Question about AFF

[joshm 0]

Hi,

I've done a few tandems over the last several years, but now I'm signed up for an AFF course starting at the end of the week.

I know this question is stupid, and makes me look like a wuss, but I'm going to ask it anyway: During the day I'm fine, but at night, in anticipation of the course, I have trouble sleeping, and I get very nervous, thinking "What the hell do I need this for?" So, I think about cancelling, but I know if I cancel I'll regret it, because ever since my last tandem skydiving is all I can think about.

Is this normal? Is this a sign that I shouldn't do the course, or just typical pre-AFF jitters?

Thanks,

Josh

[Babi 0]

Hi Josh

I am pretty new in this sport as well. I only have 15 static line jumps and I've had those exact thoughts between jumps. So I said O.K. I won't do it any more. I got so depressed that I changed my mind right back again.

I experienced lack of sleep, but only after the jumps and only after the first few times.

Good luck on your AFF.


Natasa

[joshm 0]

Hi Natasha,

Thanks. It's daytime where I am right now (Israel), so once again I'm excited . When do you start the free-fall part of your course?

Josh

[BIGUN 1,233]

It's perfectly normal. You don't become abnormal till after about the first 100 jumps.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[joshm 0]

Thanks dude. It's still daytime here, so all systems are still go. The night sweats will start up again in several more hours, I guess .

[Orange1 0]

Hi Josh

fear is normal! do a search, there are lots of threads about it. we have all had to overcome it! you will find some people with hundreds of jumps who still get scared when they go up

b'hatzlachah!

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[skymama 35]

Welcome to the forums! I finally got over that type of fear but I still get a tingle in my stomach sometimes, especially when it's been awhile in between jumps. So, go for it if you really want to knowing that others have gone through this too.

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

[joshm 0]

Wow, thanks for all the support
I do the ground training on Wednesday, and then I either start my jumps on Thursday or Friday. I'll keep people updated as the course progresses.

Blue Skies,

Josh

[daniel_owen_uk 0]

EVERYONE has fear, if you don't well there is something wrong with you, it's there to assist you in taking precautions.

Once you get a few jumps in your brain will realise that you don't have all that much to fear.

Have fun :)

__________________

BOOM Headshot

[lowpole 1]

It's the people that have NO fear that you need to keep an eye
good luck with your AFF

Darwin's Watching!

[joshm 0]

Thanks. Tomorrow I start the training (just ground school, jumps start either Thursday or Friday). I couldn't convince any of my friends to do the course with me, so I'll be doing it by myself. So, I regard you guys as my cyberspace "support group," which means I'll be sending in posts to this thread with updates as to how the course progresses
Blue Skies,

Josh

[joshm 0]

Hi,

Well, I finished the ground school today, but I don't start the jumps until Friday. It went by pretty smoothly. It definitely feels different actually wearing the rig on your back than being attached to an instructor. Going through the emergency procedures also made me pretty nervous, I have to admit. I guess I have to jump with the assumption that I will need to use the reserve on every jump. All you can do is hope that your training kicks in properly, and you don't do anything stupid (like panic!) when you're up there .

I think anyone who goes through AFF (or any jump course, for that matter) has a certain "iron strength" in their character that very few other experiences (the army, maybe) can test.

Later,

Josh

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

... I guess I have to jump with the assumption that I will need to use the reserve on every jump.

No guessing...do that. Do NOT become complacent.

Quote

All you can do is hope that your training kicks in properly, and you don't do anything stupid (like panic!) when you're up there .

Your emergency procedures...
Practice, Practice, Practice...every day, every jump and then practice some more.

You are going to LOVE it. Don't forget to smile!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[daniel_owen_uk 0]

Like pops says, if you practice enough, it's not a case of will I remember, will I do it in the right order etc. it's just flip the autopilot switch and do what the training says.

__________________

BOOM Headshot

[RopeJunkie 0]

Fear is the most normal thing. You'd have to be a complete lunatic to not be nervous about jumping out of a plane first time on your own. I mean, really, it's not exactly a pedestrian activity is it?! :-)

That being said, fear is your friend. It keeps you on your toes. Think about controlling fear, not trying to be fearless. Expect to be a terrified. It's normal. Certainly not something to worry about. :-)

I have only done a few static line jumps and a couple of freefalls, but already I look forward very much to jumping. I'm not nervous riding up in the plane anymore, but I still get a bit nervous when the engine cuts, the door opens, and you get that whaft of hot air and fuel smell in the cabin, and your like, "it's time to get off my butt". :-)

On my first jump attempt the plane broke, and we had to postpone the lift, and I was like, "phew, thank &%$£ for that" 'cos I was proper cacking myself. Just recently, we had some flap problems on a C182, and we had to postpone a lift again, only this time I was severely dissapointed, a reaction I had not expected, but one that I welcomed :-)

First couple of jumps can seem like a bit of a chore to overcome the fear, but it DOES get a hell of a lot better and loads more fun, so stick with it. :-)

I guess it's just something you slowly get accustomed to. Being around a dropzone, being around planes, jumping out of them. :-)

Don't be discouraged by fear. You know roughly what to expect, since you've done tandems before. So, perhaps a lot of your fear is about "passing the test" and not screwing anything up. Trust your instructors and most importantly yourself. Keep a positive mental attitude. Think about all the great feelings you will have and I'm sure after your successful first jump you will be gagging to get back to do the next one.

