uncontrolled turns in aff 4

[pilotpilot57 0]

Made my aff level 4 jump, which is a release dive with one instructor, all was going well then after release I went to check altitude and began to turn. I was able to stop , moved forward back to instructor check alt. and off I went. Through all of this I was stable, no potatoe chipping, but kept turning. When it was time to "lock on" I was in a turn until I pulled, which was a good stable pull. Instructor said I was twisting my body when I looked at my altimeter. I'm new obviosly, looking for any Ideas you folks can give me. I still had a blast, but have to do level 4 again.....

[jsreznor 0]

you can see your arms. actively work on keeping them even.
get on a creeper and practice checking @ and practice touches with someone watching to see if you're dipping. you CAN bring your arms down so you won't have to turn your head so much. the arch starts in the hips, not the chest.

you can't see your legs. try toe taps to stay even. practice on a creeper.

get a routine down after your release:
altitude, toe tap, instructor, heading
wash, rinse, repeat
wave off, pull

[klingeme 0]

Quote

Made my aff level 4 jump, which is a release dive with one instructor, all was going well then after release I went to check altitude and began to turn. I was able to stop , moved forward back to instructor check alt. and off I went. Through all of this I was stable, no potatoe chipping, but kept turning. When it was time to "lock on" I was in a turn until I pulled, which was a good stable pull. Instructor said I was twisting my body when I looked at my altimeter. I'm new obviosly, looking for any Ideas you folks can give me. I still had a blast, but have to do level 4 again.....

I know this is not what you want to hear, but try taking a deep breath and relaxing. It's amazing what that can to to relax you body position. Also, if you have a wind tunnel near by, go spend 10 minutes there. It's a lot cheaper than repeating a level.

Mark Klingelhoefer

[inyournavl 0]

I repeated level 4 six times. I had a slow turn to the left that i could not stop, I finally went to a wind tunnel for a hour. If you can get to a tunnel It's a lot cheaper than doing jumps at $150 each.

It doesn't have to make sense, It's just the way things are.

[pilotdave 0]

Level 4 was the only level I had to repeat. Take advice from your instructors and keep at it. It'll just "click" all of a sudden and you'll feel like you're in total control. My first level 4 didn't go too well, ending in a landing far enough from the DZ that a guy that watched me land asked me where the dropzone was. But it was still the funnest jump I had done to that point. It just keeps getting more and more fun from there. Don't overthink it... your instructors will tell you everything you need to know. Get back out and try again.

Dave

[kj126 0]

This is a very common occurence, One item that might help, you say its while looking at your altimeter. Lots of people over rotate there arms to get a good view of there altitude, Try placing the altimeter right over the pallet between your index finger and thumb, there will be less motion to look at it.
The other is no matter what is happening fix it, if you have to turn in the other direction to look at altitude to keep a heading then do so.
But in every case as a new jumper consult your jump master before using advice from others.

Good luck.

I Am Sofa King We Todd Did!!

[firstime 0]

Also failed level 4, It would make me laugh out load when my instructor would say "relax" I would reply" are you fu%^ing kidding me" I am jumping out of an airplane and my mind and body is saying WTF. My instructor went on to say unless you chill out it won't get easier.And I tried it..."smart ass" she knew what she was talking about. I am still laughing, but it works.

[humbled1 0]

I too had to repeat level 4, and that was after 15 minutes in the tunnel.

My problem was arching from the chest, my instructor told me to pretend I was holding a quarter in my ass cheeks, and then he made me arch on the picnic tables while he kept pushing my feet down, it seemed dumb at first but soon after that I was actually smiliing during freefall..

dont get frustrated, you'll get it...

EDIT: its like dave said, it will just 'click' at some point, at least it did for me on my 2nd time doing level 4

"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

[skybytch 259]

Do you have a watch? Put it on your left wrist and get down on the floor in a neutral body position. Without moving your head, look at the watch. Can you see it (not necessarily read it, just see it)? How little can you move your head so you can see it?

Next time you're at the dz, do the same thing with an altimeter. Find the combination of eye and head movement that lets you read it without moving your head very much. For where your head goes, your body will likely follow.

[drae 0]

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I repeated level 4 six times. I had a slow turn to the left that i could not stop, I finally went to a wind tunnel for a hour. If you can get to a tunnel It's a lot cheaper than doing jumps at $150 each.

I did the same thing and passed level 4 first jump after the tunnel time.
Good luck!!

[darrenspooner 0]

I did the same on 5. My instructor (Milko at Langar) broke convention and got me to do a 5 second track to start off. Fixed the problem straight away.

[Tuna-Salad 0]

Ask your instructor and get a video. You will be able to see what you are doing wrong. If you turned and stopped and were able to dock, you made it back to the ground.. I would call that a successful skydive.

Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night.

[pilotpilot57 0]

thanks for all the good info....I do have access to a tunnel here at Perris Valley, I think that would be a wise choice (and cheap)
I can't wait for my 1st solo where I can just enjoy the view , look at my alt, and pull.....blue skies everyone...

[skybytch 259]

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.I do have access to a tunnel here at Perris Valley, I think that would be a wise choice

A very good idea. Bring your logbook and tell the tunnel instructor about your last jump so they'll know what to help you with.

[degeneration 5]

I too had a turn problem during my AFF. Failed Lvl4 cause of it. Got it sorted ish on the next jump so got to level 5. It reappeared again so failed lvl 5, got it sorted ish, so I got to level 6, it reappeared again so I failed level 6!

Then due to circumstances it was over 2 months until I did my next jump. As it was at a different DZ I had to repeat level 5 as well and when I did, there was no evidence of a turn problem.

What I attribute this to is actually having a good length of time to think about it (granted 2 months was too long a time!!). So my advice is completely visualise what you are supposed to be doing, how your body is supposed to be positioned. If you visualise the jump in your head over and over again, hopefully when you go to do it next your body will do what you've been visualising.

I can't think of any other reason why the turn problem I had in one jump, disappeared a couple of months later with no jumps or tunnel time in between.

Also, as one of my instructors said, smile!! You'll relax more if you do! Best of luck in your future jumps, you will get it!

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[darrenspooner 0]

I had the same problem. My instructor (Milko, at Langar) broke convention and told me to go into a 5-second track after release and then stable spread. Fixed it straight away