KamikazeDavis 0 #1 October 18, 2010 Hi, thought I'd share my experience. I did an IAD on October 9 and immediately fell in love with the sport. So I came back this Saturday and started AFF training, I did 1-4 on Saturday and they all went well: good jumps, good maneuvers, and good landings. Went to a friend's birthday party that evening but I was so exhausted (the jumps combined with a lack of sleep Friday night as I was out so I had only had 3-4 hours of sleep friday night) that I just stood around and left early. Got home around midnight and collapsed in my bed setting the alarm to get 9 hours of sleep. But I woke up early around 6:30 and was just too excited about the jumps. AFF 5 started ok, but went bad during the left turn I entered a high speed turn (leg out of position) and lost lots of altitude fast. Arched and pulled the main at 5500'. I did a coach jump after that which went ok but my turns sucked so I opted to do another coach jump and again started well managed to start/stop turns and was very stable. Went for the main chute at 4000' couldn't grab it and I lost altitude quick as I went into a dive and ended up belly to sky. Checked my altimeter gave the main another shot, again couldn't grab it. Was spinning fast and belly to sky, altitude was at 2800' I waved off my coach who was in a hard dive after me and pulled the reserve. The riser caught on to my next as it deployed and I've got a nice burn with lots of exposed soft tissue across the back of my neck. Did a PLF landing back at the DZ with the main still in the pack Tried to do too much too quick that combined with physical exhaustion. I pushed the envelope a little too much. At pull time I should've arched harder and kept stable, but lack of experience got to me. Every jump (that was my 9th) I managed to execute an excellent pull, so it was an odd feeling not getting it right away. Once I'm healed going to find a wind tunnel and get some time in their with a coach to sharpen my maneuvers . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcajump 155 #2 October 18, 2010 Well... you had quite an experience. Listen to your instructor for each point of the dive where (s)he offers room for improvement, including pre-jump decision making. Obviously you need to keep yourself out of that situation again... BUT!!! CONGRATS!!! on saving your own A$$ when things did not go the way you expected!!! You didn't give up or wait for your instructor or AAD to save you. THAT is what saved you, and what will keep you from the danger of complacent reliance on others. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrumpot 1 #3 October 18, 2010 How do you go from a badly spinning, AFF Level-5... from there - directly to coaching jumps? what is it I either don't understand or am (apparently) missing here?coitus non circum - Moab Stone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #4 October 18, 2010 Quote How do you go from a badly spinning, AFF Level-5... from there - directly to coaching jumps? what is it I either don't understand or am (apparently) missing here? Quote Once I'm healed going to find a wind tunnel and get some time in their with a coach to sharpen my maneuvers . ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KerLaw 0 #5 October 19, 2010 Quote How do you go from a badly spinning, AFF Level-5... from there - directly to coaching jumps? what is it I either don't understand or am (apparently) missing here? I think it's AFF V over and over again, with extra coaching. Half-Way to 'A' and lovin' them blue skies... and women with pretty blue eyes... & ... "EH?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #6 October 19, 2010 Quotewhat is it I either don't understand or am (apparently) missing here? He's in Canada. The word 'coach' doesn't mean the 100-jump-wonder that it does in the US. The overall learning progression is similar to AFF in the US, but the names of the various levels or stages are different, as are the titles of the jumpers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 262 #7 October 19, 2010 Even as a newish PFF instructor here in Canada, the idea of a coach jump after a level 5 PFF or AFF seems odd. A student has to be under the care of of the appropriate instructor (eg, tandem, PFFI, Jumpmaster) until signed off for their Solo certificate. Using someone who is 'only' a Coach 1 or Coach 2 wouldn't be correct. So I am guessing that it is just a matter of terminology in this case, that the DZ or student is calling it a coaching dive because it isn't a new PFF level, rather than calling it a repeat level or whatever. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KamikazeDavis 0 #8 October 19, 2010 Yes I'm in Canada... Also, Just to clarify they essentially called it AFF 5.5, the instructor was both AFF certified and C2. It's just the second AFF 5.5 went bad. The first two attempts I just didn't execute the turns properly (i.e. did a 270 degree or 90 degree rather than a full 360 on each side). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan.newman 1 #9 October 21, 2010 His first jump was IAD. Then he did 4 PFF jumps. His IAD jumpmaster is at least a Coach1. Perhaps he was following him out on an IAD progression jump. I don't see a problem switching from AFF to IAD and back, but I do see a problem with a coach chasing a dirty low-puller below 3 grand. The original poster made the right decision to save his butt for another jump. I would say that an AFF jump would be better for teaching stability and recovery vice an SL/IAD/Coach jump. As for the tunnel training, just a word of caution. I spent about 4 jumps trying to "unlearn" a student from the slowfall technique he had been taught in the tunnel. (Not to mention he had an AAD fire and 2-out on the prior jump). Welcome to the sport. If you ever make it to Ottawa, your positive attitude is more than welcome to jump with me. Jonathan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MajorDad 0 #10 October 21, 2010 to clarify.... After the OP's Level 5 (unlinked exit - 360 Right - 360 Left) he went on to do two more jumps that day to get his stability issues sorted out. Those two jumps were done with a PFF Instructor with over 4000 jumps. (Yes, they were repeats of Level 5) As he already posted, he intends to get the stability issues sorted out in the Eloy tunnel when he heads south for the Canadian Invasion in January. Sounds like a plan. Blue ones, Major Dad CSPA D-579 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
