AFF Level 3

[Conspiracy 0]

failed my first AFF today.
Did some stupid things under canopy and am very tense in free-fall so i could not be let go of for solo fall by my main side instructor.
Heading to the tunnel for 15 minutes of instruction to work on leg stability.
Learning that 25 is just the minimum for A-License and that it make take me 25-30.
also learning to take progression slow.
Old or Bold right ;)

[davelepka 4]

Just to put this in perspective, with two whole jumps under your belt, you had a skydive where you didn't perform your best, right?

News flash, everyone has jumps where they don't perform their best, regardless of their overall experience. Given your two whole jumps going in, I think that you can cut yourself some slack and maybe not use the word 'failure'.

Did you open a parachute? Did you land that parachute without injury to yourself or others? It's hard to call that a failure in my book.

AFF is a fast paced, challenging program. Most people (literally most, as-in more than half) do not make it all the way to an A license without a re-jump. The point of the program is to allow you to learn the skills you need, it's not a series of test jumps to confirm what you already know. So you're taking more than one jump to learn a certain skill, and FYI. the transition from lv 2 to lv 3 is the biggest one in the program. Everything else is tiny little building blocks, but going from having two instructors holding your harness to being solo in freefall is by far the biggest step in the program.

Hit the tunnel, and worry more about just relaxing than anything else. If you're relaxed, things will either just go great, or you'll be clear-headed and can solve any problem that does come up.

[dthames 0]

Nothing wrong or unusual about taking 25 to get your license. Getting it "right" is the main goal.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

You certainly MAY earn your A-license in 25 jumps. There is plenty of room in those 25 for some jumps which don't go as planned and which you do again.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

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

[DBCOOPER 1]

Did level 3 five times.

Replying to: Re: Stall On Jump Run Emergency Procedure? by billvon

If the plane is unrecoverable then exiting is a very very good idea.

[Conspiracy 0]

Thanks for the replies.

Heading back to the DZ this weekend for AFF 3/4 with my tunnel time experience.

I guess jumping out of an airplane and opening successful and landing is really all that counts.

My COA and awareness are great, its my damned long skinny legs!

6 ft 3 in
170 Lbs Geared up

I got them chicken bone legs xD

[shorehambeach 9]

GLIDEANGLE

You certainly MAY earn your A-license in 25 jumps. There is plenty of room in those 25 for some jumps which don't go as planned and which you do again.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.

Smile, Breathe, Relax.


Smile, Breathe, Relax.

+ 1

[Boomerdog 0]

Took me 29 jumps and 30 minutes of tunnel time!

Whats's the OBJECTIVE...GET YOUR "A" License!

So you fail one or two...big deal! You won't be the first and CERTAINLY NOT the last!

Remember..there are OLD skydivers and there are BOLD skydivers BUT THERE ARE NO OLD BOLD SKYDIVERS!
Now dust yourself off, get on with it and I'll be rootin' for ya!

[DrDom 0]

Conspiracy

failed my first AFF today.
Did some stupid things under canopy and am very tense in free-fall so i could not be let go of for solo fall by my main side instructor.
Heading to the tunnel for 15 minutes of instruction to work on leg stability.
Learning that 25 is just the minimum for A-License and that it make take me 25-30.
also learning to take progression slow.
Old or Bold right ;)

Friend, you're not alone.
As humans we do good changing 1-2 variables at a time. You have changed: new sport, new people, leaving the "safety" of an airplane, knowing how to fall, knowing how to CONTROL the fall, giving control over to instructors, opening and checking a canopy, driving that canopy, understanding gear, landing the canopy... and all the other knowledge they dump on you in a short day.
The fact that you were able to get through the jump and understand where you are on the learning curve is a good sign you're on the right track.
Just remember how intellectually and psychologically difficult what you are doing truly is.

I was worried about the possibility of repeating levels as well. My AFFI gave great advice: You have your whole life to rack up jumps and get expert licenses... you have a relatively short time to be a student and learn the basics. Take it slow and don't think about numbers as much as skills. With some students they stopped calling them "levels" and just started talking about "dive flows". As intelligent beings we tend to want to organize everything into little compartments to see progress. I say throw the concept out and rely on your instructors to help get you there.

That, or stop thinking of it as "repeating a level" and think of it as honing your skillset for future jumps, practice, or just a skydive that did not go AS PERFECT (instead of "so badly") as you hoped.

You'll get there. Its a lot to take in. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, nobody will ever stop you in the street and say "What you do you MEAN you repeated Level 3?"... most people will just look at you and say "holy crap, you jump out of airplanes?"

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[Conspiracy 0]

DrDom

***failed my first AFF today.
Did some stupid things under canopy and am very tense in free-fall so i could not be let go of for solo fall by my main side instructor.
Heading to the tunnel for 15 minutes of instruction to work on leg stability.
Learning that 25 is just the minimum for A-License and that it make take me 25-30.
also learning to take progression slow.
Old or Bold right ;)

Friend, you're not alone.
As humans we do good changing 1-2 variables at a time. You have changed: new sport, new people, leaving the "safety" of an airplane, knowing how to fall, knowing how to CONTROL the fall, giving control over to instructors, opening and checking a canopy, driving that canopy, understanding gear, landing the canopy... and all the other knowledge they dump on you in a short day.
The fact that you were able to get through the jump and understand where you are on the learning curve is a good sign you're on the right track.
Just remember how intellectually and psychologically difficult what you are doing truly is.

I was worried about the possibility of repeating levels as well. My AFFI gave great advice: You have your whole life to rack up jumps and get expert licenses... you have a relatively short time to be a student and learn the basics. Take it slow and don't think about numbers as much as skills. With some students they stopped calling them "levels" and just started talking about "dive flows". As intelligent beings we tend to want to organize everything into little compartments to see progress. I say throw the concept out and rely on your instructors to help get you there.

That, or stop thinking of it as "repeating a level" and think of it as honing your skillset for future jumps, practice, or just a skydive that did not go AS PERFECT (instead of "so badly") as you hoped.

You'll get there. Its a lot to take in. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, nobody will ever stop you in the street and say "What you do you MEAN you repeated Level 3?"... most people will just look at you and say "holy crap, you jump out of airplanes?"

xD most my "other" friends just call me a bird now...bringing them in for tandems/referral jumps :) , going to change some lives...