guineapiggie101

Yes they do count. I have jumped over 2 months (due to injury) and was just off AFF. I have been doing tandems lately (done 3) and my instructors told me that they do count, and to log them in my logbook.

You don't have to wait until your membership card shows up to be able to continue with AFF. I didn't sign up for a full membership until I was almost done with AFF. I kinda forgot about it since I was so preoccupied with trying to get through AFF. I think each DZ is different in what they want you to repeat. Talk to the AFF instructors at your DZ, they should be able to tell you better about it than the people on here. Good luck. I struggled with AFF due to personal issues (body size, etc), and it took me 24 jumps just TO get off AFF.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!! It was nice going out to dinner with you guys on Sunday evening.

For now, I plan on doing tandems since they are a lot of fun too. But, does anybody know if tandems can be used as a way for me to get my anxiety under control so I can one day jump solo again? On my 1st tandem back, I did use it as something instructional where I was altitude aware, pulled on time, and even planned out my landing pattern with the help of the TI.

very nice!!!! congrats on AFF 3

Paragliding sounds like fun. I actually thought about giving that a try when I was in Hawaii last Dec.

There is *always* time. The sky ain't goin' nowhere. Very true. I want to do another tandem in a week or so. It's fun.

1. Whats your name? Betty 2. How old are you? 38 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? When I went to Hawaii, I was looking for something fun to do and this seemed fun. Ended up going back to Hawaii again a few months later and doing another tandem 4. Are you single or taken? Married? Married, but it's complicated. 5. Do you have kids? No 6. What do you drive? 2012 Honda Civic 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? No 8. Where do you live? San Diego 9. Do you have any pets? guinea pigs 10. How many jumps do you have? 26 jumps (not including tandems) 11. What color eyes do you have? Brown 12. What is your nationality? Chinese 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? Yes 14. Favorite Movie? not sure 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? stay busy with other things. 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? No 18. Do you have siblings? 1 brother (younger) 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? Italy 20. What's your favorite color? Purple 21. Where was the last place you flew to ( not skydiving )? Maui.

I agree with the others, get video so you and your instructors can see what you are doing wrong. Also, do you have a wind tunnel close by? If you do, go get some wind tunnel time. You can practice on staying stable in the wind tunnel and that will help with stability in the air. BTW, it took me 10 tries to pass AFF 3. I am off AFF status now, but it took me 24 jumps just TO get off AFF. You'll do fine.

Ten tries? That's persistence. And I'm not being sarcastic. :) If it weren't for some tunnel training, I would have probably had to repeat it many times myself. I was a train wreck in my early tunnel minutes. I remember thinking You're all over the place! Flopping around like a fish! And you want to jump out of a plane?! AFF was pretty tough for me. It took me 24 jumps to get off AFF, but it was worth it. I do love being in the sky. I hope your AFF goes by smoothly and that you will have your license soon.

Naw, I just wanted to have fun, so I concentrated on the fun stuff. I still love the sport but I'm not sure what direction I'm going to head yet. There's still time

Finally got the doc ok on Thurs and was able to do 2 tandems this weekend. The first tandem, I did a "working" tandem with my AFF instructor. I wanted to, sort of, get a feeling for what it would be like to get back in the sky, be altitude aware, pull on time, and plan out my landing pattern. 2nd tandem, I just went out and had a blast (the TM did a bunch of somersaults, we spun around in freefall and had a great time). It was nice to be back up in the air. Didn't really realize how much how I missed it. If I had had the funds, I even would have done a 3rd tandem this weekend. Chicks Rock was cool too. I still have to keep the boot on for another 2 months. Just recently started PT, so that's helping with the healing. We'll see what else is in store for me Life is good.

Glad you were able to pass AFF 3. It took me 10 tries to pass AFF 3. I had problems with staying stable.

Were u able to get an AFF or 2 jump in this weekend?

Are extended warranties worth it for a new car?

a USPA bumper sticker

If I do buy a new car, I would keep it long enough to drive it to the ground. Unlike my husband who likes to trade in his car every few years, I like running my car for as long as possible. The car I have now (also a Civic), has almost 300K miles on it and is about 11 years old. I do see the point about the more electronic gadgets I have, the easier things break and the pricier it is to repair/replace. My husband had to replace the navigation system in his car recently and that was pretty pricey.

what's a "roll cage"?

the bolded is very true. It seems the more gadgets you have in your car, the easier things break and the more expensive it is to repair. My first car, I had cruise control and, while on a long drive from WI to IA, I fell asleep while driving (with the car on cruise ) . So, the next car I got, I got it without cruise.

I agree, leather seating does get really hot, even on just "warm" days.

For those of you who would buy a new car, what are the "extras" that you would consider as something you would "need". - sunroof - leather interior - be Bluetooth enabled - built in navigation system - etc..

I had a tib/fib compound fracture 2 months ago. Had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance. Had surgery and spent 3 nights in the hospital. I have insurance through my husband. No reason to lie especially since I was transported to hospital via ambulance. Before I started jumping, I made sure by reading over the coverage carefully, that skydiving injuries would be covered. Insurance was employer provided.

Wolfriverjoe, a "learning tandem" sounds like an excellent idea. I'll be sure to bring it up to the TI when I am able to do a tandem again. Ghost47, I'm not sure how to minimize my inclination towards panicking. The only way would be to take anxiety medication. I find that I tend to overreact a lot.

Ghost, thanks for your introspective post. Yes, I do know what went wrong. My anxiety and over reactiveness caused me to NOT think clearly and make bad decisions that built upon each other. It was a series of mistakes that probably, had I been more experienced, I could have stopped the chain of events that led to the outcome. I went to the DZ yesterday and hung out for a few hours. It was nice to see friends and watch people jump. I had a good time. Hopefully by Chicks Rock, I can do a tandem.

I'm glad I am not pretty enough to compete. Shah, you are quite confident in yourself. In a way, that is a good thing too.