Skydiving....

[CouchRocket]

For some insane reason I can't quit thinking about it. I have never jumped and I have only been in a plane twice in my life. I am 32 years old. I feel we all have a common outlook on life and its to live it to the fullest. When I think about it I get butterflys and at the same time I wan't to experience it. Am I having a midlife crisis? I have spent alot of time looking at videos of peoples first jump, looking at statistics, and nosing around the forum at dropzone.com.(Those guys are like family just like we are on this forum) According to the statistics we are 10 times likely to die on our busas as we are jumping out of a plane. I thought this would be just as good a place as any to make the post. Anybody got any stories or videos to post?(haha, words of encouragement or opinions,why I SHOULDNT do it?)

 

[WWJD]

I've done 16 jumps. ALL freakin 2nd best thing on the planet. I'm not telling you what #1 is. If you can even THEEENK about doing it, do it. It can give you a whole new outlook on life also.
I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about skydiving!! LOVE IT. I plan to go again this summer.

Weird things about 1st jumps to me was: hearing the rush of wind and watching as they open up the side of the plane. I think I was numb at that point. When I stepped up to sit on the edge of the plane and taking the ready line, I found new swaer words. Then it was a 50 second roller coaster of sensory confusion and sheer extacy wil dlaughing and yelling. Man. Now I'm getting all worked up again....

Now, I can simulate skydiving by driving 80 and opening my car door - that's very similar to when they open the side of the plan. And I wear sunglasses and stand up in my sunroof. THAT feels almost exactly like skydiving!!!

oh and GET VIDEO TAPE OF YOUR JUMP! Don't QUESTION the cost JUST DO IT. You will RE-FEEL the jump when you watch it at home.

um, encouragement. I didn't know what to expect but I am not a death seeker and taking the 8 hour jump school class showed me all about the technology of the new parachutes. They are great.... backup chutes... auto launch computers.... if you BLACK OUT in a jump, a computer senses your speed and alt and triggers the back up chute for you. the metals they use are unbreakable and just the designs are amazing and very safe feeling.

Now when I ride in commerical liners, throughts go thru my head: "if this plane blew up, *I* might survie by control and directing my fall, say like to those trees over there, or that pond...." "I wonder what a 500mph wind feels like on that wing?" "floatation device?? Screw that! Gimme a parachute you freaks!"

this pic is NOT me BTW just some random pull from the net. gives me tingles though

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[rc51ny]

I use to fly the jump planes. A great way to rack up flight hours. Anyways--I've got lots of stories about first time jumpers. In short---the ones that brag the most about how easy it looks (before the jump) are the ones that usually need to be pushed out of the plane!!!

 

[georgiabusa_05]

I will stick to ridding the Busa, looks scarry. If it is something that you want to do just do it. Dont look back down the road years later and think, I wish I had done that when I was able. Good luck.

 

[GSXTacy]

I didnt do I voluntarily. It was in the Army and I didnt want anything to do with it. Somehow (Recruiter I think) I ended up in jumpschool. To make a long story short, I wouldnt call it skydiving, I called it getting pushed out of an airplane five times and ended up with some wings. I was known as a five jump chump.......only because fall doesnt rhym with chump.

 

[Don Hardcastle]

Yeah, my first time, my class leader ("A" school) got tangled with another person and died, so I never did it again.

 

[Burger King]

I always thought roadracing was the ultimate rush until I jumped. The biggest rush is the initial freefall from 0 to 110 (or so). The rest of the fall is awesome too. After you pull the chute it's a pretty boring ride the rest of the way down.
If you want to do it right do the solo freefall (no attachments). You will have a couple of divemasters jump with you & a camera man if you want it filmed. But going solo is such a thrill!!! You have to take the extended ground schooling that teaches you the routine so that by the time you are standing on the platform wondering wtf? am I doing and how did I get here, everything you need to do is automatic.
You will never regret it and there's a good chance that if you are a type A personallity you may get hooked.
Don't think about it, DO IT!!

 

[DaCol.]

I really can't remember my first free fall since it was in 1968 and in the Army. The Army has a way of taking something fun and making it UN-FUN

! But I do know my EYES were like this  

!! I've go over 1,200 jumps and I enjoyed nearly all of'em  

 

[Cecil_Stringer]

Did a few jumps while in the Corps...
On my first civilian jump, had my reserve pilot chute deployed at around 2500 feet and made me a bit nervous

It was lower than I would of liked to cut away and ride the reserve down.... so I turned into the wind a rode it down.

 

[CouchRocket]

Yeah, my first time, my class leader ("A" school) got tangled with another person and died, so I never did it again.

Man....its reasons such as that one that kinda gimme a wake up call. But then we always hear from people about others getting killed on bikes.

 

[CouchRocket]

I've done 16 jumps.  ALL freakin 2nd best thing on the planet.  I'm not telling you what #1 is.  If you can even THEEENK about doing it, do it.  It can give you a whole new outlook on life also.
I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about skydiving!!  LOVE IT.  I plan to go again this summer.

Weird things about 1st jumps to me was:  hearing the rush of wind and watching as they open up the side of the plane.  I think I was numb at that point.  When I stepped up to sit on the edge of the plane and taking the ready line, I found new swaer words.   Then it was a 50 second roller coaster of sensory confusion and sheer extacy wil dlaughing and yelling.  Man.  Now I'm getting all worked up again....

