When did you know?

[loch1957 0]

I was curious. At what jump did you decide to keep this hobby of jumping? And after how many did you start looking for a rig?

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

[chuckakers 425]

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I was curious. At what jump did you decide to keep this hobby of jumping? And after how many did you start looking for a rig?

1. The moment I landed from my first jump.

2. Within days.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Galenis 0]

Within the first 5 seconds of leaving the plane on my first jump. Got a sgake(relax signal) from my instructors, took a breath, and was in love.

It's time for my nightly ritual: Pleasure myself, weep, and repeat.

[faulk04 0]

signed up for the static line FJC the next weekend after my tandem...bought my rig when I had 15 jumps. I saw no need on giving that rent fee the the DZ if I planned continuing to jump

[SRI85 0]

about 6 years after my first jump.

owned everything at around 50 jumps.

[JerryBaumchen 1,363]

Hi '57,

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1. The moment I landed from my first jump.

2. Within days.

+1, I jumped my own rig on my 3rd jump.

JerryBaumchen

[knic 0]

On jump 1 I knew i would be doing this for a while. By jump 25 I had my own gear.

- Knic

[Skydivesg 7]

Immediately after my first jump.

I then ordered my own gear after my 16th jump.

Paid $80.00 for a B4 harness & container, 28' double L and a 24 foot circular reserve with 4 line release.

Damm I miss that rig!

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[mchamp 1]

Did a tandem....did another tandem...damn this is amazingly fun and addictive! Signed up for my AFF paid in full (My dz gave 12 free jumps if paid for my A license in full) and right after that I was committed !!

Ordered my brand new gear at 21 jumps and had it 5months later when I had my A license and 36 jumps.

Picked it up directly from the manufacture in DeLand during the 1st Skydive Expo.....I was overwhelmed

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp

[Iswoopyou 0]

I REALLY hope you don't have 550 jumps and jump a 96 Velo at 2.1

[kd5xb 1]

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Immediately after my first jump.

I then ordered my own gear after my 16th jump.

Paid $80.00 for a B4 harness & container, 28' double L and a 24 foot circular reserve with 4 line release.

Damm I miss that rig!

Damn I miss THOSE DAYS!

Somehow I always knew I'd TRY skydiving. When I was still pre-teen (along about 1963 or so), I went to an air show with jumpers performing, and I was mesmerized. I must have spent the entire day standing next to them, standing next to their area, or staring straight up as they were in freefall. I wish I had some way of finding out who they were.

Perhaps 15 years later, I found myself in the Marine Corps, about 85 miles from a DZ -- Big Daddy's, near Goldsboro, NC. 85 miles was close enough!

Thought I was just going to try a jump or two, but I really got sucked in. At perhaps 35 jumps, I bought a PC, then had to find something to put it in -- and a nice brand-new, really innovative rig came my way -- a Wonderhog. My rigger had a 24' flat reserve, and we managed to put it in the Wonderhog, and I became a more-or-less permanent skydiver. I don't jump a lot, but I still make the occasional jump, even today.

Sure wish I had my Wonderhog rig back.

I'm a jumper. Even though I don't always have money for jumps, and may not ever own a rig again, I'll always be a jumper.

[loch1957 0]

Well I glad I'm not only one got sucked in so easy. I just intended to make one jump to prove I could.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

[devildog 0]

When I signed up for AFF and my first jump, I knew I'd love it -- being on the ground right after landing only confirmed it.

You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions.

[Baksteen 84]

1. The moment I landed from my first jump.

2. at 100 or so jumps. I was determined to all my downsizing on club gear and then buy gear which would last me at least several hundreds or jumps.

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[loch1957 0]

You all know the feeling, I tried explain it to people. I just gave up, not sure a jump can be described. I was scared to death on way up, honestly thought about backing out. But second the door opened I was hooked.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

[DoctorSig 0]

Hooked from the moment I landed - I was too busy loving life and every second of it during the jump to think ahead.

