Any Skydivers Out There?

“I finally took the plunge, literally, and jumped from a perfectly fine airplane. I did a tandem jump with Emerald Coast Skydivers. It was one wild ride that I would encourage any and all to experience. Anybody else out there with a deathwish?”

“Amazing, isn't it? My first jump was last December and I still get a natural high just watching the DVD. I liked it so much that an hour after I landed, I was suiting back up for jump #2.

Did you get pictures?”

“Not me!”

“I got a dvd and a vhs of the experience. I will have to say that it ranks as the wildest experience I've had lately. I went into it knowing I'd only jump once. Scared? You bet. I had to find out what it was like.”

“Like that bumper sticker says .....

If you don't usually succeed on your first try, maybe skydiving isn't for you !!”

“I did it 30 years ago before they did the tandem thing. They put you trough 2 days of training learning how to jump off a 6 foot step ladder onto a piece of 8" foam then into a pebble rock pile to learn the 7 point landing. Then they hooked you up to a military style parachute, straped a two way radio to your chest so the could help you learn how to stear the thing and pushed you out of a plane. I did it 3 times and then my friend got hurt so I had to take him to the hospital. He survived with a sprained ankle. I remember how quite it was once you got out of the plane. I didn't know you could have adrenalin running trough your finger nails. Do it while you are young and have no fear. You will never forget it.”

“One of those list of top ten things to do before I kick it!”

“got 50+ on the books but havent been in about 10 years. Miss it. Call me an adrenaline junkie.”

“Never done it, but have been up in the plane when everyone jumped out. The plane ride down may have been scarier than actual skydiving. lol.”

“Outamatches and i share similar time frames here. My 3 jumps were 31 years ago in Zephyrhills, Fla. I joined the University of South Florida parachute club when I was 19. it cost 40 dollars and 6 dollars per jump. You would probably spend more in gas these days getting out to the airfield.

Anyway, we had classes on Monday, wednesday and Friday nights and the first jump was Saturday morning. I will never forget those jumps. Steppenwolf is right. It is an amazingly unique experience!

Some true facts from that week:

There was picture on the front page of the St. Pete Times a few days before the jump of a fast malfunction (streamer) out west somewhere with the guy plunging to his death. (good thing for the adrenaline and bravado that coarses through the veins of a nineteen year old!)

Also, the president of the parachute club packed my chute for me. He placed the inner pack upside down and backwards. Good thing I noticed these cords that "weren't supposed to be there." Needless to say, I wasn't too confident in his ability to pack a chute.

There was no tandem jumping either, so when I jumped, and the static line pulled, I looked up and the canope was beautifully well rounded, just like it should be. Pleased as all hell, I began to pull the toggles and steer myself all over creation. There was a guy who stood on different points of the circle near the wind sock on the ground. We started at 3500 feet and when i got close enough to the ground (about 2 1/2 minutes), I tried to remember what to do in relation to where he was standing on the circle. I effed it up royally and landed about 100 yards from the target circle, right in the brush and sand spurs. I also did not execute my landing very well and fell on my ass. But, I had this huge grin on my face from ear to ear. i was so damned happy that nothing mattered. Except of course, that I kissed the ground, thankful to be in one piece!

Probably the least forgetful experience of my life!”

“30,00 feet at night with oxygen....but that was 25 years ago.....I have common sense now.....”

“How many jumps did you have to do to get to go up that high, ST?”

“HALO/HAHO training is at Dugway PG Utah...28 Jumps in the course...”

“Forgive my ignorance. Are we talking military here?”

“you can do it civilian, but DAMN...

200 Jumps to get a class "D" license before you qual is a tough standard to meet ...”

“You ain't kiddin', my friend!

As far as my limited experience, you needed at least 5 static lines just in order to freefall. I got a little freaked out on the last jump. This pilot was a bit of a hot dog and was playing a few too many games with the plane for my taste at the time. So, it wasn't the best of the three jumps. I decided to call it quits there..”

“to earn your jump wings, then you went to an Airborne unit where you really learned the ropes...then it took being a member of a LRSU/Ranger/SF unit to get a slot at HALO school....(At least back then it did...).”

