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Namowal

Noob Cartoons: Skydiving Duck

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I've heard the same thing from other people who started at my age. I wonder if it's a physical thing, a mental thing, or both?



I think it's both. The older^Twiser you get the more you think, think again and again and then re-think what you do and why and when and how...

I noticed, however, that I progressed better after I started exercising regularly at a fitness gym. After 40 - at least the average person like me - got to do a lot of exercising to retain (or even build up) their muscles ;)

Another aspect of course is what I call the "threshold effect". Once you have made a certain number of jumps, almost out of the blue you are able to do that exit, move, transition you've been working on so long. After a couple of hundred jumps your body doesn't need to pay attention to that many different factors (because it does it automatically due to repetition etc) and thus has more open channels for other / new things to learn :)
The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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I've heard the same thing from other people who started at my age. I wonder if it's a physical thing, a mental thing, or both?



I think it's both. The older^Twiser you get the more you think, think again and again and then re-think what you do and why and when and how...
I noticed, however, that I progressed better after I started exercising regularly at a fitness gym. After 40 - at least the average person like me - got to do a lot of exercising to retain (or even build up) their muscles

Good points!
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Another aspect of course is what I call the "threshold effect". Once you have made a certain number of jumps, almost out of the blue you are able to do that exit, move, transition you've been working on so long. After a couple of hundred jumps your body doesn't need to pay attention to that many different factors (because it does it automatically due to repetition etc) and thus has more open channels for other / new things to learn :)


That would make sense. I'm looking forward to the day I get more of the basics on autopilot. B|
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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I'm looking forward to the day I get more of the basics on autopilot. B|



If you don't waste time like me - doing freefly before I could decently bellyfly - and don't have an accident like me (that cost me quite some time and nerves and and and...) you should be around the "threshold" quicker, at 200 jumps or so I dare to guess. :)
The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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and don't have an accident like me



An accident? :o What happened? Was it something you could have avoided?


Well, sort of a 1-in-5millions accident. Premature deployment, but in freefly at ~250 km/h at the end of a cartwheel. Pics of the torn rig. The loop was tight enough, the rig was packed thoroughly. But the rig wasn't really suitable for freefly. The bridle must have gotten a little free from under the flap and caught some wind, resulting a hefty BAMM at 1400m. My right arm got caught by the riser and yeah...

...resulted in smashed right scapula and compound fracture of right humerus. Had to steer/land with one arm. Pain kicked in right after tochdown, adrenalin in a nice invention of mother nature. Injuries sound bad, hurt like hell, but could have been fixed within 2-3 months.

However, poor decisions and poor operation techniques at the local hospital resulted in 3 months of constant pain (a false joint [pseudarthrosis] had developed) and a revision operation at university hospital at Magdeburg - only because my local orthopaedist and I demanded it and took chances in our hands. The butcher at the local hospital told me "Be lucky you live. You're responsible for this. Who with a sound mind jumps out of a plane?" Really. What a fartknocker. Some impressing X-rays here.

The surgeon at the Magdeburg hospital said "Well, tough one, but not too nasty an accident. I deal with worse accidents every week. Accidents happen at home or when biking, so no blame on you. We're gonna fix that and... can I have these X-rays? You don't see so many wrongdoing in one place very often nowadays..." I healed well and fast and resumed jumping next spring. I kept contact with him for more than 5 years. :)
Thus I'm now obsessed with "everything tucked in?" and "everything covered?" and "doncha do any freefly with an older rig!" and "better learn bellyflying first"

But I don't intend to scare the shite out of noobs, take it for was it was: A freak accident with some bad circumstances. Only thing I should have done was to not believe the dealer who sold me the rig telling that it was perfectly suitable for freeflying. Thus: Always ask your local instructors and rigger, and double check.

Again: No intention to scare you, won't happen to you B|
The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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I'm looking forward to the day I get more of the basics on autopilot. B|



If you don't waste time like me - doing freefly before I could decently bellyfly -

/reply]

See it all the time. I've got 35 jumps & working on my sit fly! :S
I am NOT being loud.
I'm being enthusiastic!

