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bigway

have not jumped in 2 years, need advice

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Hey all, i have not jumped for over 2 years, i have 160 jumps, mainly on a 200 maveric and a few on a 170 which i loved, each time on the 170 my accuracy was spot on to the dot. I dont know what to do now. i am scared shitless of jumping but i must because it is all i can ever think about and it is who i am!! how should i get back into it? to force myself back in to it i have just payed for a custom made wings container, custom reserve and custom sabre 2 150 main. I know that i should not start jumping my 150 straight away. i bought a 150 because i know i will want to downsize again as my experience is gained. so why waste 5000 us. Should i get straight back on a 170 or go back to the 200 while i get my nerves up again. I know i do not have many jumps but i learnt fast and safe. i did a course in commercial skydiving and did 160 jumps in 5 months. i went to this school for 40 hours a week and learnt all aspects of skydiving(meteorology, spotting, and safety over and over.) my 60 th jump was from 18,000ft and most of my others were from 14,000-16,000. Some one give me advise and help me build up my courage. i weigh 78kg's and am 5'9ft. i forget how to work out my wing loading, can someone help please.
Well thank you if you took the time to read this and hope you all have blue skies when you wake up in the morning.
Cheers,
Bigway.
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.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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Note: There are others more qualified to speak to this question than I - just giving you my take:

You might want to consider the following:

In conjunction with finding a good instructor -

1) Forget about the 150 for now. You need to start at low W/L, just like when you were a student. And after 2 years of not jumping, you are pretty much a student - at least in experiece

2) Rent student gear. Yeah, that not so cool 230+ canopy - if for nothing else but it's forgiving nature

3) Observe the wind speeds - jump in mild conditions at first. Not suggested dead wind, but mild wind at best so that you penetrate on the larger canopy

4) Work your way down again

If you err on the side of conservatism, you will probably have less fear.

Last but not least - STUDY. Go back over the SIM and all other canopy flight/landings and other reference materials you can find. Saturate your mind with the ability to perform all emergency procedures smoothly and without having to "think it out" if a situation presents itself. The appropriate emergency procedure linked with the appropriate situation should be known and second nature.

There are some on here that can speak to this topic better than I as I am not an instructor. But I would not let anyone talk you into moving faster than you are comfortable in your return to the sport.

Knowledge, preparedness and good judgement can be beefed up before you ever leave the ground. To me, that might be the best cure for the willys about going back up after your long layoff -

"The helicopter approaches closer than any other to fulfillment
of mankind's ancient dreams of a magic carpet" - Igor Sikorsky

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No offense intended, but you seem to have forgotten a little of that training in the past two years, at least of the theory. (IMHO not necessarily surprising after such a blast of info in 5 month and then more or less dropping out for 24...)
You state your weight to be 78 kg, with 10kg of equipment that is an exitweight of 88 kg or 194 lbs.
That equals 1.29 lbs/sqft, which is your wingloading.
(If the 78 kg is your exit weight, the WL is 1.15, so your profile isn't up to date either way... ;))

It does not seem to me to be a smart move to buy a 150 after the smallest canopy that brought you in was a 170. Usually a container fits at least one, often even two sizes smaller, so getting one that fits a 170 would not necessarily have been a bad choice or even a waste of 5 grand (the price of two Wings containers btw...:P)
Put a couple of jumps on a 200ish to get back into the general feel, then check out the 170. When you can land that under bad circumstances (and checked off billvons downsizing list), check out that 150...

Anyway, to answer your question to get out of the plane, do all your drills extensively to build muscle memory and self confidence to be able to handle any situation (Pull tests, emergency procedures).
Visualize the jump (including takeoff and ride up), so there are (hopefully) no surprizing stress factors popping up. As this will most probably be a checkout-dive anyway, remember to get a gear check either way? On the ride up, close your eyes, focus on your breathing, keep it steady and breath deeply. Actively relax your muscles. When the door opens, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then jump. Once out, the problem will be solved.

My .02 ¢, i'm not an instructor, so anybody feel free to correct me.
The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

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My advice for what it’s worth would be to call the DZ you hope to jump with and have a talk with the Chief Instructor.

Spend a few hours on the ground with an instructor reviewing all your emergency procedures and generally refreshing your knowledge. Depending on your feelings and those of the instructor who refreshes you, you may want/need to pay a little extra and jump with an instructor for your first jump back.

As for canopies – my advice would be to go with what you are comfortable with AND seek advice from the instructor who refreshes you. My guess is that you will be advised to re-start initially on the 200 canopy. This would seem wise because you would be best off on something docile and familiar for that first jump back. Your first jump after a long lay off is NOT the time to be learning to fly a much smaller and more highly loaded canopy.

In a nutshell, seek advice, stay safe and have fun! :)
Vicki

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Hi found myself in similiar situation to yourself,though i will add only a six month lay off not 2yrs as you stated..
I to was shitting myself..not about the freefall aspect though,more about the canopy i jump,which prior to my layoff i was extremely current with..
Since getting back in the saddle i've returned to basics and havn't experienced any problems flying the canopy''i can still land the thing where i want on my feet with nice tippy toe soft landings,though my approaches err very much on the conservative side at the mo.
Given your situation/experience,time out etc,imo i think it would be wise to err even more so on the side of caution..
I.E.Jump student kit for awhile,even don a radio[there's no shame in it]and maybe do your first few jumps with an instructor..
I like your idea of buying new kit[sounds like v.nice top shelf stuff]but
look at it as something to work towards jumping and don't be in a hurry[small is fast and unforgiving and it's a long wait for an ambulance]
Seriously downsize slowly to your dream rig using borrowed/rental kit under supervision/instruction..
Enjoy...i rememember a 280 Manta/Maverick being fun..infact there all fun some are just faster and speed kills...

Take care and your time lifes a mission not race;)
.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

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I hadnt jumped for 4 years, and in May of this year I went up and made a total of 8 jumps in three weeks.

Now its true, Ive been doing it for a long time, but you are no different...you've done it before, and to do it again will just be nothing more than repeats of your past jumps.

Have total confidence in yourself...tell yourself, "Hey, Ive done all this before...it worked for me then...it will work for me now">

Get your butt into the airplane, and GO man, you canm do it.....you have proved that....so do it again.

I have every confidence in you, so why shouldnt YOU have the same confidence? You have been there....done that....enjoyed it....and proved to everyone that you are a skydiver, so stop wailing about being afraid...there isnt anything to be afraid about....you proved THAT too, didnt you.

Now go get em....and let me know how much you enjoyed the next jump, and the next one, and the next one....Hopefully, you won't have to contend with a DZO like I did in Northern Ohio, who didnt know what he was doing, was stupidly sarcastic, and attempted to make some kind of reputation for himself by showing his ignorance to me. Fortunately, those DZOs are few....so good luck.

You are a person who belongs IN THE SKY...so do it. "again".

Bill Cole D-41

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thank you all!!!, i might have said myself wrong, but i never had any intention on going straight to my 150, i have had this all made for me as something to work towards. yes i paid 5000 but that was for a complete system as well as pro track cypres helmet jumpsuits, the works. Thank you all responding, i think you all said what i already knew, but just needed so encourogment and a bit of friendly advice. I must say though, i have no problem going back to radio, at least for the first jump, i actually thin i might, just to get my landing run correct at a new dz.
Thank you all, you have given me what i need, and i will now start doing what i love again.
YEE fuckin haaaa!!!


.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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