Melissa126 0 #1 July 8, 2010 Hey everyone! I signed up and am starting my AFF on Saturday! I've had 4 "working tandems"... I kept doing them until I got more comfortable being in the air, and I think I'm finally ready!!! Biggest fears: (1) knowing when to cut away and when to try and fix (2) landing (i'm much more a fan of freefall than the whole canopy thing). Hopefully I'll be able to get my first four jumps in within the month then save up a little and finish! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluetwo 0 #2 July 8, 2010 That's cool!! ....I'm actually kind of the opposite of you. I started on static line so the canopy ride was really the highlight of my first few jumps and now free fall is a whole NEW thrill. It was strange going out at higher than 3500 feet for me the first free fall but they say that if a free fall student jumps at 3500 feet it feels way too low for them. Ha ha... _______________________________________ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jim_32766 0 #3 July 8, 2010 Congrats on starting AFF. You sound like you are well prepared and will do very well. Let us know how it goes!The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #4 July 8, 2010 Thanks guys! I'm excited. The weather looks a little iffy for Saturday, if ater ground school it's too rainy to jump do they jump the following day instead? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #5 July 8, 2010 Quote The weather looks a little iffy for Saturday, if ater ground school it's too rainy to jump do they jump the following day instead? They'll send you up whenever the rain stops, they find a hole in the clouds and will be able to fill the plane. Sometimes, skydivers end up doing stupid human tricks because they wait around so long for the skies to clear. My advice with that is to watch but not participate. 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMTJUMPER 0 #6 July 8, 2010 NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS THAN BOARD SKYDIVERS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendor1369 0 #7 July 9, 2010 Hello Dont worry about when to fix and when to cut, you will know. All the EPs will be taught to you. Welcome to the Sky, have fun.John - D.S 1313 "I'll jump it, Np. It's all good" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airathanas 0 #8 July 9, 2010 Good luck! Trust your instructors and trust yourself! http://3ringnecklace.com/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangiapane85 0 #9 July 10, 2010 Well? So how did it go? I'm pretty excited to hear how it goes. I was following your other thread for a bit, nice to know you're finally moving on from the tandems! -FEAR IS TEMPORARY...REGRET IS FOREVER! -"People living deeply have no fear of death"- Anais Nin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #10 July 11, 2010 After waiting out the clouds ALL day, I got my jump in. Passed. LOVING life right now. Going tomorrow for the next two!!! My biggest fear ended up being my biggest problem - landing. I was a little lost up there, had a sliding butt landing in the wrong area of the dz, but no injuries. Everything else went well. Now thinking of everything I can sell so I can do the rest of them as soon as I can!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangiapane85 0 #11 July 11, 2010 Well that's good to hear! So now that you know that canopy control is your weakpoint, I guess you'll be focusing primarily on that right? Keep it up! I can't wait to get encouragement from others lol. Here i am, with no jumps yet, and I'm cheering on a person with 5. So I'm sure you're like, "shutup" newbie, but I'm just lovin this stuff. I do my first aff in 3 weeks! Woot! -FEAR IS TEMPORARY...REGRET IS FOREVER! -"People living deeply have no fear of death"- Anais Nin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jim_32766 0 #12 July 11, 2010 Quote After waiting out the clouds ALL day, I got my jump in. Passed. LOVING life right now. Going tomorrow for the next two!!! My biggest fear ended up being my biggest problem - landing. I was a little lost up there, had a sliding butt landing in the wrong area of the dz, but no injuries. Everything else went well. Now thinking of everything I can sell so I can do the rest of them as soon as I can!!! Congrats on the jump! Glad to hear all went well. You are on your way now! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluetwo 0 #13 July 11, 2010 Did you land it without any help at all? I actually like that we students get talked down where I go. It was a little windy today and I probably would've missed the landing area. _______________________________________ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #14 July 11, 2010 Congratulations on your first AFF jump. Quotehad a sliding butt landing And that's exactly why, in another thread, people were recommending you not do too many tandems before your first solo landing, because tandems can create a habit of landing on one's butt. Your legs, when used properly, are great shock absorbers; your coccyx and spine... not so much. Before your next jump, talk with your instructors about this. And keep us posted! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #15 July 11, 2010 Yes, I had an instructor on the radio. It turned out I ended up in the wrong area because I wasn't letting "the canopy do it's thing", I had the toggles down a little [while in my head I swore they were all the way up ] No more butt slides for me! