skydiving advice please?

[Pompidou]

I went skydiving, and I survived. You'll watch a movie, get your half of the harness equipped, and sit on the floor with a few other people in the back of a tiny little prop plane. There probably won't be much room. Here, you'll be strapped to your instructor. In my case, it was highly formalized, and he'll repeat every step outloud. You will be touched near places you probably wouldn't let a guy on the street near, but the straps have to hold you in place.There won't be a door on the side of the plane, but a bay window size opening - maybe the size of a sliding door on a minivan. And it'll have a rollable cloth covering it - think those rollable blinds on windows.

At altitude, they'll open it up, and most likely, the solo jumpers that aren't being guided will hop out ASAP. Then, in my case, I was the first of the tandems to jump. You'll scoot to the edge of the opening. In my case, it was the instructor sitting on the edge of the opening, and I was just dangling. He'll ask you to look up. He'll rock forward and backward twice, and then tumble out.

In my case, we did one and a half somersaults. Your mind will be frozen and you won't really understand that you're 12,000 feet in the air till you flatten out against the wind resistance. In my case, I forgot I was supposed to keep my chin up, and was looking almost straight down. I'm afraid of heights and this was no exception. He nudged my chin up a bit, and I waved to the arial photographer I hired.

It didn't seem like even a minute, though it was, when the parachute opened and we swung to a vertical orientation. He'll unstrap the belts that only mattered when you were horizontal (the ones around your ribs). You'll feel like you're sitting on a swingset. This was unsettling to me. Tight straps were reassuring. I didn't like feeling loosely connected sitting in the air at 10,000 feet or so. At this point I was allowed to grab the steering handles, and after some shyness, I really had us spinning. If you pull down one side it turns you that way. We were really whipping around. I must've been in the air forever, because the old man behind me beat me down by a couple mins.

When it's time to land, you'll lift your legs up as high as you can, so that you can slide to a smooth landing on your bottom. They don't do running landings all the time anymore. I'd recommend dressing warmly. Even when I went in August (August 1st) when it was roasting on the ground, it was frosty in the air. You'll probably be cold. You may or may not be forced to wear a condom hat on your head (best way to describe it). I didn't. Others did. I didn't even get a jumpsuit. I was made to turn in my keys, wallet, cellphone and all the contents of my pockets, because they have a tendency to fly out, apparently. I was given a pair of safety goggles, and you'll want them. When you land, you'll realize just how secure you really were, even when you felt loose. It takes a while to unstrap from the instructor.

There's no feeling in your stomach of a roller coaster. It's almost like you're not moving at all - in the air. The best way to imagine it is being in a hurricane. The wind resistance is insane, and it's incredibly loud. I had my mouth open the whole time and my cheeks and lips were inflated to comic proportions.

Oh, and legally, you will sign and initial a dozen times, a lengthy waiver that you understand that while every effort is made for your safety, that this is a life threatening activity. You waive your kins' right to sue, pretty much. Let me know if you have any other questions. I did it once and plan to go again.

EDIT: It was funny - if I were thirty feet off the ground right now, I'd feel like I was going to die. When I was about 12,000 feet in the air, I felt like I was going to die. But, once we got down to about 1-200 feet off the ground, I felt safe. It was like, "even if the chute malfunctions now, I'm good to go". While in reality, I'd have been a pancake. Funny how the mind works. Every time I watch say, a youtube video where live skydiving is being recorded, I get the same knot in my belly like I did before I jumped. It's still pretty visceral, being the boldest thing I've ever done.

I'd recommend it 100% It's the experience of a lifetime. If you drive a car, then don't use statistics and danger to your life as the reason you shouldn't skydive. We put our lives at risk every single day, and even when we don't, there are a million things that could snuff us out at any minute. Why, I'm not even guaranteed to live long enough to finish this edit. We're all going to kick the bucket. I recommend making sure you live before you die.

EDIT #2: Here's the video of mine - you'll see what I mean. I have a full length video at home, but they put highlights on their site for promo purposes.

http://www.funskydiving.com/videos/show_video.php?video=MATU1220_080109.swf

 

[Bebop]

I think the whole thing hinges on what the individual calls "living". That is a very personal word and always relative to your personal sensibilities. I think it's great to do something you think would make you feel like you are "alive". I think I get that from playing in front of an audience or having people ask, "How'd you do that?" when dealing with dog behavior modification.

I need to drive a car. I need to walk the streets. You are right Pompidou, I might die before this post hits the forum but I certainly don't need to lessen my chances for the sake of "fun". It might be a young, optimistic vs. old, jaded brain thing. Interesting thread.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Ummmmmm

Just say no.

