Does everyone suck on their first sit fly?

[sdgregory 0]

I just did my level 17 AFF today . . . sit fly!. I was wondering, is it that hard for everyone at first? I do not think that any of my jumps were as hard as this one was. What a blast though!

I hop off the plane with my instructor's feet in my armpits untill we get stable. Then he releases and I am all over the place until I finally fall on my back. I roll out and try to get back into the position only to do a double back flip. In the process my AFF/I, named Wink, comes into view and he is flying head down watching me with a big ole smile on his face. I had to laugh. Then I checked altitude (for the third time) and see I have time to try once more and almost got into position but then I ended up on my back again. So count of 8 I go and pull. What a trip but damn that was hard. Which sucks because I want to really learn how to do this one.

How much practice does this one require?

Wink, if you ever read this, you are a trip! Thanks for the laugh.

[Caseadilla 0]

Keep it up it gets much easier. Try wearing a baggy top and slim pants. Freeflying is definetely the most fun of all the disciplines!!!
What goes up must come head down!
casey

[Jackajeffries 0]

yes the first time I tried it I was in anything but a sit position. keep trying and youll get it

[WrongWay 0]

Dude, NOBODY gets a sit the first time. Actually, IMHO, it's one of the most unstable body positions you can fly. Much more unstable than head down even. It takes time, and dedicated jumps.

My advice to you: get coaching. It still might take you a few jumps to get it, but at least you'll form all the good habits right off, and won't have to break any bad ones later.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[riggerrob 613]

I sucked the first time I tried sit-flying. ....
wait a minute, I still suck at sit-flying.
Hee! Hee!

[jerry81 10]

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Dude, NOBODY gets a sit the first time.

Dude, I beg to differ. I got into a sit the very first time I tried it (jump 23, I believe). Sure, I was spinning around slowly, but it was more or less a sit-fly. Of course I've had some problems with spinning and backsliding before I learned how to fly it stable, but I don't remember ever having to try really hard to maintain the position.
Headdown, however, is a total bitch to learn for me.

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[nitrodan 0]

I held a headdown on my third try but after thirty sitfly jumps I still couldn't get there so I went to chicago for summerfest and got some couching from Alaska Jon It was worth every penny I'm still learning to fly, it but it saved me months of trying to figure it out on my own.

DAN SMITH
www.skydivewichita.com

[selbbub78 0]

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I sucked the first time I tried sit-flying. ....
wait a minute, I still suck at sit-flying.
Hee! Hee!

ditto here

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[sdgregory 0]

I did my second one yesterday and it was cool! I held the positionf for . . . . 3-4 seconds! Woohoo! Then I was on my back again, fought for control of my feet almost had . . no wait the wind won and I was still on my back. But it was a helluva good time. Went through "industrial haze" of the wet variety and got a little freaked because of the total loss of visibility and when I came through I was so relieved to see the ground that I pulled and did not realize I was at 6500! A little embarrassing to say the least since my scheduled pull altitude was 3500.

Got a deserved lecture on the dangers of pulling too early when there are others above you. Felt like a schmuck. But no one got hurt and I learned a lesson.

But I am definitely going to get coaching on this I want to get it. It was so much fun!

[StevePhelps 0]

busted through the clouds @ 6500 and pulled! LOL! All after corking a sit fly. LOL! I bet people are lined up to jump with you!

Relax, just kidding! (sortof) I'm sure you all ready got reemed pretty good by the other jumpers. One advice though. Don't try "new" maneuvers (sit fly - HD, etc.) when you are jumping into "industrial haze". You're just asking for trouble.

[andrewstewart 0]

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I did my second one yesterday and it was cool! I held the positionf for . . . . 3-4 seconds! Woohoo! Then I was on my back again, fought for control of my feet almost had . . no wait the wind won and I was still on my back. But it was a helluva good time. Went through "industrial haze" of the wet variety and got a little freaked because of the total loss of visibility and when I came through I was so relieved to see the ground that I pulled and did not realize I was at 6500! A little embarrassing to say the least since my scheduled pull altitude was 3500.

Got a deserved lecture on the dangers of pulling too early when there are others above you. Felt like a schmuck. But no one got hurt and I learned a lesson.

But I am definitely going to get coaching on this I want to get it. It was so much fun!

Mmmm, smell the danger!

If you're just starting to freefly give yourself some more separation between you and the group in front and tell the group who is getting out after you.

You're probably travelling horizontally somewhat in freefall, and since you probably can't hold a heading you may well be travelling back up (or down) jump run and not realize it.

