How did you get into skydiving?

[Boomerdog 0]

I received a gift certificate for one AFF lesson; Christmas 2011. It was a surprise gift from my wife. This was a gift I did not see coming...AT ALL. Three months prior and without me knowing, I made a remark about doing some touring in a town that just happened to have a DZ and I've always enjoyed watching skydivers and the colorful parachutes WITH MY FEET ON THE GROUND. At the time I was recovering from cancer treatment. TO add to the dizzying surprise, my wife informs me she's going to make an AFF jump as well. One jump is not enough, we both got our "A" licenses about a year ago and we keep jumping.

[Kalrigan 6]

When some of my closest friends and I talked when we were young, skydiving was one of the things we always wanted to do, except we were kids and the country where I lived had no DZ. I moved to Canada by myself at the age of 18, went to school and got busy. As a broke student I had no money to afford skydiving, so I never bothered even going for a tandem.

Finally finished school, got a job, doing well, it was my buddy's birthday and the idea was to skydive on his birthday. We talked for so long, now we can, so let's do it. And we did. We landed, and they were excited and happy. I landed, realized this is what I want to do by myself, without being attached to anyone. Here I am.

Now I'm broke again, for different reasons though haha. I'm dying this off season, I just miss being in the plane, opening the door, jumping out, and just being in freefall. :(

My friends are going to Z-hills in February, and everytime someone brings it up I feel sad because I'm too broke to go from buying a rig. :(

[GAjumper84 0]

So I have had skydiving in the back of my mind as something to do (1 time) ever since when I was a kid my dad and my older brother did it. Never really thought much about it though over the years, just knew I would do it some day. Always been active, but got married, settled down, got out of shape and overweight. Got back into shape this year, and got back into my usual activities (kayaking, whitewater rafting, hiking) and tried some new things like ziplines and wakeboarding. One day I was on groupon and saw $99 for a FJC and solo skydive at a local DZ. Called my dad and asked him if he would want to go. He said sure, and we signed up. Did my first IAD jump on the same load as him out of a Cessna 182 which was awesome! He didn't go again, but I was hooked, and now need one more jump to get my A license. For me, skydiving has changed my life, and I find it difficult to not go down to the DZ every weekend. Just wish it was closer than an hour and a half away so I could hang out there more. I have met some great people, and the smaller DZ that I am at is very much like a family. Now I want to eventually become an instructor to be able to guide people through progression like my instructors have done for me, not for the money, but just to help people learn in this great sport!

[Doug_Davis 0]

1989 Airborne School, Ft Benning, GA

Took it up again as a civilian last summer, as I missed it. Plus I wasnt having as much fun kayaking anymore since I do that for a living now.

[gunpaq 1]

Watching the TV series ripcord, DZ on neighbors farm, seeing the movie The Gypsy Moths did it for me. The barn roof and a tractor sun umberella was my first jump as a kid. As teenager attending an air show, Tom Morrison from The Herd/United PC offered me a free jump on his rig which was part of the demo jump act but I didn't know that at the time. Took flying lessons out of high school but could not afford them in college but jumping was affordable. Headed out to York Sport Parachute Center in the spring fo 1976 and the rest is history.

www.geronimoskydiving.com

[mjosparky 4]

I went down the hall first door on the right, first star on the left.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[wasatchrider 0]

through base jumping :)

BASE 1519

[mjosparky 4]

wasatchrider

through base jumping :)

You found BASE kind of boring did ya?

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[wasatchrider 0]

mjosparky

***through base jumping :)

You found BASE kind of boring did ya?

Sparky

na I just wanted to wing suit and practice tracking when Im not right next to a wall

BASE 1519

[Trafficdiver 8]

wasatchrider

******through base jumping :)

You found BASE kind of boring did ya?

Sparky

na I just wanted to wing suit and practice tracking when Im not right next to a wall

How do you feel about skydiving? I'm interested in what it feels like to get into skydiving from an even more insane sport.

Does skydiving give you a charge at all? Do you enjoy it? Or is it just something to learn tracking and it does not interest you past that?

I came in through the (I'm going to try a tandem and that's it) method so I'm wondering if skydiving gives you the "feeling" it gives me.

I also respect the fact that you got into skydiving when you could have said FU to it all together.

[wasatchrider 0]

Trafficdiver

*********through base jumping :)

You found BASE kind of boring did ya?

Sparky

na I just wanted to wing suit and practice tracking when Im not right next to a wall

How do you feel about skydiving? I'm interested in what it feels like to get into skydiving from an even more insane sport.

Does skydiving give you a charge at all? Do you enjoy it? Or is it just something to learn tracking and it does not interest you past that?

I came in through the (I'm going to try a tandem and that's it) method so I'm wondering if skydiving gives you the "feeling" it gives me.

