sebinoslo 0 #1 September 30, 2009 This is now the end of the summer season for me and I now have almost 3 months to reflect on that first year in the sport before going to Spain and get to the 100 magic number. I took the AFF at Easter time this year and thought I could share some lessons I learned during those past few months. (Lessons are in no special order) 1. Skydiving is just plain, ridiculous fun. 2. It really is... 3. Know your limits - Jumping with few jumpers before being comfortable with 1 other is a complete waste of time: you will not learn a lot with people all around you in a 100m radius. I would trade any "big load" for a clean 2-way with 15 or 20 points. - Remember that during AFF even though you were doing 2-ways with your instructor, the AFFI was the sole reason you could take grabs and hold level: he was doing 95% of the work - it is a whole different story when trying the same with another newbie. - Never be afraid to sit one out because the winds are too strong or turbulent. Ask the manifest how strong the wind is to get an idea of what strength you are comfortable with. - If you doubt you can make it to the landing zone - your doubts are probably right - so bail out and find out another safe, easy to reach spot. (Concrete and asphalt really hurt...) 4. Pack properly. - If you have any doubt you may have not put the slider properly in place, kept tensions on the lines, anything really that may trouble your mind while jumping: start the pack job again. - Remember to stow the brake lines before starting to pack (it sucks to realize they are not stowed once putting the bag in the container...) - You can cock your PC at any point in time during the pack job, whatever you like best. Then keep that as your routine. But it does not work once the bag is in the closed container... 5. Pull properly. I had two bad pulls: - Waved and went to pull only to become totally unstable and tumble 2 or 3 times. So "Pull stable" does not only mean you should initiate the pull sequence when stable - but really "Pull the PC out of the BOC while stable". So do not relax too early. - Grabbed the PC handle and only pulled it out half way out: my hand was way too sloppy/relax. It took few seconds to be able to grab the PC itself that was floating behind me and properly throw it. Try to keep in mind how you grabbed that handle like your life depended on it during the first AFF jumps: you can never squeeze that handle too hard and pull it out too hard. 6. In doubt, ask. By the time you have been jumping for few months, you should know who knows best about what in your DZ. Be it tracking, FF, FS, packing, rigs, canopies, landing...Get them a beer once in a while and you should not have to come to DZ.com asking if you flare to high or sit properly..... 7. Know your gear. - Pull as high as your DZ allows it a handful of times and try using all the tools at your disposal (front/rear risers, flat turns, stall, the various flares, etc etc) - Try to know every inch of your rig, so that if anything is out of the ordinary you will spot it instantly. You have plenty of time on the ground to do that on any given day. And if in doubt, ask! To summarize, the main lesson I learned so far is that you should never, ever sit in that plane if you have any doubts in mind. Your instincts may be wrong 99% of the time but the 1% of the time you will not listen to them, you may find yourself in big troubles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deltron80 0 #2 September 30, 2009 woooooo! 69!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpwally 0 #3 September 30, 2009 Amen,,sounds like you listened to your instructors well,,, smile, be nice, enjoy life FB # - 1083 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sebinoslo 0 #4 September 30, 2009 thanks, but I hope that's not the only thing you noted from my post ;-) I did my AFF in one DZ and the other jumps in another one, so I actually got twice the amount of instructors available. But a lot as to come from the student, one cannot expect instructors to talk them through every little details. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkfairy 0 #5 September 30, 2009 Quote (Lessons are in no special order) 1. Skydiving is just plain, ridiculous fun. Yes, it is! Quote 3. Know your limits - Jumping with few jumpers before being comfortable with 1 other is a complete waste of time: you will not learn a lot with people all around you in a 100m radius. I would trade any "big load" for a clean 2-way with 15 or 20 points. Sommetimes it is nice pushing yourself too. You will get bored if you do only 2-ways all the time. Just make sure that there is a proper plan and that the people that you are jumping with can take care of themselves. You can have a lot of fun and learn a lot if you jump with two or three experienced jumpers. I'm talking about FS now. Quote - Remember that during AFF even though you were doing 2-ways with your instructor, the AFFI was the sole reason you could take grabs and hold level: he was doing 95% of the work - it is a whole different story when trying the same with another newbie. True, but it's when you have to adjust your own fallrate and counteract your own backsliding, that you learn. Quote - Never be afraid to sit one out because the winds are too strong or turbulent. Ask the manifest how strong the wind is to get an idea of what strength you are comfortable with. BIG one! I learned that the hard way. And I would see much less scary stuff when people land in the strong and gusty winds if everyone practiced that. Finally, I'm getting comfortable with being up in winds that I don't get through, but that's after 350 jumps. And also, It's supposed to be fun, if you're scared when you're flying