Newbie looking for advice!! (Possibly reassurance!!)

[Scottyboy 0]

Hi folks,

My name is scotty, and i've been wanting to skydive for as long as i can remember, i don't know why but it has always looked awesome and i've always been mesmerised by it!.. I've had the opportunity of a tandem before but passed on it because i knew the moment i hit the ground i'd want to go straight back up and do it again and it contributed nothing towards getting my licence.. I had always hoped to do it earlier but, as i'm sure many of you can relate to, life in general has got in the way(i'm 34 now, kids etc!)of me doing it before now..

Anyway, a few years back i was stuck for work due to the recession in the uk, so i went back to university to learn something new (which i don't want to do now but thats another story!).

So my present to myself for getting through uni (if i pass!!) is my A licence! (i'm thinking i've earned it!). I have some issues that i could do with some advice on though if you lot could be so grateful to share your wisdom on..

A couple of years ago i had a big crash on my snowboard in which i dislocated my left shoulder and ripped the cartilage off the front of the shoulder, surgery was advised but i opted to go without the surgery at the time.. that was until i had a further 2 dislocations..

So, i had the surgery last year and apart from the odd tweak of pain (2x in a year) it's been fine.. I know i need to get back to the gym and work on my strength but i intend to do loads of that over the next few months..

So to boil down to my dilemma(s) and the whole point of this thread.. My thought of approaching the AFF is hindered by my shoulder so, i'm hoping to head to the closest wind tunnel which is 250+miles away! (wish i'd done it while on holiday in Cali last year @ universal!!) and do an AFF session to make sure my arm can take it..

All going well with that i'm hoping to do my training with a local (Scottish) instructor who is apparently highly regarded in the sport and undertake my AFF on one of his organised trips either in Spain or California..

So, finally getting round to my questions.. Is there any advice that you lot can possibly give me (maybe i'm just shitting myself and need reassurance!!..lol) as how i can possibly approach this better? Am i missing anything that i should be taking into account while organising this? And last but not least.. I'm terrified of the thought of sitting at the door (bearing in mind that there is nothing to fear but the fear itself!!).. Not sure i can actually do it... Does it get easier than i imagine???.. lol

Thanks for your help in advance, sorry for the long winded post..

Scott


Oh, (possibly a very stupid question here!) I have a power kite too that is shaped like a canopy.. Is controlling a proper canopy similar?..

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Wander by the dropzone and ask to borrow a rig so you can try some practice touches. If you can do them standing, see if they have something you can lay on so you can try them in the position you'd be in while in freefall. If your shoulder can't bear it, you may still be able to talk a rigger into making alternate arrangements for you. That may limit you to doing static line training, though (Not sure an AFF instructor would want to mess with your alternate arrangements.)

Tunnel time should show you if you can hold an arch for a minute at a time. If you can do it in the tunnel for 2 minutes, you can do it in the sky for 1.

All things altitude related get easier as you gain confidence in your gear and abilities. When that happens, you'd much rather be outside the plane than in. We all start out afraid of the door, we all get over that. How quickly it happens seems to vary by person. The pilot on a load I was with this weekend turned the light red to do another pass as we were getting out, and everyone just climbed back in, including the guy on the camera step. Climbing around on a flying plane like a freaking spider monkey is one of the cooler things you get to do in this sport (OK, so I'm easily amused.)

I don't know about your kite, but I did tandem hang gliding lessons in the '90's and found flying a canopy to be a whole lot easier. Trying to move the mass of two people to get the glider to turn was a pretty big effort. I was honestly surprised the first time I pulled down on a toggle and the canopy just turned.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[adagen 0]

I'm guessing that if you're still in the UK and based in Scotland, the tunnel you're thinking of is Airkix in Manchester. It would be worth telling them when you book that you're planning AFF. You may be able to borrow a dummy rig to try practice pulls with, once you have shown you can control your body in the tunnel. Also, quite a few tunnel instructors are trained to help people preparing for AFF, so if you tell them that's what you intend, you'll get more help.

You can do a fair bit of AFF freefall preparation in the tunnel, and it would be worth asking the AFF instructor what he recommends. He might be able to put you in touch with someone who does specific AFF preparation sessions which fit with his coaching approach.

Anne

[skymama 37]

Welcome to the forums!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[GAjumper84 0]

Its funny I just had a conversation with someone who had a similar injury that has been repaired by surgery. Until she felt comfortable with the shoulder, she wore a brace that supported it. Don't know any specifics about what/where it is, but I'm sure if you check it out you can find it.