Skydiving With The Humans: Pt.2

[Gato 0]

Hello Again, DZ.com Peeps -

First, my disclaimer: I only have 3 jumps, all S/L, and I just had my 3rd yesterday, which was my first Practice Ripcord Pull (PRCP). I mention this because I don't want anyone thinking I might know shit about skydiving, and as of right now I'm what you'd call a Parachutist. With a total of 8-9 seconds of less-than-terminal freefall, I'm still kind-of a whuffo.

I'd like to admit to all of you that I've made a terrible mistake; I thought if I read everything I could about skydiving, listened to Skydive Radio, and learned all I could about the gear and risks and canopy design and flight plans, I could give myself a bit of a head start. Perhaps you're reading this and thinking the same thing. I WAS WRONG.

This kind of investigation is all about content, not direct experience. It is a blind search for information we think will give us a leg-up. It DOES NOT keep you from making the mistakes you see discussed in these forums. It DOES NOT keep you from being scared shitless when you are about to stand on the landing gear of a Cessna 182. It DOES NOT keep you from landing 400 yards from the DZ. It DOES NOT give you an advantage over the other students, much less the experienced jumpers.

Now, it MIGHT negate your training. It MIGHT help you set up false expectations about what you'll experience in the air. It MIGHT make you think you're going to be a perfect student with perfect marks in your logbook. It MIGHT give you a false sense of security. It MIGHT make you look like a total ass when you talk to other jumpers, or the DZO (Who is just trying to keep you alive even though he doesn't like you.)

So I'm done with DZ.com and Skydive Radio for a while. The best thing I've learned since I started reading and posting here is how little I really know, and I have all of you experienced jumpers to thank. Your perspectives and insights are truly appreciated.

The best thing I've learned since I started jumping is that when you are scared out of your mind, and shit is going down (no pun intended) all you have left to work with is what you have physically rehearsed over and over again. The message here is to rely on your training and the methods your instructors give you, because, for instance, knowing that a Samurai may swoop farther than a Crossfire doesn't mean a damn thing when you are waiting for your PD300 to inflate and you don't know where the DZ is.

This will be the last thread I post on for a while, at least until I'm off student status (Assuming I get that far.) It's been a lot of fun, and I hope to jump with some of you in the future, but I need to go practice my "arch, reach, and pull" now, so I won't be able to give any of you advice about which canopy to buy . Thank God.

Best of the Blue Skies,

El Gato

T.I.N.S.

[Yossarian 0]

seems like a pretty healthy attitude to me, one i could probably learn from....

[Fast 0]

Let this post serve as a reminder to all other students out there.


Please listen to and work with your instructors. Come join the fun here once you have some real world experience.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[Gato 0]

***
Let this post serve as a reminder to all other students out there.***

You honor me, Sir.

Gato

T.I.N.S.

[Hazarrd 1]

this is the case with just about everything you do in life...

.-.

[skybytch 259]

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The best thing I've learned since I started reading and posting here is how little I really know

One thing that I think is cool about skydiving is that you really can't ever know it all. Keep that attitude throughout your skydiving career; it just may save your life someday.

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This will be the last thread I post on for a while, at least until I'm off student status (Assuming I get that far.)

I'd encourage you to continue posting, just be selective in where you post. You don't need to tell us how to do 270 front riser turns yet, but a student's insight into things that are not related to the technical and physical parts of skydiving has value (imho).

I'd love to read about your student jumps. I think those kind of posts are great - for other students, for instructors and for other jumpers. Many people here have no idea what happens on static line progression jumps, so your stories would be educational as well.

[Elisha 1]

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Many people here have no idea what happens on static line progression jumps, so your stories would be educational as well.

Yeah, what's this thing you call 'static line'? It seems like it is a small minority now.

[Gato 0]

Hello Skybytch -

Thanks for your words of encouragement - they are appreciated.

So I'll take time every now and then to post my progress, if it's OK with the DZ community.

Yours Bluely,

El Gato

T.I.N.S.

[mdrejhon 8]

If there was a "Students Forum", this thread needs to be the sticky.

[Gato 0]

I think there should be a students' forum. It might be a little more comfy for us low-timers.

Not that anyone should try and comfort me . . . . . .

Blues,

Gato

T.I.N.S.

[AFFI 0]

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I think there should be a students' forum. It might be a little more comfy for us low-timers.

A student Forum is a pretty good idea on the surface.

Instruction is done in person, one on one with students and different DZ’s have different training philosophies. If a student is learning online they might be receiving information that is contradictory to the instruction they are receiving in person at their respective DZ.

This has caused problems for me in the past when I am teaching a specific method that is conducive to our training program with our gear and the student I am working with says – “yeah, but online I learned that it should be done a different way”. It is more difficult to erase what they learned online and re-train, I would much rather have a student who does not have prior knowledge that may be specific to the training method other than the one I am teaching.

That is why so many times a student will ask for advice here in these forums and the most common response is to ask and listen to their instructors. One of my pet peeves is when a student does receive guidance online by skydivers who are not qualified to train skydivers in the first place much less online with someone they do not know and whose progression in the training method they are learning in is unknown as well.

Advice and instruction to students should be kept in person between a licensed instructor and the student.

-

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[Gato 0]

Hello AFFI -

I get it - what you said is the reasoning behind my original post. I was also thinking more in terms of ONLY sharing jump stories, not giving each other advise. But I definitely see where you're coming from.

Like a good student, I sit corrected.
Thanks for your input.

Humbly Yours,

Gato

T.I.N.S.