New jumper he be ge bees

[Freefallwizard 0]

I am on 17 jumps and couple of consuls and hop and pop to do.
Went to the dropzone sunday and sat in the car and debated wether to go in or not, i didnt!!!
The hop and pop is a little bit of a battle for me at the moment as the damn thing is scaring me to death, But why ? My opening height is 4500 as with all from the top, my canopy ride down still gonna be the same and landing ( ushally dumped on the ground in a heap. ) is not gonna be any different, thou i am getting better.
I have nearly 3 weeks fom the last time i jumped and maybe that is it ??? I dnt know.
This is something i always wanted to do ' ALWAYS ', i did it and fell in love with it, im not the most perfect in the air but learning, still bit nervous under canopy but feeling more confident everytime i ride it home, i love the atmosphere of the dz, i fit in !
And i am very proud of the fact that there are not many people who do this but i'm one of them.
So why is it i am crapping meself more than my level 1 which put me buzzing for days ????
Can anyone else relate ??

Or should i just get my coat


Thanks

[ChrisL 2]

hang in there. Some jumps seem to present more of a mental obstacle than others, and it doesnt always seem to be in direct proportion to the amount of perceived "danger" involved.

I had many jumps that gave me the willies. You are not unusual in this. Its not an indication that skydiving is not for you.

Next time you are in your car at the dz struggling to get out, just close your eyes for a few minutes, breathe in and out slowly and smoothly, try to clear your mind and relax.

Then get out of your car and go jump
These "scary" jumps are the ones that give you the greatest feeling of accomplishment once they are behind you.

__

My mighty steed

[baseknut 0]

Quote

I am on 17 jumps and couple of consuls and hop and pop to do.
Went to the dropzone sunday and sat in the car and debated wether to go in or not, i didnt!!!
The hop and pop is a little bit of a battle for me at the moment as the damn thing is scaring me to death, But why ? My opening height is 4500 as with all from the top, my canopy ride down still gonna be the same and landing ( ushally dumped on the ground in a heap. ) is not gonna be any different, thou i am getting better.
I have nearly 3 weeks fom the last time i jumped and maybe that is it ??? I dnt know.
This is something i always wanted to do ' ALWAYS ', i did it and fell in love with it, im not the most perfect in the air but learning, still bit nervous under canopy but feeling more confident everytime i ride it home, i love the atmosphere of the dz, i fit in !
And i am very proud of the fact that there are not many people who do this but i'm one of them.
So why is it i am crapping meself more than my level 1 which put me buzzing for days ????
Can anyone else relate ??

Or should i just get my coat


Thanks

everyone i know who has been a student since i have been in the sport since May of this year has had fears about there hopnpop. once u begin to jump at full alt. that becomes your comfort zone, and in your mind you see higher is safer. then when its your turn to jump at 3500, u are scared because the ground is closer and there is little freefall involved.

my fear of my first hop n pop was becoming untstable on exit, because i had still not mastered my poised exits. but once you step off, all of your training kicks in and u will do fine.

i thought i would never do hop n pops again after AFF, but then i started to enjoy canopy flight as much as freefall so i was savving me some BEER MONEY not going to altitude and practicing canopy skills.

you will do fine, let us know how it goes after you get back from the dz, you will realize you got all worked up for nothing.

Step into my (sub)terminal Playground

[CanuckInUSA 0]

What are the three priorities of your skydive while in freefall?

1) Pull
2) Pull on time
3) Pull stable

It shouldn't matter if you are on a hop n' pop load or full altitude jump. Always follow these three priorities.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[northcave 0]

maybe just get your quote,, i did my hop n pop straight after level 7 and looked forward to being able to launch myself out with the instructor next to me.

Trust me u got 10 secs to get stable. You could get a cup of tea in brewed up in that time

[JoeG 0]

If you really feel that nervous about it you could work up (down?) to it doing 15 second delays from 6000, 10 seconds from 5000 etc. giving you plenty of time to get stable and pull.
I think everyone will tell you their first hop & pop gives you the willies but there really isn't anything to it once you get out there and do it.

