waster

Fuck, fuck , fuck , fuck, i am never going to jump again, never, never again, this scares this shit out of me, oh god why am i here when i could be at home oh shit, oh shit. "CUUUUUUUUUUUUT", oh shit here we go, "IN THE DOOR", oh shit don't let me fuck up, don't let me die, "LOOK UP", oh shit, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT, WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I LOVE SKYDIVINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

Just to change the subject a little bit here, but how old were all those Americans here when they started drinking? Perhaps it is just the UK but most people in Britain start drinking when they are about 13. Is it different in America because of the vast difference regarding the legal age, i.e. 18 in Britain and 21 in America. It is just a question that I always wanted to ask, cos we Brits are supposed to have the worst underage drinking problem in the world

Nowthat's not he first time I've heard this, but I still don't understand this.... How the fuck can anyone be bored on the weekend???? I've got family stuff on wekends...coupla uncles and aunts, my mom, my dad, though my parents are divorced its still a diverse & close knit family.... Plus I livein an area where there are, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE, great restaraunts, constant festivals...live theatre... pubs with great live music, including rock, reggae, blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, etc... Also art gallery openings most weekends, again, all within walking distance,,, OK I admit that in my neighbor hood theres always a lotta shit going on....I get to skydive about once every couple of months...but thats because of all those other activities mentioned above..Oh , did I also mention I'm taking art classes, working full time, and an aactive member of a homebrew club, with all of its activities & demos??? So what I'm wondering, is my life typical of skydivers, and if it is, how the fuck do y'all manage to wind up at the DZ almost every weekend (even when the weathe sux) w/ all the other shit going on in your life?? I totally agree with you dude. There is definately more to life. I love spending my weekends with "whuffo" friends, they are great fun. It does seem that to be counted as a proper skydiver, you have to spend your life at the DZ and have no contact with the outside world. I have mentioned the fact that people here seem to have no other interests other than skydiving, and they reply saying that there is fuck all else to do. Jesus wept, what a limited life. I love skydiving, it is great fun, but i only jump a couple of times a month. I could jump every weekend, but that would mean spending all my money on skydiving, something i am not prepared to do. I have a life to fund, and skydiving is only a small proportion of my life, it occupies a, dare i say, healthy part of my time, rather than being my sole purpose in life. Oh well, i just count myself lucky that i have other shit to do with my time. I don't mean to be insulting to anyone here, and if i have offended anyone, i apologise. But, you people should try other stuff in your free time. I challenge you guys to have a "whuffo weekend" and not have fun. Catch up with those friends you haven't spoken to in a while. Spend the weekend drunk, party your arses off, go to the cinema, go bowling, read a book in the sun, go shopping, spend time with the family, go for a walk(holy shit, exercise!), meet friends for coffee, or just relax and listen to the radio. There is so much more to do, and you are missing out on it all. What did you guys do before you started skydiving? You must have done all this stuff, or you had really boring lives and in skydiving you have found something to do with your time. Go on, try it, and if you actually try and do stuff, you will enjoy it.

"landing results acceptable". What is acceptable? Broken legs, arms, ribs? I'd rather put on a thick coat, jump and hope to land in a soft bush.

Havn't been able to jump in a month! Drinking is sooooooo expensive! Really gotta jump/ really WANT to jump yet really wanna drink and the two don't mix well. maybe i should go to an AA meeting

nice one! I've only done four 5 sec delays at the moment, and it still feels great! I think you got it right when you said "like falling through liquid", i found it a peaceful experience, even when i flipped onto my back like you did. I wouldn't really call it a screaming fear to pull that ripcord, just an overwhelming urge to save your ass. You don't really think about it(pulling the cord), it just happens automatically thanks to all your training.

eye ball the jump master all the way, that way the head facing up, making it quite difficult to de-arch, as the position thrusts your chest foward. You also get the best view, watching the plane go up and away.

Glad you're ok dude. The same sort of thing happened to me a couple of days ago. After opening, the canopy started throwing me around quite a bit, and then started to sink backward and down, just like it was stalling. There was nothing obviously wrong with my canopy, no line over, damage or anything. In the end, i pumped twice with my toggles, and the canopy calmed down. No-one had any explanation for it, it was just one of those things, sometimes the canopy opens funny from time to time. Glad i didn't have to cut-away, although the thought did actually cross my mind that i might have to, scary shit! blue skys and soft openings

ahh, you have responsibilities like that, whilst i am free to go out with friends and party. Not looking foward to the day i have to grow up and do shit like that, but, hey, its a long way off (i hope).

