Seriously thinking about skydiving

[bryanthompson]

A couple of my friends did it a few years ago and I was a.) too chicken and b.) not 18. They said it was pretty awesome, and worth the trip.

Anyway, I'm really not the type to go seek out potential life-ending activity, and I'm not an adrenaline junky of any kind. I've been doing some thinking, though, and I just really need to go do something that I'd never do. It's just one of those things.

Anyone done it? What'd you think? Would you do it again?

This is the place I'm looking at out in Denver, CO. I'm hoping to get one of my friends to go with... he's definitely crazy enough
http://www.milehiskydiving.com/tandem.html

[motion]

Bryan - Statistically, its more dangerous to drive to the dropzone than to do the jump. I'm assuming you're doing a tandem jump? I'm a relative newbie at the sport, with only 74 jumps, but I can tell you that few things in life match the feeling of falling all by your lonesome self through the sky at 120mph.

Go for it!!!

[Seahawk]

The old pilot saying, "Why would anyone intentionally jump out of a perfectly good aircraft" definitely applies to me. I love to fly and feel truly at ease in the air, but the thought of sky diving scares the fuch out of me!

[kach22i]

Originally posted by bryanthompson
and I just really need to go do something that I'd never do. It's just one of those things.

My wife has done the tandem jump and she loved it.

I rode along in a glider last year (posted it), let me tell you pulling 3g's in a "wing over" and droping 1,000 feet in the process will put a **** eating grin on your face.

Edit: I think you weigh too much for the tandem jump (must be less than 185lbs I think). There is a long training process to jump solo, a real commitment.

[Spede]

I've done a tandem jump... it was pretty awesome. Once you get over the free fall thrill, gliding down is very peaceful. I swear you could almost see the curve of the Earth. I did mine in Vegas.

[Joeaksa]

Do not do it!!! Once you start, its very hard to stop!

Have been a skydiver for almost 30 years and if you can get over the first step there is nothing like it. Do a tandem jump and try it out, then go on from there.

Seahawk, there is no "perfectly good airplane" flying out there! I am a aircraft mechanic who now flys the things and they all have problems. Try a jump and see if you like it!

Below is a tandem jump I did years ago in Germany, only "jump" photo on my laptop.

Weight limit on a tandem is a bit higher. With acc free fall jump you can be skydiving by yourself the first day. Costs more but safer if you want to be alone.

JoeA

[motion]

I believe 225 is the "normal" limit for tandems. Some dropzones will accomodate more weight for a fee.

[juanbenae]

BT, may i help fold your chutte?

[Joeaksa]

K911,

You can fold anyone's chute, but then YOU get to jump it! Thats the rule and if you are going to be at a DZ (Drop Zone) you have to abide by it...

JoeA

[cegerer]

A perspective from someone who did it a handful of times and quit: it seems like tandem diving is the 'normal' way to start out these days? When I did it, we did static line jumps (essentially, a rope hooked to the plane that pulled your chute for you) with old military-type circular chutes. Had a full 20 minutes of ground training ..... the only thing I really retained was to NEVER look at the ground as you were about to land or you'll instinctively pull your feet up - always look at the horizon .... next thing I know I'm climbing out on a wing strut with a little foot plate welded to it (imagine climbing up on the roof of your Porsche at about 125MPH .....). This was a small Cessna capable of carrying 5-6 jumpers. The first jump scared the living ***** out of me - good thing about that static line cause I don't think I could've pulled the emergency chute prior to impact! Awesome ride down with the chute open tho. Except that I started looking around and couldn't find the friggin' airport! Then I remembered another tip from the 'instructor' - look for airplanes. Duh! So I landed, and was watching the next guy coming down. 20 feet from the ground, he looked down ...... broke both legs. Ouch. Gotta say I was on an adreneline buzz for a good 2 days after that 1st jump! Never experienced anything like it before or since.

Made a few more jumps but decided hours of prep time and flying - all for 1 dive lasting several minutes - just wasn't for me. Instant gratification thing I suppose.

[Joeaksa]

Once you do a few jumps, you can easily do 4-6 a day. It does not take that long to prep and repack.

Regarding the round chutes. Many of us started out on these and I hate them, and refuse to use one today unless its to save my life. You land like a sack of potatos and little or no control. The squares out now are excellent and you fly it like a plane.

The big rush is in the freefall, and once the chute opens its mostly over. I jumped out of a Russian turboprop years ago in Poland and had a 1+45 minute freefall. What a rush... nothing like it and why I still enjoy doing a jump from time to time.

joeA

[rcecale]

Originally posted by kach22i
I rode along in a glider last year (posted it), let me tell you pulling 3g's in a "wing over" and droping 1,000 feet in the process will put a **** eating grin on your face.

3 G's? Is that all you got, little man?

I went for a ride-along in a Hornet a while ago and was able to keep it together up to 7.3 G's. Was kinda cool watching everything going black like it did. Pilot unloaded just as I was "looking at the world through a paper towel roll:

This was back in 91 and I think I still have remnants of that smile. It really was an e-ticket ride!

Randy

[DannoXYZ]

Bryan go for it!!! It'll be the most exciting thing you'll ever do and it'll change your life forever!!! Definitely do a tandem so that you can get out there faster and you also need to have the minute or so of freefall. You haven't truly experienced skydiving until you actually "dive" out of the sky at 125mph !