It sure does get your heart racing though

_________________________________________
"Knowledge is Power!"

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

I am on 17 jumps and couple of consuls and hop and pop to do.
Went to the dropzone sunday and sat in the car and debated wether to go in or not, i didnt!!!
The hop and pop is a little bit of a battle for me at the moment as the damn thing is scaring me to death, But why ? My opening height is 4500 as with all from the top,

Most of the AFF students don't like the first HnP for exactly the same reasons. It's another first step of faith jump. The USPA requires it at 3500ft, though many do a trial at higher altitude (5500) where you know you have time to flail around to terminal. At 4500 you can also get to near terminal and still pull by 3500, so believe in yourself and expect to find a smooth exit and opening by 4300.

If they'll let you do a sunset full altitude HnP, that's a nice practice too, coupled with a good view.

It's one of your last firsts to accomplish. Go do a regular jump (to remove the 3 week jitters) and then go do it.

[illusioneer 0]

I went through the same thing... I pulled on exit and almost sent the pc over the tail of the 182c that was according to the other jumpers on the load. So be sure to wait at least one full second before you deploy So don't freakout everyone else on the load...clear the plane.
And watching some video of freefalling B.A.S.E. jumpers will give you some perspective as to what being low really is all about (crazy mofo's)

[rygon 0]

Ive done my level 7 and now going through consoles before i do my hop and pop. My consoles consist of jumping out, counting to 10 (1000, 2000 etc) and then doing a practice pull. That way i know how much spare time i have after i have got stable before my practice pulls. The way i see it is its all in the exit, so get lined up in the door. deep breath relax jump out sideways (present to wind) and arch. Once you are out theres not much else to do except relax and arch until you are stable.

Im sure once you have done the jump you will be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.

[cjsgrlsx3 0]

There is no rush to get your "A". Do some of your jumps a few times. Do a couple jumps a day and don't wait three weeks before you jump. My coach almost had to push me out of the plane for my 3500' hop n pop. Take it easy and do the hop n pop when you are ready. I am actually thinking of doing another one soon!

[LloydDobbler 2]

A lot of good advice above. I'll just add a couple of things:

- Keep in mind that static line students are really used to exiting at 3500'. If you were an AFF student, it's all a matter of perspective.

- If you're anything like me, you're probably worried about time available...but don't forget the 'forward throw'. It'll take you a number of seconds to reach terminal velocity - as you exit the plane, you're moving more forward than you are downward, which gives you more time to work with than you're used to thinking about.

- If you can snag one of your instructors and tell them that you're getting a bit worked up over it, they might also be able to add a little perspective. They know you better than we do, anyway.

I watched a friend of mine exit for her first hop n' pop recently - she kinda limply "stepped" out of the door, and her left arm catching the wind led to a barrel roll and a backloop or two before she got arched stable and pitched her PC. I can't give you exact altitudes (as I wasn't under canopy with her), but I do know that she had plenty of time under canopy to set up her pattern. Lessons learned: 1) Present yourself to the relative wind. Exit like you mean it. & 2) You've got more time than you think.

Given my experience with my first h n' p (and the experiences of others I've met), you'll find once you've done it that it's much easier than you thought it was gonna be, and you'll actually enjoy the feeling of accomplishment so much that you want to go do it again.
Your first hop n' pop's a lot like the "door monster" - its bark is much worse than its bite. Go get to it and be done with it.

Signatures are the new black.

[jumpinfarmer 0]

I was nervouse as well but, after doing it I was on top of the world. Since then I've done around a dozen or more, some on purpose, some because of weather. You really need to be able to jump lower than full alt. for many reasons so go out and do it.

[ROK 0]

Just do it.

