Inspired

Where in Rochelle? The municipal airport?

The municipal airport?

By adding energy to an object in motion, you can, in fact, change its angular momentum. Kicking adds energy.

Welcome to our world! And our addiction! lol Almost everyone walks away from their first or second tandem thinking that they could've done much better when, in fact, they probably did as well as most. You really weren't expected to do much of what you were taught, other than not freaking out, and maybe arching a little. It sounds to me like you did just fine. I'm glad you enjoyed your experience at SDC and I hope we'll be able to jump together next year once you've graduated AFP. Till then... blue skies!

How do you get so many jumps in living in Idaho? Doesn't it get cold there in the winter? I'd also love to hear more about your journey. What sort of jumps are you mostly doing now? RW, FF, CReW? And what was your progression like? Any bumps along the way? Most memorable jumps? Do tell please! :)

I had some of the same concerns as you when I was trying to decide where to get my A license. I too heard about all the fatalities at Skydive Chicago, and in fact, that's why I chose CSC to do my first two tandems. But when it came time to choose a place for my AFF/AFP training, everything pointed to SDC. First of all, when I actually looked at each of the fatalitites that had occured over the years, I couldn't find anything that showed a pattern of unsafe practices or culture of carelessness. It seemed to be a combinatination of the fact that they do a LOT of jumps at SDC and simply a statistical fluke. Flip a coin 10 times in a row and it could possibly come up heads 10 times even though the odds are against it. I decided that the string of fatalities in the past should not influence my decision. So, what did I base my decision on? Well, for starters... SDC has a history of providing cutting edge instruction to students. They were among the first to train students using hand deployed pilot cutes and semi-eliptical canopies, for example. And they very carefully documented their results to the benefit of other DZs. They also have a very large assortment of student gear. No ragged out F111 canopies here. All well maintained Sabre2s instead. They also use the AFP method of instruction, which was pioneered by SDC, and consists of 18 jumps which teaches you far more than the 7 or 8 jumps of the AFF program. Yes, I understand that AFF should be followed up with coach jumps, but I believe it's better to have all the training jumps integrated into one package. There is also video of every jump at no extra cost. I found that to be of huge benefit! A lot of DZs seem to be mostly interested in tandems, which is understandable, because that's where the money is. SDC is one of those dropzones that also cares a lot about the finest competitors in the sport. They just hosted Nationals this year, and there are several SDC jumpers walking around with gold medals from that competition. But SDC also made it very clear last weekend that they also care about their new jumpers. People like us. We just completed our first annual Rookie Fest, a competition concieved by a rookie for us rookies. Rook Nelson, the DZ owner donated rental gear for any competitor who needed it. He also served as one of the coaches/competitors, along with other world class competitors. SDC, Para-Concepts, and several manufacturers supplied more than $10,000 worth of prizes. The atmosphere was electric for us all, and the event is unlike anything I've ever heard of at any other dropzone. Bottom line... come and be a part of this! You won't regret it! If you have ANY fears for your safety, tell your instructor. Your safety is their number one concern. I can speak from experience, because I just graduated in June of this year. And I have absolutely no regrets about my choice of DZs.

What have you heard?

When you can go up or land the "aircraft" without a canopy you will be a pilot. Until then you are falling not flying. Sparky Really?!? I know a professional pilot who never set foot on an aircraft! Me thinks you are simply making up definitions.

Um, I think he said 3 1/2 days.

So.... think you can have your C license by the end of the year? Way to get it done!!!

Well hell, why didn't you say you were jumping at SDC? That's where I jump and I've made a few jumps with people with even less experience than me and they turned out great. I'd gladly jump with you too as long as you don't mind keeping the jumps simple and well thought out. You can try out all the crazy stuff when you jump with the D license holders. One big recommendation that I would make is to take advantage of the load organizers when they're available. SDC Rhythm XP, SDC Furies, and Jetstream Tango all do organizing events pretty often, so take advantage of them whenever you can. It's like getting free coaching and you'll get to meet new people too. Every jump I've done with them has been safe, challenging, educational, and most important, lots of fun. In the future, I plan on scheduling a lot of my jumping around their events. I can't stress enough how much good they're doing for the sport and for me personally! They can do the same for you. PM me if you want to try to meet up some time. I'll be there the next few weekends if the weather is good, and I love jumping during the week too, so it shouldn't be hard to find each other. Oh, and another thing... if there's money in your bank account, then it's not too soon to start jumping some more.