Are there are skydivers out there who are still at college/high school, so will be 16-18 years old. If so, how often can you afford to jump, without rich family bailing you out. Cos i can only afford to jump once or twice every couple of weeks. I could jump more, but to do that i would have to give up my social life, which would suck. I suppose some would say that the DZ social scene could be my social life, but to be honest ( and i hope i am not offending anyone here), there is more to life than spending all weekend at a DZ. Would just like to know how many jumps other people in my situation get to do. I know everyone says that the more current you are, the safer you you will be, but one or two jumps every other week is current enough, surely? Would just like some feedback on this really.

Hi, I'm only a newbie myself, having only done 15 jumps, but i can tell you roughly how much the prices of jumping at Headcorn are. It does depend on whether you decide to learn using the AFF or Static line route as to the cost. By the time you have got your CAT 8 (your qualification as a solo skydiver), you would have spent roughly the same amount of money, in the region of £1000. However, AFF requires you to pay this money immediately. Static line, however, only needs you to pay per jump, which at Headcorn costs £30, and the rate at which you progress is entirely down to the amount of jumps you can afford and your skydiving ability. This can take some time if you are skint like me (the joys of being a student). When you progress through the sport, the jump prices decrease until eventually you are paying in the region of £15 per jump. You do also have to pay per year a subscription to the BPA, which is the governing body for British Skydiving. This gives insurance against injury etc. AFF is definately the route to go if you have the cash, as you will qualify as a skydiver in record time, sometimes as quick as a few days. If, however, you are not that financially well endowed, static line is the route to go. It takes a lot of time and patience, but i'm assured it is worth it in the end, and it is certainly darn good fun along the way. If you want more straightfoward and less rambling info on jumping out of the sky at Headcorn, go to their website:- www.headcornparachuteclub.co.uk. It will give you all the prices for courses, tandem jumps, and all the other info you will need, including booking forms etc. Skydiving is definately the best sport of the millenium, it will give you the best fun and the coolest friends you will probably ever have. So hopefully see ya at Headcorn!

I've just watched a video of Dave Morris taking a kid who can't have been more than eight for a tandem skydive. He loved it, but surely thats totally illegal? I don't know what the regulations on age regarding skydiving in other countries is, but here in the UK you have to be sixteen to legally leave a flying plane. Can anyone tell me what country that was done in, cause i'm a bit pissed off that i had to wait until i was sixteen to jump when i could have at least done a tandem when i was a little nipper.

"a gust of wind opened his parachute prematurely"? wtf, to my knowledge the outside of a flying plane is pretty darn windy anyway.

Had a bit of a scare on saturday. Have only recently progressed onto 5 sec delays, but since doing my first two freefalls i didn't jump for a month, as i was enjoying the summer break from college with whuffo friends. So, i decide to jump on saturday cause i was itching to get back in the air again, and really needed to keep myself current and see friends i hadn't seen for ages due to me not being at the DZ. I turn up about midday and do the practice that the CCI made me do cause of my month break from jumping. Then i spend the afternoon chilling out with buddies and finding out that they qualified without me. Finally get on a lift by the end of the day, really excited and apprehensive at the same time. Get up to 4500, our exit height, and i exit. According to the jumpmaster, i had my feet tucked up right against my bum for some strange reason, so i didn't have the worlds greatest arch. I didn't feel unstable at all, until after my 5 sec of freefall, i go in for the pull. Suddenly, i roll over to the left, and flip onto my back. Not a problem i thought, having pulled unstable before and not had any trouble. So i pull whilst on my back and slightly headdown and wait for the canopy to pull me upright. But then i see the pilot chute come wobbling out around my leg region. Have time to think "aww sh*t" before it flew off, pulling the bag out past my legs and the lines once around my left leg. Fortunately the lines worked their way free after a couple of secs and the canopy opened oh so sweet above my head, but it left me with a bridle line shaped bruise on my leg and a fair few grazes where the lines had been. Friends said that the main thing was that i didn't panic and chop or pull my reserve when i felt the lines round my leg, but it certainly shook me up, especially knowing that it could have got a lot worse, what with the pilot chute so damn close to my legs. I'm gonna jump again this weekend, but beforehand i'm gonna do a lot of practice with my arch on the bedroom floor, cause i don't want that to happen again!