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Namowal

Noob Cartoons: Skydiving Duck

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Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is that you learned from it. The real dummy is the skydiver who makes a mistake, has it explained to him/her, and does nothing to learn from it.

It's great to see that an unstable exit isn't as scary to you any more and that you're making multiple jumps in a day. Keep learning and keep having fun.
"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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just like leaving the plane... the best way to make your landing better is to relax. Things will go smoother and you'll enjoy it that much more.:)

Some people refrain from beating a dead horse. Personally, I find a myriad of entertainment value when beating it until it becomes a horse-smoothie.

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First: Nice cartoon, as always. TA! :)
Well, let's sum it up:

- "uneventful exit" and you righted it when necessary
- nice freefall
- opened at the right altitude
==> Lotta improvement, doncha think? :PB|;)

- first canopy ride OK so far except from the landing
- didn't kill anyone on the second - OK, that one needed a word.

Just to give you an idea - I think you're too hard to yourself. People aren't robots, mistakes do happen. Sometimes mistakes are close calls, take them this way. And you most obviously did so :P Nothing worse than an advice-resistant student, ya know.

I think a should ask your instructors to give you some more explanation with an aerial photo of your DZ?
Most students here want to be radioed down even after they made more than a dozen jumps. You did the last jumps on your own, so not too bad. OK, the 180° wasn't a stellar moment, right. Just keep in mind - rather walk 100m than being carried 10m. Most students here in Gera - small, narrow landing area with a freeway, a pond and a wood next to it, decide to rather land some distance from the landing area and slowly "approach" to it. Just talk to your instructors, have them show you on the aerial photo what, where, how... and if in doubt ask for radio assistance as a backup.

Don't be too hard to yourself. I know what I'm talking about, I've put myself so much under pressure, was my hardest critic, often too hard. ;)

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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Great cartoon once again!

Mistakes are fine, I have no doubt you will learn from this one. No one got hurt, it was pointed out to you in a polite way, you're more aware of another portion of your skydive.. sounds productive and good!

My first mistake was around jump 15 or so. I jump at Perris, and this particular jump I landed and was headed back to the packing area.. I heard and saw the plane coming in for landing but for some reason didn't think it was going as fast as it was.. :S and went to cross the runway in front of it [:/]. The alarms sounded to back away from it, so I did.. the plane landed and passed me. No problems, but I got a reminder from the staff of how dangerous that is and if I didn't move back fast enough I could make the plane go around, delay everyone.. etc.

Like your 180, it was minor and no one got hurt, but I sure beat myself up over that little thing. No biggie, but every since then I am so far from that runway if a plane is taking off or landing... Better to have a small mishap to get you to really examine yourself than a big problem later!

Good job!

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noones perfect. you know what you did wrong, now just doing do it again :)
hell i almost hooked myself in with a low turn on my very second jump. (much longer story, but trust me, WONT be doing that again, haha) i figured out what went wrong, and havent done it since.

Thanatos340(on landing rounds)--
Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet.

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just like leaving the plane... the best way to make your landing better is to relax. Things will go smoother and you'll enjoy it that much more.:)


I bet you're right! :)
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Nothing worse than an advice-resistant student, ya know.


Yep. Actually I was sort of resisting myself at first- I couldn't believe I'd done something so sloppy. Then I thought, Stop the "I'd never do that" crap and listen to what they have to say. How do you know this wasn't you? How do you know you're not unintentionally messing up?
Sure enough, as the details rolled in, it became pretty clear I was the culprit.
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Don't be too hard to yourself. I know what I'm talking about, I've put myself so much under pressure, was my hardest critic, often too hard.


Thanks.:)
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Do what all of us do when we debrief: fist, you find something you did well. Only then you find something you need to improve on


Good point there. I did get some stuff right (a few miles higher), but none of that made it to the logbook.
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Better to have a small mishap to get you to really examine yourself than a big problem later!


That's a good way to thing about it. Maybe our runway mishaps have saved us from becoming propeller kibble in the future.B|
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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Do what all of us do when we debrief: fist, you find something you did well. Only then you find something you need to improve on


Good point there. I did get some stuff right (a few miles higher), but none of that made it to the logbook...


Why not?? EVERY JUMP has stuff that went right and stuff that went...

Not so right.

Kind of like "target fixation" (focusing on what you don't want to hit greatly increases your chances of hitting it), making your logbook a diary of errors takes away from all the stuff that went well.

I include every part of the jump in my log entries (I have been accused of writing a novel for each jump :))
What went right, what didn't, who, weather, what was planned, what actually happened, all that sort of stuff.

While you are making errors, and have some areas that need improvement, you are still landing safely and going back up again.

I also agree with the idea of getting together with an instructor (preferrably someone with a strong canopy control focus) and getting some solid advice on patterns particular to your home DZ. Learning how to adjust the pattern for differing wind conditions is a skill that takes time and practice. And just like landing, you only get one shot per jump.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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I also agree with the idea of getting together with an instructor (preferrably someone with a strong canopy control focus) and getting some solid advice on patterns particular to your home DZ. Learning how to adjust the pattern for differing wind conditions is a skill that takes time and practice. And just like landing, you only get one shot per jump.


