dthames

I think this is a great suggestion but please try it when all is good and you are not already hurting and trying to figure it out. Or do it in a hanging harness on the ground. I decided I wanted to learn this and it was not as easy to figure out how to grab the toggles as I had expected. I would have screwed myself over or wasted time had it been a real emergency. edit to include: The skydiving duck cartoon girl messed herself up after breaking her arm on aircraft exit and got off the DZ (3 bone leg break) trying to figure out how to flare with one hand. Learn that stuff before it matters. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

You can't go wrong with a Phantom 2 or 3. If you are a small person or a lanky person, the Phantom 2 might serve you will for 50 to 100 jumps. The Phantom 3, would also for an average build person. If you want to fly with others and have only an intro suit like the Prodigy, you would want to switch from it very soon. I rented an Ibird (intro suit) for 26 jumps. I did well with the Ibird but was challenged to keep up with a normal flock. I moved to an Rbird at jump 27. I still fly that Rbird a lot, now 4 years later. If you can rent the first 20 jumps or so you will be better off then getting something you can stick with...in my opinion. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

If you plan to jump again as a student, you might go to the DZ now and just watch a lot of people land. Student and A license jumpers that have large canopies would be the ones to watch. After a few dozen you will be able to see, Flaring to high, too late, to fast, not fast enough. You will also be able to see how the canopy reacts to the flare. With a better understanding of how that all works, you will be a better student, regarding your landings. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

The wingloading on the parachute has a lot to do with landing speed. Normally a student would be very lightly loaded. If you were out the door at 300 lb with gear on and had a 350 square foot parachute, your wingloading would be 300/350=0.85 pounds per square foot (of fabric). Less than that would be a slower landing, more would be a faster landing. That does not mean you would touch down faster, but approach faster. The flare slows you down. If you put on the brakes too early, it slows you (yes) but is less effective in creating a gentle landing. The flare timing is critical for a good landing but for a student (lightly loaded) should be pretty easy to do. Even done poorly (most beginners) it should not be a hard landing. Students are often likely to flare too high. I was told to flare about 10 feet or when you could kick someone in the chest. For me that was too low and too late. No harm done but I had it on video and could determine that I had flared and fully flared, starting when my feet were about 9 feet from the ground. I started sooner next time and worked to find what was best for me. While you are recovering, if you plan to keep jumping, read the SIM. There are some good canopy piloting books out there as well. Understanding how the canopy should behave is a good step in learning how to fly one. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Everyone makes mistakes including me and the person that will be packing your parachute. Imagine what you will learn when you jump a pack job that is not ideal and you had someone else pack it. Imagine what you will learn when you jump your own pack job and it is not ideal. Imagine what type of person you will be when you are more (sorry to be harsh) responsible for yourself rather than depending on someone else not to mess you up. If this makes little sense, keep hiring a packer. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

When I was A licensed I was playing with my Flysight and tracking speed/distances. Looking at the data, my speed was a result of time in the track, so being able to track for 7 seconds verses 4 seconds was more than doubled the distance. That totally supports your statement that you need to get to it right away. http://pyrodan.privatedata.com/skydive/tracking/tracking-data-sept-22.pdf Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I fly a big boat and can't speak for spinning twists, but after a few hundred WS jumps I got a lot better at flying the deployment and snivel. If the jumper is still causing twist by the way the deployment is flown, it would seem to be a completely different consideration than someone that is very good about staying good and straight during deployment. Consider judging yourself along those lines. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Just looked the photos. You need to plan for a ram-air type parachute and have the bear's arms move to steer it. I saw someone do this with a large GI Joe back in the 80s. He could fly around, controlling direction and landing location to a fairly good extent. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

The slider had air pressure on it during the initial inflation phase of the canopy. The slider is forced up to counter the inflation, thus controlling the canopy inflation until the speed is reduced. With less pressure on the slider, the inflation force wins, forcing the slider down. You need to make your bear fall at 120 MPH so a skydiver can fall relative to the bear and take docks on it. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I look for those that will be in the landing pattern with me, which are often tandems. I start planning early, to have options to stay away from them, as they are often hard to predict. edited: Not knocking tandems, as they have a lot more than I do to worry about on landing. If am out of their way, it is better for all of us. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I doubt many DZs would spend much money to see this happen. I do carry my phone on all jumps. I would not mind using my phone for this purpose, but I don't want to carry another one. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

*** One of the wing suiters came to the door to help me spot the DZ and he agreed that it was far. Never trust a wingsuiter to check the spot. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I was 54 when I started and there was about zero emotion on my first jump. My biggest worry was to pass the level and that is where all my thoughts were. I will add that I had rode in a jump plane with the Army team 15+ years prior and on that ride, I was strapped in at the door and I mentally when through what it would be like to jump out. By jump 15 or so I was thinking, "Is this really a good idea", but when the door opened I was out as soon as possible. The waiting is what I hated. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Consider what you are expecting yourself to do. 1. depend on the equipment to safely get you to the ground 2. depend on the equipment operator to correctly carry out assigned tasks to get you safely to the ground. If you can depend on these two things happening then you should be good to go. As Chuck said, stop thinking and start flying. If you can't depend on these two things, time to study up and get square on the what you are expected to do. I decided to jump long before getting up in the morning. Yes, I had times when I wondered if this was a good idea, but never let unwarranted concern stop me. Yes, after 20 or 30 jumps those feelings went to near zero. If you have never been a bold and daring type person there might be things you have not learned yet that you will have to deal with. Brian Germain has a couple of books that might help you to read. Some by other authors as well might be helpful. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Yes you do :) Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

The reason I asked about Flysight data is that I had an uneven line twist, that "flew straight". Looking at the GPS track over the ground, it had been in a slow turn. The slow turn put torque on the twists that made it hard to get out of (for me, at that time). I would expect some type of turn anytime the risers are uneven. The data would tell. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I started off (empty nest) with the goal to fly wingsuits. I had no idea it would be so involved or time consuming. In my early days I recall reading a story about a woman getting her A license. In the story she said something to the effect, "I can't be a casual skydiver". I think that is a very true statement for most licensed jumpers. It becomes all or nothing. In order to reduce risks, you need to be well studied, well practiced, and on your game. Even then, it is still a sport with serious risks and great rewards. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

That is some major twists. Would you happen to have Flysight data on that jump? Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

My arms hurt just reading this! Great project.

Read the student section of the SIM 3 or 4 times. Read known good books on skydiving. Pay more attention to your instructors than the Internet. Pull at proper altitude. Flare on time. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

My first "big way" was 41 at FnD, three years ago. As I recall it was a lot better formation than the two that we did last week. The last two years I have heard many ask for "more forward speed" because they are in a flock with larger suits and can't effectively match the flock speed. I agree we (as a group) are moving toward a quality problem. Maybe it is just the growing pains of the discipline. Everyone wants to fly a wingsuit, you know. At 500 or so jumps in the same medium suit, I am still learning things. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

Some wing suiters recommend open face to get that instant feed back. I had a Benny and now have a Fuel. I enjoy feeling the air. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

I consider the following tasks as critical for skydiving in a wingsuit. 1. Safe and proper exit from the aircraft. 2. Proper navigation away from the jump run, to a planned deployment area. 3. Save and proper deployment at the planned altitude. My opinion is that these tasks/skills need to be primary and flying skills more secondary. That being said, tunnel time might work out better to be done after some knowledge of what you don't know has been gained. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

A wingsuit "arms race" doesn't help anyone. Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”