Why did you start?

[thrillstalker 0]

my best friend had just gotten out of jail and asked me to go with him for his bday. we both decided to get our licenses, but he still has only the 1 tandem.

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[Abedy 0]

Quote

Until that one day, when one of my teachers told me about himself as a skydiver.

Went vice versa with me. One of the students of the form I had been form teacher with for 6 years was a skydiver (you can start at 14 in Germany and get your licence at 16) and he persuaded them to cough up the money for a tandem jump as their "Thank you for being our teacher" present. I was overwhelmed, excited and very very grateful. Really nice students, still in contact with some of them. They came to watch me jump so I had to (just kidding).
I had seen parachutes in the air before but having grown up behind the Iron Curtain parachuting still was the sport of young, bold, strong and extremely healthy men to me. I had thought about tandem jumps, but considered them "too expensive". I was a little tight with money at this time so the present came handy, so to say. Well, so I entered the AN-2. I didn't like the freefall that much (instructor stood in the door for about 1 minute with me awkwardly hanging in the pax harness, yelled "Head up!!!" into my ear when I wanted to look down in freefall and the opening was a cracker - got me bruised all over) but I liked the canopy ride. Folks there told me that everyone could become a skydiver nowadays (provided this and that) and so I got hooked up. Had to hassle with my GP (parachuting with ASTHMA?) and had to beg to get into the "mini course" (2 S/L jumps) because they wanted me to wait until next year to start a "real course". Did 5 S/L jumps with a round so I'm still pretty good at doing a PLF but I changed the club once I got to know about this AFF thing Spent money worth a Beamer (but like my Skoda Octavia) since and had a lot of fun. (Pain, too. But that's another story )

Edited for typos and elaborating

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[revobuzz 0]

After watching Point Break!

[nigel99 466]

Quote

Quote

Until that one day, when one of my teachers told me about himself as a skydiver.

Went vice versa with me. One of the students of the form I had been form teacher with for 6 years was a skydiver (you can start at 14 in Germany and get your licence at 16) and he persuaded them to cough up the money for a tandem jump as their "Thank you for being our teacher" present. I was overwhelmed, excited and very very grateful. Really nice students, still in contact with some of them. They came to watch me jump so I had to (just kidding).
I had seen parachutes in the air before but having grown up behind the Iron Curtain parachuting still was the sport of young, bold, strong and extremely healthy men to me. I had thought about tandem jumps, but considered them "too expensive". I was a little tight with money at this time so the present came handy, so to say. Well, so I entered the AN-2. I didn't like the freefall that much (instructor stood in the door for about 1 minute with me awkwardly hanging in the pax harness, yelled "Head up!!!" into my ear when I wanted to look down in freefall and the opening was a cracker - got me bruised all over) but I liked the canopy ride. Folks there told me that everyone could become a skydiver nowadays (provided this and that) and so I got hooked up. Had to hassle with my GP (parachuting with ASTHMA?) and had to beg to get into the "mini course" (2 S/L jumps) because they wanted me to wait until next year to start a "real course". Did 5 S/L jumps with a round so I'm still pretty good at doing a PLF but I changed the club once I got to know about this AFF thing Spent money worth a Beamer (but like my Skoda Octavia) since and had a lot of fun. (Pain, too. But that's another story )

Edited for typos and elaborating

Interesting story.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[Amyr 0]

I received a Tandem as a 40 birthday present. As a very independent women YES there are chicks in this sport! I could not get over the fact that I was powerless to save my self during that jump. I was totally drawn to the the ground and how it did not appear to get closer and forgot about everything had I been in charge I would have died. I then thought I will do this long enough to safe my self. Only on my 6th jump coming up now I want to do it all I want to dance in the air.

[Scrumpot 1]

Quote

YES there are chicks in this sport!

Not once they meet/run into Shah!!

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[Krip 2]

To short to play basket ball with the pro's

One Jump Wonder

[leandercool 0]

Great stories guys! Keep them comming!

From 0 to 12.000 in 9 minutes

[missbrz 0]

We have a skydiving club at the University of Florida. I went to a meeting to learn more about doing a tandem just to cross it off the list. By the end of the meeting I decided "fuck that I'm doing AFF" I ended up as President before I graduated.

[Andy9o8 2]

Always wanted to. First chance I had (a few days after my 18th b'day), I did.

[bluetwo 0]

My girlfriend (at the time) literally dragged me to the dropzone because she wanted to jump. Sadly, she got freaked out because the jump plane was a Cesna 182 and not a twin like she was used to and decided not to jump, but insisted that I should still do it since we had driven so far.

That little voice in my head told me not to do it because she might not take it well but looking back on it **** what she thought about it. Now I have 50 times as many jumps as she does. Muh ah ah ah ah...

_______________________________________

[dthames 0]

My uncle was in airborne when I was a kid. I recall playing “paratrooper” and PLFing off of the shed and out of the barn loft. In my early 20’s I saw the movie, The Gypsy Moths and thought skydiving (wing suit) would be so cool. In my late 30s I got to ride at the exit door with the Golden Knights. I still thought I wanted to do it. Getting a house and raising the kids as always higher up on the list. So I never took any action.

I am in my 50s now. A few months ago I saw some current wingsuit videos and thought it would be great to do that. One of the things that tipped the scales was my mother (now in her late 70s) telling me that daily life was just so much harder now than when she was in her 50s and 60s. My thought was “Do it NOW”. So I started just a couple of months ago.

Yes, I know you can’t jump a wingsuit until sometime after 200 jumps.
Will that keep someone from posting that great revelation? Likely not.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[jonstark 8]

I was away from home for the first time having just graduated high school and moved to Pittsburgh for trade school. A classmate took me out to a very rural Cessna DZ, Beaver Valley, on a Wednesday afternoon to watch. As soon as I saw and heard a lone body in freefall I was in for it hook line and sinker. Prior to this I had never even remotely considered jumping.

I was a terrible student but was there every weekend rain, wind, snow it didn't matter I was there with my eyes open and my gaze skyward. Back then everybody would invariably stop what they were doing to look up to watch their friends jump. A high load was 7500'. There was so much to learn just by keeping my eyes and ears open.

jon

[Deisel 38]

After getting divorced I made a list of all the shit she wouldnt let me do. I took a trip to the islands, went skydiving, and I dont remember what else was on there

The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

[skinnay 0]

I didn't even want to,a boss asked me to go so I went.

[gregpso 1]

For a dare 3 of my mates did static line in 1981 I was the most reluctant.. you guessed they left I stayed for a while did 40 jumps/ came back in 2008 did a few tandems then 5 AFFS.

Now total of 66 jumps. Got banned at my drop zone from continuing aff AS THE CI thought I posted to much on the aussie forums. (safety and gear ) So spend $6000 and then stabbed in the back (banned from AFF despite no problems with my AFF)

Sort of wonder why I bothered coming back really. (Yeah I am hurt by it)

I tend to be a bit different. enjoyed my time in the sport or is it an industry these days ??

[dqpacker 7]

my mom made me. no joke.

[oldwomanc6 52]

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my mom made me. no joke.

Well, that needs expansion/clarification.

eta: elaboration is the the word I was looking for.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9