Jaria007 0 #1 February 20, 2005 well today i headed over to skydive miami to complete my IAF level 2 jump. I have a cold but i didnt know but i didnt know that it would make such an impact on my jump. I'm so pissed. My dive sucked ass. I was so concentrated on remembering all of the steps (who in the hell knew there was so many steps for level 2) that by the time that I jumped my stomach was in my throat from being nervous. I remembered all of the steps as I was freefalling but I found it difficult to follow them correctly with the wind pressure. Randy told me my butt was up in the air (thats just plain embarrassing). He also said I needed to work on my arch form. On top of that, when I did my practice throws, I kept forgeting to touch the pull so when it came time to do the real one I didnt know where it was. He said i would have been dead at that point if I was alone. I twisted the wrong way when i was trying to do my turns and he said that it was pretty much impossible for me to turn because my ass was in the air. To top it all off, I landed on my knees and came to the grim realization that (and here comes the best part) that people with the flu should not sky dive. I wiped my hand on my face and noticed that I leaked snot all over my face and suit. Mortified, I ran to the bus where the bus driver was nice enough to give me a napkin. The fact that he noticed my mishap from about 50 feet away makes me never wnt to show my face there again. I think people thought I threw up. I got asked "you didnt really like that much hun, did you?" to which i had to tell them my horrible snot story so that they didnt think that i threw up and didnt like it. I got a couple laughs. I think I'm the first person to bomb a level 2 tandem jump. Please tell me that it gets better cuz I am mad and dissapointed at myself for not even being able to find the cord. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dougiefresh 0 #2 February 20, 2005 Jeez, don't be so hard on yourself. Nobody is an expert skydiver on their second training jump. If you beat up on yourself, and constantly think about how much you suck, then you WILL suck the next time you jump. Learn from your mistakes, and get back up there and try it again.BTW, don't jump when you're sick. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #3 February 21, 2005 i thought that a lot of people had a lot of problems on the 4th jump, not the second one. but actually, thanks a lot. u said exactly what i needed to hear. unfortunately ive been sick for months and in order to do my training i have to jump once every 30 days. Who would have known it wold have been such a messy disaster lol. I don't mean to sound so negative...I guess I didn't realize how much there is to learn and I hate it when I do things wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dougiefresh 0 #4 February 21, 2005 A lot to learn. There's the understatement of the year. There are people who have been in this sport for 20 years and say they're still learning. You're not gonna learn it all in 2 or 20 or 200 jumps. As for your jump being a disaster, I can think of much worse things that could have happened. You did enough right that you didn't get hurt. Keep doing that and the rest will come.Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #5 February 21, 2005 LOL, yea I seem to have underestimated the sport. The funny thing is that now that the jump is over, I remember all the steps just fine. It was just a lot to do in 1 minute. I had no freaking clue where the pull was. Today really gave me a high level of repect for all skydivers. I can't imagine how challenging RW and Freeflying must be or being an instructor that jumps over and over again. Before my first jump, I thought it was going to be like space... weightlessness and freedom to move, when really its the exact opposite. I think I would have been happier had I pulled the cord. I couldnt find it the first time and I told myself that checking the altimeter and pulling was the most important lesson I wanted to get down today. Maybe the third time is the charm! As for me doing enough right not to get hurt..I think Randy is to thank for that. I was told that I would be dead had I been alone, lol. I was like oops...glad I wasn't alone then! I also saw that my post got moved from the intro and greets to the bonfire. Sorry about that! I dont know where to post. There should be a "Newbie" Forum for all the new people questions, lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman32 0 #6 February 21, 2005 Don't feel bad because my last jump was definitely not the best AFF Level 5 I jumped out with what I think was a nice and stable exit, practice touches, turns and forward flight were all fine, thennnn, I look at the JM and he gives me the pull sign. Instead of looking at my alti and pulling, I made a left turn I looked at him again and he gives the pull sign, so once again, instead of looking at my alti and pulling, i started to make a left turn. At that point I quickly realized that the pointing index finger does not mean turn left. I looked at the Alti and pulled at around 4000-3800 ft. So now I'm much further down than I had expected and the winds seemed to have died down so there was no way in hell I going to make it back to the DZ. Ended up having to land in someone's backyard. The ground still had snow/slush and when I PLFd I got soaked On the positive side, I didn't get the get backitis and decided not to try for an open field which i would have to go over power wires. The landing was excelent, I could probably have walked it out, but PLFd instead as instructed. Lesson learned: I'll definately will not confuse pull with left turns and I'll definatlely not lose Alti awareness again Inveniam Viam aut Faciam I'm back biatches! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #7 February 21, 2005 Yet I still find myself envious because you have made it to level 5 in 5 jumps! I think I'm stuck at two. My training has 3 tandem jumps in the first 3 levels, so i cant imagine how scary the level4 solo will be. Everything looks the same from up in the air. I'll probably land in some tomato field lol. I think that it's awesome you didn't panic when you figured out you pulled late (I know I would have) and that you managed to land safely. What a surprise it must have been for someone to find you in their back yard! What is backitis? PLFd?? What you said is so true...once you've done something wrong, you wont repeat it again (hopefully). However, I didnt forget to pull, I just couldnt find the damn thing!! I defintiely kept my eye on the altimeter because on my first jump I forgot it completely. I just felt like I let my instructor down by not pulling, not to mention how I am still mortified of my sinus mishap (inserts head in dark hole). I'm wondering how I can improve the arch and pulling scenario. On the ground, I arch fine (at least that is what I was told). I thought I was doing it in the air, but apparently I was a human bridge! Same goes for the pull, I pulled and tossed many times in the training room, but when I was attached to my instructor, I couldnt figure out for the life of me, where that little sucker was! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feeblemind 1 #8 February 21, 2005 Don't feel bad, I screwed up mine and I wasn't sick at all!! We pitched put of the plane at 13k and all was awesome!! I get the thumbs up and I do my three practice touches, I follow the dive flow and do the two 360's (YeeHaw this is bitchin') I get the check altitude sign (yep, passing through 5,500 DAMN this is fun!!) next I see the altitude signal again and him pointing his index finger at it (Hey I looked at that a second ago, I am having fun whats the deal?) Snatch! up we go. Well needless to say I was having so much fun (with my head in my ass) I would have grinned to my self to death or at the minimum a cypress fire. Lucky for me all I had to do was repeat the dive. See your not the only one!!! Phil Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman32 0 #9 February 21, 2005 Quote What a surprise it must have been for someone to find you in their back yard! What is backitis? PLFd?? The people whose backyard I landed in never saw me, but a neighbor just looked over at me for a second and went back to doing whatever she was doing. The DZ's neighbors must be used to see people landing off all the time. I was the 4th person landing off the DZ that morning (which included someone that land in the trees) *Get backitis: Is when someone becomes fixated at making it back to the DZ and may ignore or misjudge possible hazards *Parachute Landing Fall (PLF): A method developed by the US military to minimize the chances of injury from a hard landing under a parachute. The jumper distributes the force of the landing in an orderly manner over the most robust areas of the body -as per Skydiver's Info. Manual Here is a good glossary http://www.dropzone.com/safety/resources/handbook/gloss2.shtml Don't get discouraged. Your instructors will help you address issues. Don't give up. Every jump is more fun and exciting than the last. Inveniam Viam aut Faciam I'm back biatches! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #10 February 21, 2005 LOL...that's great! I was SUPER concentrated on the altimeter. If only I could find that pesky pull Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #11 February 21, 2005 LOL!! I can't imagine landing in the trees! Luckily, the only thing I can land in at my DZ is a tomato field or the like. Hmmm...the everglades are pretty near though...gators..oh no. What do you do if you land somewhere else? Smoke signals? Thanks for the glossary link. EXTREMELY HELPFUL. I really felt discouraged today. Randy wasn't as chipper as last time, so I felt I contributed to that in some way by completely bombing the jump. He did say that I could work on a lot of my issues on the ground. Man, i need to win the lottery soon to pay for all this training and retraining! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman32 0 #12 February 21, 2005 Quote What do you do if you land somewhere else? Smoke signals? Start walking The guy in the tress was hanging about 40 ft above ground. Thankfully he was ok. Inveniam Viam aut Faciam I'm back biatches! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #13 February 21, 2005 That would be pretty funny hitchhiking back to your DZ, parachute in hand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerclaw 0 #14 February 21, 2005 Hey Darlin', Keep your chin up! Lots of us repeat dives! I was told on my First Cat B dive that everything was perfect....if only I'd pulled the chute myself ( I couldn't seem to find the darn thing either) the JM's just kept watching me as we descended. He's got it.. no......he doesn't . Now he's got it...No he still doesn't. Neither JM's wanted to pull for me, I was soooooooooooo close Eventually the altitude was getting too low. A comedy of errors. So I had to repeat. And we know the only thing we really gotta hate about "repeating" dives. Is that we're still paying those higher prices... I just wanna get to Cat E/F and those $70 dives. hehehe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #15 February 21, 2005 I know. It's so true. My jumps are 150 a pop. Once I pass level 9, its only 45 (including rental and repack). Cant wait! However, moreso than repeat costs, I hate feeling like I failed. I HATE IT!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #16 February 21, 2005 QuoteI just wanna get to Cat E/F and those $70 dives. hehehe just wait, it gets even better when you have your own gear and get to only pay 20 bucks... or later onif you stat doing video and you get paid 40 bucks for shooting video and stills....and don't have to pay for the slot....... good luck to ya all....i "failed a leverl" myself.. had to repeat my 10 second delay on the static line progresion...... scraed the shit out my instructor.... she was looking at me from the plane and thinking "oh my god is he gona pull"..........who knows if the aad would of worked.. it was an old fxc..... ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #17 February 21, 2005 Yea, I think camera work is going to be right up my ally. That is, if I ever remember to pull, lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skylord 1 #18 February 22, 2005 Here's my two cents. You don't "fail" levels, you do more jumps because all of us learn at different rates. You only fail if you quit permanently. You have to gain the experience and confidence in order to progress, and from my very, very limited experience as an older person getting into this sport, going 8-0 in AFF was way too fast for me. I've repeated 2, and 6. I wasn't ready, and I KNEW it both times. Now I'm on my 15th jump, which will be my AFF-8 dive. I feel confident and comfortable. It took me longer to get there. That doesn't make me a shit, but spending extra time early on will pay dividends later. Relax, have fun, forget the snot (although your pix are on the internet already). Not really, I'm just teasing you...... Looking at each jump as pass/fail will drive you crazy in an environment like skydiving. It will only make you more tense. Get out there, talk to your instructors, listen to them, chill, and it will come. I'm referring to the skills, not the snot. BobBob Marks "-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaria007 0 #19 February 24, 2005 (although your pix are on the internet already). LOL! Man, those damn videographers are sneaky! You know, once you put it that way, you sure are right! Failing only happens when you quit permanently. Now, speak to me again when I am on my 40th jump and still AFF2-I might have a different story the only good thing that came out of the snot mishap is that my nose cleared up. Guess the sky was like one giant tissue. Gross! *shrugs* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
