Merry Regan

Merry Regan

Jul 18

First jump	I made my tandem in July of 2011. I had a friend who was a tandem instructor and well, I told people at work I would make a jump that summer, so I couldn’t back down.
Jumps	500+
Ratings	None
Future ratings	None
Container	Javelin odyssey. It looks great, is comfortably, allegedly is easy to pack, and I like the design of the container from a rigging/safety perspective.
Main canopy	I fly a pilot 117. Soft, predictable openings. It is not demanding to control in difficult situations but can be fun to fly if I so desire. It gives me a wingloading that allows me to fly in wind/turbulence and get also to get back from a long spot.
Favorite discipline	Relative work (belly flying), Freeflying
Skydiving Training	Jumptown
Most common mistake you see new jumpers make?	I think younger jumps often do things in a hurry — now that they have a license, they are eager to prove themselves and do what every other skydiver is doing. They do not realize that just because they CAN do something now does not mean they should.They might jump in sketchy wind that more seasoned jumpers would sit down in. Or they might think they should buy all new gear right off student status. Or they might start to freefly with 50 jumps and no audible. Or they might decide to 20 way with less than 100 jumps.I did many of these things because my friends were doing them and I thought that I needed to do them too. I think younger jumpers just need opportunities to do things tailored to their skill level and mentors to look out for them and let them know what experience can wait a little longer. The sky will be there tomorrow.