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sunflower92

Easiest Stability Exits

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I am working on getting my A-license. I only need a couple more items to complete the proficiency card. I am at 22 jumps right now.

However, I am having a hard time with my exits. I get stable within 5 seconds, but I would like not to flip once or twice. I really would love to "ride the hill down".

I know one of my issues is that I forget to spot the plane. I always focus on other parts of my exit that I forget to spot.

I would love any advice and tips.

Also, what is everyones opinion on the "easiest exit". I know it varies person-by-person.
I have tried a diving exit (I think I did it wrong though to be frank. It was during my tracking jump with my instructor and I had my shoulders facing her, not the wind (was that wrong?)
I also tried just doing a little shuffle off having my body facing the wind(this one seems to be the less flippy like).
Lastly, I tried a pivot to face the wind.


Again, any tips and tricks would be the best. Even something to help keep spotting in my mind. I don't know why it always leaves my mind. Like I mentioned, I think it may be because I am thinking of other things.

Much love <3

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sunflower92

Thumbs on my shoulders?

I was always told to have my arms out.



It doesent really matter as long as you arch hard and present to the relative wind. You can tuck your hands into your pants and still not flip around if you're arching and facing the wind correctly.

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(The following assumes a "larger airplane" with a side door, like a Twin Otter or a Cessna Caravan. If you are exiting a small Cessna with a step, and are fully outside when you leave, this is unlikely to apply.)

One issue that I have seen people have that are worried about the exit is that they are hesitant, and exit slowly. This means that one side of their body is out in the wind before the other side leaves the airplane, and this of course rotates their body around.

You might try being very forceful and just flinging your body out there symetrically.

Someone watching you exit should be able to tell if this is what is happening.

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There are three parts to an exit.

The setup: how you position yourself in the door, hand and foot placement etc.

The launch: how you actually leave the airplane, should be hips into the relative wind.

The flyaway: how you ride the hill.

Take your time and set yourself up properly in the door. Once you are set up launch yourself with your hips into the relative wind. Then continue to fly your body on the hill. A lot of people have said to arch hard but in my opinion that tends to make you tense and rigid. I find an exaggerated relaxed arch works much better.


Blue Skies

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Assuming you are jumping from a larger aircraft that has some decent speed (Twin Otter or faster), this may help. It's what helped me the most:

Go to an indoor skydiving facility and spend enough time there so that you can enter the tunnel from the door and immediately fly on your belly. This gets you used to feeling the wind on your body and immediately trusting that it will "hold you up".
Then pretty much do the same when you do a poised exit (facing forward into the wind) except that you need to keep in mind that the wind will come from about 30 to 45 degrees from the bottom-front, rather than 90 degrees from the bottom, as in the tunnel.
This helped me much more than any description of where to put my arms, legs or how to position my body.
Instead, it established an intuitive relationship with the airflow that I could rely upon and trust.

Before getting this feel for the wind, I actually found diving exits towards the back the easiest, because if I just stretched out my arms and folded my legs over completely, they would always work themselves out automatically.

If you are jumping from a really slow, small Chesna, I can't help you. The air feels almost dead, and when I jump from those, it still feels like it takes 5 to 7 seconds before there is enough airflow to really feel stable (Then it's more like jumping from a diving board, where your body position depends completely on the launch)

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>Lastly, I tried a pivot to face the wind.

That can backfire, because it makes you think you should go out while spinning (pivoting.)

What I try to tell people is to step out in the position you want to be in - and hold it. In other words, step out, get into the body position you want to be in, and hold it there without rotation. Do the same thing you would do if you stepped off a diving board and entered the water without any rotation.

As to body position, if you are in an aircraft with a visible (low) landing gear, try to put your pelvis on that. On an Otter, try to hit the left main gear with your pelvis - that puts you into a good position. (Do this only with your body position, not by flinging yourself forward.)

Everything proceeds from that. For a diving exit you are going to want to try to put your body in the right position and stop - but facing down this time. Same basic position.