Very nicely done!

I know that Skydive Chicago claims that theirs are the most powerful engines available on the Twin Otter, and they are the PT6A-34 which produce about 750 SHP each. You are right though... they are loud!

My daughter and I made our first two tandem jumps together. She went on to make a third. I went on to get licensed. She desperately wants to get licensed too, but she decided to wait till her two young daughters (ages 4 and 6) are grown. She took a sober look at the risks involved in skydiving and decided that it would be selfish to risk their lives along with her own. Thats right... THEIR LIVES! When making your decisions, be sure to consider how your children's lives will be affected by any injury you might suffer (likely) or even the possibility of death (unlikely). You came to a skydiving website looking for approval, and I'm sure you'll find plenty here, at least from the young ones who have yet to begin a family of their own. There are even plenty here who have families of their own but have still decided that the risks are acceptable. Just be honest with yourself. There is a REAL risk of serious injury or death in this sport. Are you ok with the affect that it would have on your young daughter? Or would you rather wait a few years longer till her life won't be turned upside down if the unthinkable happens? You're young. You have plenty of time. All I'm saying is to make sure to keep your priorities straight, and be honest with yourself about the risks. Good luck with your decision.

Huh?

Giving discounts to SR's listening audience is a way for ChutingStar to gauge the cost effectiveness of their advertising dollars spent. By giving away that discount here, you're just screwing Chutingstar. Instead, why don't you just suggest to people that they listen to Skydive Radio. That way, you help Skydive Radio AND their sponsors.

why? Because reserves generally open faster than mains. They're also designed and packed to have a lower chance of malfunction than a main. That's why, in your FJC, you were taught than in an emergency exit from a plane, below a certain altitude, go directly to silver. It also would have been more likely to open on heading... which, in this case, could have cost him his life. Luck was on his side that day! Im not so sure about that. If you look at the video you can see he pulls at around 1:03, that means he should be under reserve canopy at around 1:05-1:06 and still above the rock. And the reserve would most likely be a slower canopy. You might be right. But assuming he did clear the peaks, I wonder what he would have found on the other side. From what I can see, he was extraordinarily lucky to end up where he did. There was a lot of very unforgiving terrain he could've landed on instead.

why? Because reserves generally open faster than mains. They're also designed and packed to have a lower chance of malfunction than a main. That's why, in your FJC, you were taught than in an emergency exit from a plane, below a certain altitude, go directly to silver. It also would have been more likely to open on heading... which, in this case, could have cost him his life. Luck was on his side that day!

Welcome! I'm curious what made you think of CSC for your AFF. It's a great dropzone, but have you also considered doing AFF wherever you'll likely be doing most of your jumping? Or what about Start Skydiving right there in Ohio? Or Skydive Chicago which is right off of Interstate 80 in Illinois and is nothing short of a skydiving resort? Whichever you choose... welcome to the sport!

I've seen that expression before, but I don't really understand what it involves. Would you kindly explain how a 'field-pack' differs from a normal pack job? Thanks.

Sweet!!! Congrats!!!

Welcome! Sounds like you're on a mission now. Very cool! SDC is my home DZ, so maybe we'll be jumping together soon. SDC has a lot of great people, great instructors, great load organizers, great events and boogies, great facilities. I could go on and on. It all boils down to a great DZ that I'm sure you'll love calling home. BTW, they use the AFP program, not AFF, so there'll be some differences when you read about other's experiences. The secret to success is the same though... HAVE FUN!

Kilo is 1000, unless you're talking about computer science... specifically memory and address spacing. Oddly enough, the correct term for the 1024 is kikibyte I think you meant kibibyte, followed by mebibytes, gibibytes, and tebibytes.

They all fall under the umbrella group F.O.G. - Fucking Old Guys

You pull that number out of thin air? It takes more fuel to land with a load of people vs an empty plane. So cutting a deal for not jumping is above what's necessary. YOu pay for the slot - jump or ride. So charging less for riding down is a very decent thing for a DZO to do but doesn't fall under "should". But if this guy is paying "nearly $40" then he's getting charged for gear rental too. I think that's pretty crappy of the DZO. It wasn't cycled, nor does it need to be packed. I think he meant $15 for the ride down in addition to the cost of the ride up. I could be wrong though.