Student rig change up anxieties

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

Anyone else ever have anxieties when you find out you are switching rigs to a different canopy size? I did my fourth SL jump today and I ended up with a different rig supposedly about 100sqft larger than the one I have been using or that was what I was told from a 195sqft dolphin to a 265sqft dolphin not on purpose. For some reason I had exit anxieties for the first time to where I noticed it as well as my JM..Gear Fear is what was mentioned...
Any suggestions on how to get over them?? I landed perfectly and on the dz but the exit to me was a little uncomfortable as I think I was a little unsure after I knew it was a new rig I hadn't jumped in yet...

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[TaylorC 0]

well i am kinda new to this sport but i have never heard of a student starting thier progression on a 195...

[yamtx73 0]

I went through the same thing today, I've been jumping a Navigator2 40 and (at my instructors recommendation) went to a Navigator 220. I felt more than a bit anxious at the door because it was something I hadn't jumped before. Now I won't give it a second thought... until I change gear again...

The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers...

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

While I was watching the dz Sr. Rigger pack a tandem learning a little bit I started asking him about chute size to where I understood a little better . Well he sized my rig I usually use to fit me and the other SL student our pilot snatched it up and they had to convert another student rig and that is what he told me it was, as he was explaining how the extra 100sqft would be alot slower and stuff.. The chute jacker swears he was told the rig he was flying was 265 but that is the one they told me I was flying after he got the usual rig I have been flying..

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[jakee 1,257]

Quote

Well he sized my rig I usually use to fit me and the other SL student our pilot snatched it up and they had to convert another student rig and that is what he told me it was, as he was explaining how the extra 100sqft would be alot slower and stuff

Two things. Firstly 195 to 265 is 70sf, not 100.

Secondly if what you said is right I would be far more concerned about the other student who took a much smaller canopy than he is used to without realising.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[phoenixlpr 0]

Why do you make things so complicated?

I was jumping any rig given by my instructor. It was so simple.

[skydivermom 0]

Okay, I realize I'm a newbie as well.


I jump at the same dz and also did my training there. I honestly could not tell the difference (as far as control) between the two rigs as I was constantly switching back and forth. My only concern was if I was going to slip out of the dadgum harnesses! I am 5"1 and only 115 lbs.

The only thing that sucked about jumping the bigger canopy was when I hit my nose on the step. It took me so freakin' long to get to the ground

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

Ok..So my math sucks!!! I am blonde does that give me a little leeway on math skills..lol. I understand what you are saying...But he did awesome with it I guess they knew he would do fine or they wouldn't have sent him up in it. I just wasn't prepared for that last minute switch up and it threw me off .... But I did awesome on my landing and canopy control with the other rig, I need to get use to switching rigs I guess mentally...

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[Liemberg 0]

If instructors start to worry when letting a student jump same "canopy / different size" the worrying is usually on the side of DOWNSIZING.

UPSIZING (like in your case) usually leaves the student with a slower canopy, i.e. it has less forward speed and a lesser descent rate.

When the winds are calm this poses no problem whatsoever. (Though you might experience the larger parachute to open a bit slower and sometimes you have to work a bit longer to get the slider down)

Of course this all isn't true in strong winds and turbulence. And I have seen a few occasions where 'petite' female students with 'big boy' student canopies resulted in very irregular openings.

For that reason, we keep one 'small girl' static line rig. (But we are talking less than 50 kg here...)

Our solution for strong winds an turbulence?
There's always another day...

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[riggerrob 558]

Agreed!
At Pitt Meadows, most students start with 290 square foot parachutes.
We have one "Big Boy" rig (340 main and 280 reserve) for students weighing more the 220 pounds (100 kilograms).
Sometimes we give bright, small female students 230s.

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

They explained it would be a slower canopy and such but on the jump before it, SL 3 I was doing my first PRCP and did everything perfect except I felt a line twist in the lines and somehow kept the damn rag clutched in my hand after the twist popped itself out. Noticed it after I started reaching for the toggles, so I guess I was a little on edge already from that and the fact that being honest like I am I kept that SOB in my hand with the toggle all the way down just to let them know I didn't toss it and why..

