IAD's and Lost in the Wind

[gothsnake 0]

I am very new to skydidving and have done 7 IAD's,
My problem is when I exit the plane, I get blown away by the wind then my chute opens. I cannot seem to do the arch yet. There doesn't seem to be much time. Sometimes I look up & into the relative wind and sometimes not. My jumps are not consistant. I feel I might need about 100 IAD's to get this feeling. I know what I am supposed to do.
It just hasn't happened yet. My last jump, I forgot to look up. Frustrated. Are there many others out there who went through this ?????

[Chrisky 0]

First advice (as always) ASK your instructor, he knows you better than we all do.

IAD=In-Air-Deplyment?
In that case, here's what i think:
If you arch and can look at the plane until the canopy opens, that means you stay on heading. You don't really have enough freefall time to check if your arch gives you a stable position.
You are not blown away, the relative wind picks you up, and if the wind is blowing right into your face until deployment, your flight path is right...

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[marks 0]

IAD= instructor assisted deployment...

you should definatly ask these questions to your instructor...

in my opinion i think you would learn more and learn faster doing aff.... aff=accelerated freefall... if the dz your jumping at doesnt offer this... then i would shop around at other drop zones and see who does... also make sure they are a "uspa" drop zone..

later...


mark./..

[gothsnake 0]

Yes they do offer AFF but you must do a few IAD's first with the proper arch which I am having trouble with right now. I am up to 7 now and some people take about 20 or so. The relative wind is bossing me around at this time. I guess every dz has their own ideas. There are only 2 dz's in my area and they seem to have the same mthods for beginners.

[marks 0]

what kind of delay are you taking.....

i will take a first time jumper on an aff anyday...."with one other trusted instructor.." in the aff program you get 60 seconds or soo to figure it out.... iaf.. well it depends on your delay...

the exit is the hardest part..... your first 10 seconds out the door are definatly the hardest part...

in my opinion.. you get two compatent instructors to get you past that "first 10 sec." then you got 50 seconds to work on the arch in a more relaxed controlled setting.... it still is going by real fast but after the first 10 seconds seems to be when most students.... start to learn.,...

but like i said... these are my opinions and im sure there are pleanty more opinions out there........ talk to your instrucor.. and if you dont like there answere then talk to another instructor......

good luck and i hope you find your way...

dont let these things frustrate you... you will get it....

its like riding a bike... it will click and you will have it for good...

mark

[Remster 24]

Quote

what kind of delay are you taking

there is no delay with IAD (for you yanks, think Static line, but instead an instructor is holding your Pilot Chute and places it in the air flow when the student lets go). The Canadian PFF program requires IADs (or Tandems in some DZs) prior to getting signed of to PFF.

What are you doing on the ground to practice your arch? Muscle memory is a great help. Get your instructors to show you how to do that.

20 IADs would be an awfull lot.... I would suggest you train more on the ground prior to jumping, and do more visualisation to help ya.

And as the others say, talk to your instructors. But on a busy day¯they might not have all the time they would like to have to spend with you, so stick around one evening, or a rainy day.

Remster

[skymama 35]

Welcome to the forums!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[DeNReN 0]

Practice practice practice......use your school's mock up or the plane when it is parked.....ask a instructor to help you(most are eager to help)....go through the entire exit and hang(bending over for the pin check, getting ready at the door, door opening, climb out, and hang) as you are hanging you should be looking right at your instructor(head up) once you get the "go" signal, pop into your arch never taking your eye's off the instructor(this keeps your head up helping to maintain your arch)....hold the arch for several seconds(ARCH thousand, 2 thousand,3 thousand,4 thousand,check right, check canopy). Practice this over and over...making sure to keep your head up and looking at the instructor!!!!!

A few years ago when myself and a few friends took the course and started doing IAD's , our instructor told us to practice our arch...at home, at work and especially while at the DZ waiting to jump(fyi...walking into a bar yelling ARCH then arching will get you some very odd looks) I am sure that once you have practiced on the ground enough, it will be almost automatic when time comes for your next jump.