“The only way I'd jump out of a perfectly good airplane (maybe) if it was on fire. Otherwise, they'd have to throw me out & i'd be taking crumpled pieces of the plane with me.

Not sure if I'd scream on the way down or just have a stroke. If I lived, I'd be an evil bastard to those responsible.”

“The purpose never was clear to me until I was handed a 65 lb pack and told..."WE'll be 40 klicks that way..." while the rest of the unit trooped off to jump from the plane...30 seconds to the ground....hump or jump....it's just another way to get somewhere....”

“That reminds me of soemthing:

The weight of the packs. I don't know what they use now. but, those suckers were HEAVY!!!”

“My goal was to get my Jump Wings and my Mile High Club Wings all at the same time. I was more flexable back then.”

“In my youth, I jumped twice as a civilian taught by an ex-paratrooper with 700+ jumps to his credit.

(Also, I met an F4 Phantom pilot on a ski lift in Colorado and told him about the jumps. He shook his head sadly and said,

"I could never understand why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft.")

Both were solo,static line jumps.

Three weeks of ground school THEN the jump and only AFTER you passed practical and written tests.

Last question on written test:

Where do you stow your static line after a jump?

My answer: Where you stow your static line is no longer a concern to you. If you have it with you, your femurs are up near your ears and you have no further cares.

Instructor wrote....Riiight!!!

That said, I now consider sport parachuting to be one of the ultimates in narcissism and self-absorption especially for those who jump who are parents akin to the legends-in-their-own-minds parents who seek the rare thin air of the Himalayas because seeing their kids grow and BEING THERE for them is too boring and "mundane".

Final note: I have the GREATEST of respect and admiration for those who jump in service to their country be they Airborne, Delta, SF or SEALs.”

“Guess I don't rate with this mook!”

“I was not a parent then. I was only 20 and was fearless. It was the greatest natural high I ever experienced. I don't think it is any more "narcissim and self-absorption" than backpacking in bear country with a PBJ in your back pack.”

“You are correct, Out! There's always someone like this guy in every crowd.

This thread wasn't started to listen to someone strut his stuff about the military and put down those that aren't a part of it. Take that BS for what it's worth. not much!”

“Tree,

You missed the point.

The military jumps for a living and for a cause greater than self. This most definitely separates them from sport parachutists.

Outamatches, I too was not a parent when I jumped. I was 19. My folks declined to watch me then.
I did not understand then but I CERTAINLY understand now.

If given the choice to do it all over, I would NOT have jumped as a civilian as I, now view the "young me" as very selfish and in search of the "next thrill."

There ya go.”

“This might be as good a place as any for my ad. I hope you don't mind.

FOR SALE: Parachute, never opened, used only once, slightly stained.”

“Well, I would do it all over again. Bleieve it or not, statistically, I don't believe this is the most dangerous thing one can face in their lifetime. Steppenwolf was elated over his accomplishment and you went and pissed on it with the military grandstanding, which really had no place here. There's plenty of that on TT. Why don't you apply it where it's appropriate?

No, YOU missed the point!”

“"This thread wasn't started to listen to someone strut his stuff about the military and put down those that aren't a part of it. " - TB

FYI.

1. SW asked if anyone else did this.
2. SW is in the miliatary and recently spent a year in Iraq.”

“Sounded like a civilian jump to me. What don't you get here, DH?


You're also leaving out the part about any non-military people doing this being narcissistic,and such. How do you figure that into SW's feelings about what he did?
last edited: 6/29/05 9:46:26 AM”

“I'm not picking a fight. His jump was civilian.”

“Again, tree, you missed the point.

Sport parachuting is an elective risk.

A paratrooper assumes a required, objective risk in the performance of his duties every time he jumps.

For the record, my statements were not intended to be grandstanding.

That is your perception.

Remember the words of Gustave Flaubert:

"There is no truth, only perception."

Peace (with eternal vigilance) out.”

