 9 month hiatus. Now I am back jumping again at age 50. I really enjoy skydiving and hope to stay active with this hobby for a long time. Your experience certainly removes any age related excuses. Stay active and keep reporting on your experiences and advancements. Blue skies! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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Back to jumping after almost 2 years off
jim_32766 replied to regulator's topic in Introductions and Greets
Sorry to hear about the layoffs - glad to hear about your persistance. Let us know how the re-introduction goes, and what you think of the new gear. I too had a hiatus for nearly a year. I completed AFF, did one more jump, and then didn't jump for 9 months. Was really nice to get started again recently. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. -
Congrats, and stop thinking you are old! I did AFF at 49. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.
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The first time I went to the wind tunnel, which was prior to my 1st skydive, I was wearing a regular golf shirt under the jumpsuit. The shirt collar slipped out of the suit and gave my neck a nasty beating. At least in the tunnel you can stop and fix the problem. Your ride sounds a little worse. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.