Good points.
During the weekend I found an aerial photo/diagram of the landing patterns at the DZ, studied it, and imported it into Google Earth as an overlay.
This weekend (back at the DZ) I arranged for my landing to be videotaped (between my poor pattern and my rough landings, I wanted to see what was going on!)
I went over my concerns with an instructor too. End result- nice pattern and decent (if not stand up) landing. Whoohoo!B|
(Not that I'm getting cocky)
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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Good points.
During the weekend I found an aerial photo/diagram of the landing patterns at the DZ, studied it, and imported it into Google Earth as an overlay.
This weekend (back at the DZ) I arranged for my landing to be videotaped (between my poor pattern and my rough landings, I wanted to see what was going on!)
I went over my concerns with an instructor too. End result- nice pattern and decent (if not stand up) landing. Whoohoo!
(Not that I'm getting cocky)



So the duck is slowly morphing into an eagle......B|

I'm looking forward to the cartoon where the eagle becomes bullet proof...."my wings are like a shield of steel"!!!

Good to see your confidence developing along the right lines....pick the brains of the old jumers on the DZ over a beer or two and you'll find a goldmine of information....
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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In Reply To
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I'm looking forward to the cartoon where the eagle becomes bullet proof...."my wings are like a shield of stee"l!!!
...

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THAT'S BATFINK



Nah, thats Chicken Man. He flies so fast, his wings catch fire!!!.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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Sorry it's been so long between blog posts. I've done a few more jumps (and drawn several pics about them), but work is keeping me busier than usual so I haven't had time to put the latest together yet.
Please stay tuned.
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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That was OK, You dropped your knees when the prop blast and throw forward from the plane is still in effect, and thats what flipped you over.

Present your belly to the relative wind, which is coming from a horizontal direction when you first exit, You can do this whether you are head up, head down or sideways to the relative wind. Let your arms and legs be blown back by the wind (like long hair would be if you were riding a fast bike)

But you have not got a problem regaining stability, so its not a problem. You will soon get your body position right instinctively, it will come with more jumps. I'm sure your Instructors will give you the best advice.

Low altitude exits are no problem, because you are going quite slowly for the first ten seconds or so. Remember in FF you are going twice as fast, so at 5 grand you only take 5 seconds to get to 4, whereas on a 5 grand exit it takes 10 seconds to burn that distance.

My first low altitude jump came because of low cloud, at 1800 feet the JM snarled at me to get out the F@#$%$# door. Things on the ground were BIG.

5 grand....luxury.......

Nil wind landings....usually you will fall over, expect it, no big deal.

You'll learn a LOT about skydiving around the campfire....The long time jumpers are a gold mine of information and advice....
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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That was OK, You dropped your knees when the prop blast and throw forward from the plane is still in effect, and thats what flipped you over.


Yep. The instructor pointed out that my leg position was the culprit.

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My first low altitude jump came because of low cloud, at 1800 feet the JM snarled at me to get out the F@#$%$# door. Things on the ground were BIG.

5 grand....luxury.......


1800 feet? Yikes! I wouldn't like that.
I have heard that I'm a spoiled student for having such a high practice emergency exit. Others have told me they left the plane much lower than 5000 feet.
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Nil wind landings....usually you will fall over, expect it, no big deal.


I should have figured out that the fact that I could get up and walk away from my "crashes" was, in fact, a good sign.
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You'll learn a LOT about skydiving around the campfire....The long time jumpers are a gold mine of information and advice....


Guess I'd better stick around more often! B|
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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Yes, successful in that you are not getting injured during your landings! You have been able to practice crash landings and do so well it seems.. and are comfortable performing a PLF.. that's a great skill to have! Great job, and congrats on your new shiny toy!

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So when are you going to shell out for a new canopy?B|

Love your cartoons, but don't be so hard on your self for the crash landings. To be honest, I didn't start standing up my landings until I bought my own rig.

When ever I went to the drop zone I always wound up with a different rig. Some days 7 cell, some days 9 cell, sizes always different, always well used F111.

When I knew that I was going to stay in the sport, I shelled out for my own rig (a nice flaring zero P that was the same size every jump) and low and behold, my canopy control and landings got better (though still needs work, at least I can stand them up now, on cross wind and down wind landings to boot:ph34r:)

I don't know what your situation is, but from another person who is an expert at PLF's, hopefully it helps.....;)

"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

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Great job, and congrats on your new shiny toy!



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Nice. Enjoy your bling - you've earned it!

Thanks! I can't wait to take it for a "ride!"



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So when are you going to shell out for a new canopy?


Heh heh. I'd be looking into getting my own rig/canopy already if I knew more about my choices. The only reason I haven't asked about this here is because I figure it's safer to get the info from my instructors.
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When I knew that I was going to stay in the sport, I shelled out for my own rig (a nice flaring zero P that was the same size every jump) and low and behold, my canopy control and landings got better (though still needs work, at least I can stand them up now, on cross wind and down wind landings to bootSly)


You can stand up on downwind landings? I'm impressed!
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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I'd be looking into getting my own rig/canopy already if I knew more about my choices. The only reason I haven't asked about this here is because I figure it's safer to get the info from my instructors.!



Sit down with Matt and have a chat about gear this weekend :)
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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