AFF 5!

[Nightingale 0]

Ok... back by popular demand. AFF 5!

Not my best skydive. But, I passed.

My personal goal for this skydive was to get myself out of the plane without incident, since it took me about 5 minutes at the door last time! LOL!

So, I go into the school and ask for Shelly. After paying my fees, I get taken to the back of the school, where she's packing her canopy.

We go over the dirt dive. Floating exit, release, left and right turns, forward motion, and pull.

Then we manifest. And it's not the Otter. Its the skyvan. Apparently, you can't do a floating exit out of a skyvan. So, new exit. Just stand facing away from the door, bounce up, down, and step back out the door! Hmm... I think I can handle this. Okay.

Shelly shows me briefly how to do a gear check before I put the rig on. She shows me how to turn on a Cypres and what properly routed threerings are supposed to look like.

I'm still landing on radios, so we get the radios and check them, I grab my goggles, helmet, and altimeter, and we're all set.

We walk over to the benches, where we run through the dirt dive once more. I'm feeling very confident. Not too many butterflies.

In the plane, Shelly is so relaxed that its hard for me to be nervous. We're at about 10,000 feet and everyone's giving fives and wishing for great jumps. I get my helmet and goggles on. We're now at 12,500, and people start jumping. Ok. Our turn. Shelly and I line up at the door. We're trying to spot, but I'm not close enough to the door. Shelly tells me the dropzone is right below us. Ok. I believe her!

We turn and face the inside of the plane. Raoul's there, filming a tandem. He's got the camera pointed right at me. Great. Now I'm on film. Joy. So, we bounce up, and down and oopsie, I forgot to step back. We're still in the plane! LOL.

Ok. Try again! Up, Down, stepback! ARCH! Whee! I'm flying!

I get stable and do my PRCT. Good. Everything's where it ought to be. Shelly moves around to the front as I check my altitude. Looking good. She releases me, and I start to turn to the left... corrected. I get the signal to turn left, and do a 180 degree turn, altitude check, and turn back. Overshot it a bit, but corrected. Now I get a signal for a 360. Ok. I can do that. Oops... feeling a little out of control here...arch harder! Ok...stable again. Good.

Shelly tells me at this point she gave me the forward motion signal, and I did it, but I don't remember. She gave me the signal to check my altitude...OMG 5000 FEET! I reach back and pull.

Good canopy. Riser control check is fine, toggles release fine, control check good. Ok. I play around with the canopy for a bit and set up my landing pattern. Sigh. Flared too high again. Landed in a pile of straw. On my face, again. And, for the record, straw ain't as soft as it looks! I have a ring of scratches around each ankle that REALLY sting. Owie!

So, the truck comes out to get me, and I hop on and ride back to the dropzone. When I get back to the school and drop my stuff, Shelly asks me what I remember about the skydive. I tell her. She asks me if I remember 6000 feet. I say no. She laughs. "Remember when I told you to check altitude?" I nod. "It was 5000 feet. I pulled." She chuckles... "No. You pulled at 6000 feet!"

OOPS.

I'd misread the altimeter. I'd spent the canopy ride wondering how the heck I'd missed 6000 feet... turns out I didn't.

Shelly suggests I look at some video footage of Raoul landing, because he keeps his camera rolling as he lands. He pauses the video and says "That's what 8-10 feet looks like." I've been flaring at 15-20, so I've basically been taking a 5-10 foot fall. Landing hasn't been too painful, just rather humiliating...sigh. Next time, I wanna land on my feet, dammit! I'm still on radios for level 6.

So, I passed. Personally, I wouldn't have passed me, but I'm okay with that. I think its just that my last skydives were so good, I had an average one and I think its really bad.

The thing is... remember my personal goal for the skydive? Get myself out the door without much incident? Well, I did that. I had fun. I passed. It was a great jump.

Next time, Shelly gets to push me out of the plane! I won't be dealing with door anxiety there... They want you to be out of control and then get into a good arch and find your stability. I think I can handle that. I'm looking forward to it.

I can't wait til next Saturday.

[StearmanR985 0]

Your story is most excellent!! Highly motivational for me as I am starting T-AF tomorrow.



Oh yes, Congrats!!!

[Michele 1]

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Kris!!!!!

Way too much fun yet to be had. And good for you for finding your own goals and then meeting them...

And just for the record, I was out of control on one of my levels, couldn't read the alti, and called the jump off somewhere around 8K (IIRC). One of the things my JM told me, which sticks totally, is "better high than low".

Also, remember this...

The instructor is the one watching you. If they see what they need to see, you will pass, regardless of how you perceive it yourself. You are, as a student, still finding your "air legs", and don't always recall what actually happens. They do....and trust them.

So if they pass you, they've seen what they need. They have the confidence in you. Borrow that...and learn from it.

YAY for you, girl. You rawk. Keep on keeping on!!! And remember, when you have your license, we have a jump waiting....

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Kramer 0]

Nightingale-

I'm a mere student like yourself, so don't listen to my word at all...I'm just talking to myself.

