What do do/learn after getting licensed?

[frontloop33 1]

Hi!

what do you suggest to learn/improve after getting licensed?
Me and my friends recently got their license and they started to freefly (sitfly) immediately after they were off-student-status.
I'm not really feeling comfortable with that, since I learned at a tunnel, that belly-flying is not really easy (you may drift around a lot without really knowing that you do so).

So what do you suggest to learn/do the next couple (10, 50, 100, whatever) jumps?

[shropshire 0]

To date, you've only scratched the surface (and not a deep scratch at that).

IMHO, get your belly skills and then honed is the right way to go

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

How about a canopy control course, or working on the USPA Canopy Proficiency card?


http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Form_Canopy_Prof_Card_2007_04.pdf

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[KermieCorleone 0]

I'm with you. I'd love to get better at free flying but I have told myself that I'd like proficiency in belly flying before I change focus to free flying.

I did a canopy course, and I try to practice and work on what I learned/was told to work on from the canopy course. On hop and pops, (so I know I have the landing area all to myself) I practice, flat turns (I still need to get proficiency in these) braked approaches, flying in deep brakes (strange thing about flying in deep brakes is how unsettling the quiteness is). Over 2500 feet I practice collapsing my canopy using both toggles and rear risers, and work on knowing the stall point of the canopy. I try to ask a couple of the "really" experienced guys to do some close proximity flying when we do high pulls, so I am comfortable with other canopies flying close to me. And I work on my pattern and landing accuracy for every jump, fly a predictable pattern without holding brakes or S turns to make it to the X.

"Zoo dives/just fucking around" jumps are fun but I try to have an objective/dive plan for every jump, even if the jumps dont go according to the plan, working towards a planned objective for the entire jump means I always come away learning something or finding out something I need to work on. 2-3 way jumps are best for "working" on belly work and I like to do different drills, fly difficult exits and turn simple points to get better at belly. I jump with the lower experienced jumpers and help them with simple fall rate, or other simple drill I like or something to their preference. These jumps are a lot of fun because not only do they get to work on a skill but because of their lower experience it means I might have to compensate for their lack of experience in turn improving my flying as well.

ask the more experienced guys to give you some drills you can work on. eg: the names might not be the same but here are some drills I have fun with 3/way eggbeater, around the world, no contact RW/ "proximity" RW, burble hopping, 3 way leap frog, simple 90 degree turn and docks and fall rate drills when playing with kids who just got their A.

you can also work on your tracking by once again asking one of the experienced guys to lead a slow granny paced tracking dive and as you get better pump up the speed on later dives. I've found if you can other newbies to tracking and "organize" them, it makes it easier to find and experienced rabbit to lead.

Above all else if show some initiative and enthusiasm about wanting to learn, the experienced guys will every so often through out the weekend will jump with you and teach you nifty tip and tricks about getting better.

- Neil

Never make assumptions! That harmless rectangle could be two triangles having sex ...

[airtwardo 6]

So what do you suggest to learn/do the next couple (10, 50, 100, whatever) jumps?

1. Don't get hurt
2. Have Fun



The rest will come when it comes!

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

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Try this link for materials well suited to your situation:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4052354;search_string=Glideangle%20winter;#4052354

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[thrillstalker 0]

braked or flat turns.

it will save your life or another's at some point.

do a couple of high hop n pops and get familiar with your canopy.

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[frontloop33 1]

since I have to wait about 6 weeks to get my own canopy, I'd like to learn something while in freefall.
Maybe turning only by using my legs or something like that.

[shropshire 0]

You're allowed to learns stuff in both phases of the sky dive

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

You're allowed to learns stuff in both phases of the sky dive

And you're allowed to learn canopy stuff on rental gear as well. Unless of course you weren't planning on using a canopy until you get your own, in which case you probably won't learn much on your one last skydive other than "using a parachute is a good thing."