Got my baby (aka rig) around jump 70 - Lot of time looking for a good "new to me" child

[PiLFy 3]

"At what jump did you decide to keep this hobby of jumping?"

That took a while. I had an extreme fear of heights when I started. I literally almost peed myself on my first jump. I stumbled off the field on shaky knees. Mumbling to myself "This is soooo not for me." I asked myself what the H*ll I was doing on that plane, all the way through AFF & beyond. Then, I had a line over on my fifteenth. I was swirling the bowl @4500ft. Thinking to myself "SOB, I'm gonna have to chop this thing." (I eventually cleared the mal w/o a cutaway.) The thing is, I was laughing as I thought that. On earlier jumps, I think my heart would have actually stopped had that happened. So, for me it was a gradual process, not a singular moment. My training progression went from terror to really digging it.

Why do you ask? Do you find yourself wrestling fear & a feeling of not belonging on the ride up to altitude? It's more common than you might think. If you've willingly thrown yourself out of a plane three or more times? You're already hooked. You just might not realize it, yet. No Worries. You'll soon be lined up w/the rest of us junkies. Looking forward to your next Air-Fix .

"And after how many did you start looking for a rig?"

@22 jumps, & still looking...

[Marinus 0]

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Well I glad I'm not only one got sucked in so easy. I just intended to make one jump to prove I could.

I also intended to make one (tandem) jump. I was just being curious. And now, two months later I'm starting to get used to the idea that I want to learn to skydive. I would be learning it right now if it was possible here in winter. Believe me, I didn't see that coming when I booked the tandem.

[vanair 0]

When I watched Ripcord as a kid. Then in 1965 I'm 8 years old watching 3 guys at a county fair demo out of a Cessna. I was like "They're GODS". My fist jump a 16 was just the physical confirmation. Got T-10 at # 26 after graduation from student program.

[Namowal 0]

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"At what jump did you decide to keep this hobby of jumping?"

That took a while. I had an extreme fear of heights when I started. I literally almost peed myself on my first jump. I stumbled off the field on shaky knees. Mumbling to myself "This is soooo not for me." I asked myself what the H*ll I was doing on that plane, all the way through AFF & beyond. .... So, for me it was a gradual process, not a singular moment. My training progression went from terror to really digging it.

I'm defiantly in your camp here. My earliest jumps scared me silly! I'm still new at this, and still get scared, but the idea of never jumping again scares me more than the idea of jumping.

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Why do you ask? Do you find yourself wrestling fear & a feeling of not belonging on the ride up to altitude?

I didn't ask, but now that you mention it, yes.

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It's more common than you might think. If you've willingly thrown yourself out of a plane three or more times? You're already hooked. .

And hear I thought "skyhook" was only a RSL device...

My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

[Abedy 0]

Right after jump #1 (tandem).
Got my rig right after I got my license.

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[jwynne 0]

I knew I loved it on my first tandem. Went back in and signed up for AFF. The DZ had a deal if I prepaid I got one AFF jump free. I didn't get video, not in my budget. I bought a used rig at jump 20. I didn't wnat to spend money on rental gear. I think I bought custom gear about jump 200. 20 years later I'm still loving it.

[peregrinerose 0]

My 11th jump. My first off of AFF, my first solo, didn't have to do a bloody thing in freefall except not die.

I started jumping for the wrong reasons (to impress my husband, a jumper), but kept with it for all of the right ones.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[dragon2 2]

I knew before I started jumping that I wanted to go for it 200%. So I did a staticline course, not a tandem for my first jump.

I started looking for my first rig after 50 jumps, jumped it @ jump 75. I had by then downsized from a 280 to a 175 and my own rig was a 150 (I was a lightweight back then... ahem).

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[loch1957 0]

Pilfy its kinda odd, the jump doesn't scare me at all. But I'm nervous as heck on ride up. But I'm not quitting. Two more jumps and no more static line, Pulling my own chute with no instructor with me is a tad spooky. But Matt wont let me jump if I'm not ready. So I'm ready.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”