rsmn17 0 #1 September 8, 2005 I recently made my 2nd aff jump. I opened with line twists and the really scared me. By the time I kicked out of them I couldn't find the airport and started to panic trying to find it and listen to the radio instead of trying to find a safe out. By the time I realized I definatly wasn't landing at the dz, I was in a place with no good places to land. I was going straight for the woods and too low to do anything about it. So I just went straight in and when my legs hit the top of a tree, I flared half way and protected my face and tryed to do a plf. I couldn't believe I was ok when I landed. Anyway..it scared me pretty bad....i was wondering if anyone has any advice or similar experiences. This was my first jump ever at a new dropzone and I think that had a little bit to do with it. I know I love skydiving so I'm trying to find a way to not let this scare me out of never doing it again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #2 September 8, 2005 OK, landing in the woods, panicking, etc- not necessarily good BUT it sounds like in the end your training did kick in and you weren't hurt. (I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you're supposed to do in the event of a tree landing!) That IS a good thing. In spite of a bad situation and possibly some poor decisions, you did save your own ass. Not bad for your 2nd AFF! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jsaxton 0 #3 September 9, 2005 Your new nickname is........ TREE HUGGER! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OSOK 0 #4 September 9, 2005 Dude... not only did you land on trees, but you had line twists to deal with... on your second jump!!! Something like that shouldn't scare you, instead it should make you feel like you can do anything! That's how I felt when I cleared my line twists on my last jump, IAF level 5. Go up and do it again!!! (without the tree hugging part, at the least ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeth 0 #5 September 9, 2005 First off, that is awesome that you landed safely!! I'm not giving you a hard time or anything. I have made plenty of mistakes (including a couple that resulted in injuries). I just try to learn from them. For me, if I understand what I did wrong, or what I didn't do, that helps me to be less scared when I go back up, cuz I know how to prevent it from happening again. It sounds like you handled your situation the best you could at that time. You didn't just panic and not do anything, so thats good. If you love this sport, get back up there soon. You will remember why you love it. Again, nice job for handling the tree landing and staying safe. "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
javip82 0 #6 September 9, 2005 TREE HUGER, that is the best nickname I've heard in years. That's wright man, you did save your ass and that's what counts in this sport. So congrats, and don't let this turn you down. WHAT DOES'NT KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER. ____________________________________ You know what's out there. Take it, it's your's INMORTALITY!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,146 #7 September 9, 2005 You did a great job. You walked away from your jump, and probably get to use the gear again. In the airplane world, that's the definition of a great landing You used the information you remembered from your class to clear the line twists, and then to control your descent into the trees, and then to PLF. Those are 3 high-pressure situations in a row, with no chance to change your mind and go do them again. Yes, you can do better. But you did absolutely fine as far as I'm concerned. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #8 September 9, 2005 >>You used the information you remembered from your class to clear the line twists, and then to control your descent into the trees, and then to PLF. Those are 3 high-pressure situations in a row, with no chance to change your mind and go do them again.<< As you gain more experience, you will beat into your brain your various decision altitudes and become more altitude aware. For example, on this jump, at your cutaway decision altitude, had you decided for sure that you were going to be able to land that canopy? By 2,000 feet, had you decided where you were going to land? With more jumps, you'll make decisions more quickly, and the hope is that making decisions higher will give you the time and altitude not to demonstrate your tree landing proficiency. