mistertim Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 So I just went skydiving for the first time yesterday and it was amazing. I'd really like to keep going and maybe get my AFF cert, unfortunately most of my friends and co-workers aren't interested in going. Anyone here skydive or interested in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 My brother works at Skydive Orange packing chutes. Has logged like 200 jumps in the past 3 years. I haven't been yet but it's on my to-do list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 My brother works at Skydive Orange packing chutes. Has logged like 200 jumps in the past 3 years. I haven't been yet but it's on my to-do list. Cool. That's actually where I went yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Cool. That's actually where I went yesterday. He must have done a good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacks 'n' Stuff Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Oh my heavens no. It is my understanding that sometimes the parachute doesn't open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I'll probably go when I find out I have cancer or some other terminal disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Screen Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I'll probably go when I find out I have cancer or some other terminal disease.Wasn't that a country song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I might do it if it was...not a tandem jump, but one of those ones where you're connected to like four experts, so you have four or five chances of making sure at least one parachute opens. Otherwise no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RawBBQSauce Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Would love to try it. Too expensive for me at this point, though. They charge you an arm and leg, mistertim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Wasn't that a country song? I don't know. What I do know is that you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Wasn't that a country song? Yeah, Tim McGraw. I probably despise country music more than most on this board, and even I've heard of that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 So I just went skydiving for the first time yesterday and it was amazing. I'd really like to keep going and maybe get my AFF cert, unfortunately most of my friends and co-workers aren't interested in going. Anyone here skydive or interested in it? This isn't at all in DC, but my college roommate lives in Boston and got really into skydiving ~3 years ago. He's done ~500 jumps and joined a competitive team last summer. He goes on and one about the camaraderie of the sport and how much he loves it. The only downside is that it's a really expensive hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I'll probably go when I find out I have cancer or some other terminal disease. you have the terminal disease called "life". there really is only one exit from this building....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacks 'n' Stuff Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 you have the terminal disease called "life". there really is only one exit from this building....... This post gives me a warm fuzzy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Hell no. haha. I am not afraid...I am sensible. I will do the indoor skydiving thing though. Plan on doing that this year in Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichmondRedskin88 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I'll do stuff like the thing at KD where you fly through the air. I don't like the general idea of potentially becoming part of the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingGibbs Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Took my first dive down OC MD. Talk about a view. BTW. Some of you have literally made me LOL. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 you have the terminal disease called "life". there really is only one exit from this building....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balki1867 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I've done the tandem jumps twice. Honestly it's pretty amazing. There's nothing near you so you don't really sense that fact that you're going 120 mph. The earth just seems to be slowly floating up towards you. That said, going skydiving is a whole day activity. You're looking at 90 minutes of driving each way in most cities, followed by an hour of training, waiting for your turn for ~2 hours, and then a jump that takes 30 minutes total (20 minutes up, 10 minutes back down). So that's a 6.5 hour (and ~$250-$300) commitment for 10 minutes of jumping. It was cool the two times I did it, but its pretty low on my list of things to do again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 Would love to try it. Too expensive for me at this point, though. They charge you an arm and leg, mistertim? Yeah it certainly isn't cheap, that is for sure. The place I went was $350-400 depending on if you got video and pictures, etc. I gotta admit that it was worth it though because it was an absolutely amazing experience. You really can't compare it to anything. It doesn't feel like falling because your body doesn't really have a decent frame of reference from that height. Under the canopy after parachute deployment was really fun too because we got to do some really tight turns with heavy G forces. The downside is now I'm probably hooked so I'll be dropping more money. Heh. Though I'll probably try and get my AFF certification then you can go whenever you want and it costs like $25 per jump. Gear is damn expensive too, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RawBBQSauce Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Though I'll probably try and get my AFF certification then you can go whenever you want and it costs like $25 per jump. Gear is damn expensive too, though. Price for the certification and at least middle-of-the road gear (ball-park)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 Price for the certification and at least middle-of-the road gear (ball-park)? The certification is multiple classes and jumps long (you have to have a minimum of 25 jumps for certification). All in all you're probably looking at about $3,000 for the training, jumps, certification. As far a gear goes, you would probably want just wait until you're fully certified and you know how much you're going to be going because that stuff gets super expensive. Even with a used canopy and a couple other things you're likely looking at another $2,000 - 3,000 (you generally will want a new container and jump suit because they are custom fitted). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I worked for a gear manufacturer as their in house art department for several years right on the drop zone in Deland. I started out thinking no way in hell would I ever jump out of a "perfectly good" airplane. but after years of watching friends jump and learning about the sport I gave it a try. I did a couple of tandems and went so far as doing an AFF Level 1 jump ( Jumping with your own chute but with two instructors making sure you deploy safely). It was awesome but it tweaked my a nerve in my neck and I couldn't continue. I would still be jumping if my body would let me. Unfortunately 1 heart attack, a double bypass, and 2 dbl fusions of the spine later, It's not an option. A couple of things to remember.... Skydiving IS NOT a good part time hobby. If you are going to do it, take it seriously, jump regularly, and stay current. The sport is only as safe as you make it. Practice emergency procedures as if you expect trouble on every jump. On my level 1 jumpI had a line twist which is a common minor malfunction. (major malfunctions are pretty rare and almost always caused by bad gear and/or human error) Fortunately I was well prepared and was able to kick out of it (forcing your body to spin out of the twist). But as you can see here it is easy to panic and do the wrong thing. The guy started out by kicking in the wrong direction and twisted the lines more. had it gotten worse the jumper would have ben forced to make the choice between a hard uncontrolled landing under a partial canopy or cut away and go to the reserve with little altitude to spare. (not enough altitude means the reserve doesn't have time to fully open before you hit the ground.) And as for gear.... If you can't afford good new gear, maybe you should hold off. At the very least make sure any used gear is thoroughly checked out by an expert. Preferably someone with about 1000 jumps. The smallest frayed line or worn out fastener can kill you. Skydiving isn't so much dangerous as unforgiving. Just ask the guy who died because he forgot to tie his shoes... oh wait... you cant. Another note: 200 jumps means you are just out of your training wheels. After reading literally thousands of incident reports I can tell you that between 100 and 300 jumps is when most people get themselves killed. That's the zone that people start to get more comfortable than experience should let them. They start getting casual about gear checks and safety procedures and take more chances. Bottom line - 200 jumps does not make you an expert. NOT EVEN CLOSE. When I worked in the industry I was surrounded by people who had thousands of jumps each. I've met people with close to 10,000 jumps. Granted I was in the skydiving capitol of the world, my boss and AFF instructors were all world champions. But most drop zones have at least a couple of real experts. Seek them out. Having said all that I hope you follow through (safely). Do it for people like me who want to so bad that they sometimes dream about it but can't. And have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hell no. haha. I am not afraid...I am sensible. I will do the indoor skydiving thing though. Plan on doing that this year in Vegas. That's fun too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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