After thinking about it for a few days and reading you guys' posts, the mice upstairs have brought me to the conclusion of I was a little rattled from the small line twist resulting in my deathgrip on the damn PRCP Rag and it bled over to SL 4 jump especially knowing last minute I was not in the rig I have been using on every jump..

Thank you guys for the info and stuff, I am still new and need input for my own peace of mind and to help me correct and learn as much as I can as I have lots to learn...

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

Ok guys.. I guess it must take Moi' to make things so difficult.. I am who I am.. I have come to discover the rig I was jumping is just more comfy to me and I make better jumps with it.. So therefore I guess its a woman's thing...Sorry! I will try and not make things so difficult for you...

The other rig just made me feel more cumbersome for some reason. I fit in between the pilot and the door better in my favorite rig, the comfy one and am able to exit better...lah te dah..whine whine whine.. Guess I will just suck it up and not distrub you fellas anymore..Good Luck on that one...

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[countzero 7]

this is perfectly understandale. you went from a familiar rig to one that was larger and heavier, thus kind of taking you out of your comfort zone- gear wise.

it's kind of like if you owned and drove a stingray daily then you have to drive pick up to move one weekend, you know how to drive but you're apprehensive about driving the bigger, bulkier vehicle.

try not to dwell on the gear change and just have fun jumping. cheers

diamonds are a dawgs best friend

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

Well hopefully when I get back from my 3 week job I have to go on I will climb back into my comfy stingray.. Back into my comfort zone gear wise.

I did fine the last jump I did in the first rig I call the comfy one. So my jm's are going to try and let me jump in that one rig for the rest of my training if possible... Please..Please..Please... They are so great out at our dz.. I am fixing to be weaned off my radio too so every little bit of help I get helps..... Thanks for the support Countie Pooh!

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[riggerrob 558]

Hint: arrive early and do a pre-flight inspection on your favorite rig before any other students show up.

[popsjumper 2]

I can relate to your anxiety because I had it too during AFF. I just *had* to jump the same rig every time and managed to do so except for Level 6. Wasn't happy but passed anyway.

Knowledge is power. Learn about parachuting systems asd the more you learn the more comfortable you will be with different equipment.

Good job, though! Keep on truckin'!

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

[MissyOutTheBox 0]

Thanks for the tips guys...Haven't been able to jump for 3 weekends due to work and weather. Now I am being shipped to Minnesota for a few weeks..So I guess that will be another 2 weekends of no jumping.. If I don't have to stay northward for a month if the company keeps me our NE Region for a few extra.. But hey Money is Money...More jumps I can make..

Early??? I would have to get up before the crack of dawn to beat the pilot who is a student..lol.. Thanks again for the tips...

Have always wanted to be a social butterfly but now I have the wind beneath my feet.

[aheavenlytiger 0]

[aheavenlytiger 0]

I don't know why, but my entire post vanished and I got an annoying error message when I tried to post...

I absolutely understand where you are coming from on not wanting to jump with the larger canopy. Up until The Ranch got the sweet new student Wings with the Navigator 200 in it, I was under a Nav 220, and felt like the canopy flew me where it wanted me to go in the wind. I couldn't get forwards drive when I was in full flight into the wind.

Even though I have my gear almost all accumulated I still have to put in a more jumps in studen gear. I've taken to waiting for the Wings even if it means going on a later load to have the comfort factor.

[NelKel 0]

Noticed it after I started reaching for the toggles, so I guess I was a little on edge already from that and the fact that being honest like I am I kept that SOB in my hand with the toggle all the way down just to let them know I didn't toss it and why..

After thinking about it for a few days and reading you guys' posts, the mice upstairs have brought me to the conclusion of I was a little rattled from the small line twist resulting in my deathgrip on the damn PRCP Rag and it bled over to SL 4 jump especially knowing last minute I was not in the rig I have been using on every jump.. <<<<



WHAT???? What kind of S/L Training involves a PRCP rag? Sounds like Rocke is getting inventive again. I would worry more about that than the bigger rig. The S/L rigs used in Nome involve a spring loaded main PC. It also uses a Ripcord to activate when the S/L isnot used. Do you mean that they are modifying the S/L trainig to some sort of IAD type PRCP? That is what it sounds like to me.


Question: upon exit are you supposed to toss a rag (something that simulates a PC handle) while the Static line deploys your chute?