I also respect the fact that you got into skydiving when you could have said FU to it all together.

at first jumping out of a plan was as scary as base jumping
now its just fun I like doing different types of jumps but mostly wing suit now and I like that

BASE 1519

[dzswoop717 5]

My Dad started flying the plane for the York Sport Parachute Center in 1966, I was 4 years old. They made me wait until I was 16 to make my first jump. I spent 12 years soaking in the jump stories. Made my first jump 28 may 1978. Unfortunatly I only made 50 jumps in the first 2 years because I started chasing girls and waisting time on cool cars so I could impress the girls (they weren't impressed). Started jumping pretty hard when I was 19. I have slowed down the past 2 years but hope to make several jumps this year.

[ChuckMartin 0]

I got pretty badly hurt in Afg by stepping on an IED and spent about two and a half years in Wounded Warrior Battalion, a unit for guys to recover. Shattered my right ankle, tib-fibed the same leg, some "minor" fractures in my left leg, same in my right hard, and did some damage to my knees and back. When I was in WWB a charity called Wounded Wear took us for tandems. I did one a year for two years then when I was down in Texas for some medical stuff I did the AFF program.

Jan 20th will be three years from the injury and Jan 18th will be a year since my first AFF jump.

[gunpaq 1]

Remember you jumping a Para-Commander on student progression rather than the T-10's. Still have an old club patch. Always liked the VW van.

www.geronimoskydiving.com

[JohnMitchell 16]

ChuckMartin

I got pretty badly hurt in Afg by stepping on an IED

Glad you're back and glad you found our sport. If you make it up to Kapowsin let me buy you a jump.
Hope you're a belly flier.

[dzswoop717 5]

Those were the days. If we have a York Skydivers reunion this year I will get in touch with you. Hope you can make it. I will send you a DVD of this years reunion and memorial for my Dad.

[Mach1dmb 0]

A good friend back in high school wanted to go. I always had an interest in skydiving, but never even thought about going. I didn't want him to show me up so I agreed to go. I enjoyed the jump, but I wasn't thrilled. Then a year later another friend wanted to go, and once again I agreed. That's the jump that got me really interested. I decided right there I would get licensed. A year later I was really depressed and came across some money, so I went for it.

[jallyjames 0]

Nice post and Experiencing with kite boarding first time in life bring amazing excitement and sweet smile on our face when we heard that we are going to experience first time BC Kiteboarding.

indoor skydiving
BC Kiteboarding

[flygirl1220 0]

In 2008 a group from work got together to do tandums. I was hooked after the first one. But life hasn't afforded much free time so five years later I finally started my student progression.

[shoeless_wonder 0]

I just kinda.. fell into it.

What is the point of life, if you don't live it?
To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around.

[dirty_red 0]

I had a few people close to me pass away and after the funeral I said I was going to try skydiving. Did a tandem and I knew this was fun I had been looking for in life for a long time.

On my AFF1 I flopped around enough leaving the otter to lose both instructors. As I watched them fly down to catch me I was able to get stable and pull, as instructed by my FJC instructor, though he was not on the jump

I then had a canpoy ride from 12k with a broken line. Landed and broke my hand. From that point on I was determined to become a skydiver.

This year I made 140 jumps, have met the greatest people in the world, and love this sport completely. I will continue to jump every weekend possible and want to become an instructor to show others the beauty of our sport.

Well, all of that and I like boobies and beer.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

[jpjc2000 0]

A friend made a jump in early 1978 and told us about it. That July I put together 16 people and off to class we went, 16 static lines on July 15, 1978. Made two that day, two the next and bought gear that evening, gear I couldn't jump until 30 jumps, those PC's were FAST

[WorldWarIII 0]

I was just hitting my solo cross country stage of private pilot flight school, when I plotted out a nice course across upstate New York. Chugging along in a little Cessna 152, with the sky just about all to myself, I thought "This is about as exciting as driving down the interstate. What would it be like if I jumped out of this thing?"

I finished school, glad to be a pilot and controller, but something was still missing from the equation. One day on a whim I called up the DZ and put myself down for a tandem, mentioning that I might be interested in progressing to a license.

Well, I did my tandem and got incredible tips and instruction on what I thought was going to be a mindless entertainment sort of jump. Needless to say I was back again just a week later for a first jump course, and should be on my first full fledged AFF jump next week! I never have more than $100 in my bank account after a weekend of jumping, but I love every minute of it.

"Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."

[Di0 2]

My dad was a paratrooper so I wanted to do it since I was a child, for as long as I can remember. But my mom always opposed it (I feel) and never go to do it while I lived at home and it was my mom's money.
A friend of mine wanted to try a tandem for his birthday and knew I was interested so we went together. Two days later, realized I had a good job, I had the money to sustain it, I was more frustrated than usual, so I googled for a dropzone and picked up the phone. That's it. I haven't stopped since. Best decision of my life: my only regret, I started ~10 years later than I could have.

I'm standing on the edge
With a vision in my head
My body screams release me
My dreams they must be fed... You're in flight.

[mch9173 0]

Lived two miles from the dz while growing up. My parents bought me a 1st jump course for my 16th birthday @ Parachutes and Associates in Indiana. Didn't do so well with the static line, so took a year off, got a part time job and saved up for AFF. First year skydiving, I made 317 jumps. Got burnt out after a few years, had a family etc. Haven't jumped in over 18 years but think about it almost every day.