A license finally. Best use of next jumps?

[wildernessmedic 0]

Finally got my A license (yay 6 year dream). I want to pursue wingsuiting (you're shocked, I know...)

I've browsed around a bit and got some good information but I have a few questions.

What's the best use if my jumps from here on? Would my money and time be better spent getting in a bunch of jumps as opposed to doing more coach jumps and such for a B/ C license? Those coach jumps for a license sure add up.

As far as the jumps themselves any recommendations on how to make them the most practical? Should I just do a ton of tracking jumps and get used to delta position and turning etc?

Find a buddy and keep doing 2 and 3 ways? A canopy control class?

If I just did nothing but buying $15 jump tickets I could have the required jumps in a little over $2,000 which sounds really nice...

Thanks.

[Anachronist 2]

(congrats)

These are just the nuts and bolts.

Focus on canopy and belly skills. Most people get hurt under canopy and it is a relatively neglected skill, but vitally important. If you can afford/have access to canopy coaching then do it.

For freefall you are building muscle memory and reflex memory. You want to be able to fly without thinking about what you have to do. You are also building your knowledge, personal experience, and situational awareness. The best bang for your buck is a wind tunnel, but it isn't a substitution for actual jumping, a combination of the two is good (if it is one or the other, chose jumping).

Have fun, jump with other people, and focus on becoming a great belly flyer and canopy pilot, both will serve you immensely in the future (wingsuit included). Tracking jumps are fun and helpful to grasp some very basic wingsuit concepts but don't bother doing a bunch of them unless you just really enjoy it. If you do 50 tracking jumps it won't make wingsuiting any easier than doing 5 or 10. Hop and pops are better than nothing but won't teach you much about freefall, don't be one of those guys who does 100 hop and pops to boost their numbers and learns very little in the process.

As for coaching, make sure they are qualified, in most cases that means they are an AFF instructor or some other professional skydiver. The USPA coach rating is a joke, I know because I had one. Get coaching from someone who is a pro, not a fun jumper with a rating. (If other people aren't paying for their instruction, you shouldn't either.)

Did I mention have fun? It's the journey, not the destination.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Tracking dives don't hurt, but they don't help that much either. The body position for flying a wingsuit is different. They do help with your horizontal spotting, though. Just be aware that it's easy to put yourself in a position where you're going to land out on a tracking jump, so discuss the safety aspects of doing that with the more experienced guys at your dropzone. Also be aware of your position in the jump run so you don't fly into other groups. If there's a tracking coach where you jump, take advantage of that -- it's much easier than figuring it all out on your own.

Definitely do a canopy course early on. You're going to need one for your B license anyway, and you'll use the stuff you learn on every jump thereafter.

You really don't want to rush into flying a wingsuit. Review Team Fly Like Brick Recovery Techniques. Not fun positions to find yourself in.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[wildernessmedic 0]

Thanks guys. Sounds like tracking is good but nowhere near as helpful for wingsuiting as I figured. Copy on the canopy class.

As far as B and C licenses is there any reason to spend what seems like a ton if extra money on those getting signed off right now? It sounds like I should just bust out a bunch of belly jumps and get really good on the stuff I already know and progress further in canopy control for my goal.

[ixlr82 7]

"Did I mention have fun? It's the journey, not the destination."

Stated by Anarchist two posts ago. Really, really true, if you're in a place where you can hear it. Have goals, just don't let them get in the way of this amazing experience every jump affords.

__________________________________________

[jakee 1,254]

More coaching is pretty much always more better. Even if it's not on something that will directly relate to your wingsuiting later on it will still get you used to the process of properly evaluating your performance, learning how to do better and implementing that knowledge. Also, if you're a better skydiver in 200 jumps time you'll make a better wingsuiter.

Solo tracking jumps, it really won't take that many to get all the use out of them that you can. After all, you should be learning to track like a mofo at the end of every RW or FF skydive anyway.

Big tracking jumps. These are fun, but unfortunately at most DZs they are also loosely organised zoo dives that are, again, of very limited learning value. If you're lucky enough to be at a DZ that has some top quality freeflyers doing well organised, dynamic multi-angle dives then that's a different story - but comes back to the coaching point again!

My personal recommendation - try and get good at freeflying. Dynamic freestyle wingsuiting is the best thing happening in the discipline right now and there are a lot of similarities.

And get canopy coaching. That's just always a good idea.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[megamalfunction 1]

Tracking dives are very helpful. The flight pattern that you'll fly on a tracking dive is essentially the same pattern that you'll fly with your wingsuit.

[skydivecat 3]

If you are going to do a lot of tracking dives, be choosy who you go with. A bunch of 100 jump wonders going tracking together rarely leads anywhere but a zoo dive at best, if you are lucky. Get with a tracking organizer, keep the groups small.

I've seen too many injuries resulting from these type of dives and had a friend saved by his AAD last year after being collided with and knocked out on one. He is still recovering.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

To add to what others have said:

Canopy course is a great idea. No matter what discipline you pursue, you still need to fly a pattern, deal with traffic and land a canopy at the end of the jump (unless you are wingsuiting and built a really big pile of boxes that is ).

Gear knowledge, EPs, airplane procedures, spotting, overall "Knowing what you are doing" is what you want to develop. That's why there is an "experience level" requirement for advanced stuff.

