Low pull

[Burrc 0]

Had a idiot moment on my last jump two weeks ago. I am a student and i was to go out and try my first 90 degree turns also do my first boxman position and first pull at a specific altitude. Well I went out did a 90 degree left and when I went right, I kept spinning right until I finally pulled at 2500 ft. My pull altitude was supposed to be 5000 ft. My question is should my next jump be just a stable jump pulling at a specific altitude or should I try my turns again right away? One coach says one thing and another says something else. I'm sure this has happened to others.

[labrys 0]

Back it up a bit and explain why you didn't pull at 5000 in the first place.

Were you so distracted by the turn that you didn't pull or were you too focused on stopping the turn to pull when you were supposed to?

Are you familiar with the idea of pull priorities?

Owned by Remi #?

[dks13827 2]

you delayed your pull by at least 12 seconds ? may I ask, why ??

[kelpdiver 2]

Are you not yet cleared for self supervised jumping? You talk about coaches and boxmen and have 12 jumps, but also about your first 90 degree turns. I think the advice people might give you would depend on that. If you are in the coaching phase, you can still seek out the AFF-Is at your DZ.

I struggled with turns and stability until I spent just a short time in the tunnel, and then that problem went away quickly.

[tbrown 26]

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Had a idiot moment on my last jump two weeks ago. I am a student and i was to go out and try my first 90 degree turns also do my first boxman position and first pull at a specific altitude. Well I went out did a 90 degree left and when I went right, I kept spinning right until I finally pulled at 2500 ft. My pull altitude was supposed to be 5000 ft. My question is should my next jump be just a stable jump pulling at a specific altitude or should I try my turns again right away? One coach says one thing and another says something else. I'm sure this has happened to others.

You shouldn't be asking a bunch of strangers on a public forum. You should be asking your Instructor. These people don't know you from Adam and will tell you anyting. Your instructors should know you well enough. Talk to them - and let us know how your next few jumps go !

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[tombuch 0]

I'm an AFF instructor, so I'll address your question, but I won't really answer it---that should be left to YOUR instructors.

Missing a pull altitude and opening at 2,500 feet is a big deal, and so is being distracted. When I've had students do stuff like that I evaluate their performance against their specific past experience, and their perceptions of how they screwed up and why.

Sometimes I'll recommend a simple flat in-place dive, and sometimes I'll recommend a repeat of the turn. It all depends.

If I'm not comfortable with the skill of the student it'll be just a flat dive. If I'm comfortable with having the student try a repeat, I'll be open ended and ask the student what he/she wants to do, and how he/she thinks I should handle it.

Sometimes the student wants to jump right back on the horse and try again, and sometimes the student is more timid and would rather simplify the jump. As long as I have confidence in the student, either approach is fine with me.

So I guess the questions for you and your instructors are what kind of student are you, why did the problem happen, why do you think it will or will not happen again, what can you do about it if it does, and what do you want to do.

Oh, and, I'd probably want to tag along in freefall just to watch and see what the turn issue is all about, and kinda (but not really) back you up.

Teaching skydiving isn't cookie cutter. Every student and every jump is different, and that's why us instructor make so much money.

Think about your jump and what you want to do, chat with your instructors, and then have a good time in the air while focusing on altitude awareness. That means don't get all weirded out, but maybe instead get just a tiny bit weirded out so we know you are concerned.

Is that an appropriate no-answer?

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[ufk22 32]

1st, there are no idiot moments. There are lapses, mental lockups and over loads, and just plain fear. Watch Brian Germain's you-tube videos on controlling fear and stress. They're great.
Based on what you're describing on jump 12, my assumption is you are in a static line program. Your jump before this was what, 20 sec delay, and this was your first 30+sec jump???
Losing altitude awareness is a very serious thing, always keep that priority #1, no if's and's or but's, but.....
This jump had too many 1st's, first turns, first boxman, first pull based on altimeter rather than count.
The static line progression should be simpler, with less new goals/skydive than AFF because you're out there on your own. I add only 1 goal in freefall and one under canopy for each jump. If you've been stable on proceeding jumps just try to add 1 thing for the next jump. I would suggest a stable jump, trying holding a heading, no turns, with altimeter checks. Remember not to twist you upper body when looking at your altimeter. If you're using a wrist mount, it's natural to raise your left arm to look at it, and raising your left arm will make you turn right. If things get out of control, focus altitude and leg position, forget everything else, and pull on time.
Talk to a local instructor, not a coach if you have doubts about this.

This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

[Burrc 0]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go out next time and just do a simple flat stable dive (which i've been comfortable with so far) with altimeter checks and pull at the correct altitude.

[Burrc 0]

Good advice. Next jump is gonna be a stable freefall with a pull at the correct altitude. I was trying to push too many skills too early I think.

[unclekenny01 0]

Don't get down on yourself . Everyone proble did that too .
Relax ! Turn slow . If you start spinning, relax check aliuded every 5 seconds , check the SIMS pull at right altiude is #1, so your spinning , you might for sure have line twist so what.
Did you learn from your last jump ? Do it again and you just might have fun.
Do you know what happened on that jump"right and wrong ?"
Pull at the correct altuide , the ground wins. You do have a AAD . But You do have your handle to open your main first, the aad is a back up.

