Is it weird to add your first tandem instructor on Facebook?

I had the most awesome first skydive experience a year ago, and it encouraged me to start skydiving which I did! I definitely owe it to my instructor for making it a memorable experience. I have my A license now and was thinking about adding my first tandem instructor on Facebook to tell him, but do you guys think it’s a little weird? Tandem instructors, have you ever heard back from old customers?  

I did tandem videos a couple of years ago and I have some of the passengers on facebook.

I did a tandem in 2009, with 3 friends of mine in a small dropzone in Portugal. 9 years later, after I moved to Germany and started jumping on my own, and I made ~800 jumps, I saw one of the tandem masters on facebook and I added him. I thought it would be cool for him to know that one of his passengers is now jumping often somewhere else.

Not really weird.

Not a TI, but I've been part of putting together a 'first time jump' once a year for a group of people I hang out with. If it happens this year, it will be the twentieth. It's how I got started and there are two of us that actually kept going and became licensed jumpers. After about 6 years, the guy who started it 'passed the torch' off to us. 

We had a few folks who would come out and do just that jump once a year. 
Most were 'one & done'. 
We started off with static lines and eventually went to tandems when the S/L DZs folded. 

I got friend requests from a number of those folks. Usually right away. I haven't seen any of them in person since, but that's ok. They will often 'like' my jumping posts, and sometimes comment that they want to do it again (never happens).

I'd say hit the TI up with a friend request and a message that you did it. Worst that happens is you get ignored.

I have added the guy who did my tandem on FB, however I see him almost every time I am at the DZ.

I never mentioned anything on FB but when were hanging out waiting for our load to board, I mentioned to him that it was thanks to him that I pursued skydiving and the kicker was that my first ever jump - the tandem - we had pretty bad line twists and told me later on we almost had to chop. 

I didn't add him right away tho, it was after having had a few chats with the dude.

Do it. Personally I would be delighted to hear that you did a tandem with me and now you're a qualified skydiver.

I don't mind if students friend request me, especially if they were part of a group that is memorable for one reason or another. Sometimes students wait around for weather, etc, and you get to interact with them longer than usual.

Your situation sounds like something the instructor would be stoked to hear about.

A handful of people friend request me that I take on tandems and I don't mind it, but sometimes I don't accept some of them. I would love to hear from someone that I took on a tandem that started skydiving though.

On a side note, this last summer I took a girl on a tandem and she went home and sent me a creepy message on FB. We have been dating ever since.

On 1/29/2020 at 1:55 AM, skydivel said:

  

Weird to add?

Yes.

Not weird at all to me.  I love when students reach out after they jump with me, and I'm really good friends with a few previous students.

I love hearing from students, especially when they get hooked and licensed.  Awesome to see them compete and turn into record holders and champions.  The absolute best is a couple years later seeing them on the other side of an AFF student.

Aren't your TIs also your AFF instructors and then people you fun jump with when they aren't doing working jumps?  How do you NOT end up friends?