Add that to that fact that you pulled just after passing through a cloudbase at much higher than your predeclared pull height, and you're asking for trouble.

Just my two cents.

[sdgregory 0]

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Add that to that fact that you pulled just after passing through a cloudbase at much higher than your predeclared pull height, and you're asking for trouble.

Just my two cents.

As you see I realize that I made a huge mistake. Thanks for pointing it out though. (j/K)

[Patman 0]

Just a tid-bit I have been told. Jump with only one other person until you know you can fly a stable sit. It keeps you from corking into others above you and gives you one focal point to fly off from. Just a little two cents worth.

Don't tell me I can't! I already know that! Haven't you seen my x-rays?

[Chrisky 0]

Wohoooo, i'd like to have seen that!

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 ...

[Newbie 0]

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Add that to that fact that you pulled just after passing through a cloudbase at much higher than your predeclared pull height, and you're asking for trouble.

Just my two cents.

As you see I realize that I made a huge mistake. Thanks for pointing it out though. (j/K)

just out of curiousity, why did you not look at your alti before pulling? Are you wearing an audible? It's highly recommended for freeflying because of the faster fallrates, and because you might well spend more time on your back in a ball, and lose visual with the ground during the jump from time to time.

It might be worth you doing more flat work first, to get more comfortable with just being in the air, and increasing your awareness rather than jumping straight into freefly stuff. Others might say just ff from the get go, but from the jump you just described there, it might be safer if you just worked the air flat for a few dozen more jumps.

Just a suggestion.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[sdgregory 0]

Actually I am very altitude/surroundings aware when jumping. I have had no lack of altitude awareness at all. Just on this particular jump there was a Cloud cover from 6000 to I would say about 7500 and toward the bottom it got thick. In the process of doing the sit fly I got a little frustrated and when the cloud cover hit (this was not the first time in clouds either) I just lost track of where I was and got a little freaked.

It was a combination of many things that did not go well and when I saw the ground I pulled instead of thinking. This all still sounds like an excuse and the truth is I just screwed up. It was a rookie mistake but not one I intend to repeat nor one that should be used to judge where I am at. I am sure even the most experienced of us have done something stupid at some point, possibly after many more jumps than I have.

All I can say is that thank God no one was above me when I "corked" and it is a lesson learned.

[Newbie 0]

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Actually I am very altitude/surroundings aware when jumping. I have had no lack of altitude awareness at all. Just on this particular jump there was a Cloud cover from 6000 to I would say about 7500 and toward the bottom it got thick. In the process of doing the sit fly I got a little frustrated and when the cloud cover hit (this was not the first time in clouds either) I just lost track of where I was and got a little freaked.

It was a combination of many things that did not go well and when I saw the ground I pulled instead of thinking. This all still sounds like an excuse and the truth is I just screwed up. It was a rookie mistake but not one I intend to repeat nor one that should be used to judge where I am at. I am sure even the most experienced of us have done something stupid at some point, possibly after many more jumps than I have.

All I can say is that thank God no one was above me when I "corked" and it is a lesson learned.

if you reread what you have said here, and then read your account in your initial post, you might rethink about what you've just said here because it's contradictory. Not being altitude aware applies to pulling too early as well as too late. Being aware of your surroundings to me is knowing that if you pull at 6000+ft you will still have people in freefall somewhere in the air above you, maybe not directly, but how do you know that? And if the guy after you has flown down jumprun by mistake and is right above you he/she won't be expecting to see canopy at that height so that could be quite a surprise to them

I'm not chastising you man, and you sure as heck shouldn't beat yourself up over it - we all make mistakes and you definitely seem to appreciate you have learnt from this one which is great - but don't assume something else that you think you have under your belt or you think is pretty simplistic can't bite you in the ass, and that next time there might just be someone - either yourself or another jumper - on the receiving end of the mistake. By all means carry on doing what you're doing and having fun, but why not do a few coached jumps, or some 2 way flat stuff and built up your air awareness a little first? Being in the air means being responsible not just for your own safety but others too. Again, just a suggestion though.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[freeflygoddess 0]

Well, nobody except for me... However, I am the goddess of freeflying so it does come naturally.

[Chapsta 0]

No way man! It took a lot of jumps with friends and solos to get really stable. You'll get you're feet down in no time (just put them down!!! Think: Shove them feet down and keep them there!!!) but then alot of people have a natural front or back slide... just keep jumping and it'll work itself out! 2-ways the way to go!

Chaps

Carpe diem

[FreeflyGoat 0]

You only suck at it if you do 1000 sitfly jumps and you still cant do it

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