[robskydiv 0]

At Pull Time, Pull.

[Burrc 0]

Thanks for the advice have done 3 jumps since then. Got turns figured out and even did my first "bomb out" exit. Can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my A license. Having a great time again.

[NiteQwill 0]

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Good advice. Next jump is gonna be a stable freefall with a pull at the correct altitude. I was trying to push too many skills too early I think.

Just remember pull priorities: Pull, Pull on time, Pull at the right altitude.

"Fail, fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett

[linebckr83 3]

I think you mean "Pull, Pull on time, Pull stable"

"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

[mrbiceps 0]

I dont mean for it to replace your current alti or your eyes but buying an audible alti is the best money u can spend. If AADs are going to be compulsory then i think audibles should be as well. Its a bit hard to forget to pull when you have a crazy loud buzzer going off that is vibrating your ear drum like mad.

[airtwardo 6]

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I dont mean for it to replace your current alti or your eyes but buying an audible alti is the best money u can spend. If AADs are going to be compulsory then i think audibles should be as well. Its a bit hard to forget to pull when you have a crazy loud buzzer going off that is vibrating your ear drum like mad.

I've never been a big fan of battery operated skydivers.


Train your mind, body, EYES to understand and react...the gizmos are wonderful back-ups.

Never depend on electronic devices...never know when a nuke going off nearby will EM wave yer stuff!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[billvon 2,400]

>Its a bit hard to forget to pull when you have a crazy loud buzzer
>going off that is vibrating your ear drum like mad.

On the minus side, if you get used to listening for that crazy loud buzzer before pulling, the day it fails will be the day you don't pull. Get used to pulling WITHOUT any reminders before you start adding reminders.

Visual altimeters can be used as a crutch as well. But when they fail you know about it very quickly.

[NiteQwill 0]

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I think you mean "Pull, Pull on time, Pull stable"

I guess we're both wrong... Pull, pull at correct altitude, and pull stable.

SIM Section 4 Cat. C

(I was confusing reserve priorities I guess, which is pull regardless of getting stable or not)

"Fail, fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett

[timmyfitz 0]

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I think you mean "Pull, Pull on time, Pull stable"

I guess we're both wrong... Pull, pull at correct altitude, and pull stable.

SIM Section 4 Cat. C

(I was confusing reserve priorities I guess, which is pull regardless of getting stable or not)

No linebckr83 was right. "Pull on time" would be the same as "pull at the correct altitude".

1-Pull
2-pull at the correct altitude/pull on time(regardless of stability)
3-pull at the correct altitude while stable

[BrianM 1]

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On the minus side, if you get used to listening for that crazy loud buzzer before pulling, the day it fails will be the day you don't pull. Get used to pulling WITHOUT any reminders before you start adding reminders.

I jump with audibles. A few years ago I realized that they had made me less altitude aware. It snuck up on me over time, and I didn't even know it was happening.

I now set my audibles to altitudes that are below my planned break-off and pull altitudes, but that will still give me sufficient time to gain some separation and deploy my main. Now if I hear the beep and haven't already broken off/pulled, it means I screwed up.

My altitude awareness is back to what it used to be.

"It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

Hi Brian,

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Now if I hear the beep and haven't already broken off/pulled, it means I screwed up.

A couple of lifetimes ago a local jumper called it quits. I bought his ParAlert ( anyone remember them? ) and had to send it back to the mfr to get it set & marked so I could set it at 1500 ft. They were confused at first because that idea was never in their thinking when they designed the device. It took me a little while to convince them that this might just be a good idea.

JerryBaumchen

[JohnMitchell 14]

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No linebckr83 was right. "Pull on time" would be the same as "pull at the correct altitude".

1-Pull
2-pull at the correct altitude/pull on time(regardless of stability)
3-pull at the correct altitude while stable

I've never liked any of that "priority" crap.

When it's time to pull, PULL!
It's nice to be stable at pull time, but it doesn't really matter. PULL!

If you're low, and missed your preplanned pull altitude, then IT'S TIME TO PULL!

Pull when it's time to pull, whenever that is.

That is the only priority.

There, I've said my peace.

[mjosparky 3]

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I bought his ParAlert ( anyone remember them? )

Yes, I do remember them. While tracking away from a big way I caught myself waiting for it to go off so I could pull. When I got on the ground I started thinking about what had happened and sold my “Dirt Alert”.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[timmyfitz 0]

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No linebckr83 was right. "Pull on time" would be the same as "pull at the correct altitude".

1-Pull
2-pull at the correct altitude/pull on time(regardless of stability)
3-pull at the correct altitude while stable

I've never liked any of that "priority" crap.

When it's time to pull, PULL!

That would be number 2 and 3.

It's nice to be stable at pull time, but it doesn't really matter. PULL!

That would be a little of 2 and 3

If you're low, and missed your preplanned pull altitude, then IT'S TIME TO PULL!

That would be number 1

Pull when it's time to pull, whenever that is.

That would be number 2 and 3

That is the only priority.

There, I've said my peace.

[JohnMitchell 14]

You missed my point. I have one rule. "When it's time to pull, PULL!", regardless of whatever else may be happening.

All those priority statements get in the way of understanding that simple principle. I state in one sentence what takes three sentences to obfuscate. Brevity is the essence of not only wit, but effective teaching.