Well I am preparing (couple weeks)  to go out to www.skydivecity.com and get my license.  OH I cant wait to spend $2000.  Anyways I am just curious if anyone out here hates statistics as much as I do, and loves to fly.  

I went skydiving once in college. (Long time ago)  Sprained my big toe, but it was awesome.  Something everyone should do at least once.

I don't fly anymore (except on my GS ), but i have my glider rating and have flown over a hundred flights and I also have about 40 hours in power aircraft but i'm not current in either now.  

Randy

Talk to Jared. He's done it. Sounded like it was quite the rush too.

 -Anti

I've already done it once.  But am curious how many people on here have.  I think everyone should do it at least once.

I've gone, its an awful lot of fun, though pretty pricey.  Another activity that is inherently dangerous, but can be significantly mitigated with good preparation and careful equipment checks.  Look up the safety record on the outfit/instructors, but the licencing seems to be pretty strict and overall safety generally good.

Start with the AFF (assisted free fall, you jump unattached but have instructors holding on in case you get in trouble while in freefall).  I dove from Cloverdale airport over wine country in Northern California so the views were amazing and the instructors were really good.  Even stood up my first landing  Haven't gotten my licence yet, but I'd like to finish off the jump series when I have some time to go consistently.

... rjs

Man I would love to go skydiving! I've always thought about it. Is it really $2000!?

I paid $240 for my first jump (aff) including all the equipment rental, 4 hours of class, and two instructors jumping from the plane with you.  You need to complete 6 jumps for your license (iirc), though the price goes down to about $120 where I was jumping for the subsequent jumps.  More like $1K overall, but it was a bit far from the city, so cheaper than other options.

its $2000 to get your license.  Just to go jump its only $150 for a tandem. (still a lot of fun)

I've skydived before - and it only cost me 6 years of my life and a war...
I attended Marine Corps Jump School in Fort Benning, Georgia (It's actually the US Army Airborne School, but Marines don't like to make the relation to the Army...hehehehe...).  3 weeks of training making a total of 5 qualifying jumps at different altitudes and 1 "Non-Qualifying" Night Jump ("Whoa, you mean we're jumping at night, Staff Sergeant...with no lights and in the dark?!?!?!?!").  All jumps were static line and between 1200' and a low jump at 500'.  The night jump was at around 1050' I think...and I'm not entirely sure, but I think only Marines do the Night Jump.

I was set to attend the US Army Military Freefall School and then the StaticLine JumpMaster Schools, but the mission of the Marine Corps dictated a deployment instead of more training... humph!

One key point to remember -  SINCE YOU ARE GONNA HIT THE GROUND EVENTUALLY, MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY THE RIDE!



Rolly

I did some skydiving a while back...closest I came to finding God. Floating in the air, without a single reference to how fast you're going makes you feel like you're floating in the air, still and motionless.

Then when you pop the parachute its a different kind of peace. The wind noise is gone and you become aware of the apparatus (parachute, straps, etc.) but the silence is amazing...

Absolutely worth it. Absolutely addicting.

Yeah I did it (AFF- level 1 only...been awhile since I did it.)

I've never felt so alive before or since I did that jump. I was walking around "High" for 2 weeks afterwards (Well I had just bought my brand new F2 a few days before the jump too).

That was in Chambersburg PA- someday I'll go back and do the whole course and get my license.....

No if I could just find that winning lotto ticket...(I'd have to quit working and jump all the time....)....

I went this summer, that plane ride up was the scariest moment of my life.
Damn worth it though, I'll be going agian for sure.

Oh yeah... did I mention it was my first ride EVER in an Airplane??

(The plane ride was cool too)

I did it many many many many years ago when I was about 19.  It's wierd but it seemed at the time like I had to risk my life in order to feel like I was alive.  (don't get me wrong - I don't have a death wish).  I think it's the same reason I ride a motorbike now.

What's life without a bit of risk.  Nothing chanced, nothing won.

It was a very liberating experience and a hell of a lot of fun.

BTW, I did a couple jumps from 3000ft and then an assisted freefall from 10000ft.  If you have the option to get a video, do it!  People are amazed by it because I am a very low key type of person and people can't believe I did that.

Ok I've decided I want to go skydiving for my 21st birthday in January. Anyone in socal recommend a place?

cant say as i have had a desire to leave a perfectly good airplane while it was in flight, i think the hardest part would be getting out the door, I understand  that falling at about 120+mph you almost dont need to breath as the air rushing at you tends to force O2 through the skin, course this doesnt happen above certain ALT.  Now, i dont think i would mind ultralite, or small personal aircraft too much, would love a 2 seater chopper myself. played with a simulater and did well, too bad i couldnt afford the real class.

I am a pilot....I find it hard to jump out of a plane for no good reason.
I have had an engine failure where I had to do an emergency landing on a road (internal engine failure).
What I own:
Private Pilot License
Instrument Rating
Commercial License
Multiengine Rating

I am working on my instructor rating as a speak....and you want to talk about 2,000 being expensive.....try getting over 200 hours in various aircraft....ok bad bad bad being poor thoughts.

Closest I have come is Repelling.  That was fun... that and rock climbing.  Its cool how you can climb on the smallest little bump in the rock.   :mrgreen:
Not sure I want to skydive though.

Tigerstyle,  GO check out www.dropzone.com and lookup dropzones.  You'll find a ton of them in socal.  

BTW I started my training 2 weeks ago and now have 4 jumps!!! wahoo!  I had a scary one on sunday though.   Stood in the door, jumped out w/instructors freefell from 13,500 down to 5000 and I pulled the parachute....one thousand...two thousand....threethousand  looked at my right Jumpmaster.   looked at altimiter 4000' and still in freefall Umm... wheres my parachute!?!?   then it opend.  and I stood up the landing!!!  a little scary but Im going back this weekend.!!  

oh and for those of you that cant "Bring yourself to jump out of an airplane"  its not about being a bad ass, invincible, whatever it is complete FREEDOM!  nothing can touch you, you have no worries, your flying,  then a minute later it feels like someone above you just grabs your shoulders and pickes you up and now your just floating 3-4000' with nothing around you but a slight wind.  It is an incredible feeling.

ps.. you cant osmose O2 through the skin,  just breathe normally through your nose.  and the altitude limit for oxygen (above it you need to pre-breathe oxygen) is ~ 16,000'.

JeffD .. awesome dude!

Great to hear that you took the plung.  I agree with your sentiment .. it's not a macho thing .. you basically have to let everything go .. all your fears ...  everthing.  Very liberating.  That's how I look at it anyway!

Rob