Weight difference and jumping

[Tigerfly 0]

So, I had this fantastic idea that my husband and I would get licensed as skydivers and then jump together. HA! We both are newly licensed. Jumped together for the first time last weekend. Didn't go very well. I weight 135. He weighs 195. I arched to the best of my ability and he said he de arched the best he could. As soon as we can afford it (I bought my rig and now it's his turn) I plan to buy a nylon, tighter fitting jumpsuit (I'm using DZ suits). I am not ready to add on weights and have a higher wingloading...and I am actually trying to lose about 10 more pounds...so don't even suggest I gain weight! HA! Is it realistic that in time, we can figure it out and jump together, or is 60 pounds too big of a difference? My husband is going to try and lose weight (or so he says!) not just because of skydiving but for other reasons. So besides starving my husband (I've never been a good cook anyways! any advice? The first exit we did was I dove out first then he jumped right after me. Second time we did a linked exit. Pretty stable out the door and then we started spinning a few seconds later. Once we let go of each other, all hope was lost for catching up to him. Help? Thanks!

[gowlerk 1,901]

Get coaching. I do RW with my 5 ft 135 lb wife all the time. I'm 6 ft 2 and 210 lbs. Nearly everyone can have compatible fall rates with the correct jumpsuits and technique.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[irishrigger 31]

First of all Congrats on the 2 of yous in getting licensed
there is a golden rule in Skydiving, dress for success so correct jumpsuits will definitely help. however good and proper flying skills is also very important as mentioned before the 2 of you should get some good coaching that will help to improve your flying skills and help to adjust fall weights. remember that the 2 of you are very new to the sport and it takes a bit of time and practise and good coaching to fine tune your skills. I presume yous went through AFF? well IMHO,on that course you are just thought basic survival skills for skydiving. it is afterwards that you learn to fine tune things and learn how to fly more effective.
even though there is a 60 lbs weight difference I do not see a reason where the 2 of you can stay falling at the same level. we have a girl at out club with the same weight as you and I have to arch to stay with her, and I am 300 lbs!!! so it has to do with body proportion also. I also do AFF and have to wear a Baggy jumpsuit to slow down, with small light people I wear a Wings jacket to give me that extra comfort of being able to go slow.

so do not be discouraged, it takes a bit of time and practise along with correct jumpsuits to sort this out.

Happy jumping and Blue Skies

Rodger

[wolfriverjoe 1,339]

Some of this will improve as you improve (the husband too).

I'm a classic "featherbutt". 5'10" an 155# out of the shower. I can fall a little below 100 mph in a "normal" belly jump.

I had a really hard time jumping with other people at first, so I stuck 10# of dive weights in my pants pockets. That let me learn to fly without having to fall as fast as I could (mid range).
Once I learned to fly better, I found I had learned to fall faster too.

I did a "fall rate race" last year. First slow, where I stayed about 6'-10' above my partner the whole time, no matter how slow he got. Then fast, where he left me in the dust.

But I still managed to reach over 140 on my Pro track. And that's on my belly. Not head down or diving or anything. Just major arch and tuck everything in.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[EvilGenius 0]

Or you could learn to sit-fly!

More seriously, time and practice will make all things possible.

[WV177RG 19]

Congratulations on getting your licenses! Learning together is a great adventure.

Especially in the beginning, a good coach will establish a stable fall rate, give you a reliable target, analyze your performance and offer concrete suggestions for improvement. Experience and proper jumpsuit design/fit will help you achieve a compatible fall rate. My wife's 5'3", about 130 with gear, sometimes wears 4 lbs of weights. I'm 6'4", 230 with gear. She got me back into skydiving and, from our first exit together, she's always been "right there," floating beside me. It's magic...helps that she kisses me in freefall practically every jump. :-) (Respect breakoff and pull altitudes.)

Have fun, be safe!

Note: 2-way tunnel time/coaching can help. We discovered our local tunnel dials the windspeed down until they know flyers are reliable and safe together. First session with her, I was stretched out flat trying to stay off the grate, leaving little room for her to fly. Once they dialed the windspeed to 110-120 mph we flew fine. (Remember your survival skills when you get back in the air.)

