Who has been sky diving?

[Thespritz0]

I was in the Airborne when I was in the Military... after the 3rd jump it's all the same!

[LurkerNoMore]

Once. Solo - 10K feet.  I was terrified I'd pull the wrong cord. It was amazing and I would've done it again in a heartbeat.  Then I did some research.

And?

Watched the prep video of this and it was quite interesting.  Especially the part where the instructor has to reenforce in the person's head to scream when they jump from the plane.  You would think that would be a given but he said most people forget to.  Said it was important because you needed to exhale the air in your lungs after leaving the plane and before inhaling during the dive or else the coldness would/might cause you to choke and cough.

[Army of One]

oiled up in a sparkly thong?  Just so we keep it bodybuilding related.

Anyone who has been - thong or not - post up.

Supposed to go in a couple of weeks, and truth be told... while I do a lot of flying in airplanes, I am not all that keen about jumping out of them. 

Ive been Muff Diving on your Mom

[Princess L]

And?

Watched the prep video of this and it was quite interesting.  Especially the part where the instructor has to reenforce in the person's head to scream when they jump from the plane.  You would think that would be a given but he said most people forget to.  Said it was important because you needed to exhale the air in your lungs after leaving the plane and before inhaling during the dive or else the coldness would/might cause you to choke and cough.

The safety practices of the club where I jumped, the precision behind packing the chute, the area I was jumping in (lots of obstacles - trees, power lines, etc.), the training, certifications and just the overall professionalism of the team... not highly rated in  the "industry".  

My lines were tangled (which happens 95% of the time) and by the time I untangled them, I was disoriented.  The most terrifying part was remembering which cord was for the main chute, which one was for the cut away and which one was for the reserve.

My jump was PERFECT - landed right on the X - but I was scared shitless during the fall because I thought my radio communication wasn't working and I wasn't sure I was where I should be.  The guy on the ground later said I was doing so well that I didn't need any coaching, but I didn't know it because he wasn't talking to me!  Just a little "hey, you're doing great" would've helped ease the anxiety.

Two weeks later, my jumpmaster was killed in a plane crash.  He and his wife were coming in to a small airport (VFR) and the the conditions changed to where they couldn't see the runway and crashed into a swamp.

The club was shut down shortly thereafter since my jumpmaster was the guy who ran it.

Things have come a long way in terms of equipment and safety since then from what I hear.

http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/SkydivingEquipment/tabid/128/Default.aspx

[Marlo Stanfield]

oiled up in a sparkly thong?  Just so we keep it bodybuilding related.

Anyone who has been - thong or not - post up.

Supposed to go in a couple of weeks, and truth be told... while I do a lot of flying in airplanes, I am not all that keen about jumping out of them. 

I have done it for work... if i had a list of things i hated to do, this is probably at the bottom of the list... theres a second up there that your thinking .." hmm, im sitting in a perfectly fine airplane, and im gonna jump out the airplane with a parachute that im HOPING will open"