You can learn that stuff no matter what type of jumps you do.
Or not. That's up to you.

There are a few "heads up" jumpers that have learned this stuff fairly quickly.
There are more than a few "head's up somewhere" jumpers who have hundreds of jumps that still haven't learned it.

"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

[cbassmnm 4]

My question is... where do you get 15 dollar Jumps????!!!

Quote

[jakee 1,254]

megamalfunction

Tracking dives are very helpful. The flight pattern that you'll fly on a tracking dive is essentially the same pattern that you'll fly with your wingsuit.

Yeah but really, how many jumps do you need to do to learn how to make a couple of 90 degree turns? The beginner wingsuit flight plan isn't exactly rocket science!

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[skydivecat 3]

^pretty common hop n pop price at some dropzones

[wildernessmedic 0]

Thanks for all the advice. I will definitely enjoy the journey! I just wanted to be focusing more on things for my goal. Definitely still going to have fun :)

cbassmnm

My question is... where do you get 15 dollar Jumps????!!!

Quote

Lodi. Full altitude jump $15. I believe a hop and pop is only $5

[RMK 3]

We've told him to be safe, but then suggested going to Lodi???

OK, I'll play:

- get working on your headdown flying; FS is for pussies
- you'll need a GoPro to record all your mad skillz flying
- check the shops for small elliptical canopies (don't worry, you'll grow into it)

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[Trafficdiver 8]

wildernessmedic

It sounds like I should just bust out a bunch of belly jumps and get really good on the stuff I already know and progress further in canopy control for my goal.

Exactly this!

[ufk22 32]

You've got thirty-some jumps right now. Get 100.
Don't waste time on solo jumps, do 2 way to 4-way.
Get a few drill dives that work on specific skills;
center point turns
side slides
knee turns
When you dirt dive, think more about what you need to do to get into position for the next point than about what the next point is.
Even when the dives don't go well you'll gain flying skills.
Free-fly (unlinked) the exits. You won't get as many points but you'll gain other skills.
Make the end of every dive a "tracking dive" and really work on efficient tracking.

How to know when to move on to other disciplines?
When you get down from a dive and realized that you can remember everything that went on (both what you did and what others did). That will mean you are able to do your flying without thinking about it.
And definitely take canopy courses.

This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

[dthames 0]

You will find many different opinions and many are based on good experience. I don't think there is any one right answer.

That being said, here are some things that I feel are very important and that have served me well.

Tracking, learn to track fast and far so that you can practice, 1. Navigation away from jump run and others
2. Orientation with the Earth, knowing where your pointed and which way you want to go after you get confused.
3. Arrival at your desired deployment spot at deployment altitude.

That doesn't mean 100 tracking jumps. It means just learn how to do those 3 things pretty well.

Stability and square, Learn how to be stable during deployment. Not just when you deploy, but during the deployment. There is a certain amount of corrective flying you can do after you pitch the pilot chute. Learn to continue flying during deployment time. You can often fix or screw up a deployment by what you do those few seconds as the main is coming out.

I did a fair number of solo jumps just to get on a load at a small DZ. Many suggest don't go a lot of solos just to rack up your jump count. But if it is solo or not jumping at all, what can you learn? One thing that I would do if I were starting all over again would be to practice flying in some less than ideal positions. For example, can I belly fly for 10 seconds with one hand on your hacky? Can I belly fly with both hands behind my back and control my heading? Can I fly with both hands on my butt and not go head-low?

Staying with the same rig will help you be more comfortable when learning to WS. If you have 150 jumps on the same rig, you will be better off than if you had only 50 on that rig (just an opinion). You need a stable and fairly large canopy. To be a new wingsuiter at 200 jumps puts you much less experienced than a seasoned skydiver with 500+ jumps. So what is good for Joe might not be good for you. Stack the deck in your favor by making safer choices with canopies.

Many say they want to WS and most don't believe they will stick it out and go for it. I was very happy when I hit 66 jump saying, "1/3 of the way there". Someone laughed at me, not knowing how serious that I was.

Have fun. Someone said that already.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[wildernessmedic 0]

Thanks for the advice. I did a couple coach jumps at Lodi the next day. It was frustrating...

The last 5 jumps I did including my A license check dives were about as perfect (for my level) as I could hope for. Felt completely stable and comfortable in front and back flips, 360s, leg turns, and tracking.

Only 4 days later after that I do a these and they feel like crap. Only did about 1/4 of the planned docks and maneuvers and was completely unsmooth like the jumps only a couple days earlier. Every time I think i'm on the right track I seem to go backwards.

Coach said he doesn't think i'll get much progress only doing 2-3 a weekend and recommended coming down and camping and busting out at least 5 a day for a couple consecutive days. That would be nice but if I did that I could only do it once a month.


I need to find someone around my level to jump with so i'm not paying an arm and a leg every jump for a coach.

[stayhigh 2]

Your next step is to put on a GoPro over your head.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[wildernessmedic 0]

stayhigh

Your next step is to put on a GoPro over your head.

......

[GoHuskers 0]

wildernessmedic

I need to find someone around my level to jump with so i'm not paying an arm and a leg every jump for a coach.

Yep, find a jump partner or two. Its a journey, you might choose to go away from the wingsuiting discipline, you might choose to do it on your 200th jump. You never know. Whatever you do, make sure you enjoy the ride, there really is no end point.