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marksaadet27 0 #16 July 11, 2010 Nice to see your on your way. All this talk of people doing there AFF (ahint of jelousy!). I am having to wait till early October due to other dates being fullMy instructors have told me not to bother with any more tandem jumps just go directly to AFF so just waiting to hit the skys!!!! Keep up the good work and stay safe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #17 July 11, 2010 Hey guys! Did category B and C today! B went great, had a PLF on the GRASS this time! Then went on to C, a slow right turn the whole time [it was because my legs kept creaping back then I'd have to remember to straighten them]. Had very Minor line twists and kicked right out of it. Everything else went really well. I had a SWEET stand up landing! Next jump: C2 with only One instructor. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jim_32766 0 #18 July 11, 2010 Quote Hey guys! Did category B and C today! B went great, had a PLF on the GRASS this time! Then went on to C, a slow right turn the whole time [it was because my legs kept creaping back then I'd have to remember to straighten them]. Had very Minor line twists and kicked right out of it. Everything else went really well. I had a SWEET stand up landing! Next jump: C2 with only One instructor. You are moving right along with the AFF levels. Keep up the good work and you'll be jumping solo before you know it. Good work on the stand-up landing too!The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangiapane85 0 #19 July 12, 2010 Quote [it was because my legs kept creaping back then I'd have to remember to straighten them]. what do you mean you stopped turning by straightening your legs? Just curious, I thought they needed to be at about a 45 degree angle to complete the arch. ?-FEAR IS TEMPORARY...REGRET IS FOREVER! -"People living deeply have no fear of death"- Anais Nin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #20 July 12, 2010 QuoteQuote [it was because my legs kept creaping back then I'd have to remember to straighten them]. what do you mean you stopped turning by straightening your legs? Just curious, I thought they needed to be at about a 45 degree angle to complete the arch. ? I was turning because my knees weren't even (my legs were too bent, I had to continuously remember to keep them at the correct angle). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangiapane85 0 #21 July 12, 2010 Oh gotcha. Well keep up the good work. You're movin right along! -FEAR IS TEMPORARY...REGRET IS FOREVER! -"People living deeply have no fear of death"- Anais Nin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #22 July 13, 2010 Ugh, two days cloudy and rainy weather... waiting.. waiting.. waiting... Too much waiting is giving me that "I can't wait to get in the sky!! Wait... WTF am I doing" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #23 July 17, 2010 just an update! I did cat C2 today (with one instructor), had a nice exit, and my first release.. and boy did I spin.. A few times I stopped it, a few times I stopped it then spun the other way, a few times my instructor stopped the spin for me, and for a brief period I was stable.. Needless to say, Repeat! I gained composure and pulled at proper altitude. Had a pretty good landing, a little more wind than I'm used to, and I jumped a 190 instead of a 200. Wind kept me grounded the rest of today, headed back in the morning to try again! I didn't "feel" tense, but I'm pretty sure that was the problem [I was told that everything appeared normal, arms, legs even] just have to control my heading and ARCH more. At one point I took a DEEP breath and felt myself sink right into stability. Now I'm determind to conquer this!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluetwo 0 #24 July 18, 2010 You gotta experience it to learn it right. I'm really glad you're keeping a positive attitude about it and having a great time! That's the way to be in my opinion. I think skydiving is the one time we guys can get away with asking a girl her weight.... or in a round about way her wing loading! I'm really just curious about how the slightly smaller canopy worked for you. I got to go down from my usual 260 to a 230 today and that thing flew like WAY better. I had a blast too since it was a longer canopy ride than I'm used to. Did your instructor say you should've arched harder? That would be my first thought on your spins but I'm not going to be guessing arbitrarily. _______________________________________ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melissa126 0 #25 July 18, 2010 hey! yes, definitely had to arch more, and relax my upper back and arms. I passed C2 today! Then did D1, had an unstable exit the first time, instructor and I ended up a propeller on our backs for awhile. So tried D1 again, spent all of it trying to get stable... a little frustrating since earlier today I didn't really spin, but then I jump again and started to. Corrected it (a little over-corrected... spun the other way), got stable before pull time...SO frustrating. Had a nice stand up landing at least. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
