Coming back to Hollister after 2 yrs ...

[dmitri76 0]

Hi All,

Its been almost 2 years since my last jump ( june 2004) and even though i wanted to come back off and on during that i just never did
I guess starting to ride a bike was enough for a while. But i guess can't completly forget what it feels like to stand in the door of KingAir at 15k and be ready to go .... So the question is, with my 45 jumps and no A lic, what would it take for me to come back ? I'm not sure if i can survive AFF again from lvl 1 ... It took me 15 jumps to go through it the first time around. Am i just nuts to think of doing it again if for some reason i stopped for the whole 2 years ??
Anyone from Hollister ( Adventure Center Skydiving ) still remember me by any chance ?

Thanks !
-Dmitri

[monkycndo 0]

I started there just after you left. Give them a call. I'm sure they will work with you and you will not have to do it all over again. Make sure to take your yellow student sign off card so they can see what you had completed towards your "A".

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[dmitri76 0]

I don't have a yellow card, just my 2 logbooks with 15 AFF and 30 solo or 2 way jumps, signed by different ppl at the DZ. I may drive down there this sat or sun just to see you see you guys jump and land .. If i have to do to AFF from scratch, i might just do a tandem, simply because the bug is biting me kinda hard :)

[kelpdiver 2]

at 2 years and no A, they probably would start you back at AFF1 (and certainly the ground school part) ...but it may take you far less than the 7 (or 15) jumps typical to finish the AFF portion.

The first AFF jump will give you an idea how hard, and how worthwhile returning will be. I'm not sure a tandem jump will say very much. You have 45 jumps already.

[Mush 0]

Relax a little.

aff with 45 skydives to boot, 2 years is not that long, not the best, but not that long, you'll be in the air with a bit of ground school & a supervised jump, but the real question is WHY DIDEN'T YOU TAKE THE BLUE PILL

[Elisha 1]

Quote

Relax a little.

aff with 45 skydives to boot, 2 years is not that long, not the best, but not that long, you'll be in the air with a bit of ground school & a supervised jump, but the real question is WHY DIDEN'T YOU TAKE THE BLUE PILL

What I'm thinking...sounds just like me. I had around 35, layoff was 9 months - mostly due to $$. I had a coached jump - I was a lot more stable than I though I would be - and then I was a regular jumper again (albeit still unlicensed)!

[dmitri76 0]

The Blue Pill ?? I'm not sure what that is .. When i was in Amsterdam with friends last year, they bought some blue pills, but that's not really my thing
Hopefully i can get back in, but if not, even a tandem should quiet the bug down for a while.

[Mush 0]

sounds like you took the red pill to me
even after the longest layoff, you have jumped 45 times, there is no need to do a tandem.

how long have you not jumped & what system did you start with.

[dmitri76 0]

Nah, i only took green stuff when i was there :)
My last jump was at the end of june 2004, and was jumping a 210 ft x2 spectre most of the time, after a transition from a ripcord student rig. I started with a 7 level AFF program, and it took me 15 jumps to finish. After that i did 30 jumps, mostly solo but a few 2-way attempts. So counting the AFF jumps, a total of 45 ... Did 2 tandems before that to convince myself to pay for AFF, but i don't want to count those since i was just a passenger, even if a very scared one :)

[hookitt 1]

You won't have to start over. Take an emergency procedures refresher and go jump with an instructor to prove you can still fly.

You and the instructor will plan the dive, go over body position, and hand signals in case you need some coaching in the air.

It will come right back to you.

Good luck.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[bodypilot1 0]

PM sent


Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[georgerussia 0]

See you this Sat in Hollister :)

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[dmitri76 0]

I'll try to be there either sat or sun and will see what i need to do & when they can have me come in for a class ..

[mfrese 0]

Dmitri:

I remember you! (Vaguely...but then, my memory ain't what it used to be!)
My suggestion would be to call the office, work with them to determine what you'll need to do, and make an appointment. They are heavily scheduled with tandems and video for Saturday, so calling in advance will probably keep you from waiting around for an AFF instructor to work with you, since most of them will be shooting tandem video. My guess is that Tim will ask you to do a Cat C (aka Level 3 AFF) at a slightly lower price, but I don't speak for him.

Doctor I ain't gonna die,
Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

[hookitt 1]

A level 3 in my opinion is way overkill. Modified level 4 is fine. You already know how to skydive. All I would want to know is that you know emergency procedures, can fly stable, and that you are altitude aware to pull on time.

Here's what's needed: One uncurrent skydiver (dmitri76). One instructor. Emergency procedures review and practice. A proper gear check review. Hand signals review. A dive flow.

After that, it's don the equipment, dirt dive and head out to the airplane.

Good luck

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[dmitri76 0]

Thanks to everyone who replied and encouraged me ! I went back this sat to see what i can do and also to hangout, watch ppl land etc. Was told that i would need to retake the 1st jump course and then do a lvl 4 or 5, depending on the instructor's feelings .. So no problem, i come back early on sun, Adam talks to me a little about my experience 2 yrs ago, how much i remember, then looks through my logbook. Then he tells me he thinks i don't need to sit through the class and do an AFF level, just a review and a coach jump ! I was both happy and scared at the same time Half an hour later, Mike ( another AFF instructor ) gives me a really good review, manages to get rid of like 90% of my fears and soon we were on our way to 15k in KingAir ! The jump went really great, i felt like i never left and Mike was pretty happy with how i did, so he cleared me to solo !
Did another jump by myself later on and it feels so
GREAT to be back !
Thanks again eveyone for helping me to come back !