evan15342

When I blew out my ankle 3 years ago, the thought progression ws basicly: Wait, I think I'm ok, it's not that bad. Oh, wait I can't move it, this is bad, golf cart to the office. No, don't cut off the suit, I'm sure it's just a sprain. Oh god, I don't have medical insurance, it better be a sprain. Can someone give me a ride home? Even though it's saturday, I'm sure it'll be ok to wait till monday to go into the student health center for free. Call up friend to borrow set of crutches. On monday, what do you mean I need to sit down in this wheelchair? A chip off of the tibia and a jagged spiral fracture on the fibula? This x-ray looks like a horror show. Are you sure, doesn't hurt that bad. What do you mean I have to wait several days for surgery to let the swelling go down? Two screws and a plate? That doesn't sound so bad. When will I be able to skydive again? Oh God, cellulites hurts worse than the break did! Long story short, I went from starting to get my a license at the beginning of the summer with just enough money left over for a decent used rig to spending all summer with my leg propped up and 10k worth of medical bills. On the up side, I finally am going to have time, money, and a functional body this summer. Sky here I come!

Thanks for all the great responses. A lot of good points to consider. It sounds like my next step is going to be to contact some of the local DZ's and start checking out my options. I think I might start a separate thread asking for advice and opinions on training and gear in general from other big guys.

One of the main reasons I was thinking about trying to get my own gear early is that a lot of the DZ's I've looked at have weight restrictions due to equipment. At 260#, I'm thinking I'm going to need a pretty big main for a while.

Just a bit of back story, a few years ago I tried to go for my A license, did 3 tandem jumps, decided to try AFF, flared a little too early (could have sworn they said flair over the radio), and didn't do a good PLF. This resulted in a very broken ankle, now titanium reinforced. I was out of commission for a while, and then busy and broke. Cut to the present. I just graduated from college, and am moving to DC for my first job. Said job comes with a decent signing bonus, so I'm planning on going for my License again. Here's where my questions come in. 1: Equipment: I'm a big guy. 5'11", 260lb, but in ok shape, no problem running up and down stairs, etc. I'm planning on buying a complete set of gear eventually, so I figure I might as well do so before starting training. Do schools offer discounts if you have your own gear? Also any advice for type and size of gear for someone my size who's not interested in doing any type of fast landing any time soon? I'm hoping I can find a decent set of used gear to start out, more woried about price than looks. 2. Training: I'm thinking my best option would be to do an AFF training course. What's the difference between the A - G categories and the 1 - 9 level? Is there a required or practical limit to the number of AFF jumps you can do in a day or weekend? 3. Location: I'd prefer to do my training at one of the DZ's near DC since that's probably where I'll be jumping most of the time after I get licensed, but Looking at the prices, it looks like it might be cheaper to jump here in NC, and I could find crash space easy for a weekend or two. Any advice or recommendation on locations? Well, thanks for reading, and I look forward to making many more interesting posts in the future.