skylawgirl84 0 #1 March 16, 2011 Hi guys! So, I went yesterday for my AFF Level 4 (for the second time), and I went to a different dropzone (closer than the one I normally go to on the weekends). That DZ has a Cessna 182, which I made my first AFF jump out of. It really scared me, so I've been jumping at the other DZ out of a Caravan and an Otter. When the door opened on the 182 yesterday, I completely froze. I had a total mental breakdown and couldn't jump. I just couldn't get myself out on the strut. We did a go around, and my instructor really talked me down and reassured me. I ended up making the jump, but I asked him not to let go of me in freefall because I was really scared all of a sudden. The dive was perfect, and I would have passed had he let go! :) Any tips or suggestions for fear of the 182?! FYI, I will be jumping the Otter next weekend for the third Level 4 attempt. Elise Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManagingPrime 0 #2 March 16, 2011 As someone who was recently on student status the best I can tell you is that the fear is normal and at some point you will find yourself missing it a bit. Do you not have any door fear in the Caravan or the Otter? What scares you about the 182. Verbalize what your fears are and then you will be able to rationalize them. I know what scared me about the 182... I was new and I did not trust the plane (Nevermind the fact that I flew 152's and 172's). lol Best advice I've got (you've heard it before): Breath, smile, relax and have fun...at some point that saying will click for you and you will be off and running. It's an amazing feeling to have fear and then push past it and once you start making a lot of Caravan and Otter jumps you will find yourself missing that strut...I've been wanting to get back on the strut A LOT lately. What caused the repeats on Level 4? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #3 March 16, 2011 them small cessnas ARE scary.. relax, breathe, smile, HAVE FUN!!! “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skylawgirl84 0 #4 March 16, 2011 I really don't have door fear in the Caravan or Otter. I think it makes it easier because in those I'm going out near the end, and I've already seen at least 10 people go out ahead of me, so it's just like "ok, next." In the Cessna, it's just me (and the instructor of course). I think the Cessna fear is just the extra work I have to do to get positioned on the strut. I just didn't feel like I climb out there; it seemed impossible. My leg also kept blowing off the step due to the prop blast. I'm glad to hear other people have felt the same way! I know it doesn't matter even if I fell off the step, since I'm jumping anyway, but it still feels so unnatural to be standing on a step 12,000 feet above the ground and clutching a narrow metal rail in front of you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #5 March 16, 2011 you beat me to it! “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thrillstalker 0 #6 March 16, 2011 Quote I really don't have door fear in the Caravan or Otter. I think it makes it easier because in those I'm going out near the end, and I've already seen at least 10 people go out ahead of me, so it's just like "ok, next." In the Cessna, it's just me (and the instructor of course). I think the Cessna fear is just the extra work I have to do to get positioned on the strut. I just didn't feel like I climb out there; it seemed impossible. My leg also kept blowing off the step due to the prop blast. I'm glad to hear other people have felt the same way! I know it doesn't matter even if I fell off the step, since I'm jumping anyway, but it still feels so unnatural to be standing on a step 12,000 feet above the ground and clutching a narrow metal rail in front of you! after 4 more levels, you get to exit however you want. freefall is the same after the first 10 seconds on anything you jump out of. you are planning on jumping out of the airplane. the worst that happens is you do all doors are the same, they lead to freefall. for me the airplane ride is only scary until i get to 1000 ft, then it's all good. when i see the door open it is time to get excited."Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hokierower 0 #7 March 16, 2011 I'm at the same point in AFF as you (Lvl 4) and have only jumped out of a caravan (once) and an an otter (twice) so far and I'm kinda looking forward/dreading my first 182 jump for the same reason. Before college I was working on my private pilot license so I've got about 35 hours in various 172 models and climbing out onto the wing strut seems like a crazy thing. Tack on the fact that the highest I ever got in one was probably 4,000 feet and the differences are startling. Good luck on level 4. My instructors thus far have been really good about looking at me and smiling on the trip up so I smile back. I also try and laugh to help relieve all the anxiousness. Blue skies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #8 March 16, 2011 Quote I'm glad to hear other people have felt the same way! I know it doesn't matter even if I fell off the step, since I'm jumping anyway, but it still feels so unnatural to be standing on a step 12,000 feet above the ground and clutching a narrow metal rail in front of you! Ohhhhhhhhhh the jokes!"