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsmn17 0 #9 September 11, 2005 Thanks for all the info! I jumped again today and I did great! I made sure this time that I got my head out of the plane to spot the airport, I got myself out quicker...and I added to my COA...intead of heading, altitude etc...I did heading, AIRPORT, altitude etc. It worked really well and I knew EXACTLY where I was! Now I have new problems like spinning in freefall and not flaring all the way when I land, forgetting to plf and landing on my butt really hard....but one thing at a time. I realized how much I love skydiving and I know I'm gonna do better every time I jump. Can't wait to jump again Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Witelli 0 #10 September 11, 2005 Congrats on dealing with everything and keeping your head on your shoulders. I'm just a student as well, so I'm just giving advice from my own experience. I still wave off at 5,500 so when I'm done doing my canopy checks, I'll be over 4,000 ft at which point I always make sure before I go up to consult my instructor about a holding area. Once I get to my holding area, I have nothing to do until about 1,500 feet when I begin my landing pattern. This helps in that you can concentrate on one thing at a time. Get to the holding area, begin downward leg, come around into the wind at predetermined altitude, concentrate on keeping legs together and landing technique, then flare and land. Your experience might have been from a bad spot, I think that's what also happened on my first AFF. I faced the DZ the whole way back and prayed, didn't even think of outs, plus I think I was holding quarter brakes the whole time which I've since learned minimizes your forward motion. Keep those toggles up to fly. Luckily, I just made it back. These forums have helped me immensely, by giving me new information to bring to my instructor. You can learn a lot here, but bring it back to your instructor before you implement anything. Enjoy the sky!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ashrock 0 #11 September 12, 2005 I'm just wondering...were you still kicking out the twists through your hard deck?The dog has learned from experience, which is more than can be said for his owner. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Witelli 0 #12 September 13, 2005 I didn't have line twists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites rsmn17 0 #13 September 13, 2005 No...it seemed to me like it took forever but my instructor said she was watching me kick them out and she said I did really good. When I checked my altitude after I was right under 4000 ft. Seemed like forever to me though!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skygirlboston 0 #14 September 16, 2005 3rd AFF and landed in some rather thickly settled trees. I was fine, but, let me tell you this - when your instinct says: don't fly over trees in your landing pattern, don't fly over trees!! Despite what my instructor taught me (I am the one responsible for my safety), I listened to the radioman on the ground, instead of listening to my gut feeling. The DZ owner reminded post tree-removal (i couldn't reach my rsl and thus was left tangled and hanging in low tree branches) that I shouldn't fly over anything I wouldn't want to land on or in. I honestly felt bad for the radioman - he felt horrible for landing me off. I told him not to worry - atleast i got to practice my PLF/emergency obstacle landing procedures. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites rsmn17 0 #15 September 19, 2005 Well...i thought i conquered my fear but I went to jump today and decided not to in the plane. It was pretty embarassing having to land with the plane. My instructor told me to do a tandem so I thought that would be a good idea. I had fun...not as much as a solo jump but I was still terrified. I read some pretty good stuff on the forums here about fear. I had my mind made up that I was never going to jump again when I left the dz but when I was driving home I was practically in tears just thinking about not jumping again. I find myself wondering why I'm even jumping at all and why in just a few short months after starting skydiving I can't ever see my life as being complete without it. Is this crazy??? I'm definatly going to jump again, not a tandem, but I'm still very scared to do it. It's just the ride up that gets me...once i'm out I'm fine all the way down. Inbetween jumps I sometimes get so scared just thinking about what could go wrong that I can't sleep at night. The weirdest thing to me is that I'm more scared of being scared than of the actual consequences of making a huge mistake....i must be crazy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites karenmeal 0 #16 September 19, 2005 Hey man, Don't sweat it, my second jump I landed in trees, a forest actually. It was the only jump in the first 20 that I stood up. The only reason that I stood it up was because I was still partly suspended from my snagged canopy in the trees. Nice tip-toe landing. Anyways.. Get your instructor to really exaplin canopy control to you and spend a while watching peoples landings and where they are flying their pattern. Ask lots of questions. You'll be fine. -Karen "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Guest 1010 #17 September 19, 2005 Quote ... It's just the ride up that gets me...once i'm out I'm fine all the way down. Inbetween jumps I sometimes get so scared just thinking about what could go wrong that I can't sleep at night. I can totally relate ... AFF 4/5/6 I was stressed just getting close to the dz in my car ... and then on the plane ride up also I was totally stressed ... but fine once in the door and air. Also had a couple vivid cutaway /going-in dreams at that stage. For me it was probably four more jumps and things were much better in the plane, no more bad dreams either. You'll get it! You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pirana 0 #18 September 21, 2005 QuoteWell...i thought i conquered my fear but I went to jump today and decided not to in the plane. . . . The weirdest thing to me is that I'm more scared of being scared than of the actual consequences of making a huge mistake....i must be crazy I'm closing in on 400 and stepping out is still an amazing rush; almost scary - but not the fear kind of scary, more the nervous and excited scary. I love that last few moments when the door is opened and you're at the edge. I had an exciting AFF1 also. Got put into a huge puffy cloud right at line stretch, circled right until I came out the bottom, couldn't find the DZ and couldn't hear jack on the radio, finally found the DZ, then had to make a decision on whether or not I'd clear power lines, and did a cross-wind off DZ landing. Thought I'd top it off by standing up but had to slide on my butt. I was high for days!!!!! If I only knew then what I know now, I would've had a lot more fun with that cloud. As long as your fears do not cause you to brain lock, they will serve as part of your incentives to do the right things." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites rsmn17 0 #19 September 21, 2005 Once I'm actually out of the plane, I feel so relaxed and peaceful. I know what I have to do and I don't even have to think about it so I'm not too worried about brainlock. I'm jumping again tomorrow and I am NOT landing with the plane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mdrejhon 8 #20 September 21, 2005 Congratulations for conquering many of your fears. Do all the important safely and keep chatting to all your helpful dropzone friends (a.k.a. your favourite instructors) There are always frustrating jumps (me too), but you can get past them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites OSOK 0 #21 September 22, 2005 Isn't it funny how our brains work? Most people are "afraid" while in the airplane... but not "afraid" while actually free-falling? Almost doesn't make sense... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Witelli 0 #22 September 26, 2005 Good to hear. I've been afraid the night before, the drive to, while gearing up, on the plane. But once you're out that door it all seems to make sense. You land and can't wait to do it again. Then slowly but surely the fear sneaks back up on you. Very strange. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. 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Witelli 0 #10 September 11, 2005 Congrats on dealing with everything and keeping your head on your shoulders. I'm just a student as well, so I'm just giving advice from my own experience. I still wave off at 5,500 so when I'm done doing my canopy checks, I'll be over 4,000 ft at which point I always make sure before I go up to consult my instructor about a holding area. Once I get to my holding area, I have nothing to do until about 1,500 feet when I begin my landing pattern. This helps in that you can concentrate on one thing at a time. Get to the holding area, begin downward leg, come around into the wind at predetermined altitude, concentrate on keeping legs together and landing technique, then flare and land. Your experience might have been from a bad spot, I think that's what also happened on my first AFF. I faced the DZ the whole way back and prayed, didn't even think of outs, plus I think I was holding quarter brakes the whole time which I've since learned minimizes your forward motion. Keep those toggles up to fly. Luckily, I just made it back. These forums have helped me immensely, by giving me new information to bring to my instructor. You can learn a lot here, but bring it back to your instructor before you implement anything. Enjoy the sky!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashrock 0 #11 September 12, 2005 I'm just wondering...were you still kicking out the twists through your hard deck?The dog has learned from experience, which is more than can be said for his owner. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Witelli 0 #12 September 13, 2005 I didn't have line twists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsmn17 0 #13 September 13, 2005 No...it seemed to me like it took forever but my instructor said she was watching me kick them out and she said I did really good. When I checked my altitude after I was right under 4000 ft. Seemed like forever to me though!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygirlboston 0 #14 September 16, 2005 3rd AFF and landed in some rather thickly settled trees. I was fine, but, let me tell you this - when your instinct says: don't fly over trees in your landing pattern, don't fly over trees!! Despite what my instructor taught me (I am the one responsible for my safety), I listened to the radioman on the ground, instead of listening to my gut feeling. The DZ owner reminded post tree-removal (i couldn't reach my rsl and thus was left tangled and hanging in low tree branches) that I shouldn't fly over anything I wouldn't want to land on or in. I honestly felt bad for the radioman - he felt horrible for landing me off. I told him not to worry - atleast i got to practice my PLF/emergency obstacle landing procedures. