I know you are joking, but I would seriously hope that political disagreements would not get in the way of attendance...That is just juvenile.

Mul, I would strongly recommend a tandem as your first jump. Its not required, but I think its a good idea. AFF is much more exciting, since you're much more in control, but one never knows what your brain is going to do when faced with the prospect of leaving the door. A tandem is extremely safe and a good intro to what to expect. Just my 0.02 :)

I agree. Politics should not prevent one from attending the meet. Logistics might.

Ya, I thought about that...It is hard enough keeping my wits about me here on mudda eawth.:D

Yeah, I've thought about that. For this reason, static line makes sense, just in case. Or if an instructor feels strongly that tandem is the way to go, then I'd consider it. But I'd really rather do it myself. Broken legs or no.

Most of you guys are so ignorant and irritating that I'll probably just stay in my room so that assault charges are never brought. But I'm sure hoping to go.....Cool is likely to be there, and I want to meet a smart lady.

Hey, maybe you can talk her into jumping. How about a Pelican group jump in LV? I'll film video from the ground though, I'm still chicken.

Hey...leave them out of this.

There's no such thing as a 'perfectly good airplane'... At least, that was on the sign at the jump zone I went to a couple years ago. Did a tandem jump. MAN it was FUN!!

I was strapped to a dude a little bigger than me, so there was no way he wasn't getting me out of that plane. I'm fine with flying, but sometimes heights get me a little. The whole thing didn't hit me until I was in the door... actually, my jump master was in the door.. I was completely OUTSIDE of the airplane.. then he jumped. For about 3 seconds my stomach was in my throat, as I saw sky, ground, clouds, the plane, the sky, then finally settled on the ground. From that point it was like standing in front of a big fan. Not really much of a falling sensation. When he deployed the main, the transition wasn't violent or jerky. Everything was pretty quiet as we soared downward. Making a few turns here and there, we landed safely and smoothly.

Jumped from almost 15,000 feet. I highly recommend it! It's definitely an EXPERIENCE.

hehe, i agree leave THEM out of it.....

(mulhollanddose, THAT was funny.....)

(superman, you to nice a guy to pull off meaness like that :) )

oh crap, sorry for the typos guys..... that finger is working.

Hey guys, lets all do some parachuting in Vegas during the Pelican meet in March. We can land at Tab's favourite buffet and have a great time.

If you want to see some of the more fun things you can do while skydiving, take a look at the url below. BE WARNED, there is some nudity so I cannot post one of the photos here.

http://www.joea.com/parachuting.htm

Do not want any crap about "I did not know what was there" and so on...



JoeA

OMG Joe!

I didn't know that was there!

If I had, I would have looked earlier.

I had heard the legend of the 170MPH boob test.

I had not heard of the 170MPH penis test.

I can just imagine something or two starting a high speed buffet, and being injured. And then, the flight doc with his white coat and stern look as you describe how this injury happened to you.

All in all, it still doesn't make me want to do it. There are easier ways to check if they are real.

Oh crap, thats gotta hurt!

I'm scared for life. Boobs just shouldn't do that!

That dude's penis is defying gravity...talk about wind-tunnel tested.

give's a whole new meaning to "follow your penis"!

Its really fun for the girls and if you have any wood it will flop around on the guys and can be a bit painfull.

This was in Germany where people in the nude are not a big deal. Its probably happened here in the states but I have not seen it.

You gotta have fun in life... We drank a lot of bier after that jump!

JoeA

I would say it depends on your intentions. If you are viewing it as a one-time thing, just to say "I did it", then I would go with a tandem. Basically it is the instant-gratification option. You show up, listen to your instructor for about 10-20 minutes, then suit up and head for altitude. You don't have to sit through a long class and you get to experience freefall/terminal velocity on your very first jump. However, you are basically just a passenger.
Now, if you are seriously considering getting in the sport, or if you just want more involvement, education, and control, I'd go with AFF or static line.

I personally went the static-line route. Your first few jumps are on static line (ripcord pulled for you), then you slowly increase your freefall time (5/10/15 second delay) while pulling your own ripcord. After the first 30 or so jumps (depending on your aptitude), you are up to terminal velocity freefall, and can handle "spotting" the exit, pilot correction commands, packing your own chute, etc. (all while still under close supervision/observation by your jump-master).
Then after demonstrating your skills, you are cleared off of student status and life is great!
SmileWavy

Eric is correct here. If you win the lotto and have lots of money, who cares. Do the AFF and it will get you ahead faster.

If you just want one jump, then do a tandem but if its something that you feel may continue then the AFF will get you to your license sooner than anything else.

The reason the AFF costs more is that you jump out with your own parachute but also have two instructors hanging on to you. They stay with you through-out freefall and when you pull your main they both release and you land on your own. If there is a malfunction they stay with you until your reserve is out then you land. You are paying for their time and two extra spots in the airplane.

JoeA