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdufokker 6 #9 March 16, 2011 As a jump pilot and old time skydiver, what seems to be the problem in the cessna is everything surrounding the door opening. It seems to explode open, it becomes windy and noisy very fast and you are normally sitting by the door when it opens. See if you can get someone to go out ahead of you, maybe even a videographer, see if you can sit or kneel behind the pilot until time to climb out. Remember, though, holding on to the wing strut and a foot on the step puts you in the easiest position to exit an aircraft. The is very little you have to do to make a stable exit. BSIrony: "the History and Trivia section hijacked by the D.B. Cooper thread" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ufk22 32 #10 March 16, 2011 Quote I really don't have door fear in the Caravan or Otter. I think it makes it easier because in those I'm going out near the end, and I've already seen at least 10 people go out ahead of me, so it's just like "ok, next." In the Cessna, it's just me (and the instructor of course). I think the Cessna fear is just the extra work I have to do to get positioned on the strut. I just didn't feel like I climb out there; it seemed impossible. My leg also kept blowing off the step due to the prop blast. I'm glad to hear other people have felt the same way! I know it doesn't matter even if I fell off the step, since I'm jumping anyway, but it still feels so unnatural to be standing on a step 12,000 feet above the ground and clutching a narrow metal rail in front of you! As opposed to how natural it is standing sideways in a door 12,000' up hands on each side of the door frame?????? This is only about what you were used to. You jumps out of the side door, a very unnateral act, and now that seems natural compared with the Cessna. Having trained hundreds of students out of Cessna's, my advice would be to exit with determination. Step out like you mean it, get your weight on your feet, and go. The wind will only blow you around if you go timidly, your foot won't blow off the step with your weight on it, your body won't get tossed around by the wind near as much if you move agressively. Practice your climbout and exit on the ground many times to get used to what you need to do and where you need to be. Then, deep breath, relax, and go. A step exit is actually easier than a side-door exit.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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shah269 0 #11 March 16, 2011 That prop blast took a bit of time to get use to. Dont' feel bad...it's cool. I mean standing there with the freaking prop inches from your face and a little plate to stand on....ah yeah! You also have more time to think about the jump since it takes time to get to where you need to be. So don't feel bad. But here is a funny thing....being exposed like that and standing and kicking back to get into that arch, you get stable faster and easier than say out of a King air, if you ask me. But don't worry about it. I was there and I am still there. Have fun, be safe, smile and breathe Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay. The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE 1 #12 March 16, 2011 I would like the C-182 better if most of them didn't look like they are being held together w/ baleing wire and duct tape. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skylawgirl84 0 #13 March 16, 2011 They do look pretty rickety! Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement - that helps so much!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #14 March 16, 2011 Quote They do look pretty rickety! Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement - that helps so much!! My first jump ever was a static line jump out of a 182. I was worried about actually getting out on the step for a poised exit - would I freeze in the door? Would I have the strength to do it? etc. I'm not the worlds' skinniest gal, and at the time I'd just lost a bunch of weight. I also happened to be wearing shorts that day. (Stick with me - this becomes relevant). When it came time to get out (I was the first of three students), as soon as I stuck my leg out on the step all I could think about was how much the skin on my leg was flapping around in the considerable breeze. I was so busy laughing at myself (and probably vowing not to wear shorts anymore so I didn't have to look at my flappy thighs) that I went into autopilot on the exit itself and got myself up to the proper position without any hesitation. The last time I recall jumping out of a Cessna was in 2006 at somewhere around 500 jumps ago, so I suspect they'd probably scare me now, too. "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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 262 #15 March 16, 2011 -- Get more practice on the ground. Make sure you're getting detailed info about where to put hands and feet, where to shift one's weight, that sort of thing. Being properly positioned can make it a lot easier. E.g., when climbing out, having a good hold on the strut is useful. But some can't get to the strut easily because they haven't placed their first foot on the step properly, which they