Good Luck and Blue Skies

[marks 0]

Quote

Quote

what kind of delay are you taking

there is no delay with IAD (for you yanks, think Static line, but instead an instructor is holding your Pilot Chute and places it in the air flow when the student lets go). The Canadian PFF program requires IADs (or Tandems in some DZs) prior to getting signed of to PFF.

hahaha i guess we can all tell how much i was drinking last night...

thats funny....... sorry for the missinfo....

trust me i know better...... for some reason i was thinking progression and that you were past the iad part...

talk to your instructors and let them know your concerns im sure they wioll have a solution for you

[gothsnake 0]

Yes I have done and do lots of ground practice. But it is different up there with the wind & no ground than actually on the ground. I just can't pull it together up there except most of the time I can look Up & turn left. We don't start by hanging on the wing strut but by having the left foot on the step, left hand on the wing strut, right hand on the side of the plane and right foot in the corner of the door then looking right & up and arching as you leave the plane. I haven't got coordinated yet to do all that yet. I can do the climbout then after that I'm a leaf in a hurricane and then I am in the parachute.

[DeNReN 0]

Sorry my mistake...but I think the advise is still good...Head up look at the instructor...pop into and hold the arch.....time for a few more details(as I'm sure you have relized by my profile...I am NOT a instructor!).

Rember..on a "IAD" there isnt a lot of time to be in a arch before opening...if u can do a nice arch standing.......I'm sure you can do one for real reguardless of the exit!(head up, limbs out and thrust that pelvis:P).

If your not advancing......raz up your instructors for the extra help...if you are still not "getting it".try your other local DZ and a hanging exit .....

Once you figure it out and get to FF...it will all make sence.

[MikeTJumps 4]

Ok. I've read the replies to your original posting and you've been offered some good advice. Always ask your instructors for help.

Arch practice. I get my students to stand about 1.5' back from the wall, then lean forward to put their bellies on the wall. Bring the head back and up, looking at the ceiling and the arms out to the side roughly even with the ears (thumbs pointing at the ears).

For a more realistic arch, lay backwards on a huge beachball, 55 gallon drum, or even a big chair and let gravity pull your arms and legs into the basic arched position.

I've also used a partially deflated air mattress and had the students lay belly down in them with the belly touching the floor through the air mattress and the arms and legs supported by the same mattress. Even a huge truck inner tube like we use to go tubing down a river makes a good arch practice device as does a hammock slung between two polls or trees.

So get your instructor to work with you on this muscle memory issue and you'll do better!

_

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[gothsnake 0]

Yes that is true, the arch must be practiced !!!
I do that. It just seems different somehow when you have about a 30 lb chute on your back and have to arch hard into the relative wind. I am just a basic beginner and haven't pulled it all together yet. My jumps are also inconsistant doing some different stupid thing each time, although 5 out of 7 jumps, I was facing the wind and watching the plane. I do get plenty of help at the dz and get told what I did wrong. It seems a matter of getting the brain in gear with the body at the time of exit. It really doesn't look too hard. Hopefully it will
before the 100th Iad. ha ha

[MikeTJumps 4]

Relax and don't panic about your progression.

I know a Board of Directors member who took 40 some odd jumps to clear off of student status!

Mike Turoff
Instructor Examiner, USPA
Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook

[Chrisky 0]

Could somebody please explain the sense of that to me?
If a student had to have a good arch for a AFF Level one (apart from proper ground instruction and examination on the ground), why are there TWO Instructors with him? I went straight to level one (no, not a tandem, no iads, no static line except military t-10), one of my JM signalled "arch more", so i did and it was alright. Took maybe 6 seconds.
I really second that "first ten seconds" idea, because having a dragging pilotchute in the back leaves only a few meters to try and arch. Honestly, i think it's a waste of money for the students imho.
Unless someone could explain the sense to me, of course?

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[174fps 1]

Sounds like they have you do a dynamic exit which is much harder for the student than the hanging exit.
With the hanging exit the student just has to push with the hips and let go.
With the dynamic, the student is in a dearched position
at exit and has to rotate and arch.
All I can say is practice, practice, peractice.
remember chin up = hips forward
Work on muscle memory, one day it will all "click"
and you will be left wondering what the problem was.

Andrew

[ifallout 0]

I have to agree... ask the instructor... also ask about getting some video so that you can learn even more on the ground... I can't tell you how much you can get out of a few seconds of video...

but in the end you will get no better advice than what your actual instructor can give you... he/she knows... listen you will learn

Bill

have fun, love life, be nice to the humans

[freefallfrank 0]

I remember clearly on my jump. I tried so hard in keeping the arch cause the wind sheer was to strong to begin with. I was at 4 500' , took about 2 seconds for the canopy to open. This was IAD. My exit was on the side of the plane, got on a small platform, grabbed on to a bar with both hands, moved out toward the edge of the wing and let go at the same the JM throws the deployment ball... LOL my legs were like running fast motion..