ArizonaStone

Marinus, I have an idea. Come to Arizona for two weeks and stay at the DZ. This is for committing you to the task of obtaining your license. It would be an awful waste of money to do so and then not get your A license. It would also provide you with a fishbowl in which to expose yourself to some of the best skydiving in the world and immerse yourself in the learning process. People here are always willing to help a noob. Last but not least, it will be a great experience, even if you were to not finish your AFF/A license. I know jetting off to a foreign country to do something you are not sure you can do is a risky and expensive venture. Some things in life are best done balls-to-the-wall. I live here in Arizona and am fortunate enough to live an hour and a half from the DZ. I, like you, was nervous before I started. I took two weeks off from work and lived at the DZ for those two weeks. I jumped everyday that the school was open and got my A license. I HAVE NO REGRETS. Believe me, in my mind; I make EVERYTHING more than what it is in real life. I went out there and did it. It really is easier than you think. To be proficient, well that takes time. Get past the fear and be confident. You can do it too. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I have spoken with some people about this same issue and some believe that it's better to use the tunnel in the beginning to learn the proper technique, as opposed to later when you have developed bad habits. My question is, if you can fly stable, then is a little rotation because of an arm or leg really so ingrained in you that you can't correct it later without a lot of training? "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for the feedback. Until I downsize, I won't be able to try the Talon. Hopefully that will be after my canopy course with AXIS tomorrow. I do like convenience (lazy) so I'm hoping RI will be the rig for me. I'll have a chat with Margie. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hey! Your profile says your home DZ is Phoenix. Would I be correct in assuming you mean Skydive Arizona? If so, let me say the 2 LZs do have sufficient space for each side to complete their patterns...if everyone is paying attention. The holding areas get dicey, but when you are at landing pattern altitudes most people have sufficient separation. If you feel you are going to collide with someone, find a clear area and land there. Don't be too set on your approach if it endangers yourself or others. If someone is flying unpredictably, stay away from them. If that messes up your approach, then so be it. As far as picking the LZ with the least congestion. You can do that but be aware the E/W LZ is the preferred LZ for swoopers and if you are inexperienced you may be in a worse spot than if you opted for landing in the desert. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Yes. Simple enough? Seriously though, it depends on your needs. Do you want to be good technically or just jump for fun? Of course being good technically can increase the fun of the jump. The tunnel is not the rush jumping is, but it will help you improve a lot quicker. Again, this comes back to your needs. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I've had the opportunity so far to try an Icon and a G4. A world of difference in terms of comfort. The Icon almost didn't even feel like it was there. The G4 on the other hand hurt my legs on the canopy ride and the chest rings poked into my chest. I guess the G4 is out. As for the Racer. Maybe I'm vain , but it is not as visually appealing to me as some of the other rigs. It would have to be a very comfortable and reliable rig for me to consider paying the 'new' price for it. When I downsize my canopy here in a week or two I am going to try out the Voodoo and Talon. Rigging Innovations is a local manufacturer for me and will probably help in saving time and money on repairs. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for all the replies. It seems I have to just find what I want in terms of options and pick a manufacturer and go with it. Obviously I am going to be jumping as many demo rigs as I can. Off to do more research... "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hi guys! I am sure this has been asked before and if you're tired of such questions and feel the need to tell me to use the 'Search' function, don't bother to reply. I am in the market for my pre-second container. Thought you'd get me on the beer huh? I am going to buy a new rig from the get go as I am in a demo program and have the ability to demo gear before I buy. I will downsize to probably 1:1 before I settle and buy a rig. Before you say anything. Safety is way more important to me than high performance. A broken leg can screw up my career. Okay. I have been researching different containers. The Icon, G4, Infinity, Javelin, Vector, etc. All of them seem to be the same more or less and they all seem to offer the same options. So, my question is, 'What really separates one from another?" I know quality of construction is a big factor, but when talking about the major players; how do you choose one over another? I can jump some of these manufactures' rigs, but in reality, one quality rig seems much like another. Thanks in advance for any useful advice you may be able to offer an overwhelmed newb! "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

