Inspired

Ok, the part about the weather that day that pissed me off was that it seemed to be taunting me. I was already manifested for a load to make my first jump. All the other students except two of us had already made their first jump. We had our gear on and were ready to head to the loading area when we were told that we were being pulled from that load because of weather. The tandems were still flying, but AFP students couldn't. I was pissed. Later, when the weather cleared a little, we got put on two other loads. First, the other student that didn't get to jump, then me. He made his jump just fine. I got my gear on and was waiting in the loading area with my instructor when the Otter pulled up.... and shut his freakin' engines off! It had started raining again, so they were shutting down. My instructor joked that maybe next time we would make it all the way up to altitude, then have to ride the plane down. So... I finally got to make my first jump, but from only 9k. My instructor said that now, maybe I'd quit all my bitchin' . I totally lost altitude awareness and got 'THE FINGER', and I wanted to blame it on the weather and the lower than normal altitude drop, but the fact is, it was my nervousness and racing mind that made me simply forget to check my altitude. I'll still officially blame the weather, but I know better.

You know, I asked a few people if the weather would clear, and most people wouldn't say. My instructor told me that if the guys at FOX who make $200k/year couldn't get it right, what makes me think he could. He had a point.

I'm doing AFP at SDC now, and I'm 235 without the rig. I think their official limit is 250. At least that's what the website says.

on his 85th birthday! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=31325831�

Skydive Chicago has an 'A License in a week' program too. You could rent one of their cabins on the river, or just pitch a tent. There's also fishing, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, and more. Video is included with every AFP jump. Check it out. http://www.skydivechicago.com/Services/StudentJumpers/tabid/111/Default.aspx#LicenseInAWeek

My first two tandems were done at CSC. My third tandem, and now AFP are at SDC. They're both excellent dropzones with awesome people. For me, it came down to which program I thought would work best for me, AFF or AFP. My advice is to look to the future and decide which program looks best to you, in case you want to pursue this sport. Then do your first tandem where they teach that program.

I did an hour of tunnel time in Denver in April. I just started AFP at Skydive Chicago last weekend. Normally, jump 3 is the release dive, but my instructor decided to release me on my second jump. I was able to fly stable and hold heading very easily. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to without the tunnel time. That being said... don't expect to fly as well in freefall as you do in the tunnel. The stress levels are very different in the two environments. It's much harder to fly when your body is all tensed up after jumping from a plane. I would definetely recommend at least 15 minutes in the tunnel before AFF. It really helped my confidence!

Tunnel time paid off. Finished my AFP level 1 and 3 on Saturday. Skipped right over level 2. I was hoping to do more jumps, but the weather got in the way.

Winning your first lottery... I think you'll owe beer too.

For me, it was after my second tandem. But now I wonder... is there a bigger and better epiphany yet to come?

Wow, thanks everybody for the warm welcomes! grannyinthesky - I hope to bump into you at a boogie someday. Judging by the pace you're setting for yourself, I'll just look for the granny shooting headsdown video before swooping the pond. MikeRMontagne - I hope I do as well at going from being inspired to being inspiring! skydiverbry - ummm, yeah.... I've actually been enjoying reading a LOT of your quiet seriousness. skymamma - I have a REALLY BIG family, so my goal is to fill an otter with them one day. popsjumper - The tunnel time was because I'm really fond of cheating whenever possible. I have no intentions of telling the young ones about it. I'll just dazzle them with how quickly us old folk pick this stuff up. SkyPainter - Hiya older dog! So, I was hoping for a good 20 years in this sport. Should I be pushing for 30? Lenzo - Marriage and kids are what's keeping my daughter from joining me in this adventure. She says she'll be living her skydiving life vicariously through me till her kids grow up. Honestly, she seems as excited as me sometimes with every step I take.

Hi everybody! I'm one of those people who lurk here, but seldom post. Actually, I've voiced my opinion on a couple of occasions (I tend to be very opinionated), but I'm not real sure how welcome those opinions were. Oh well. Anyway... my name is Don, and I'm about to embark on a new life adventure at the ripe age of 51. June of last year, five of my six kids bought tandem jumps for me (who just turned 50) and my oldest daughter (step daughter actually, who just turned 30). She said the best part for her was jumping out of the plane. That was the worst part for me. But once I realized my heart wouldn't actually explode out of my chest, and the sensory overload eased up a bit, I started to enjoy the skydive. In fact, I enjoyed it a LOT!!!! But once we landed, I couldn't decide if this was something I wanted to spend the rest of my life enjoying, or if I just didn't have what it takes to pursue such a high adrenaline sport. To be honest, I wimp out on most amusement park rides. I needed to try it again. Well, three weeks later, I was talking to my daughter's biological dad (we became good friends once we agreed that our ex-wife had exquisite taste in men), and after all of 5 milliseconds of twisting his arm, he agreed to make a jump with me. Unbeknownst to our shared daughter, her husband (my son-in law), secretly booked a second tandem for her as well. She was bummed that she couldn't jump with us (hehehe). So all three of us jumped on the same load, and, in the end, I came to the conclusion that this is DEFINETELY something I MUST pursue. Since then, I've been reading everything I could that is skydive related, listening to skydive radio, and watching skydive videos out the ying yang! On May 23rd, I made my third tandem jump at Skydive Chicago (my first two were at CSC in Hinkley), which was required by them before starting their AFP program. Actually, I'm glad they required it, because this time I had absolutely NO door fear, and I have a lot more confidence now. I also did an hour of wind tunnel time in Denver in April which really helps my confidence. (BIG thanks to Brad Cole and SkyVenture Colorado). So... long story short (if it isn't too late for that already?), On June 5th, I begin my AFP program! Yee Haw!!! Why does it feel like Christmas Eve when I was 5 ?!? I just can't wait to feel the wind in my face again! Anyway... GREETINGS ALL! Don

I would think Parkour or Free Running would be better sports to learn from than any martial arts. Unless I'm mistaken, they teach PLF as one way to land from a fall. They also teach other types of landings too though, depending on the circumstances.

Hmmmm.... 12 jumps in 62 years, and a E license to boot. And you are advising us noobs about the credibility of people who post on DZ.com? At least, from what I've seen so far, people with somewhat more credibility than you tend to jump in to challenge bad advice given here. I don't think it takes a genius to figure out who to trust. My instructor obviously knows me best, and so I tend to trust his opinion most, but he's NOT infallible. And, I've heard FAR more crap from strangers at the DZ than I've ever read here; and no one was there to call bullshit! Making a blanket statement urging people to ignore advice given here is, IMHO, bad advice. Observant Noob