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ajctraveler

My AFF Spin Test gone horribly wrong (Video)

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I'm new on here, but I figured that sharing my spin test video might be educational or helpful, if not then it's certainly entertaining!

This was my 11th jump and I didn't have great form and couldn't get out of my spin. Bad form actually made things worse and worse. My instructor was afraid of getting knocked out by my spinning limbs it was so bad.

http://vimeo.com/68547955

I've since redone the test and I had no problem, 28 jumps done at the moment and after my written test I'll have my A-License tomorrow.

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That's some spin! Good job on getting back on the horse! B|

What did your instructor say in your debrief?

For the AFFIs here - as a non AFF person it didn't look like the best save by the instructor to me. The instructor manages to grab the rig, but doesn't stay docked or even stop the spin. The student is left to deploy in a fast spin.

I know docking on someone spinning fast is both hard and dangerous, but isn't that the instructors job - at least to the hard deck? Is there anything the instructor could have or should have done differently?


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How have you dives been before this one happened? The instructor could have been closer and stopped the spin as soon as it started to happened. Once you get into a spin like that it only gets worse and worse and the student usually floats up and can easily get away from instructors.

Note: I am not an AFF instructor so I could be way wrong, but that would be my guess

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Quote

Is there anything the instructor could have or should have done differently?



Well if I read this right, the goal of the dive was for the student to start a spin and stop it. So for that reason the 'I' did what he was supposed to do and see if the student could stop it.

When he felt he needed to step in he did. But he was close to pull time and above the student so he let go. The instructor might have moved in faster, might have done a textbook spin stop.... But it worked.

As for deploying in a spin.... Not the best thing in the world, but not likely to cause a massive problem (other than line twists) on student gear.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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good job in dumping out of that. you had no other choice at that stage, deploying is the lesser of all the evils. there has been many people who tried to get stable, but at this stage you are running out of time. i also firmly believe that spinning like that really slows down your thought process :S:S:Sand leads to you to pass out eventuallyB|B|. personally i would have liked to see you dump out a bit earlier once your realised you where not able to recover from that.
as for the reason you did not recover, 2 main reasons in my opinion . you forgot to arch and relax! there was a kink in your body before you started the spin and made the problem worse.

as for the instructor, personally i like to be closer to the student so that i am able to intervene quicker if that is needed. you def spun it up pretty good.:)
as for stopping a spin for the instructor,i will say prevention is better than the cure. there is the text book way to stop a turn and there is the real world way of stopping a spin. i will admit that i had one student who caught me out by spinning up like that. it took me a couple sec to adjust to the slower fall rate. but in that case i like to be just above or just below the student when redocking. that way i try to avoid the arms and legs and i always try to go for the centre mass. grapping an extremity can make the issue a lot worse. it does happen that the instructor occasionally gets thrown off.thats why i find centre mass a lot more succesfull.

and my final point, maybe i am behind the times, but i have never thought any of my AFF student to Spin on there AFF program:o:o:o. i teach them to start and stop a turn. and depending how they get on i might give them 2-3 360 before redocking. again how soon i redock depends on what the severity of it is.if it is a slow turn,i find getting in front of them and smiling at them gives them a focus point that stops the turn.

excellent news to hear that you had no issues in doing the repeat jump and solved your problem. obviously the nstructor gave you good advice and you listen to it.

congrats by the way on getting your A licence!B|B|

so to all other AFF out there, do you guys teach a spin on your AFF course??

Rodger

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ajctraveler

I'm new on here, but I figured that sharing my spin test video might be educational or helpful, if not then it's certainly entertaining!

This was my 11th jump and I didn't have great form and couldn't get out of my spin. Bad form actually made things worse and worse. My instructor was afraid of getting knocked out by my spinning limbs it was so bad.

http://vimeo.com/68547955

I've since redone the test and I had no problem, 28 jumps done at the moment and after my written test I'll have my A-License tomorrow.



Thanks for the video..great learning aid on not what to do. Did you know you almost got a sit-fly going when you exit? That was cool!

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Question for the AFF instructors. What is trained for if the student gets into a fast spin like this? At about 41 seconds the student goes into a slight 'style tuck' which drastically slows the spin but also induces instability. I remember in static line training being taught to counter a turn but not a technique for rapid uncontrolled spinning (other than pulling). I guess what I'm asking is do you teach any kind of tuck up position to stop the spin? Or is that not good for some reason?

__________________________________________

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The DZ is here in Swakopmund, Namibia.

As far as the tumble goes, that was intentional on my part. I knew that I wasn't correcting the spin and figured that if I tumbled maybe that would throw me out of the spin so to speak and I could correct that more easily. Unfortunately it wasn't the case.

My previous jumps went reasonably well, other than my first turn test which was a bit of a precursor for this in retrospect. I was overly enthusiastic and ended up spinning myself and my instructor until the second instructor came in and stabilized us.

When the instructor saw an opening he came in to stop my spin and thought that he had slowed me enough that I'd be ok when he let go, but I somehow had enough pent up spin in me that I went off like a top. Fortunately I had been and was very good with altitude awareness and I knew that I needed to pull my chute despite the fact that I was still spinning.

Line twist when I opened wasn't too bad all things considered. I was nauseous as could be under canopy though.

Debrief was basically that I needed to focus on my arch more. Previously I was focusing on my hands and legs which were a bit of a problem and I focused on those too much and forgot about having a good deep arch.

After that test they told me to go up and do a fun relaxed jump to get back on the horse, and I was told that I could go through my graduation and ISP's and redo my spin test when I was comfortable.

As it turned out, yesterday morning I did ISP 6 and was feeling great about everything and was able to grab a second rig right after I landed and pull a back to back and do my spin test solo, which I was able to do in both directions without a hitch.

Surprisingly when I landed they had repacked my previous rig and said it was time for ISP 7 if I was ready, so I forgot my bathroom break and got back on the plane!

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ixlr82

Question for the AFF instructors. What is trained for if the student gets into a fast spin like this? At about 41 seconds the student goes into a slight 'style tuck' which drastically slows the spin but also induces instability. I remember in static line training being taught to counter a turn but not a technique for rapid uncontrolled spinning (other than pulling). I guess what I'm asking is do you teach any kind of tuck up position to stop the spin? Or is that not good for some reason?



The style tuck did not slow him down. His body position change slowed him down. Think if an ice skater.... When they start to spin with their arms out and then bring them in..... What happens?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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nadominhoca

Jesus!!! I counted 23 spins before your instructor helped you.. i really don't know how you didn't pass out..

What is this technique os grabbing your leg to spin?!?! it seems that doing that you put to much energy on the spinning move...



It might be an african thing only. As part of my progression we had to pass a spin test (pre-aff). You were told to grab your ankle:D.

It was the equivalent of modern backflip/front flip intended to disorient you and make you unstable.
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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