Sit back and breath on the way up, exit with your chest to the relative wind, keep your eyes on the prop and wing, wave off and deploy.

Quit thinking about it. Have faith in yourself and your equipment. Your canopy will pop open and you'll get a big smile on your face. Look down and the world will be at your feet.

[hackish 8]

I'm from a different prospective since I started with IAD. Last time I was in with some regulars and they just stepped out the door facing the tail. Is that the source of the concern? Being able to get stable when the relative wind is hitting you from behind? Or is it just that you're so low compared to an AFF exit?

-Michael

[lfbfiremantom 0]

Try just going to the drop zone and doing your packing or ch1 work with no pressure when you there you will more than likely be dyeing to get up there and may find it easier to do you hop n pop

[-Scatter- 0]

If it makes you feel any better, I've done 17 now too and I'm also kinda avoiding my HnP. So at the very least, you're not alone. I got where you are right after AFF, before jump 9. I think it comes as you move past the "no one gets pregnant their first time" mentality. I walked in the door anyway, and got roped into a 9-way pin dive for jump 9. That was all I needed.

[JohnMitchell 14]

Quote

I walked in the door anyway, and got roped into a 9-way pin dive for jump 9. That was all I needed.

I'm guessing you're an attractive female. Few guys with 8 jumps get taken up on a 9-way. It can be done safely, but only by an experienced enough group. At 8 jumps, a person can't really judge that reliably.

To freefallwiz, remember that the first 1000 after exit take 10 seconds to pass, then you're at terminal and passing through 1000 feet every 5.5 seconds. You have as much time jumping from 3500 as you do being in terminal freefall at 4500, where I'm assuming you've been before. Just get some good training on your exit and arch when you leave the plane.

[Freefallwizard 0]

Its good to know that even though i dont no anyone you have all taken the trouble to give me the benifit of your advice and your own experiences through the forum and pms.
Not once has a negative comment but only positive been written and you can see why even if you didnt jump why people eventually do take up the sport. My own experience was much the same with the dropzones i have been too and will be going back again. It gives a lot of encuragement and the jumps i will require including my hop and pop for my A will be done as soon as possible and i will keep you posted on that score.

Hey its another jump, and hey another off !!!!

But seriously Thank you all
long may blue skies conquer grey and good landings beat the bad.

And stay safe
freefallwizard
Mark

[ifall 0]

I know how you feel. I'm getting back in the air to get back to it this weekend after two years. I know I'm not in the same boat as you cause I'll be doing AFF jumps but I'm pretty nervous too. But I'm also very excited which outways that a bit.

[-Scatter- 0]

Quote

I'm guessing you're an attractive female. Few guys with 8 jumps get taken up on a 9-way. It can be done safely, but only by an experienced enough group. At 8 jumps, a person can't really judge that reliably.

I love the Internet! Its not every day I get mistaken for an attractive female! I think it had more to do with us usually being a C-182 drop zone, and it being the first day a King Air was there, myself. That and just a great bunch of people.

[Radioshack 0]

I know that I was scared when I did my hop and pop not to long ago. But I got on the otter, and sat by the door... and before I knew it we were at 5k, and it was time for me to jump. I took a deep breath and did my out in out.... and I knew it was going to be ok when I saw 4-5 people looking at me out the door of the plane, it made me smile, then I felt the tug of the canopy and I had fun!

(the only down side to a hop and pop is waiting to see who got it on video) :-P

I know you'll do great!

[joblades 0]

To give you a little perspective, my first hop n'pop was on my first pack job (jump 9)...talk about hebegebees, it all worked out fine and I was glad I got it out of the way. Stay with it, good luck

~Freedom is never free

[JohnMitchell 14]

My first hop and pop, jump #6, 3200, 4 pin ripcord, no AAD.

Before the jump, my JM gave me these words of encouragement. "Remember, John, when you leave that plane today, you're a dead man until you pull."

Cheered me right the fuck up.