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The easiest exit is floater facing the relative wind, just look at the damn plane and you won't tumble because you will have a reference point. Take a good look at it, observe the belly of the aircraft, how it falls away from you, how it flies. Not just, "LOOOK THE PLANEEE FCK AM I TUMBLING?" ... no no ... look at it peacfully and observe it. Oh and don't be explosive on exits. You were probably thought ARCH, READY, SET, GO!!!!!!!!121313421! Like you were droping on Omaha beach in 1944. Nah man, take it easy present yourself to the wind softly and look at that plane, forget everything else.

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It would help to know which plane you're jumping...
And your instructor is a better first resource... but meanwhile, here's some thoughts...

FIRST:
If larger plane (otter/king/queen/porter/etc) - face forward and while initially bracing with the inner foot/hand, "move" your body into the wind, leading with the outer foot/hand. Smoothly extend yourself into the wind, letting go just before full inner arm extension.

If Cessna with a wheel step, a full hang from the strut usually works.

If tailgate (my experience) learn to enjoy to a full flip on exit. :-) Why else would you jump a tailgate anyway? (unless you're launching a chunk)

Second: learn to briefly ignore your eyes and their perception of which way you "should" be falling... because you're not... FEEL the wind and extend your belly/hip arch into the wind. It was thinking about this aspect of "the hill" that finally got me to the point of making controlled turns on the hill.*

Finally on a personal note - I've recently been to DZ's that have Cessna 206's with rear doors (my least favorite door setup) and I'm just rolling/falling out from positions that innevitably are complete de-arched from being in the tail of a small plane... With the tail right there, I'm not all that eager to get too efficient too soon anyway... So I get to fall/tumble/flail and work on sub-terminal unstable exit recovery...

*PS - for slightly more experienced jumpers: next time you exit solo try this... controlled left and right 360's stoping on each 90, start immediately after exit and try to finish within 8-10 seconds (within 1000' of exit alt). Fun little exercise to start a dive. To do this, one almost has to completely ignore what their eyes say and start really feeling the air.

Keep practicing... each and every exit/jump/deployment/flight and landing is a chance to learn and improve.

Have fun too,
JW
Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

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>I only know that I am jumping a Caravan. Forgive me if there are many different types of Caravan.

Doors are all similar. Yeah, poised exit facing forward, put your hips on the gear is going to probably be the easiest exit.

>For a diving position, do I twist my shoulders to or away from the wind?

Don't think about twisting. Think about putting your whole body where you want it.

For diving exits, think about once again putting your hips on the landing gear. (Harder because you can't see it.) You want to go out with your head lower than your feet, _without_ any twists or contortions - pelvis out, chest out, legs back, feet on your butt (at first.) As soon as you feel stable extend them to a normal freefall position to prevent backsliding.

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Quote

I am jumping a Caravan. Sorry, I should have mentioned that in my original post.



Caravans are some of the faster planes, so there is definitely lots of airflow that you can "lean into" on exit. Again: All the advice here is great (and coming mostly from people with more jumps than I have) AND I would mostly focus on FEELING the air as it comes at you at 100miles an hour as soon as you leave. If you can feel it on your body, you will automatically make the right micro-adjustments, even if you initially aren't 100% in the right position.

That way you can also keep your mind much more empty and calm on exit
(rather than: "ok. where does my foot go? Where do I need to put my hands...f**ck I'm 13000 ft up in the air!!!...ok, calm down...arms stretched out...look at the airplane...f**ck!!!!!...up..down..FEAR!!..out...what do I do with my legs?..sh*t I'm tumbling, what now..................................................(mind calms down as your body starts flying and feeling)...Now I'm stable. I'm flying!...................................................(no more thoughts) PEACE! ")

Since it is much harder to focus on FEELING when your adrenaline is really high (as it usually is when you face "the door" on your first skydives), it's easier to learn that aspect in the tunnel first.

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You might have some fun closing your eyes intermittently during an exit.

You must resist the instinct to squirm like a cat will do to land on its feet. You must trust your launch and body position, ride it out even if it feels like you have been tipped over.

In general, I've found that having more confidence than is justified will help performance. Plenty of time to have self-doubt later, go confidently now.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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