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Well, sort of a 1-in-5millions accident. Premature deployment, but in freefly at ~250 km/h at the end of a cartwheel. Pics of the torn rig. The loop was tight enough, the rig was packed thoroughly. But the rig wasn't really suitable for freefly. The bridle must have gotten a little free from under the flap and caught some wind, resulting a hefty BAMM at 1400m. My right arm got caught by the riser and yeah...


Yikes!
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The butcher at the local hospital told me "Be lucky you live. You're responsible for this. Who with a sound mind jumps out of a plane?" Really. What a fartknocker.



Geez. Had you been hurt playing tackle football would he have said "What kind of person lets a bunch of guys slam into them?"

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Some impressing X-rays here.



Youch!


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Thus I'm now obsessed with "everything tucked in?" and "everything covered?" and "doncha do any freefly with an older rig!" and "better learn bellyflying first"



One of my main reasons for getting good at bellyflying is I want solid control of what I'm doing up there- whether I'm working with others or tracking away. Freeflying looks fun, but I want to be able to do the basics, and do them well, before I even think about freeflying.

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See it all the time: "I've got 35 jumps & working on my sit fly!"


I haven't been at this very long but I've heard similar stuff from a few fellow noobs. Sure, they're more skilled than I am, but freeflying? So soon? With rigs not designed for it? It's like racing a horse before you learn to ride one.[:/]
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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One of my main reasons for getting good at bellyflying is I want solid control of what I'm doing up there- whether I'm working with others or tracking away. Freeflying looks fun, but I want to be able to do the basics, and do them well, before I even think about freeflying.



You are a very wise young duck;)

Once the plane takes off, you're gonna have to land - Might as well jump out!!

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One of my main reasons for getting good at bellyflying is I want solid control of what I'm doing up there- whether I'm working with others or tracking away. Freeflying looks fun, but I want to be able to do the basics, and do them well, before I even think about freeflying.



You are a very wise young duck;)

I'm hoping to live to be a wise old duck. :$
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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Holy Duck Crap, Carsten?!

Ouch! I'm sorry for your pain, my friend. All that from 160mph??? Earlier this week. I figured out how to go head-down trying to catch some guys. Twice, I managed to go vertical. Twice, I backed right out of it. My rig isn't freefly friendly. I was afraid something bad could happen. Ooph! That looked rough. It tore it up like that, but didn't break your back?

If I ever get the mad urge to go head-down again w/my current rig. I'll think of your experience. I'm glad you (finally) healed completely.

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and don't have an accident like me



An accident? :o What happened? Was it something you could have avoided?

EVERY skydiving accident is one that can be avoided.
DONT GET ON THE PLANE.

Jen you almost have ONE hour in the sportB|B|B|B|B|

Ill be there again next year, and you can load organise for me:)
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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I had a premie at 11K during Fitz last year. Was doing a freefly, just transitioned from head-down to a stand and out she came and I waved goodbye to the rest of the group as they disappeared in the distance. I fly an Icarus Crossfire 119, and I don't know if it's just my canopy or all of 'em (they all seem to open like a dream to me... usually about 800 ft openings) but even at 180 MPH, she opened nice and soft. The problem for me was I was in the middle of jump run, so I promptly hauled ass perpendicular to jump run to get the hell out of the way of anyone above me. Once I knew everyone was already out of the plane and the plane was below me, I played along the clouds on the way down. When I got back down, I was asked where the hell I went. No one knew I'd even had a premie. 4 people flying camera, and no one caught it on video.

The culprit to all of this was a BOC that had worn out elastic. The PC is new and slick, and with the reduced tension of the BOC, it made for a quick exit of my pilot chute when I transitioned to my sit. The thing to note here, is prior to getting on the plane, one of the folks jumping with me brought it to my attention and said "that's just askin' for a premature deployment." In my ignorance, I said it'll be fine. End result was everyone safe and fine, but it could've resulted in a much larger problem, had anyone been above me in my group, or had the following group left too early.