[chuckakers 369]

Tigerfly

I am not ready to add on weights and have a higher wingloading...

I assume your concerns about wing loading by adding weights came from some well-meaning experienced jumper or maybe even an instructor. I believe this is often the opinion of people who have not done the honest math on the issue. The truth is that adding a typical amount of weight does not change wing loading enough to make much difference in the way your canopy will behave or your ability to properly land it.

You said you weigh 135 pounds. Add 20 pounds of gear and your exit weight is approximately 155. Adding 10 pounds of weight (which is possibly even more than you will need) will make your total exit weight 165 pounds, an increase of just 6.1%

If you are jumping a 190, that would change your loading from .815 to .868, an increase of just .053, a tiny amount in the overall picture, equaling just ½ pound per square foot.

On a 170 your loading would increase from .911 to .970, an increase of .059, also a very small difference.

In reality, adding 5 or even 10 pounds of weight does not create the dramatic (and perceived dangerous) wing loading increase some people think. Heck, a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds and a buffet lunch can add 5 pounds to your loading, yet no one worries about hydrating with a healthy intake of water or eating a big lunch before jumping.

Slapping on 5 to 10 pounds may seem like a lot when you pick the weight belt up, but the math doesn’t lie. And adding the weight will dramatically change your freefall performance and abilities when jumping with faster groups.

I work with a lot of young jumpers and have heard the "not ready for higher wing loading" concerns repeatedly. In every case when a jumper adds weight on my advice they report back that it made no discernible difference in flying and landing their canopy, yet made a big difference in freefall.

Dress for success.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[GoHuskers 0]

Tigerfly

So, I had this fantastic idea that my husband and I would get licensed as skydivers and then jump together. HA! We both are newly licensed. Jumped together for the first time last weekend. Didn't go very well. I weight 135. He weighs 195. I arched to the best of my ability and he said he de arched the best he could. As soon as we can afford it (I bought my rig and now it's his turn) I plan to buy a nylon, tighter fitting jumpsuit (I'm using DZ suits). I am not ready to add on weights and have a higher wingloading...and I am actually trying to lose about 10 more pounds...so don't even suggest I gain weight! HA! Is it realistic that in time, we can figure it out and jump together, or is 60 pounds too big of a difference? My husband is going to try and lose weight (or so he says!) not just because of skydiving but for other reasons. So besides starving my husband (I've never been a good cook anyways! any advice? The first exit we did was I dove out first then he jumped right after me. Second time we did a linked exit. Pretty stable out the door and then we started spinning a few seconds later. Once we let go of each other, all hope was lost for catching up to him. Help? Thanks!

its definitely doable. My wife is 125 lbs 5'3 I'm 200 lbs 5'10. It took a few jumps but we matched fall rates on belly. Then we switched to freeflying and it took about 50 jumps to match fall rates. A lot of it will be on you the lighter jumper

Quote

so he can do something other than just hug a beach ball. One of the first and greatest challenges post license is matching fall rates and maintaining levels. It gets easier but will always be the foundation of making group jumps work. Enjoy the challenge, after all there's no destination the whole sport is a journey!

[Maddingo 21]

I have still got the same issue and after complaining to some experienced rw jumpers about my suit not being right, they only said "It's not your jumpsuit it's your body position".

And a 165cm female coach told me... you ain't falling that fast I can easily catch you. So at the end it is a bit of a mix of everything. Your clothes, your skill and partners skill to fly. Given all theese factors there is a solution.

I'm a big boy 193cm and 99kg without gear.

[Joellercoaster 6]

As you will gather from the replies in this thread, what you want is very doable.

It's going to be hard at first - two total new skydivers, even with the right jumpsuits (which make a huge difference, get expert advice and spend money) and weights, will find this pretty challenging.

But, worthwhile. Get in the tunnel, with a strong RW coach, and put in the work individually and then together. Flying with your partner cannot be beaten

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[Trafficdiver 8]

You will be able to but it will be a struggle on both of your parts. I'd suggest you jump with people your size (funsized) and he jumps with people his sized (full figured) and you both will be able to learn more with out having to arch or flatten out so much. One day you will have enough skill to jump together without it being so damn annoying if not downright impossible.