can't do because they're back too far from the door while trying to climb out. If you are in the right place after one step of the process, it makes the next step a lot easier. -- Even the lightest girls with big heavy student gear can move out on the step against the wind. One does have to recalibrate one's mind to use extra muscle force to move one's limbs to their intended destinations though! -- Make sure your instructors know you find the exit a bit intimidating, so they start the climb out early, reducing the time pressure so it doesn't become a big rush. -- Make sure you and your instructors have an exit count set up, so that after the complex climb out, you can take a couple moments to relax and focus on the actual jump off the plane and the rest of the freefall, before you actually do the count and jump. Students can get so wound up by the climbout that they then flop or throw themselves off the plane in relief, in a bad body position, mind blank, and waste some of their precious freefall time before getting their mind back in the game. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
julio_gyn 0 #16 March 16, 2011 I did my first jumps out of an GVAND, then progressed on my static line on C182 and then from 20 sec delay up on PORTER. but the best part was the hop & pop from 2500. don't fear the door, look out to the skyJulio Cesar blue skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #17 March 16, 2011 Quote I would like the C-182 better if most of them didn't look like they are being held together w/ baleing wire and duct tape. Better than 550 cord and 100 mph tape."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManagingPrime 0 #18 March 16, 2011 Quote I would like the C-182 better if most of them didn't look like they are being held together w/ baleing wire and duct tape. Look like they are? I've seen the actual duct tape. LOL This thread is really making me want to head to a cessna DZ this weekend. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waveoff5500 0 #19 March 16, 2011 i did my first aff out of the caravan and then the second i did out of the cessna, i actually preferred the cessna because i was already in the relative wind when i let go and it felt smoother haha but the ride up in the cramped plane felt kinda nerve racking at first"its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not" 1653 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #20 March 16, 2011 Quote i did my first aff out of the caravan and then the second i did out of the cessna, i actually preferred the cessna because i was already in the relative wind when i let go and it felt smoother haha but the ride up in the cramped plane felt kinda nerve racking at first Caravans are Cessnas too ya know! "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Croc 0 #21 March 16, 2011 As pchapman said, I suspect you haven't been instructed properly, or at all, how to exit a 182. Every jump plane has its own particular exit methods. Prop blast. door size and location make every aircraft unique. (I learned that in a hurry the first time I exited front float on a King Air...) But I digress--get specific instruction on your exit procedure and practice it on the ground until you are throughly comfortable with it. And, yes, it does matter if you fall off the step--you could bang your head!"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so." Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #22 March 16, 2011 Oh, and always remember ... your plane has got to be better than this one. Hopefully your instruction is, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8F5MkP484E"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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cderham 0 #23 March 16, 2011 Its not just new skydivers that are scared of 182s. My first AFF jump in the late 90's I climbed up to altitude in a porter. Then My radio quit working right before exit. we descended and climbed into the 182 to complete my jump with a new radio. Well needless to say the video guy was $hittin bricks. Seriously I was calmer than this guy... lol After we where back on the ground he told me that he owed me beer for his first and last 182 jump in over 2000 jumps. I teach all my students that yes the climb out is the hardest and most un-natural thing you will ever do. but dont worry about falling off. just have a firm grip and footing and enjoy whats about to come. Chris It's Jimmy Time!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Fast-As-Fuck/6099474213 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #24 March 17, 2011 QuoteAs someone who was recently on student status the best I can tell you is that the fear is normal and at some point you will find yourself missing it a bit. It's not normal.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #25 March 17, 2011 Quote Oh, and always remember ... your plane has got to be better than this one. Hopefully your instruction is, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8F5MkP484E i kinda remember the same words, sort of the same characters, but this time it was called "proof". is this really fandango!? what's "proof" then!? proof was even funnier and more freaky tough.. “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