I know, I had a gentler introduction to learning to skydive, as static line gives one a softer progression. But you should feel confident in your abilities after training. You should trust the robustness and the simplicity of the design of the equipment you'll be using. And the best way to belay anxiety is to not stop asking questions. Ask your instructors all the questions you can possibly think of, even the silly ones. :-)

Have a good 'un. :-)

G. :-)

[joshm 0]

That's the plan
Take care,

Josh

[joshm 0]

Hi guys,

Sorry for the hiatus, I was mentally preparing myself for the jumps today. I did two jumps today: The first was a tandem where I had to do the practice touches, etc., and pull the ripcord. It went pretty smoothly, except on the landing I flared too high and ended up doing a PLF with the tandem instructor on my back! No one was hurt, and it turned out to be a minor miscommunication: My instructor told me to flare a bit sooner than I should have, because she didn't expect my flare to be so hard.

The second jump was the equivalent of an AFF 1, which went really smoothly. All I can say is, WOW!!! Anyway, the adventure continues tomorrow, so hopefully things will go as well as they did today.

Take care,

Josh

[RopeJunkie 0]

Flairing too high is what EVERYONE does for at least their first couple of jumps. :-)

It's harder than it looks to judge the height. I found the best/most usefull bit of advice I got from a lot of people was to look forward at a downward angle, not down at your feet. It's almost impossible to judge the height looking straight down. Looking forward makes it easier, as well as helping you to avoid hazards of course. :-)

My last two jumps I think I just got the hang of it now. Of course everyone get's muddy sometimes. :-)

G. :-)

[lowpole 1]

think of it like exhaling a breath ( if your on a straight in aproach ) flair,flair,flair. from the time you start your flair to finish it should be 1 smooth motion. And don't look @ your feet , pick something on your horizontal line of sight.
It only get's consistent with more jumps so, bruises heal and get some jumps in!

Darwin's Watching!

[juggalo 1]

this is not about you.
this is for the others that post with bogus info
brew


For all of you that post with some bogus license or other BS name or experience !!!@#@# off
I post under juggalo and my profile is accurate!!
If you can't then don't post cause you don't count!
brew
Waving off is to tell the people on the ground to get out of my landing area

waving off is to tell people to get out of my landing area

[juggalo 1]

Whats the worst that could happen? DEATH??
just kidding you wil be fine its normal to be scared
I'm afraid of the student thats not afraid!
peace
Rev. brew
i'll pray for you in my religion of choice

waving off is to tell people to get out of my landing area

[ngawang01 0]

I do not get to jump regularly, so everytime I get a little anxious for the first jump of the day. Then is O.K. To judge better the flare altitute I fly full speed and look forward to the spot I think I will land and then when I get to distinguish and see clearly the grass blades(on the ground) on the corner of my eyes I do a full flare. It works all the time for me (98% stand up soft landings). I prepare myself to PLF on every landing though.

"Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I". pf

[dontbounce 0]

ME TOO! I didnt want to be the first one to say it... I was nervous and excited. My first tandem, I thought I was going do die of heart attach the entire 4 hours before the jump. My first AFF Jump, I thought I would never sleep again. My Second Aff Jump, it was still pretty bad, but not as bad as before (I went to work that night), and I was bale to sleep in the same 24 hour period. It gets easier the more you do it.

The most important thing you can do is rationalise it in your head. Stay calm on the jump. I can't stress this enough. As long as you are able to stay cool on the jump, that is all that is important. Avoid stimulants the day of the jump (Coffee, Cigaretts, Medications, etc) and it helps a lot.

Skydiving is all I think about anymore too. :) Just ask my wife, whats-her-name. I saw her just a few weeks ago... LOL

If it is true fear that makes you want to quit, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and decide if you are willing to be beaten by your fear, or or you going to push through it.
Welcome!

[popsjumper 2]

Ever hear of the pucker factor?
That's where you're so scared your asshole puckers up real tight.

On a scale of 1-10, my first jump (static line '77) had a pucker factor of about 250......It wasn't until many several jumps later that I got the pucker factor down to a somewhat manageable level. Pucker factor now is about 3-5

.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[RopeJunkie 0]

You read these? Probably not if you're jumping in the states. Reckon they're a really good resource for students wherever they jump though. :-)

http://www.bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/chmanual.pdf
http://www.bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/cpmanual.pdf

Quote

I do not get to jump regularly, so everytime I get a little anxious for the first jump of the day. Then is O.K. To judge better the flare altitute I fly full speed and look forward to the spot I think I will land and then when I get to distinguish and see clearly the grass blades(on the ground) on the corner of my eyes I do a full flare. It works all the time for me (98% stand up soft landings). I prepare myself to PLF on every landing though.