To Shawn. When I say close calls, I mean two canopies flying within say 100-200 feet of each other. This may be a large gap to some but as a newbie it was pretty close to me. One of the close calls was not my fault and was due to another student landing against the pattern. We veered out of each others way and all's well that end's well. The instructors comments were directed at our response to what happened. We were flying at each other with a separation of maybe 300 feet and we both moved to each others left. The instructor re-reminded us that we should always turn to the right in those types of situations. More training should be put into this type of stuff, not just mentioning it once in ground school. Another of the close calls was an issue with canopy traffic where I found myself in a bad spot trying to start my pattern and another person had already started their pattern. This was after I got my A. So no one to blame but myself I suppose. I'm not saying that my instructors were bad, but I feel more emphasis should be put into canopy control in student training, everywhere. Sometimes as students we don't know what questions to ask. Some questions are obvious and some are not. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I suspected my barely standing up on landings but doing mostly standup landings remark would draw a comment and I should have corrected it earlier. What I meant to convey was that while I can stand up on most landings I always feel as though I'm just barely doing so. Almost like if my flare was a bit off or the wind changed directions I would end up PLFing. Perhaps it is just being new to the whole experience and not that odd at all. To the other person who commented about instructors being dismissive. I never felt that my instructors were being intentionally dismissive, just that the tandem portion of their operation was more important and thus required more of their attention. Some of my instructors were more attentive and some would run off after landing and get geared up with a tandem or take care of some other business and my debrief was of secondary or tertiary importance. It wasn't just me though, it seemed all the students got the same treatment. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hello everybody! I recently got my A license and since have been going through ideas concerning my advancement as a skydiver. I have done much reading here and in the SIM and have compared it against my student training. I have come to many conclusions; but the one that bothers me the most, due to recent accidents, is the thoroughness of my canopy training. I can barely land standing up and my patterns are iffy at best. Although most of my landings have been standups and I have only 2 or 3 close calls while in the air, I cannot shake my lack of confidence while under canopy. I feel my instructors grossly neglected the most dangerous part of a skydive. To a large degree, I know I can land with minimal pain to myself. However, I feel that there was a lot that was not covered in my AFF/A training that could be an issue if the right situation presented itself. If it was covered, then it was in such a dismissive fashion as to come across as unimportant. Does anyone else feel that they were thrown to the wolves as far as canopy control is concerned? P.S. I am signing myself up for a canopy control course my next trip to the DZ. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hi Adrian! I jump up at Eloy and I have never seen anyone go in the tunnel without a coach; except when people are doing slam jams, but they are all experienced. So you will never really be by yourself in the tunnel. As far as free fall in the tunnel versus in the air is concerned. The tunnel has walls and is a constant reminder of your movements and thus you may be more prone to checking your positioning often. Free fall in the air without another person/point-of-reference, will make you feel like you are doing better than the tunnel but in reality you may be sliding around and not be aware of it to make a correction. The tunnel will make you a better free faller, period. Jumping from a plane will make you a better skydiver overall. Also, when you are in your student phase AFF/A, you may be inclined to think you are very stable when jumping with coaches and instructors. Trust me, they are doing a lot more correcting for a student's sloppy free fall than you can imagine. I just jumped recently with another person who just got their A and we did a lot of chasing each other in the sky. It was a blast, but it did shine a light on the fact that I am not as stable as I thought I was when I was jumping with the coaches. Just something to think about. I for one will be hitting the tunnel more often after seeing how I performed on these last few jumps. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for the help. One of my instructors advised that I should opt for the slim suit. I am hesitant though as I'm not really ready for freefly and I'm concerned that as I am building my skills in RW, wearing a freefly suit could be a hindrance in terms of not having grips. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hello! I was at the DZ this weekend and used a rental freefly suit and it was a bit baggy. When I asked the store clerk why it was so baggy she said that that was how freefly suits are. I have seen many people wear freefly suits that are slim. I have even worn them in the wind tunnel. Initially I thought it had to do with size and drag, etc. Later that day, I saw a person about my size wearing a baggy freefly suit as well. My question is, when is it preferrable to use a baggy suit versus a slim suit? I am a 5'9" 160 lb guy and have been told to wear a slim suit to increase my fall rate. I am confused when I see others my size wearing baggy suits. Am I missing something? "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Congratulations on your AFF! I just finished my A and it was a great time. Let us know how it goes. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hey guys! I just finished my A at Skydive Arizona in Eloy and it ran me $3475. That includes 10 minutes of tunnel time, AFF, 3 solos, 12 coach jumps plus other little odds and ends. If you already have a tandem you can lob $189 off that amount. It is a bit pricey but Eloy has some of the best working there. They have a really great crew of instructors, lots of loads, other services, and a lot of international visitors which I kind of liked. It was a great experience. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I understand your point Ron and I figured that is why they don't like to discuss too much too soon. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hey Kevin! I too jump at SDAZ and I have found most of the AAFIs to be very approachable on questions concerning your learning how to skydive. The only time I have got any attitude from a few of them was when I inquired about future skydives when to them I should have been focusing on my current jump. I don't understand why inquiring about the learning path is a concern if you are comfortable with your current dive flow, but apparently to some, inquisitiveness is taboo. That is my experience so far. Overall, I am quite pleased with our dropzone. The vibe is very positive and they have most everything you need there except a general store. And Square 2 does not qualify as a real general store. I'm heading back up there on Thursday the 24th if this front passes through by then. Let me know when you're going to be there. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I just got back from 3 days in Eloy. I finished my AFF jumps and now am on to the solos and coach jumps. I started out hating the door but now I can't wait to jump again. I love it! Come Thursday I will be back up there and hopefully this front will have finished moving through. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

I'll be jumping in Eloy also. I'll start on the 17th. "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see." -Benjamin Franklin

Hello! I am starting my AFF/A License jumps in two weeks, weather permitting. I jumped a tandem last summer and did some tunnel time but have been putting off the license. Anyway, the time has come and I AM STOKED!