_________________________________________

Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan

[RopeJunkie 0]

I used a Nav 280 for most of my static line jumps. I kinda got used to it. I am excited about downsizing to something a little sportier. I think the Navigators go down to 200 to facilitate downsizing progression.

The rig I hated was the one I jumped last, an F111 220 that looked like a teabag. It had a very weak flare indeed.

I certainly wouldn't be worried about going to a larger canopy, they're more docile with a conservative wing loading, designed for students and very forgiving. I would just be frustrated a little bit.

On the other hand, I don't think it's very considerate to just throw any old rig at a student without explaining to them the differences first, even if the wing loading is considered conservative. Obviously students will suffer from "gear fear" to a greater extent, especially when confronted with a new rig and nbot their old friend. I think it's fairer to minimise the number of new things one must consider on each student jump. So, if you're doing your first DP for example, then changing to a new rig just gives you more to worry about. Better to keep the same kit until you are comfortable with the new manouvere.

I know some centres have limited hire kit, so if there's more than one student then it's hard to keep packing and getting the same rigs to the same students during periods of high demand.

In the UK, a wing loading of 0.80 lb/sq.ft must not be exceeded for student first jumps, thereafter 0.85 lb/sq.ft until off student status. These are conservative wing loadings.

G. :-)

[RopeJunkie 0]

The static line deploys your main canopy 3.5 to 4 seconds after exit. During this manouvere, you count, "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, check canopy". On "two thousand" you reach and locate the "dummy pull", which is usually a leg strap mounted flag with a plastic pipe style handle. The handle just pulls out a brightly coloured flag to signal to the dispatching instructor/anyone watching with bins on the ground that you can loacte and pull alright on your own (not like AFF where on your first level your instructor will help you to locate during practice pulls). It's the static line equivalent of practice pulls.

Generally, three good dummy pulls required in a row before moving onto first solo freefall.

Of course with the pull being leg strap, BOC conversion follows later.

G. :-)

P.S.
Just re-read MissyOutTheBox's post. Seems like she had some kinda throwaway flag (BOC presumably). We had leg-strap, and had to hold onto ours (even had to leave a deposit!).

Of course the system I trained in has one obvious shortcoming, on some peoples' first BOC throw-away jump, they hand onto the PC!!! You seem to have a much more sensible and modern system. :-)

[NelKel 0]

P.S.
Just re-read MissyOutTheBox's post. Seems like she had some kinda throwaway flag (BOC presumably). We had leg-strap, and had to hold onto ours (even had to leave a deposit!).<<<<


RE-read, she reaches up for the toggles and realizes she is still holding the flagy thingy, so she hurry up and tosses it. That my fine furry friend is IAD, from a S/L. Again Sounds like here instructor is being creative.

>>The static line deploys your main canopy 3.5 to 4 seconds after exit. During this manouvere, you count, "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, check canopy". <<

You count to 5 by thousands then you check over your shoulder to break any burble, then you check your canopy.

>>On "two thousand" you reach and locate the "dummy pull", which is usually a leg strap mounted flag with a plastic pipe style handle. The handle just pulls out a brightly coloured flag to signal to the dispatching instructor/anyone watching with bins on the ground that you can loacte and pull alright on your own (not like AFF where on your first level your instructor will help you to locate during practice pulls). It's the static line equivalent of practice pulls. <<<


Again.. the S/L rigs they are using in Nome Tx. are spring loaded main PC with ripcord activation. There is no BOC/ROL.

_________________________________________

Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan

[RopeJunkie 0]

Interesting how things get done differently different places. When I was doing static line we counted no higher than four-thousand. On "check canopy" we would twist shoulders to brake burble. Slightly more condensed form I guess. Your way makes better sense for freefall students. Of course, a spring loaded PC is gonna hopefully clear a burble anyways, but best to learn as you mean to go on. :-)

My first freefall was with ripcord and spring-loaded main PC. I defected to AFF after a few of those though, which was BOC throwaway from day 1.

G. :-)

[Stevehend15 0]

I have been reading this forum and thinking about my aff..... I weight 155 and my first jump I used a Navigator 200.... thats what I used alomost every other time. Im going down to a triathlon 175 now.