your canopy, then it's no fun. Quote - If you doubt you can make it to the landing zone - your doubts are probably right - so bail out and find out another safe, easy to reach spot. (Concrete and asphalt really hurt...) Open canopy while looking out for traffic, check canopy, find a safe place to land. Quote 4. Pack properly. - If you have any doubt you may have not put the slider properly in place, kept tensions on the lines, anything really that may trouble your mind while jumping: start the pack job again. - Remember to stow the brake lines before starting to pack (it sucks to realize they are not stowed once putting the bag in the container...) - You can cock your PC at any point in time during the pack job, whatever you like best. Then keep that as your routine. But it does not work once the bag is in the closed container... Other jumpers will help you if you ask. And if you keep packing, you will get better. Quote 5. Pull properly. I had two bad pulls: - Waved and went to pull only to become totally unstable and tumble 2 or 3 times. So "Pull stable" does not only mean you should initiate the pull sequence when stable - but really "Pull the PC out of the BOC while stable". So do not relax too early. - Grabbed the PC handle and only pulled it out half way out: my hand was way too sloppy/relax. It took few seconds to be able to grab the PC itself that was floating behind me and properly throw it. Try to keep in mind how you grabbed that handle like your life depended on it during the first AFF jumps: you can never squeeze that handle too hard and pull it out too hard. Good idea! Quote 6. In doubt, ask. By the time you have been jumping for few months, you should know who knows best about what in your DZ. Be it tracking, FF, FS, packing, rigs, canopies, landing...Get them a beer once in a while and you should not have to come to DZ.com asking if you flare to high or sit properly..... You don't have to buy beer, just come jump with us when you've become all awesome and national team material. Quote 7. Know your gear. - Pull as high as your DZ allows it a handful of times and try using all the tools at your disposal (front/rear risers, flat turns, stall, the various flares, etc etc) - Try to know every inch of your rig, so that if anything is out of the ordinary you will spot it instantly. You have plenty of time on the ground to do that on any given day. And if in doubt, ask! If possible, get to watch while your reserve is packed. You learn alot, and it's good to see for yourself that it's just another parachute. Quote To summarize, the main lesson I learned so far is that you should never, ever sit in that plane if you have any doubts in mind. Your instincts may be wrong 99% of the time but the 1% of the time you will not listen to them, you may find yourself in big troubles. There will be fears and doubts from time to time. This is an extreme sport. But thoughts like "I'm not entirely sure that canopy is sitting properly on my new risers..." should be banished. I hope I see you in Spain this winter, my plans aren't entirely clear, I'm ordering new gear, but I'll see what I can do. I hope there was no other damage to your knees than some scraped off skin. You should have seen my arms before I figured out the flare of my new Pilot.Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sebinoslo 0 #6 September 30, 2009 Point 3 had more to do with newbies wanted to try some FS-4+ cos it's cooler than FS-2. I now have enough jump to be able to deal with larger groups of people but yeah, I did some FS-4 jumps that were a complete waste of time since no one was good enough to grab onto anyone.... That is what I meant by know your limits: get a good grip on some FS-2 (learn to work with one reference point, keeping level while stable, then keeping level while doing 90 degrees, then 180 and 360, and then with people of different weights) then start adding 1 or 2 more people when comfortable. See you in Sevilla maybe yeah - good canopy flight course from 22-24 dec. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #7 September 30, 2009 whats this season thing? i am so confused.JewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mutumbo 0 #8 October 1, 2009 Quote whats this season thing? i am so confused. As am I. what are Seasons? I dont think we have them in Florida. Are they fun? 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sebinoslo 0 #9 October 1, 2009 They would be fun if this was a skydive / skiing forum Season starts May 1st and ends October 31st - and that is some serious stretch... Luckily Spain is the Florida of Northern Europe so we get around Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chubba 0 #10 October 1, 2009 Quote- Remember that during AFF even though you were doing 2-ways with your instructor, the AFFI was the sole reason you could take grabs and hold level: he was doing 95% of the work - it is a whole different story when trying the same with another newbie. Tell me about it, they must be working very hard because once I went off AFF it was a insant battle. Even jumping with experienced skydivers, they don't go chasing you around, they fly their slot and it's completely obvious if you fly backwards or sink/float. God damn frustrating rel-work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Para5-0 0 #11 October 1, 2009 Season: Disease that only affects the Northern Skydiving community. Vaccine: Ski your ass off for 4 months and it slowly goes away. Gloves, hoods, sweatshirts, face masks, ease the pain for some. Symptoms: shivering, shaking, fingers and toes you cant feel, frostbite, frozen eyelashes, balls the size of a hampster, or nipples that can cut glass. or some people are tough and will skydive with the disease all winter long. Not Me, I am a wimp. