Skydiving Thread

Anyone ever skydived? What was your experience? Pictures welcome!

I completed the first of my training to become USPA certified over the weekend. I just have 2 more Tandem Jumps, then an Accelerated Free Fall, and finally a class (Plus test).

 

I did when I was in the Navy at my Airborne unit. My favorite jump was over Key West with the beautiful views of the water and islands. Unfortunately no photos.

 

Your tax money paid for my training.

have 35 jumps in but none combat

14 dope on a rope.
I still count those though

When I first started the Sgt told me to jump or he was going to fuck me in the ass.

I told that story and someone asked me if I jumped.

I said "A little at first."

 

My first jump was in 1995 out of Hollister, CA - tandem jump out of a DC-10 at 15,000 ft.

The best damn feeling a living human being could ever feel!!! No sensation of falling, just lots of air going by you at 180mph!!

This jump made me decide to take up skydiving. I started taking my steps to go solo from California City. At one point I sprained my ankle landing on a pile of cactus that they cleared from the drop zone! I actually had to stop because my new career kept me from doing a jump every 30 days. Then back issues kept me from going back, but I would recommend everyone going at least once! In total I did 9 jumps.
I will hunt around for pics, this is when they were still printed ya know! lol

 

I made my first jump (tandem) last year. Was asked by my close friend’s son to go with him for his 18th birthday. Amazing experience. No sense of “falling”-just pressure on the chest. I’d gladly go again.

 

Only once. Perris, CA in 1991. Accelerated free-fall. 5 hr class then jump from 12,500’. 2 guys holding onto jump suit on either side steadying me. Pulled my own rip cord at 5,000’.
Very exciting.
You get the chance, go for it.

 

Scares the living shit out of me! But that also makes me want to do it! My hands and feet literally started sweating the moment I said it!
My wife is very over protective of me and doesn’t want me to do it. No street bikes either. Something about not being able to live without me... geeze talk about a Debbie downer.

 

Statistics are on your side! You are more likely to be injured in a traffic accident!

 

I hear you brother! I wanted to sky dive before the kidney donation but it was too much of a risk because a life was depending on it. Now that the kidney donation is done, the Doctors dissuaded me from jumping. A hard blow to my kidney would be critical and my wife just gave me the look...then she said, "stick with the truck"!

 

Even what could be considered a "soft opening" on the parachute can give you about 2g's of force upon opening..

 

I don’t know if I’d do it again now, being older. But to have done it once while young was good. A week before me and a buddy jumped, a plane crashed on takeoff, 7 dead, that made us have second thoughts. You sign a ton of waivers.
I was amazed at how many people were into it. Bunch of girls jumping in little thong one piece suits too. There was a pool, pro shop, bar/grill.

 

I'm not ok with heights!! It's that first step and already knowing how fun it is, got me to hold on to the side of the plane and let goooooo
That falling, roller coaster feel sucks, but you won't get it skydiving!

 

It is the ultimate adrenaline rush!!! And legal!

 

I’m not too excited about heights either. But weirdly, I love roller coasters! I guess in my sick twisted mind, stuff that scares me, makes me want to do it. Although I’m deathly afraid of skydiving. Oh, and jumping off of rocks into water. I have this vision I’m going to slip and hit the back of my head LMFAO

 

My first jump I took the 6 hour class so I could jump solo. That class was so boring. But I refused to have another man's penis so close to my ass on my first jump so I didn't want to jump tandem. 2 instructors jump with you and they drop next to you, but they never touched me or held me in any way. During the freefall, they make you practice the motion of pulling the cord and balancing. This kind of ruined the jump because you're so busy doing all that stuff, you don't get a chance to see the earth fast approaching and don't really get to enjoy the fall. If I had to do it over again, I think I would jump tandem on my first jump and really enjoy the fall.