Now, I can simulate skydiving by driving 80 and opening my car door - that's very similar to when they open the side of the plan.   And I wear sunglasses and stand up in my sunroof.  THAT feels almost exactly like skydiving!!!

oh and GET VIDEO TAPE OF YOUR JUMP!  Don't QUESTION the cost JUST DO IT.  You will RE-FEEL the jump when you watch it at home.

um, encouragement.  I didn't know what to expect but I am not a death seeker and taking the 8 hour jump school class showed me all about the technology of the new parachutes.  They are great.... backup chutes... auto launch computers.... if you BLACK OUT in a jump, a computer senses your speed and alt and triggers the back  up chute for you.  the metals they use are unbreakable and just the designs are amazing and very safe feeling.

Now when I ride in commerical liners, throughts go thru my head:  "if this plane blew up, *I* might survie by control and directing my fall, say like to those trees over there, or that pond...."   "I wonder what a 500mph wind feels like on that wing?"   "floatation device??   Screw that!  Gimme a parachute you freaks!"

this pic is NOT me BTW just some random pull from the net.  gives me tingles though

Wow....that post gave me the chills, especially that picture...WOW! Thank you guys for your stories.I knew there had to be some skydiving freaks among us.

 

[WWJD]

for you army jumpers, do you get those old school round chutes or the newer, safer, softer landing rectangular wing style chutes? I hear the round ones were ankle breakers! ew!

 

[DaCol.]

for you army jumpers, do you get those old school round chutes or the newer, safer, softer landing rectangular wing style chutes?  I hear the round ones were ankle breakers!  ew!

Actually the rectangle chutes are not parachutes at all. They're really wings and they take experience to use with 100+Lbs of equipment hanging 15' below you. That's why the round commanders (with pannel cuts and curtains in the rear for directional control) are used for low lever (jumping with static lines from 1200' and below). A low level combat jump (like made in Grenada) is 200'. You can't really use a wing this low and if the wind is blowing when you drop your ruck you will lose control of a wing with little time to recover at such a low level. And NO the round chutes are NOT ankle breakers. The ankle breakers are the guys who don't pay attention to what they're doing. You always want to land moving in some direction with a round chute, then roll as you hit. You NEVER want to just come straight down, that will hurt as in hitting --FEET - ASS  

As a former Army Jump Master and Jump School Instructor I have seen a lot of jumpers not paying attention or following instructions. That's when they get hurt.
In Halo School (free fall school) I never had any injurys from my team or class students. Although I know there have been some deaths, but these are VERY RARE. If you do what you've been instructed to do, it's as safe or safer than riding a Motorcycle  

 

[TruWrecks]

Yeah, my first time, my class leader ("A" school) got tangled with another person and died, so I never did it again.

Man....its reasons such as that one that kinda gimme a wake up call. But then we always hear from people about others getting killed on bikes.

Remember that statement "More people get killed on bikes then doing..."? Well guess what? Skydivings another one of those. Why? More people ride bikes then there are jumping from planes.

Sounds like fun. I've been looking into it for a while. I need to get a bit more time before my back is ready for the extra ause. The wife is for it. I think she just wants my life insurance.

 

[Burger King]

.............The wife is for it.  I think she just wants my life insurance.  

Just don't let her pack your chute!!

 

[Over_Easy]

5 times in college here. Static line at 4,000 feet. Although static I liked the idea of going solo. Landed hard a couple times straight down on my arse Indian style. As stated earlier I came straight down instead of at an angle to the ground (no way to roll onto my side). Thank God I was born w/ a ghetto butt.

 

[WWJD]

you gotta at LEAST do Tandem from 12,000+ feet. the freefall is THE BEST part! you can't fully solo until some time and classes, but even taking the classes, you would jump with JumpMasters hanging on to you and you solo after opening the chute

Seriously, if enyone reading this hase even THOUGHT REMOTELY about skydiving, you are ready to do it. It will cost you a couple hundred bucks, but when you finish, you'd have gladly paid 3 times that for one jump.

Yes people CAN die skydiving, or get hurt. You can slip in the shower and die too. Search for some stats, it's VERY LOW. I also don't want to die early, but I don't want to live a "dead" life either. I've heard the closer you are to death [like say riding very very fast] the more you appriciate and respect life. So true. You may also learn that you have no limits

This pic is cool. Holding on to the plane is the wrong thing to do!!! hahahaha

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[DaCol.]

WWJD I think  (well in my experience anyway) the more you see death, the more you appreciate what life gives you.

Now on a simular subject, YOU GOTTA BE NUTS

TO BASE JUMP. You really need a death wish to do base jumping from buildings and such cause your just playing the odds

:

 

[Burger King]

Must be different here............you don't have to tandum first. You just take the extended class and it's a solo freefall with a couple of divemasters!!
The divemasters are there to help you go through your routine and pull the chute for you in case you freeze up. After the 2000 ft hard deck you're on your own. If you can go 160 + on a bike, then grab a handful of brake, I think you can pull a chute with out dropping the handle.  

 

[CouchRocket]

I think I should see a psychiatrist er something.I don't know WHY this is all I have been thinking about for over a week. I still don't know if I could actually do it but I can't quit thinking about it!!! If you all want to see the coolest thing you have ever seen check out the videos at www.bird-man.com YES....you can actually glide HORIZONTAL at 35 mph in a jumpsuit thats webbed like bat wings. Its BEAUTIFUL to watch.