soarfree 0 #1 July 26, 2004 I'm nearly off student status and I'd like to know what you did in freefall when you first started. The last few coached jumps I worked on sitflying. Since this is all I can think about I need some more food for thought! Any suggestions? Well behaved women rarely make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Push 0 #2 July 26, 2004 Sitting is hard, but fun. RW is great fun too, even though in some places it is considered uncool. Try to do a 2 way flat with someone, see how many points you guys can do. Or maybe build a big round. It's all much harder and a lot more fun than some freefliers make it sound One of the most incredible skydiving activities for me is flying around with my friends under canopy. Get out, pull at 9 and chase each other down to 4. Great fun. Try some low exits, work on accuracy. Kicking a cone you placed on the ground before taking off as you stand up your landing is a very good feeling, but somewhat hard. Or you could just do some I'm-getting-out-alone-and-screwing-around-for-10000-feet dives See how many barrel rolls you can do before you get dizzy. Flip over on your back, kick back, relax, pretend you're lying on a couch (make sure you talk to someone before doing this, your altimeter becomes less accurate in this body position). At a DZ like Skydive Chicago you should have no problem. -- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluewaterstream 0 #3 July 26, 2004 Maybe work on some survival techniques. Try to learn how to determine your altitude by using just your eyes, instead of totally relying on your altimeter. Take a guess of how high you are while you're freefalling and then check your altimeter to see how close you were. Work on flat tracking. This can come in handy when you need to clear your airspace ASAP. Keep working on the basics and make sure that you can do them all on heading: backflips, frontflips, 360 degree turns, etc. When you eventually go for your license, this is what you'll have to be able to demonstrate - not sitflying. I'd work on the basics a little more before you get overly concerned with freeflying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #4 July 26, 2004 Freeflying rocks ... But one needs to learn how to walk before one can run. Learning to fly relative to others is not easy and learning to freefly is not easy as well. Put the two together right off of student status means that you could very well spend many many many jumps floundering before you get it. Coaching is good. A good coach jump is worth it's weight in gold. But learn the basics before you try the more difficult stuff. Oh did I mention that freeflying rocks ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dougiefresh 0 #5 July 26, 2004 QuoteWork on flat tracking. You especially! I've been jumping alone for the most part, getting really comfortable in the air and seeing what I can do. Just play, work on being aware of your own body position and altitude. Try to sit. Try to track. Work on different exits. One really fun thing that I did this weekend for the first time is a cross-country. Out at 14, pull @ 10. Play with your canopy, feel the cold air and your legs going to sleep. Fly a mile away and then come back. Do it with someone else and try to follow them (not too close!) Spiral like a madman (woman in your case). most of all, have fun!Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkM 0 #6 July 26, 2004 I did a lot of tracking, various forms of it. Hard tracking(going for speed), relaxed tracking, tracking with my arms behind my back, on heading barrel rolls while tracking(so I can look above me quickly) and now I want to work on back tracking. I also experimented a lot with unstable body positions belly to earth. Like being stable while basically flying on my hands and knees(kind of like in a ball, but keeping it belly to earth). Flying stable with my hands behind my back. Being able to stay stable while radically moving my arms or legs around. Now I'm working on sits, but frankly I'm behind most of my friends in this because I only started trying to sit recently. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CornishChris 5 #7 July 26, 2004 Just so someone says it: If you are working on Tracking then make sure you track away (90 degrees ideally) from the line of flight and also consider how far away you can get from the landing area if you are tracking efficiently for the duration of the jump... CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #8 July 27, 2004 get back to basics, the first thing you need in the air with anyone else is a good track, and i cant belive you have a good track on 19 jumps. learn your tracking. learn a bit of belly relative work first. learn how to fly at 120mph before you learn how to sit fly. Learn to be safe with others in the sky. learn how to dock on to someone. learn how to track away from people. just a few ideas. i reackon they are survival ideas as well. for you and others around oyu. good luck on your sit flying but maybe you should not rush it. .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindsey 0 #9 July 27, 2004 My suggestion would be a LOT of 2-way to learn basic flying skills. (but what do I know...lol) When I started jumping I couldn't wait to do MORE. Now that I'm starting jumping again after a couple years away, I think 2-way is the way to go until the skills are improved. Start where ya' are, and work your way into more difficult stuff. Have fun! linz-- A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KrisFlyZ 0 #10 July 27, 2004 Canopy control. It is a survival skill. Another rather important skill is to be able to tell when it is safer to not make a jump. Kris. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soarfree 0 #11 July 27, 2004 Thanks everyone for your suggestions - please keep 'em coming! When I said we were doing sitflying it's just because it's part of the program, not because I'm planning on working on that move first. I am very aware I need to do more important things like keep my legs out so I don't fly backwards so much. I figure the basics are where I need to start, but being a 5 day old skydiver, I am not 100% sure as to what all those are and what things are most important. And Doug - the tracking improved, but yeah, I'll still be working on that too! Thanks for your help! Blue skies! AJ Well behaved women rarely make history - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