For me, it was simply transformational. During that second as I was nudging out towards the edge of the door and I can see down below, that little voice in my head was absolutely screaming! It was yelling stuff like:

You're gonna DIE !!!
You've never done this before!!!
You don't know what you're doing!!!
You gonna be a quadrapelegic if you can even survive the impact!!!
You don't even have life insurance!!!
What is your family gonna think?!#!

Then the tandem instructor shoved me out and we did about 10 summerfaults and I could see the horizon just flipping over and over. We flattened out, arched and the sensation of speed was just immense as 125mph certainly feels fast when there's no car around you. We practiced some turns, scooted forwards and backwards and after a minute it was time to pull the cord.

What happened next was simply astounding. Going from shear adrenaline, cocaine-like speed rush from the freefall to the quiet serenity and peace once the parachute opened was quite a shock. As I'm floating down and can check out the scenery (4000ft is still too tall to see man-made features), there's like a communion with nature and the planet; a spiritual experience of sorts.

Then we spiraled a couple times to line up with the landing zone. Came in right on target, flared the chute and my feet touched down no harder than getting off the couch. Wow... what an experience.

The big thing for me was recognizing the difference and disparity between the voice in my head was screaming and what actually happened in reality. The voice said it was all over with and what actually happened was I fell out of the sky, the parachute opened, I landed and I had a great time! >CLICK< the light went off...

So the next day, I went in, quit my job of 10-years and started my own computer-consulting business. I had been contemplating doing it for 6-months but the voice kept on saying:

You're gonna FAIL!!!
You've never done this before!!!
You don't know what you're doing!!!
You gonna be go bankrupt and be standing in line at soup-kitchens !!!
You're not licensed and bonded!!!
What is your family gonna think?!#!

So the skydive made me realize that the voice was lying to me all this time. It had been keeping me from achieving my dreams in life. After that jump, I can now completely ignore that voice when it wants to stop me and I just respond with, "Thank you for sharing, I'm going to do my next big thing now."...

[bryanthompson]

Thanks for the stories and encouragement, everyone! I can't wait to go do it... anyone else up for a trip to Denver?

[Tricky D]

One piece of advice:

Make sure your leg straps are TIGHT and your "package" is positioned properly, i.e. not under one of the leg straps.

If you don't follow this advice, your trip will be fine until the 'chute opens, then you'll be in agony (if you don't pass out).

I always made sure my straps were tight and that my "package" wasn't caught under them. Never had a problem.

[motion]

DannoXYZ - Great read!

[BlkBird]

Not so dramatic as free fall but I did static line jump from 3000 feet. My first thought as I arched and looked at the wing receding in front of me was "I'm not in the plane anymore!". Followed by a few seconds of not remembering anything, then hearing the voice of my instructor Mickey in the back of my brain screaming "Check chute, check chute!"

Sure was peaceful floating down after that. Haven't done it since but it was worth doing at least the one time.

And yes, make sure your harness is tight - very tight. You do NOT want it shifting in your crotch on the way down. Learned that lesson once when rappelling - man that was a fast decent!

[89911]

Sounds like your brain isn't producing enough serotonin! I'm actually not joking. Thinking back to when I first got my 911 and then went driving on the track, I would have a high that would last for weeks. Then days. Then hours. The last track event I was at, I had trouble actually keeping my interest while I was driving. This is actually dangerous because the only way to keep it enjoyable, to the point of hanging the car out all over the place. So skydiving isn't so far of a jump to get some more endorphins pumping through your body. I've found as you get older, it takes more and more to actually get you excited about activies. I might look into it.

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by Tricky D
One piece of advice:

Make sure your leg straps are TIGHT and your "package" is positioned properly, i.e. not under one of the leg straps.

Very important!

Funny I was thinking about this today after seeing 2 cars with skydive stickers or plates.

I did it a couple of years ago. It was a lot of fun. The guy said that when you get to the door he'll say "go". "Go" sounds a lot like "no" so you'll go anyway. The tandem instructor wants to jump and will if you're not ready or not.

Like others have said it's a lot of fun. I paid for the videographer (I wasn't sure I'd ever do it again) and it was kida cool having someone up there "with you" at the same level. Then she would dive up or down depending on the shot she wanted. Pretty cool.

I'm not sure that I'd do it again, mostly for the sheer fact that it's a lot of cash for only a few minutes of thrills. It's a huuuge cash comittment to do it seriously enough to where you get to go alone and have some control over it.

I just did my first DE and I think I was more rattled to do that. Mostly because I didn't want to **** up the car more than anything else. I had a blast but in retrospect feel bad because I got a low rating in "agressiveness" because I wasn't on the gas enough. I should have pushed myself a little harder. But for the past two weeks I have been reading up on the line and watching track videos, I think I'm hooked.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by DannoXYZ
that little voice in my head was absolutely screaming! It was yelling stuff like:

You're gonna DIE !!!
You've never done this before!!!
You don't know what you're doing!!!
You gonna be a quadrapelegic if you can even survive the impact!!!
You don't even have life insurance!!!
What is your family gonna think?!#!

One of the reasons I just bought the Ducati. I'm sick of that voice (I do have life insurance though )