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PixieUK

Not able to jump my AFF1 but still a great weekend at the dz

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Spent 3 days straight at the drop zone and sod's law said that the weather was perfect on Friday morning (when I was in ground school plus there was no plane!), then the winds steadily picked up throughout the afternoon. Nothing too major for most skydivers, but enough to keep all students on the ground i.e. me, because I was the only student that day, lol.

My instructor went off to do some tandems whilst I practised my new skydive drills and tried to un-fry my brain from information overload. The wind refused to settle enough - by the time it looked like I might just be able to jump, the pilot was on his way home [:/] Though actually it was probably a good thing because it stopped all the "do I want to, don't I want to?" questions about doing my first jump on the same day as ground school - I was more tired than I realised and couldn't decide.

Rich did a couple of jumps so at least he wasn't sitting around by himself all day whilst I was throwing myself on crash-mats, learning new mantras :P and having to be reminded to breathe at significant points in a skydive, lol.

Saturday was much worse - strong winds in the morning and the dz called it early, sending all the tandems home. I had done my refresh and lots more practice and was wiped out, so we spent the afternoon sleeping whilst wind and rain battered our tent.

Had a chilled evening, made some new friends and crossed our fingers for a better forecast on Sunday. Which happened for everyone except students! Very squirrelly winds, very variable speeds at different heights, to the point where all non-students could jump in the morning (so the consols did their jumps) but by late morning, the limit was 50+ jumps and the other 2 students went home. We met up with some of our new friends and Rich joined some groups for jumping and was a very happy bunny.

Limit went up to 100+ jumps so it was fairly certain I wasn't going to be able to go up but I was happy enough to stay whilst Rich was still able to jump.

The dz staff and other skydivers were absolutely fantastic. By the end of the weekend, everyone was totally gutted for me but they all looked after me so well. At one point I went to get a book because it was getting a bit frustrating watching everyone else jump - I never even got to open it. People came and chatted with me, bought me tea, told me good stories about skydiving and I felt so much part of the community, I was blown away. I did feel a bit of an imposter because I haven't actually managed to do a single jump (other than my tandem) and I don't even know if I'll like it, but they treated me like a skydiver anyway.

We stayed until the last plane was down but it just wasn't to be, so we'll go back next weekend. It's a moot point whether Rich will take it back up again - he's hooked, lol. So I'll either be a dz widow or I'll have to join them :P
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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Welcome to the Sport!! There is something that we usually forget when we apply for the AFF course... Weather conditions!!! When I applied I thought that I was going to finish my AFF + A license in 2-3 weeks... it took me 3 months!!! (ok I had a couple of business trips that made me stay away from the DZ, but i can tell you that I can't count how many times I went to the DZ and couldn't do one single jump!!!

Also, I had lots of plane rides.. I would say 6 or 7 within my AFF course...

If you don;t know, Plane ride is when you are actually inside the plane, in the air, and the pilot gets a message from the DZ guys on the ground, that students can't jump...

yeah... believe me... that sucks!!!

But at least, I really appreciate the satefy standards of my DZ!! They are really strict with security and safety!!

Keep going to the DZ!!! Even if the weather doesn't look good.. at least you will meet people, get along with them, and make some friends for you future jumps!! You will learn a lot just going and spending time at the DZ!!

Have fun, and have patience!!

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Wow, I'd not heard of the plane rides before. Our dz seems to make the call early on students, perhaps to avoid that risk because the Caravan is very small - I wouldn't want to land in the back sitting on those little wooden benches with the door open, lol. Do your instructors stay in the plane too? Presumably at least one would have to stay to shut the door and make sure the students didn't freak or try to jump anyway.

One of the new mantras I learned is "Hurry up and wait" ;) I was first at briefing at 8am each morning and stuck it out until the last plane was landed each day - I would rather not join the statistics of a twisted ankle or dislocated shoulder from a squirrelly landing so totally understand the cautious approach where students are concerned.

They don't seem to have many new students - I was there from Thursday night to Sun night and only met 4 other students, 2 of whom were on consolidation jumps, and the weather forecast was pretty good. Hopefully that's just because it's holiday season.

We're planning to be back at the dz next weekend for 2 days and the weekend after for 3 days so fingers crossed the weather will be good and I'll manage to do at least a couple of jumps :)

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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Hehe I know pretty well the feeling! I took my A License in a big DZ, with lots and lots of students... so sometimes when the weather was good, you had to compete with the other students to get the instructors!! hehehe

"Presumably at least one would have to stay to shut the door and make sure the students didn't freak or try to jump anyway" -> Yes, in my DZ one instructor stays in the plane with the students, so he help them to turnoff the AADs, make sure everyone is using the seat belt, etc...

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They did mention that skydiving is a sport of waiting, yes? You spend more time waiting than you do anything else. You can still be learning during that time though! Even if you're just sitting there watching the packers or listening to the other skydivers, you might not understand what they're talking about but it's amazing what you'll pick up through osmosis!

