Question For All Of You Freefliers.

[Jabeln79 0]

I just got my A license and have 36 jumps. I love to watch the videos of the freefliers when they get back from their jumps at the dz. I was just wandering when a good time to start learning freeflying is, and how do I go about learning. I feel comfortable doing RW but i know RW and Freeflying is completely different. So what do you think, how many jumps did you have before you started Freeflying and sitflying????
THanks for you time
Joe

[cderham 0]

Anytime is a good time as long as you are stable on your belly. At Skydive Chicago Roger has his students (12th or 13th jump) Sit flying and moving into head down within their student progression. Find a good free flier at your dropzone and don't be affraid to ask questions. Buy a couple or a dozen coach jumps. It's better to spend the money and learn right then to get bad muscle memory and have to relearn. Just remember the ground comes up ALOT faster!!! Don't get caught low. My normal breakoff from a freefly jump is 5,000ft This gives me time to really check my airspace and track alittle extra if needed.
Chris

[Slowfaller 0]

Quote

At Skydive Chicago Roger has his students (12th or 13th jump) Sit flying and moving into head down within their student progression.

Just to clarify; The only head down you do in Roger's AFP is that split second when you do your flips. After you graduate the AFP there is a coaching program where you learn to do multiple things in a sit then you'll move to head down. And thats after you get your " A " .
Thats if Roger didn't change the program since April
CHris
" You're having the time of my life, and I think you've got it right" Jets to Brazil

[freeflir29 0]

Well.....I started at around 25-30 jumps. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing and didn't have much available in the way of coaching so I had to learn by trial and error. This wasted a lot of my time. Get some coaching and advice on gear that you need like a Free Fly friendly rig and audible altimeter. Free flying is a lot of fun but it presents an entire new set of hazards to an already dangerous sport.
"Jesus Blessed me with his future...and I protect it with fire!"-R.A.T.M.
Clay

[lazerq3 0]

I just started learning to sit fly and only have 40 jumps! started on my 36th jump. From what very little experiance I have at it I've noticed that is is not too difficult to get into the position however once your there you have no refernce as to how straight your falling, so if you can go with an experienced flyer so you can have someone to refer to while dropping!
jason

[westcoastchica 0]

one thing that people tend to forget is that freeflying occurs at a lot faster speeds than belly flying and there are gear considerations that are very important to keep in mind. i waited longer than most to start freeflying, about 70-something jumps, but i wanted to be sure i was fully capable of getting to my belly STABLE any which way i needed to as well as farmiliarizing myself with all of the opening characteristics of my equipment in case of a premature deployment.
freeflying is awesome and just too much fun, but it can really F^@k you in the buttocks if you don't have your s#!t together in your head. know your body and your equipment, and like everyone said, get some DECENT coaching. you won't regret spending a little cash for the insight that these people have to share.
have a blast! and good luck!
Lara

[FallingMarc 0]

Hey Joe there's a couple of good freefliers at Archway that give free coaching at any level... ask at manifest. I'm gonna try that sometime soon probably... other thing is, don't let Jason catch you freeflying if you're using his rental gear. I'd be afraid to do it in those Dolphins anyway after seeing that video of the premature deployment over in the S&T forum!
See ya CASA weekend!
Marc

[FreeflyPlaymate 0]

I didn't start trying to freefly until I was very comfortable on my belly first. I figure if I don't know how to fly myself at 120 why in the hell would I jump to the faster speeds? I know people get things quicker, slower, or just differently, but my first 60 -70 jumps are mostly all instructor jumps....well free of course one benefit of being a chick. Then after I was liscensed at like 25 I headed on over to Perris to skydive U..... Alot of people questioned why I did that whole course to only just swicth to freeflying, but it's something I deinitely learned alot from, I know alot about my body in the air now...just check out your options, it might set ya back cash wise....but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It is a good thing to know how to be safe on your belly...you do have to deploy there...lol I mean and if something happened I guess really freaky you would need ot be on your belly...besides that is tough ass stuff, RW...I'm serious too, I mean I see our Matrix whopping some butt and I'm like dang how do you do that....sorry I'm babbling...lol
**BLUE ONES**
BITE ME.... :P

[Jabeln79 0]

Thanks everyone for your opinions.
Marc I think your right about not trying it in rentals especially that Doplphin, I've heard that about Jason not wanting us trying that with his gear. I geuss ill have to wait to get my own rig.. However long that will be, i should have quit a few jumps by then..
thanks again.