One funny thing is, once you pull the cord, you have to hold onto the handle and bring it down with you. I forgot and let it go. You have to pay like $20 or something if you let it go and lose it. One of the instructors chased mine down and caught it in midair. Fricken awesome. So I bought him a case of beer afterwards.

 

This is in plans for me later this year or next... As stuff slows down at work I can start to do more of the things I want to do...

Probably spending some weekends at dz...

 

I’ve only done 1 tandem jump, and it was amazing, loved every second of it! If I get another chance, I’ll definitely do it again!

 

5 Static Line(Hollister, CA) and 2 Solo Freefall (YOLO, CA) in 1988. Thought I was done until daughter reminded me that I promised to take her skydiving when she turned 18. Tandem was a blast only got her the pics though.

 

I have video of my first jump, tandem...but it’s on VHS tape

 

Too funny. I HAD a vhs recording of mine. It didn’t make the move in the divorce. Haha. Played to dream weaver.

 

The song playing on my video was Tom Petty - Freefallin. Of course, only appropriate song to have!

 

Had the chance when my dad was alive. He was a green barrette and had his log book to 99 jumps saved the 100th one for my brother or I to go . But my sister was eager to do it and we where not. I still dont have an issue with staying on the air plane to get back.on the ground. Now of the plane is going to crash that's much different. haha

 

The place I jumped let you take a ride as a passenger and sit next to pilot or strapped in near exit. I was with pilot but as last one jumped out pilot turned the plane to follow a few down. That was awesome to see! Got to keep up and saw a couple who did formations! As exciting as being out there!

 

Sounds fun. My dad had owned a private air plane for like 10 yrs when I was a kid he would take me on trips alot. It was alot of fun. I love watching the sky diving just not sure about it. Lol

 

Did 1 tandem jump , we had a bad steering cord/cable and had to cut away and go to the back up ..... that was interesting one minute you're enjoying floating quietly then you start falling forward on your face then pop back up and start floating again . Wild 1 and done .... it was fun

 

That doesn't sound very fun for a first jump!

 

My first jump was in 1971, way before they had tandems. Anyone who wanted to get into jumping had to be trained for static line back in the day. Very active during the 70s, went from modifed military stuff to a Para Commander to the squares. Got my Jumpmaster and Instructor ratings and taught for awhile. I had a wild time - rock concerts, TV commercials, air shows, night jumps, water jumps, jumped from balloons, helicopters and dozens of piston aircraft. High jumps (18,000 ft.), hop-n-pops. Did a cross-country where we exited and opened at 13,000 ft. six miles upwind of the drop zone and just cruised on in for about 15-20 minutes.

My last jump was in 2006. Lived too far from drop zones and I had depth perception issues which would require corrective goggles. I just hung it up after about 800 jumps. Only one partial malfunction on my 101st jump, 26' navy conical reserve opened fine, landed with no issues. No real injuries except getting skinned up and mildy bruised from time to time. Landing under modified military rounds with an 18 ft/sec. descent rate had injury potential unless you did a good PLF (Parachute Landing Fall). I got drug a few hundred yards once when the wind kicked up about the time we exited.

With the modern squares (my last main was a Stiletto 150), you could flare and land barefooted (and many did) if you wanted to.

A few pics:

1) Suited up for my first jump 2) Descending under full canopy 3) Me doing a final gear and safety check on my good friend before his first jump that I trained him for:



Descending under my Competition Para Commander:



Group jump at Byron with my latest rig on (I still have it) in the early 2000s. I am at 11:00 in the black/orange:



Sport parachuting is the coolest sport on planet earth. I had more fun than I deserved and have millions of great memories and lots of stories to tell my kids.

Dan

 

It looks like great fun, but I will leave it to the professionals.

 

Went once with a friend around 1979. It was solo with a static line. I loved it but never went again. An interesting thing about it, my buddy had never flown in a plane before. So for some time after that he could say he took off in a plane once and never landed in one. I do have a b&w photo of me about to let go, I’ll see if I can scan it

 

Took a photo of the photo