Finally! First time jumper. Tips?

[Anonthemouse 0]

Hey hey hey!

After a long time waiting (and working hard to gather some money together) It's finally time to go jumping AFF....
Next month.

So now, do you have any tips and tricks (except for getting the hell off these forums which I should have done 2 years ago)?

I've done some tunneltime and that went pretty well.... untill I hit the wall and flipped over. And thanks to that instructor who wouldn't let me flip back to belly, I think I've become pretty good at backflying

Never jumped out of a plane, nor have I ever flown one. So yeah, double experience for me, same price. ai ai ai!

I'm hoping for some good weather that week, which is kinda rare here.
Breath, listen to instructors, forget everything I've read, bring lots of beer

Greetz, Anonthemouse

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[moggybean 0]

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Breath, listen to instructors, forget everything I've read, bring lots of beer

...........Relax and enjoy

[Avikus 0]

as a fairly new jumper (1 year in july) I would say this! Before jump ... take 3 deep breath to calm down! Some might be rolling their eyes ... but for me, it made every jump that much better since I relaxed myself before going that.

And have fun!

Oh and one guy told me "Worst that can happen ... it`s you'll fall!" ... think about it.

Avikus - Packer and Jumper - Hate landing with the plane!

[Anonthemouse 0]

The only reason I'm scared is that I might get injured and never be able to jump again

Damn, I forgot 'Fun'. The main thing to keep in mind! Sometimes I forget that that's the whole point

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[dqpacker 7]

don't die.

[rss_v 0]

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The only reason I'm scared is that I might get injured and never be able to jump again

Loosen up your feet, ankles and knees under canopy, while you've got plenty of altitude. I also rotate my ankles a bit on my final approach - I hurt one on my very first jump (never went to a Dr about it but it took 3-4 months to feel normal again), and this makes everything feel a lot nicer when I touch down. I'm quite slim naturally (not so much now...) and my joints are narrow and prone to injuries in other cases, so I do have to worry about it. Landing is pretty damn easy, though, all things considered. don't let it worry you too much, and don't be afraid to drop into a roll (well worth practicing) instead of forcing a standing landing that isn't meant to be. It can be a lot, lot safer sometimes to go to ground than try to stick it like a gymnast or something.

[Anonthemouse 0]

Thanks for the replies.

Packer: Haha. alright I'll keep that in mind.

Rss_v: I used to be a bit of a freerunner in my spare time. Learned a valuable lesson on stretching and warming up. I never thought about using that in the sky though. Thanks.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[NGriffis 0]

My first jump was following the AFF class and I found it tough to relax while thinking about 8 hours of class material but everything went fairly well. The following week I came back for AFF cat B and was there a couple hours early before the pilot arrived. My instructors went over the jump plan and then asked if I had done my stretching for the day yet. I was surprised how relaxed I was after spending 15 minutes stretching and it made it easier to focus on what I was suppose to be doing. During free fall, I found that all of my movements were A LOT smoother and wasn't tensing up/twisting my body while doing maneuvers like practice pulls. So now Im going to spend 15 minutes stretching before every jump until the newbie jitters go away ;)

[format 0]

How things are going.. some day, next century
I will be Skydiving Instructor.

One advice will survive:
"Imagine you're a sack of potatoes and act upon".

It's not good advice but it's mine.

What goes around, comes later.

[Anonthemouse 0]

Okay. I have decided to do 15 minutes of tunneltime, mostly to prepare on the AFF. is this a good idea. Yall better tell this big noob the best way to prepare himself

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[pinkfairy 0]

Fly in the windtunnel.

Jump out of an airplane.

Pull handles.

Land in a safe area.

Flare.

Learn to pack a parachute.

Pack many parachutes.

Listen to your instructors.

Have fun.

Be safe.

Oh, and it's normal to hit the wall and flip over in the tunnel.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[Joellercoaster 6]

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Loosen up your feet, ankles and knees under canopy, while you've got plenty of altitude

Stretching and loosening up for landing is not a bad idea! But I reckon you'd be better off warming up really well before you get in the plane... doing things other than flying the canopy while you're flying the canopy, maybe not so much to start with

--
"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?

[Anonthemouse 0]

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Oh, and it's normal to hit the wall and flip over in the tunnel.

really? Because that's exactly what happened after 5 minutes.
Flying between walls makes you fly in place though.

My concern right now is staying stable. I kept shaking badly but I couldn't see why in the video.

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[pinkfairy 0]

You paid for the tunnel, of course you want to use all of it, all the way out to the walls!



No, seriously, your tunnel instructor can give you tips on how to stay the right way up.


My first 45 minutes in the tunnel didn't look very good either.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[Namowal 0]

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My first 45 minutes in the tunnel didn't look very good either.

Nor did mine.I'm still no pro, but I'm getting better.
I did my first two tunnel visits before AFF and was all over the place. The second time I showed up, the look on they guy's face seemed to say "You? Back for more? Whatever for?"