[skymama 35]

Have an experienced freeflier do a train exit with you, that's how I learned. Both of you face the back of the plane, with the other guy at your back. You jump out together, and he puts his feet under your armpits to get you stable, and then he'll let go and you'll see what you can do. Keep your arms back and your knees to your chest when you are first learning. At least that's what I did, and I got it on my second try.
Andrea
The brave may not live forever, but the timid may not live at all.

[cderham 0]

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Thats if Roger didn't change the program since April
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I had a couple of conversations with Roger this summer and his comment was "You will not believe the freeflying we have these students doing" The start you out in sit I believe and progress from there. Late in the program of course
Chris

[freeflyguy 0]

My opinion,
First thing is VERY good tight new gear with an audible and Cypress. If you don't have it, don't do it. That's me. One friend of mine broke her arm on a premature in a sit, another came close to the same thing. Also two cypress fires in the last couple of weeks that I have seen. So don't skimp on the gear and alt. awareness issues.
Then be a skydiver. Not a freeflyer are RW only. You have all kinds of time to be in the sport. I like RW a lot too. So it is nice when I put on the bumper suit, the RW guys laugh, then I fly my slot anyway. It is all good. Seems to me so many people want to run before they can walk. I don't beleive in a 'wasted' jump learning.
Beyond that. Some type of coaching is very important. Paid or not. You will need people to see what you are doing and correct obvious things. If you try to do it before you have too many jumps, you will spend some of your time on that jump worrying about being in the air, and not enough of the time concentrating on the new skill. That is why I say be patient. 2-ways are good to learn. When you get a little better. If you can safely lurk a 2-way. That is staying on the same level with them, and you all knowing what to do if you cork, it will help a lot too. I spent many many freefly jumps in a stand, because that was all I could do to keep my speed up. But that helped too.
Just fly, be safe, be patient, and have a ball.

[Jon 0]

All very good advice. Only thing I think that was missed was make sure you break off high! You will need that extra altitude to get stable and slow down before you pull. I break off at 5,000 and usually pull at 3,500 or so. Back of the plane means long spot.

[airann 1]

Wonderful!! So happy to see excellent advise here. I always do when I breeze by the fourm. Real people ~ Read answers.
http://home.no.net/freeflyr/
The above is my friend Espens web site. Check it out. I dont think it has changed, but it may have. He delivers his points on freeflying.
I myself started right away -alone- talked to people they put me in a sit position on the gound and I looked at many a video. Get this: not one question regarding skydiving is stupid. On my 100th it was 11 way freefly big way. Me in a stable sit. Whatever it is- be stable. Work on stability. If you dont have it go back to belly.
Freeflying routines can be dirt dived you know. But we dont stand on our heads!! :) We go thru the dive in our heads and watch each others positions.
Find someone willing to give out pointers. You dont especially need a "coach" too much at $50 - $65 a jump. Unless you have the basics down.
YOU MUST be altitude aware, audible dytter, cypres, and you are going faster, go to belly higher than your ususal. My stand is 177 mph. so you have to slow down before you pull on your belly.
My buddy always breaks off at 5000. And he has, I forgot already....800 jumps er 900?
Be careful, no you didnt hear me, B E C A R E F U L.
Dont get in a hurry. There are alot of myths about freeflyers. Dont get sucked into the coolness of it or how bad ass I look, I mean, well you know....
Do not be so cool as to forget about landing either. Three things about skydiving that never change that always need work.
1. The exit
2. the skydive
3. the landing
The attitude is key as well. Be a good skydiver.
Be sharp, pay attention, be serious ...and you walk away.
THEN, as you pick up your canopy you can say... Hell yeah!!
Skydive~Friends~Happiness
AirAnn
www.AirAnn.com