 

[HepKitty]

I'd recommend it 100% It's the experience of a lifetime. If you drive a car, then don't use statistics and danger to your life as the reason you shouldn't skydive. We put our lives at risk every single day, and even when we don't, there are a million things that could snuff us out at any minute. Why, I'm not even guaranteed to live long enough to finish this edit. We're all going to kick the bucket. I recommend making sure you live before you die.

EDIT #2: Here's the video of mine - you'll see what I mean. I have a full length video at home, but they put highlights on their site for promo purposes.

http://www.funskydiving.com/videos/show_video.php?video=MATU1220_080109.swf

Thank you for sharing all that Pompidou, that's really cool. I fully agree that we could be snuffed out at any moment for pretty much any reason. Is that a reason to live in fear of everything and try to hide at home? Where you could drown in the bathtub in 2 mere inches of water? Fires? Or dare you venture out to get a gallon of milk only to get hit by a drunk driver?

Bebop that's true too, we all have different ways of defining "living."

 

[Pompidou]

The funny thing about skydiving is, you're always doing it despite your friends' advice, and never because of it. There wasn't one person telling me it was a good idea. In my case, it only strengthened my resolve. If one is going to skydive, it's never going to be because popular opinion thinks it's a smart idea. It's going to be because you want to be the kind of person that goes skydiving, especially when nobody else will. So, Kitty, do you want to be the sort of person who goes skydiving? Almost nobody gets swayed into skydiving by an enthusiastic populace. It's almost always a defiant act against popular opinion. But, people are skydiving nonetheless. All the cards are on the table, so it's really all a matter of what you want to do. Everything everyone said is what good and rational friends will tell you. Just take your time and decide just how rational you want to be. Skydiving isn't rational. It is breathtaking. Do what feels right.

EDIT: Oh, and for some small reassurance. Skydivers always have two parachutes. The first one, they pack themselves, and like anyone whose life depends on it, they do a damned good job, but the second one - the reserve chute - that only gets used if the first doesn't open - that one is packed by certified professionals. And don't worry about what happens if something happens to your instructor. The reserve chute is programmed to automatically deploy if the main chute hasn't deployed by a certain altitude. It's a failsafe incase the instructor is incapacitated. So, you can rest assured that A: You have a professional with at least 25 successful solo jumps, but often in the hundreds - there's serious testing B: By definition, skydivers pretty much have perfect track records, and C: Even if something goes wrong, you've got a computer keeping tabs on your altitude.

 

[HepKitty]

It's almost always a defiant act against popular opinion. But, people are skydiving nonetheless. All the cards are on the table, so it's really all a matter of what you want to do. Everything everyone said is what good and rational friends will tell you. Just take your time and decide just how rational you want to be. Skydiving isn't rational. It is breathtaking. Do what feels right.

lol well I see no reason to wave double middle fingers at anyone but I figured that most responses would be to the effect of "DON'T DO IT!!!"

EDIT: Oh, and for some small reassurance. Skydivers always have two parachutes. The first one, they pack themselves, and like anyone whose life depends on it, they do a damned good job, but the second one - the reserve chute - that only gets used if the first doesn't open - that one is packed by certified professionals. And don't worry about what happens if something happens to your instructor. The reserve chute is programmed to automatically deploy if the main chute hasn't deployed by a certain altitude. It's a failsafe incase the instructor is incapacitated. So, you can rest assured that A: You have a professional with at least 25 successful solo jumps, but often in the hundreds - there's serious testing B: By definition, skydivers pretty much have perfect track records, and C: Even if something goes wrong, you've got a computer keeping tabs on your altitude.

That's a good thing, taking every possible precaution

 

[MPicciotto]

lol well I see no reason to wave double middle fingers at anyone but I figured that most responses would be to the effect of "DON'T DO IT!!!"



That's a good thing, taking every possible precaution

Earlier I had wanted to say what Pompidou said about the two chutes and the altitude failsafe, I've heard about that from an associate who sky dives. But I couldn't report it first hand.

Sky diving is on my to do list. It's something I really want to experience and I figure its at least as safe as my profession.

Matt

 

[HepKitty]

Earlier I had wanted to say what Pompidou said about the two chutes and the altitude failsafe, I've heard about that from an associate who sky dives. But I couldn't report it first hand.

Sky diving is on my to do list. It's something I really want to experience and I figure its at least as safe as my profession.

Matt

What's your oh-so safe profession?

 

[Mike K.]

Sorry to be a kill-joy, but this thread is not consistent with what The Fedora Lounge is all about.
There are other online forums devoted to this topic and where its discussion would be more relevant.