“Ok, H. Good quote. But, remember also:

Reactions are the result of the perception. Don't underrate it. Your view of those of us being narcissistic is also "perception." I might say to you that you shouldn't drive an SUV that haas a tendency to roll over easily. That's also elective choice.

Peace out to you also, my friend!
last edited: 6/29/05 9:58:45 AM”

“Good point, Treebeard!

"Reactions are the result of the perception."

So, I will expand a bit:

What is the draw for sport parachutists or Himalayan mountaineers for that matter?

It is perhaps meeting both external and internal (meeting fear) challenges and the thrill of it all.

Point of clarification: I still do consider sport parachuting and himalayan climbs especially by parents to be a very selfish activity. It is an elective activity that can create great harm to a child if a parent dies. The parent is NOT required to jump or climb.

Case in point: Alex Lowe who chose to climb in Himalayas as parent of three and died.
His widow married one of his climbing buddies so the scenario of abrupt loss of a parent has a good chance (1/10) of repeating itself.

Case in point2: A friend of mine, who is a superb outdoorsman was climbing Liberty Ridge (a very advance route on Mt Rainier). He was a young father of two at the time. He told me later he had his "epiphany" up there. He asked himself,
"What the H*LL am I doing here???"
He immediately descended. His climbing buddy to his credit understood and offered no complaint.

However, that does not mean I believe all who engage in said activities to be inherently selfish. I do consider it a lapse in judgement re what is "important" in life.

Btw, should you ever knock on my door, treebeard, I would shake your hand and
say that lunch is on me!

I have much appreciated our exchange and have learned from you.

Thank you!”

“Points well taken! And I would reciprocate in the same fashion to you!

That said, I do see what you say. Like someone above said, I was one of those "indestructible" young kids of nineteen when I jumped. Jeez, I couldn't look to the future and evaluate life in those terms if my life depended on it! lol!

I can think of one example that aapplies to what you said here, though. while back, my wife and I were out on a hike with some folks. One of them was someone I had never met before. He was a pilot. He mentioned something about taking us up in his plane. I would be lying if I told you that the thought of going up with someone, whose credentials I have no clue about, made me a little nervous. And, yes, I thought of the possibility of that horrible, tragic possibility of what my kids would suffer through if the worst were to happen. So, your thoughts do not fall unheeded to me. Perhaps I have finally grown up? :)”

“I geuss I cant post about my jumps since they were in the military and that would be grandstanding...”

“buck you are so stupid. LMAO

Sky diving is on my list of things I wanna do before I die. I am scared of heights, so it's way on the bottom of my list. LOL”

“I saw a bumper sticker this morning, made me laugh


"SHUT UP AND JUMP"

thats what everyone would be saying to me. well that is if I ever got up in the plane in the first place.”

“On the contrary, birch. I'd like to hear what you have to say!”

“Ummm.....dude....like....no skydiver here....i'm a Muff Diver....”

“EWWWWWWW bad strat.”

“That's a noble calling, Straty!”

“I hated every jump after my first. The first was cool since it was new (dont get me wrong I was scared) after that I dreaded loading up into the battered old c-130 that I would fly around in for 2 hours while smelling burnt JP4 and then we'd do tight race tracks (real tight circles allowing all of us to jump in a short time period) that were slow for a few secs while the first pass was done, then we'd bank and accelerate hard and repaet till we (all the jumpers)were gone. Plus we did this at night at about 1000ft. Not fun at all. I would try skydiving though.”

“I was saving up to skydive once.

Then my vehicle's rack & pinion went out on me and then so did the money.”

“Such heated discussions. My son, Randy, went and jumped last Wednesday with a bud. Why, he has always craved a thrill, and after seeing my video of my jump, well, he was busting to take the plunge. Bad pun intended.
I have this list of different activities to attempt before I assume room temperature and making one jump was high on the list. My wife and I raised four kids to adulthood; none are in jail (fingers crossed). I did the war thing, maybe again one day. Crazy as it sounds, I wanted to have the experience there too. Hell, I've been a fireman for about 25 years. What was hardest? Raising the kids!”

“civilian skydiver and military freefall instructor for 18 years. Enjoyed every minute of it.”