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[shropshire 0]

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[frontloop33 1]

I'm not really sure how or to what extend things you learn on a 250 sqft canopy (loaded at 0.7) can be compared to the behaviour of a 170 sqft canopy (loaded at 1.05). (There are no smaller canopys than 250 sqft at my DZ)

Nevertheless canopy control is important and there are a lot of articles here at dz.com about canopy-control.

But I can't find any article about belly-flying.

[ManagingPrime 0]

Quote

1. Don't get hurt
2. Have Fun



The rest will come when it comes!

+1
IMHO a set course is not necessary. If you have a safety driven mindset and you just put yourself "out there" (Hopefully you have organizers at your DZ) you will learn a ton...and the learning never stops.

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I'm not really sure how or to what extend things you learn on a 250 sqft canopy (loaded at 0.7) can be compared to the behaviour of a 170 sqft canopy (loaded at 1.05). (There are no smaller canopys than 250 sqft at my DZ)

Then you're not being creative enough.

There are a few things that may be difficult to impossible on a lightly loaded 250, such as riser turns, but it doesn't mean you can't give them a try and see how the canopy responds. You may not be in as much traffic on a lightly loaded 250, but the lessons you learn about being aware of where others are on the load and in the pattern can translate to a canopy of any size. Learning how to set up and adjust a pattern will translate to a canopy of any size. Learning how to pick a target and get close to it (and make adjustments next time if you don't get close to it) will trans late to a canopy of any size. Learning how to read winds and adjust your pattern accordingly will translate to a canopy of any size.

You can go through this checklist on a 250. As noted above, the riser maneuvers may be tough, but the rest are things you can think about. Also, this card from the USPA provides a great outline for drills you can do on your canopy.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[shropshire 0]

Sorry, but at 45 jumps if you seriously think that you have nothing to learn on a 250 - then wow - just wow

I have over a 1000 hours of canopy time on my Paraglider and still I'm learning every time that I go out.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[frontloop33 1]

I didn't say there is nothing to learn. I just said, that it might be better to learn more canopy control with the canopy I'm going to jump for the next hundreds of jumps.

Our 250sqft canopys are very slow..

- It's impossible to pull the front risers.
- With already medium winds you can land without flaring at all.
- no wind landings are quicker but not really fast
- you can't stall the canopy with your toggles (maybe by using the rear risers)
- turns are very slow. You can reach a significant descent rate only after several 360° turns. You loose very little altitude with 90° turns.

I've tried most of the "Canopy Skills Drills" (article by Brian Germain) but only a few times.
So there is still a lot to learn.

[shropshire 0]

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[thrillstalker 0]

every jump is a learning experience.

you can stall any canopy with toggles.

a high hop will get you more comfortable in the air. we usually only get 3 to 5 minutes under canopy per jump. under a 250 you might get 12. that is three to four jumps worth of canopy time at once.

you can figure out how to execute turns of various degrees and come out on heading.

you can practice flat turns (it's a life saver on any size canopy).

you can practice flares and find out if your getting a full flare.

practice coordinated turns, look, lean, turn

the list is endless...

if i ever make a skydive and don't think i have learned anything, it will be my last.

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

Quote

But I can't find any article about belly-flying.

Follow the "college skydiving" link on the page I suggested above for belly flying info.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

But I can't find any article about belly-flying.

Here's a search for "Drill dives." Some results are not for belly flying but the ones that aren't in the CRW, Freefly, and Wingsuit forum should all give you some good ideas for learning jumps you can do with one, two, or three other people.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=drill+dives&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=50

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

you can stall any canopy with toggles.

The OP was talking about his student canopy, I'm sure.

If you reach down and put your feet in the toggles and stretch your legs all the way out, yes, you can probably stall a student canopy with the toggles.


Student canopies are set up, as well they should be, so that students can't stall them with the toggles without taking several wraps. It's a safety issue.

TO THE OP:
Yes, you can stall your student canopy with the rear risers. This is something you will want to learn and do.

Before you attempt it, you MUST talk to a qualified canopy pilot or instructor.

The point is to discover where the rear-riser stall point is. You may decide to land your canopy on rear risers someday and you will know not to exceed that stall point on landing.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239