Don't be discouraged by the occasional long wait times. I went through the same thing last year. Two or three "bad" days in a row then you get to do your jump and it's all worth it. That's just how a sport that relies on weather conditions from the ground to a couple miles in the air can be sometimes.

'round here if I get too bent out of shape at the weather I just pop down to the vertical wind tunnel for a while. You never get a weather hold there! Just... the occasional blizzard trying to get there. Heh heh heh.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

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PixieUK

. The dz staff and other skydivers were absolutely fantastic. By the end of the weekend, everyone was totally gutted for me but they all looked after me so well. At one point I went to get a book because it was getting a bit frustrating watching everyone else jump - I never even got to open it. People came and chatted with me, bought me tea, told me good stories about skydiving and I felt so much part of the community, I was blown away. I did feel a bit of an imposter because I haven't actually managed to do a single jump (other than my tandem) and I don't even know if I'll like it, but they treated me like a skydiver anyway.



Boobies.
"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

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PixieUK

Wow, I'd not heard of the plane rides before. Our dz seems to make the call early on students, perhaps to avoid that risk because the Caravan is very small - I wouldn't want to land in the back sitting on those little wooden benches with the door open, lol. Do your instructors stay in the plane too?



BPA Manual Section 3, part 1.4:

Quote

If for any reason a Student Parachutist does not jump, an instructor (who is not the pilot) must remain in the aircraft with the Student Parachutist(s).

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shropshire

This weekend(24,25,25-8-13) is looking good (well, maybe not saturday - could be rain at Sib').
Also it's Nationals weekend so most other DZ 'may' be quieter (??)



Yep, we're planning to get up to Sib on Saturday afternoon to pitch the tent (hopefully not in the pouring rain that is currently forecast, lol) and start spreading out Rich's numerous old rigs in the packing shed to see what he's actually got :P

Sun and Mon are looking good with low winds so with any luck, I'll get 2 or 3 jumps in. I guess it just depends on how many other AFF students are there and whether any of the AFF instructors are at the Nationals.

Fingers crossed :)
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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don't worry, early on you tend to sit out a lot. It's part of the process, it gets a lot easier to do multiple jumps in a day later in your AFF and once you're licensed.

If I did 2 jumps in a day early on in AFF it was like a huge day. Now doing 4 a day is normal number of jumps.

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chemist

don't worry, early on you tend to sit out a lot. It's part of the process, it gets a lot easier to do multiple jumps in a day later in your AFF and once you're licensed.

If I did 2 jumps in a day early on in AFF it was like a huge day. Now doing 4 a day is normal number of jumps.



So funny to read this -- I am just at the start of this grand adventure myself, and felt like big stuff after I did both of my Category C jumps in the same day! (Then was done-done-done!)

PixieUK -- I feel your weather frustrations -- with my work schedule, I have limited windows when I can get to my dropzone...and the last 2 appointments I have made have been washouts with late summer rain! Ugh...I have sky hunger. Hopefully, early Saturday morning (the next time I hope to head out there!) I'll get to jump before the weather remembers it wants to rain! (And before too many people are up and jumping...I get a little nervous sharing my airspace with too many other folks...'cause I'm still learning how to drive that parachute!)

May you have great weekend weather, and a fantastic first (and second and third and...) jump!

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shropshire

Then I'll look out for you both at some time over the weekend.

I may have met you both last weekend .. I was the 'old' guy on the canopy course.



Rich has an orange and blue jumpsuit - and I was the one who was wandering around in and out of the sheds / manifest / storage cabins etc who didn't even get into a jumpsuit, lol. You may have seen me sitting on the bench by the pen doing strange things with my arms in the air going through my skydive procedure, or scooting about on a creeper muttering "arch, arch" :D
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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chemist

don't worry, early on you tend to sit out a lot. It's part of the process, it gets a lot easier to do multiple jumps in a day later in your AFF and once you're licensed.

If I did 2 jumps in a day early on in AFF it was like a huge day. Now doing 4 a day is normal number of jumps.



It reminds me of learning to sail, I'm looking at weather with a whole new mindset all over again, lol. Needless to say, weather that I consider to be great for sailing, is really not good for fledgling skydivers :D
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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frogerina

Ugh...I have sky hunger. Hopefully, early Saturday morning (the next time I hope to head out there!) I'll get to jump before the weather remembers it wants to rain!

May you have great weekend weather, and a fantastic first (and second and third and...) jump!



Thanks! Hope you get to jump too. I don't have too worry too much about other people at the moment because our little plane usually only takes up 8-12 people so it's likely that there will be a couple of tandems with photographers plus me and 2 instructors. Everyone else will know exactly what they're doing and where they're going and will know I don't so hopefully I will have lots of airspace for any mistakes with steering :P
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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I am booked for my next step in two weeks.. looking at the forecast it says 40% POP sunny with cloudy breaks [:/] I really really hope I do not have to delay it yet again.... it has taken me all summer just to get to my third jump!

Why drive myself crazy trying to be normal, when I am already at crazy?

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