Jen1129

Darcy, congrats on your first solo! Add me to the list of people who don't like solos. It might sound cheesy but this is such a unique thing that we do, and I love getting the chance to share it with other people. I don't think I've done more than one or two solos since I got my A license. Heh, I agree with your comment about going off radio. I didn't know I was going off radio until Doug informed me, when I was at about 3000 feet under canopy, "nice jump... you're on your own, see you on the ground." I swore at him from the sky, then proceeded to land just fine on my own. I would have never given up the radio if it had been my choice!

Wow. What a great story. I agree, we can't thank them enough.

Yeah I seriously considered doing a 2nd tandem instead of my AFF 1. It was sheer stubbornness that got me on the plane and to the door. Glad to hear I'm not the only one though!

Maybe it's something about the 2nd jump! My first jump was a tandem and scary, but by far my scariest jump was my Level 1 AFF (2nd jump.) I was told I scared the whole plane with my constant rambling about "I'm so scared I'm so scared OMG I'm scared." Oh yeah, and my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't put my own gloves on. I don't actually remember this, but it's what I was told. My brain is going "no way no way no way"... jumpmaster goes "Are you ready to skydive?" "YES!" Brain goes HUH? Jump went just fine though. Since then, the scariest jump was around #20 when one toggle came unstowed and my canopy was spinning rapidly. I did get the other toggle and corrected it, but I was looking at my handles...

My mom did an observer ride when I jumped and she loved it. She loves watching me jump and watching the swoopers. I always kick my feet to "wave" at her when I fly over her. The only time I scared her a little bit was when I did a couple of hard turns (at high altitude of course.) Mostly she says I look calm and peaceful because I'm really conservative as a newbie. I think she's going to do a tandem too... we'll see...

As a newbie myself, I am extremely grateful to all the instructors who have patiently answered all my questions. I've already read several incident reports that end with warnings about trying something advanced without the proper skill level. In hopes of not having one of those written about me, I will listen to the people who have been around and experienced more than I have. I imagine it is possible for someone to have natural skill at skydiving, like anything else. (Anyone who's watched me land knows I definitely don't have natural skill.) But one thing that natural skill could probably never make up for is the perspective that experience brings. Think of something you are very good at and have a lot of experience with. Think of someone with 1/10 your experience acting like they know everything and refusing to listen to your advice. You have the perspective of your experience, they just have an attitude. I imagine that would get frustrating. I'm just glad there are instructors who are still willing to take the time with newbies despite experiences with people who don't listen.

I felt it in the San Fernando Valley...

On my first jump (tandem), we get to altitude and the experienced jumpers start exiting. Takes me a few seconds to realize the plane isn't quite as full as it was and I ask "Did they just go?" "Yes." With absolutely no filter between brain and mouth, I make this brilliant observation: "OH MY GOD THEY JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE F---ING AIRPLANE!!" Well, duh...

Heh... wait till I have a couple hundred jumps and I know everything...

Hi... I mostly just lurk here, but I finally got an account and I just figured out I should have posted here first! So let's see... did a tandem in May as a one-time only thing, just so I could see what it was like. When the look of sheer terror in the door changed in freefall to the biggest grin I ever had, I guess I changed my mind. Took me a little while longer to decide to do AFF instead of another tandem... but ultimately I decided I didn't want to be just a passenger. I had a few issues with getting a little nervous in the plane, and hitting that stupid X on landing... but I got my A license about a month ago! Anyway, just wanted to say hi.

At Elsinore they made me jump my first pack job. Right before exit one of the JMs goes "This your pack job? Pull high!" At least it made me laugh. It was also my A-license check jump, so I had other things to concentrate on until pull time. This was probably a good thing or I would have spent the jump thinking "I hope it works I hope it works..."

Suuuure, so then he will drop me directly over the middle of the lake! I might be a newbie but I'm not that dumb... :)

I bet my tandem instructor would have said that about me after my jump... and actually, I initially thought I would just do another tandem. The desire to NOT just be an amusement park ride passenger was one of the things that made me decide to do AFF instead. It just took me a while to decide that I really could jump myself out of a plane. But yeah, most people probably never do come back... what do I know, I'm just a newbie. :)

You never know... I was definitely one of those "passengers" for my tandem. Thought I'd only do it once, just for the experience... also thought I could never jump myself out of a plane. When I got back down I was hooked, and eventually I found out I was wrong on both of my assumptions!

My mom did an observer ride at Elsinore to watch me jump. She had to pay $25, sign the waiver, and wear a rig. I have the coolest mom in the world... she says she wants to do a tandem, and this is even after watching me jump!

Since I have a pretty new license, and am still jumping a big ol student canopy... if the instructors say I probably shouldn't jump, I don't jump. That generally happens at anything higher than gusts around 15. Oh, and if I see the tandems come in straight down, I definitely don't jump, since they have instructors flying them and generally a higher wingload than I do.

I wasn't afraid of the plane, but I am cursed with an overactive imagination. I was afraid of losing my instructors, tumbling out of control, getting line twists, having a malfunction, getting lost in the air, the radio not working, landing badly... well you get the idea!

I was pretty nervous for my tandem, and absolutely deathly terrified for my AFF1. One of my jumpmasters (who had roughly 6000 jumps) said I was the most scared student he's ever had on the plane. I'm still proud of that! Once I got out the door though, I totally relaxed. My jumpmasters, and the guy on the radio who talked me down, were wonderful. I was so afraid of being alone in the sky, but thanks to those guys I never felt alone up there. Took me until maybe 20 jumps to not spend the entire ride up going "WHY am I doing this to myself?" I'd always remember why, the second I got out the door... Anyway, have fun!

Hi Robyn, Congrats!! Sounds like it was a fun jump! I'll get there someday... Jen

My own experience: I did my tandem in Hawaii, my first 3 AFF levels at Raeford (with SkymonkeyOne!), and my remaining AFF levels and jumps toward my A-license at Elsinore... and since then I've also jumped at CrossKeys. (Long story as to why, but it was a geography issue.) I had absolutely no problems going to the different DZs. Elsinore had me do a quick ground retrain with an instructor, but I didn't have to repeat any levels or pay extra. Definitely ask a lot of questions to instructors and experienced jumpers as to landing patterns, conventions, the differences in the gear you may be renting, etc.

Yoyo always keeps me laughing too. When I jumped my first pack job, about 30 seconds before exit Yoyo asks me if this is my pack job... I said "yes" and he goes "Pull high!" Thanks, that helps! I did my last 4 AFF levels with Doug, and my A-license check jump with Mark... they're both so much fun to jump with.

Cool picture! How did you get lucky enough to have all 3 of my favorite Elsinore jumpmasters?? Makes me wish I was still a student so I could jump with those guys again...

I never thought I would be a skydiver. If people asked me, I said I might do a tandem "someday" just to see what it was like... and that's what I did. I truly thought I would only do it once. When I got into the sky and it felt like flying, not falling, I was hooked. Got down on the ground and couldn't stop saying "when are we going again!! when are we going again!!" And to me, the risk is only a calculated risk, and definitely not what draws me to the sport.