You say you're flaring at 15-20 feet, but you should be flaring at 5-10 feet.

I flare at like...15-20 inches. That's what I've been told to do...and four of my five landings have been softer than a Kleenex...so yeah.

It's at least worth asking your jumpmaster about.

Good luck, and keep postin these things...I like readin em.

-Kramer

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

[Garycal 0]

Where did you decide to start your training?

[StearmanR985 0]

Going to do it in Lodi but going to train with Bodypilot1 (Ed) specifically. I met him on Friday at the DZ for the first time. Seems like a great person and a few others in the forum say he is good to learn with. Hmm, he is supposed to call me today and confirm......

Anxious to start, Jeff

[Garycal 0]

Cool just relax and pay attention

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

I flare at like...15-20 inches. That's what I've been told to do...and four of my five landings have been softer than a Kleenex...so yeah.

I doubt you're really flaring that low.....you may have been told that so that you flare when you think you are that low....but may really be 5-7ft off the ground. The more experienced you get, the better you'll be able to judge height. Get sombody to video your landing....and see how high you really start your flare...

If you're flying a skyboat of a main, you may be able to get away with flaring at a foot or so...but if you do, you are more than likely "stabbing" the landing....meaning you yank the toggles down quickly, rather than a smooth, slow motion.

Mike

[schattenjaeger 0]

You would've failed you? You're harsh, I'd of still been on level 2 with you as my JM

[sundevil777 93]

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So, we bounce up, and down and oopsie, I forgot to step back. We're still in the plane!

Be careful, it would be really bad to hit the edge of the door with your head/body after a weak step back.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Nightingale 0]

the door's up above you... the skyvan door is so freakin huge that you can stand all the way up and still have a foot to spare.

[sundevil777 93]

I was getting at your weak step backwards. If your feet just barely clear the edge, your body/face can hit the back end of the floor if you are rotating or leaning forward.

edit to add - Don't jump up, stepping strongly backward is what is important.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Nightingale 0]

its not really a jump up, more of a little bounce to set the rythym so your JM knows when you're going to jump. It wasn't a weak step back, it was that I didn't step back at all... The next time, it was a good, strong step, I promise.

[Kramer 0]

Yeah, you're probably right. Still though...I know I'm lower than 15-20 feet!

-Kramer

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

[Thanatos340 1]

I did the same thing on my Level 5. At 6000 ft My Instructor gave me the legs Out signal. I only saw one finger and interpreted it as the Pull Now Signal. I didnt question it, I just pulled. Right about the time the bag left my back I remeber realizing Oh Shit!! That was two fingers.. OOoops.

[Fast 0]

Glad to hear that you have had another succesfull jump!

I had one jump while I was on aff that I wasn't sure if I was gonna pass while I was walking back in. My forward movement was poor at first, but it was good enough to pass and I did much better on the next jump anyways. Your stories are a cool read!

Have fun, stay safe, Blue Skies!

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[bluelip 0]

Quote

the door's up above you... the skyvan door is so freakin huge that you can stand all the way up and still have a foot to spare.

Was George Bush exiting a skyvan when he cracked his noggin? Good example of why to wear a helmet.

/*
Mike Coles 'bluelip'
*/

[atsaubrey 0]

nightingale rawks!!!!! i was hoping to complete AFF before her and now she is leading by a good margin

"GOT LEAD?"

[Phillbo 11]

Congrats on the pass.... I did Level 5-7 over the weekend. All I can say is that #6 is the most fun if your following the same progression as we do .. Back loops are next and they are a blast. Think about doing a gainer off a diving board and have fun.!!!

[Reginald 0]

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Next time, Shelly gets to push me out of the plane! I won't be dealing with door anxiety there... They want you to be out of control and then get into a good arch and find your stability. I think I can handle that. I'm looking forward to it.

It's strange how AFF differs from DZ to DZ. We never get pushed out of the plane. Front floats, back floats, diving exits, but no pushing. However, I worked on gaining stability from a totally unstable exit on my AFF 5 last week; the problem was that it wasn’t supposed to be an unstable exit. :) It was the first “cold” weather day (hey it gets cold even in Texas) and I was wearing gloves and thick sweats under my jump suit. The bulk got me distracted and I had a hard time getting properly positioned in the door. I had my feet too far in the door. When I stepped off into the relative wind my right foot dragged in the door and it caused me to bend forward slightly. Of course this caused me to summersault forward a few times. I arched and got out of it but I distinctly remember my instructor’s face on my second flip as it spun around….he was laughing at me. It was an ungraceful exit but it gave me a lot of self-confidence in terms of getting out of an unstable situation. It was also the most fun I’ve had skydiving so far!

Congratulations on passing your 5! I hope I progress on mine this weekend. :)

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[Nightingale 0]

its the unstable exit thing...that's why they push you. you grab your ankles, and they tip you out of the plane, and your job is to arch and get stable... at least, that's how it was explained to me last week.