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsmn17 0 #15 September 19, 2005 Well...i thought i conquered my fear but I went to jump today and decided not to in the plane. It was pretty embarassing having to land with the plane. My instructor told me to do a tandem so I thought that would be a good idea. I had fun...not as much as a solo jump but I was still terrified. I read some pretty good stuff on the forums here about fear. I had my mind made up that I was never going to jump again when I left the dz but when I was driving home I was practically in tears just thinking about not jumping again. I find myself wondering why I'm even jumping at all and why in just a few short months after starting skydiving I can't ever see my life as being complete without it. Is this crazy??? I'm definatly going to jump again, not a tandem, but I'm still very scared to do it. It's just the ride up that gets me...once i'm out I'm fine all the way down. Inbetween jumps I sometimes get so scared just thinking about what could go wrong that I can't sleep at night. The weirdest thing to me is that I'm more scared of being scared than of the actual consequences of making a huge mistake....i must be crazy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
karenmeal 0 #16 September 19, 2005 Hey man, Don't sweat it, my second jump I landed in trees, a forest actually. It was the only jump in the first 20 that I stood up. The only reason that I stood it up was because I was still partly suspended from my snagged canopy in the trees. Nice tip-toe landing. Anyways.. Get your instructor to really exaplin canopy control to you and spend a while watching peoples landings and where they are flying their pattern. Ask lots of questions. You'll be fine. -Karen "Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 1010 #17 September 19, 2005 Quote ... It's just the ride up that gets me...once i'm out I'm fine all the way down. Inbetween jumps I sometimes get so scared just thinking about what could go wrong that I can't sleep at night. I can totally relate ... AFF 4/5/6 I was stressed just getting close to the dz in my car ... and then on the plane ride up also I was totally stressed ... but fine once in the door and air. Also had a couple vivid cutaway /going-in dreams at that stage. For me it was probably four more jumps and things were much better in the plane, no more bad dreams either. You'll get it! You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #18 September 21, 2005 QuoteWell...i thought i conquered my fear but I went to jump today and decided not to in the plane. . . . The weirdest thing to me is that I'm more scared of being scared than of the actual consequences of making a huge mistake....i must be crazy I'm closing in on 400 and stepping out is still an amazing rush; almost scary - but not the fear kind of scary, more the nervous and excited scary. I love that last few moments when the door is opened and you're at the edge. I had an exciting AFF1 also. Got put into a huge puffy cloud right at line stretch, circled right until I came out the bottom, couldn't find the DZ and couldn't hear jack on the radio, finally found the DZ, then had to make a decision on whether or not I'd clear power lines, and did a cross-wind off DZ landing. Thought I'd top it off by standing up but had to slide on my butt. I was high for days!!!!! If I only knew then what I know now, I would've had a lot more fun with that cloud. As long as your fears do not cause you to brain lock, they will serve as part of your incentives to do the right things." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsmn17 0 #19 September 21, 2005 Once I'm actually out of the plane, I feel so relaxed and peaceful. I know what I have to do and I don't even have to think about it so I'm not too worried about brainlock. I'm jumping again tomorrow and I am NOT landing with the plane Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #20 September 21, 2005 Congratulations for conquering many of your fears. Do all the important safely and keep chatting to all your helpful dropzone friends (a.k.a. your favourite instructors) There are always frustrating jumps (me too), but you can get past them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OSOK 0 #21 September 22, 2005 Isn't it funny how our brains work? Most people are "afraid" while in the airplane... but not "afraid" while actually free-falling? Almost doesn't make sense... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Witelli 0 #22 September 26, 2005 Good to hear. I've been afraid the night before, the drive to, while gearing up, on the plane. But once you're out that door it all seems to make sense. You land and can't wait to do it again. Then slowly but surely the fear sneaks back up on you. Very strange. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
