Learing to pack on AFF

[skyyhi 0]

I learned to pack from my roommate who jumps, so I just had to demonstrate during my student progression that I could pack and then go jump my student rig. I don't like to pack but I do it because I need to get good at it. I don't want to depend on others to pack for me. Like someone else said - I unpack and repack my rig at least once or twice a day to practice getting the main in the bag. . .I just want to be VERY sure I know what I am doing. . .

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Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[tbrown 26]

"Pack a student's rig and he/she can jump it today,
Teach a student to pack and they can jump for the rest of their life".

Way back when parachutes were still being carved out of wood, we were taught to pack, under close supervision, for our first freefall, which was usually your 6th jump or thereabouts. I was 18 and was sorta trippin' about making my first freefall on my first pack job, but everything turned out just great and the beer tasted wonderful that night.

One of the instructors at the large So. Cal. DZ I often jump at told me that "students have enough on their minds, they don't need to stress over packing just yet". Maybe so and maybe not. I think anybody's going to stress over their packing until they see it open a few times. It's confidence builder. Not learning to pack is like not taking the training wheels off your bike.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[i.a.w.i.a. 0]

I learnt to pack after my first AFP jump -- it was a crummy day and they thought I was mad for showing up, but they offered to give me an unscheduled packing lesson, which was cool. I'm glad I learnt -- it makes me feel much more secure about jumping. knowledge is power eh :)

and yesterday I packed my own chute and jumped it! possibly the most nervewrecking 3 seconds of my as yet brief skydiving career, but very satisfying to land and know you survived your own pack job! Almost made up for the embarassment from my god-awful landing -- I flared LATE.

anyway. i plan to practice whenever I can -- ultimately i want to always be packing my own gear. saves money, and makes my skydiving experience much more -mine- :)

[nael 0]

I did AFF stage 2 today. I managed to improve on all the things I knew I had to improve on (for now!) so I was really happy about the whole jump in general. After the jump I was talking to some people at the dz and asked them to show me how to pack, so I got a nice packing lesson which was good.

I definately plan on knowing how to pack pretty soon. If not by the end of AFF, within a few jumps after it. I think it'll help me learn more about the canopy I am jumping (although that doesnt matter so much when you're jumping student rigs) but also give me more of an understanding as to whats going on above my head once my chute is open.

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