Moral of the story: Safety affects everyone in this sport and failure to stick to it has the potential to cause serious consequences. Stick to it and although you'll wish you were in the air, you'll have a clear conscience and good health, ready to jump again when it's safer to do so. The more you jump, the easier you tend to forget little things and denounce minor issues. Go with your gut. It always seems to know more than you think you do.
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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prior to getting on the plane, one of the folks jumping with me brought it to my attention and said "that's just askin' for a premature deployment." In my ignorance, I said it'll be fine.



And how many jumps did they guy have that gave you the warning?

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Here's the newest one:
Guess who needs to learn to calm down?
[ url http://tailotherat.blogspot.com/2012/08/blog-post.html]Relax![/url]




You're making progress all the time. :)
I love how those that are already relaxed tell those (of us) who can't just have a hard time being able just to "relax". Silly laid-back people. :P

Now for my unsolicited advice :) Try laying on your tummy (no chance of "falling" out) and experiment with"peeking" out (if OK with the PTB). BTW this isn't a "just relax" comment. It will help you get comfortable with the open door beyond the "I'm approaching the door with the express purpose of going through it". Believe it or not, it won't suck you out! :P
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

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Sounds like your still makin progress! Thats great! Congrats on the good jump!!



I'm not progressing as fast as I'd like to, but it's still exciting when I'm able to do something I couldn't do before! :)

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I love how those that are already relaxed tell those (of us) who can't just have a hard time being able just to "relax". Silly laid-back people.



I suspect my brain has super-sized amygdalae. [:/] Dumb ol' amygdalae.
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Now for my unsolicited advice. Try laying on your tummy (no chance of "falling" out) and experiment with"peeking" out (if OK with the PTB). BTW this isn't a "just relax" comment. It will help you get comfortable with the open door beyond the "I'm approaching the door with the express purpose of going through it". Believe it or not, it won't suck you out!



Well, I am slowly getting desensitized to sitting by the door as I've found myself sitting near it lately. I'm still not crazy about the "on the floor just inches away from it" seat, but at least there's fresh air and a view. :)
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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It's great to see you progressing. It took me a while to learn how to relax in freefall. What works for me is closing my eyes and taking some slow, deep breaths a couple minutes before the door is opened. It helps me clear my head so I can focus on the skydive.
"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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So the question is, what you think improved your landings on the 190 vs the 210. Just a better canopy? More energy so more time in the flare to adjust it? Easier to get it to swing forward in the flare?

Maybe that's for the other thread you had, where you asked about that downsizing move.

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So the question is, what you think improved your landings on the 190 vs the 210. Just a better canopy? More energy so more time in the flare to adjust it? Easier to get it to swing forward in the flare?

Maybe that's for the other thread you had, where you asked about that downsizing move.



I'm no expert at this, but I'm guessing my weight counteracts some of the forward speed when the canopy is "planing out" after half brakes. The smaller canopy can't fly me forward as fast. That being said, it won't surprise me if more experienced people have other opinions...B|
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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So the question is, what you think improved your landings on the 190 vs the 210. Just a better canopy? More energy so more time in the flare to adjust it? Easier to get it to swing forward in the flare?

Maybe that's for the other thread you had, where you asked about that downsizing move.



I'm no expert at this, but I'm guessing my weight counteracts some of the forward speed when the canopy is "planing out" after half brakes. The smaller canopy can't fly me forward as fast. That being said, it won't surprise me if more experienced people have other opinions...B|


I also don't know why, but my landings also improved greatly when I went down to a 190 from a 210. Now I'm under a 170 that I just LOVE!! :)
See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

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I also don't know why, but my landings also improved greatly when I went down to a 190 from a 210. Now I'm under a 170 that I just LOVE!! :)



Interesting. I wonder if there's other people out there with similar experiences?
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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