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deltron80 0 #12 October 1, 2009 woooooo! 69!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #13 October 1, 2009 Quotewhat are Seasons? I dont think we have them in Florida. Sure you do. Three of them. Hurricane season, too fucking hot and humid to go outside season and snowbird season. And none of them are fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hellis 0 #14 October 1, 2009 Quote 4. Pack properly. - Remember to stow the brake lines before starting to pack (it sucks to realize they are not stowed once putting the bag in the container...) stow the breaks when you land in that way you wont forget and lines wont get twisted while carrying it Quote - You can cock your PC at any point in time during the pack job, whatever you like best. Then keep that as your routine. But it does not work once the bag is in the closed container... i always cock my PC twice, once before bagging the canopy, and once when first linestow is done. the type of rig i use has 'two lines', kil-line and "bag-keeper" some rigs has a almost like softhousing where the kil-line is hidden in. the type that i have has a obvious problem, that you by misstake kil the PC while bagging or the line wraping around the canopy if PC is not coocked before bagging. the other type with the softhousing can jam while trying to cock it after bagging the canopy. that happend to me when i was packing a friends canopy, no harm was done since it didnt feel right when trying to cock the PC. so by cocking twice you might lose 10 seconds but it might also save you a repck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkfairy 0 #15 October 1, 2009 No canopy course for me! Last time I went to a canopy course, I broke my leg. They're not safe!Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GaryRay 0 #16 October 2, 2009 QuoteQuotewhat are Seasons? I dont think we have them in Florida. Sure you do. Three of them. Hurricane season, too fucking hot and humid to go outside season and snowbird season. And none of them are fun. no hurricane's in Cali, but i think i am understanding...fire season is where the I15 is closed down so you cant get up to elsinore, and then, i think thats the only season, and it lasts for only a couple of days :PJewBag. www.jewbag.wordpress.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
timmyfitz 0 #17 October 3, 2009 Quoteno hurricane's in Cali, but i think i am understanding...fire season is where the I15 is closed down so you cant get up to elsinore, and then, i think thats the only season, and it lasts for only a couple of days :P There are two seasons in Elsinore. Brown and green(or slightly less brown). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MooU 0 #18 October 5, 2009 Great list - Maybe this could be filed under #3 - But never be ashamed/embarrassed to ride the plane down. I've done it twice and, for me, it was probably the safest course of action in both situations. Situation 1) Upper winds too high for my experience level. Situation 2) Storm front rolled in on way to altitude. My money - my call - my ass safe to jump another day. TPM #59 POPS #9849 PMS #477 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LloydDobbler 2 #19 October 15, 2009 Quote Quote Quote what are Seasons? I dont think we have them in Florida. Sure you do. Three of them. Hurricane season, too fucking hot and humid to go outside season and snowbird season. And none of them are fun. no hurricane's in Cali, but i think i am understanding...fire season is where the I15 is closed down so you cant get up to elsinore, and then, i think thats the only season, and it lasts for only a couple of days :P Don't forget mudslide season. And earthquake season (but that's year-round)... Signatures are the new black. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Latestarter 0 #20 November 30, 2009 Well as a latestater into this sport with only 54 jumps I had a run of line twist from about jump 30 to 40 and I could not figure out what was causing it. While they were relativly easy to get out I was getting more nervous each time it happened and it was spoiling my fun. I then had a major line twist and had to pull my reserve as one side didn't inflate correctly and the brake line were caught up in the twists and I started to spiral out of control. Good thing I remembered the emergency drill off pat and this part went off a treat.I then requested an instructor on my next jump. my problem was caused by back sliding at the pull. The fix was simple legs wider apart and make sure I'm really stable at pull time and make sure hold this position untill the cute pull me up. Since then I have not had a single line twist and I feel so much more confident in what I do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freefal 0 #21 November 30, 2009 We actually have 4 seasons down here in Phoenix: 1. Nice 2. Hot 3. Really hot 4. Are you fu(king kidding me! "Ignorance is bliss" and "Patience is a virtue"... So if you're stupid and don't mind waiting around for a while, I guess you can have a pretty good life! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkfairy 0 #22 November 30, 2009 QuoteWe actually have 4 seasons down here in Phoenix: 1. Nice 2. Hot 3. Really hot 4. Are you fu(king kidding me! I LIKE hot. I think I'm built for 100 and above.Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #23 November 30, 2009 Nice report. It sounds like you are listening and learning. You are on your way to being a wise old fart skydiver. Keep up the good work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpenfool 2 #24 December 17, 2009 8. Pack 9. Repeat.....Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