My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

[leandercool 0]

hahaha! What do they expect from noobies? That's like they expect you to do everything right from jump #1. For example to remember to pull on one of your first AFF's (Ehh? See what I did there?)

And hey, are you still backsliding? Maybe some tunnel could fix that too

And most important of all: Keep drawing and keep posting! I'm addicted, I check it every day!

Now, let's hope i'm not getting arrested for stalking

From 0 to 12.000 in 9 minutes

[Joellercoaster 6]

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Now, let's hope i'm not getting arrested for stalking

No. But someone might introduce you to RSS

--
"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?

[Namowal 0]

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hahaha! What do they expect from noobies? That's like they expect you to do everything right from jump #1. For example to remember to pull on one of your first AFF's (Ehh? See what I did there?)

And hey, are you still backsliding? Maybe some tunnel could fix that too

I have some tunnel time scheduled later this week. Let's hope it helps! :)

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And most important of all: Keep drawing and keep posting! I'm addicted, I check it every day!

Thanks. I've been slowed down a bit by computer and internet problems, but I'm getting back up to speed. :)

My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

[leandercool 0]

Well, I'm sure it'll help! Good luck and have fun.

PS: I wish you ruled the world for some time! I'd like to see what would happen to all the planes!
PPS: Get a dropzone and I'll come to you
PPPS: Let's get back to topic shall we?
Honestly Anon, get out of here and stay out untill you have your A. You won't need much preparation, the instructors are supposed to be the only help you need. Cheers!

From 0 to 12.000 in 9 minutes

[jtval 0]

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Oh, and it's normal to hit the wall and flip over in the tunnel.

really? Because that's exactly what happened after 5 minutes.
Flying between walls makes you fly in place though.

My concern right now is staying stable. I kept shaking badly but I couldn't see why in the video.

Normal to hit the wall and flip? No, it's not normal. If you flipped its because you did something other than listen to the instructor when you hit the wall. Good thing about this is there are no walls in the air.

Without knowing what kind of flip youre talking about I am guessing that when you got close to the wall you brought the closest appendage in to avoid hitting the wall.

What would happen if you took a wing off of an aircraft? crash and burn!
Continue flying your body and ARCH. It's NORMAL to hit the wall. It's NOT normal to flip.

With that said it's not indicative of a bad skydiver.
and its EASILY fixable.

As far as the instructor not letting you flip back over I can guess why that is.
one- you were out of control. the instructor kept you from injuring yourself.
two-S/He would not let go until you stopped fighting with him which is usually WAY longer then the student feels is necessary.
So, as to the "normal" to flip comment, I'd say its not. HOWEVER, it IS expected when a new flyer gets in the tunnel.

Rule #1- don't panic. flying is flying no matter where you are. Small body adjustments make big flight movements. imagine what big body adjustments will do.

When you get to the wall the tunnel automatically slows down slightly. most people freak out because they feel they are falling. However, remaining calm and continuing to fly will be the ONLY way to stay in the air. Try it next time.


Disclaimer- I am a wind tunnel instructor and an AFFI. BUT, THIS IS THE INTERNET AND YOU SHOULD NOT LISTEN TO A WORD ANYONE TELLS YOU HERE.
Speak to the HUMAN who will be in charge of your safety. don't try new things without their knowledge. this will ensure you get the most out of your training.
Good luck. feel free to PM me if you want any info, or to call me a douche.
I check in rarely and I often lose track of my replies. so PM will be the best way for follow-up.

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[pj_jumper 0]

dont panic during line twists
and dont do anything stupid

Skydiving without a parachute is easy, its skydiving twice without a parachute that is extremely difficult

[Freefall27 0]

Just jump and enjoy the fall. Its a blast! Watch out though its super addicting!

[virgin-burner 1]

DONT. LOOK. DOWN.

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Anonthemouse 0]

Alright, so I did the tunnel course and fist of all I wanted to say DAMN, that was amazing. Why this isn't part of the AFF yet is a mystery to me. I really felt like it helped me a lot (and showed me how badly Out of shape I am!), and in those 15 minutes I already learned to fly into all directions, how to get stable very quickly, how to move up and down, etc. Great fun!!

I also told the instructor I was preparing for the AFF. I had to check COA, wave off and pull... And the wave off, yall make it seem so damn easy!

Passing for everything said above took away my last fears for the plane. I'll just imagen that scary door hole is the entrance of the tunnel wich will take me to the happy place
it also boosted my confidence greatly. I honestly thought I would black out and forget the entire plan we set up. Well, it went great and now I'm certificated to get coaching and hire the tunnel.

7 days left before AFF. Excited as hell. Scared..? Of course just like any other person would be.
Oh, and my sister is now dating my instructor. Oh boy...

I am bad at this sport because I play by the rules.

[airtwardo 6]

Oh, and my sister is now dating my instructor. Oh boy...

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That's part of the class...

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~