lookoutbelow

I have 8.5 hours in a helicopter, working towards a private.

SFBayArea

lookoutbelow: In your 5th jump, do you remember what you did wrong?

Yes. I had so many things on my mind that I didn't focus on the very immediate task and I exited facing into the wind without an arch. The next few times I was at the door I just repeated "arch and legs, arch and legs" over and over and over to stop the other thoughts from taking over until I was stable.

Krip

Enjoy the jitters while they last, no xtra charge.

There is something to be said there. One of my favorite moments in sky diving was the first few times I was standing at the edge of the door, knowing I had to decide right then and there, and then doing it. That amazing feeling is now greatly diminished, even after my lowly jump numbers. I'd like it back.

Two key moments that helped me.

The first was my fifth AFF jump where I exited the plane without the instructor holding on. I botched it and immediately found myself back-flying. Flipped myself right on over and proceeded on plan. From that point on, free fall didn't worry me. I had confidence in being able to recover.

The second was when I started packing my own parachute. Well, not that first time I did it... half didn't expect it to open. But after that first self-pack turned into success, the fear of opening malfunctions was gone (or is at least significantly less). I attribute that to having much better knowledge of the gear, and knowing that I packed it and can be sure I didn't skip any steps. Sure, it might malfunction anyway, but at least I start out with a consistent foundation. One less unknown.

I have a Sabre 2 190 that I put in a V350, which is considered a full fit. This is what I learned to pack on and it was a major struggle for me. What I eventually did was to buy a dbag from a Vector where the 190 is considered a standard fit. Made it a little easier to get the canopy into the dbag, and still easy to get the dbag into the container. Obviously you might want to consult with some more experienced folk than myself if you decide to go this route.

However, I think what really helped me was when I realized I didn't have to do all the folds at once and stick the canopy in the bag in one swoop. What I eventually started doing is what I think riggerrob is explaining. I make one fold (the middle one), stick that in the bag, make another fold, stick that in the back, then the slider end folder and stick that in. When I do this, my knees never leave the slider until it is time to do the slider fold. While I may lose cool points for this method, it has worked for me and all my openings have been good (in my very limited experience). Knock on wood.

My first was a static line when I was 19. I didn't tell anyone I was going. Just went and did it. If I had been living with my parents, I probably would have told them before I did it, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have tried to stop me or explicitly told me not to. I'm sure they would have voiced concerns, but nothing beyond that.

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And trust me I am plenty goofy

You convinced me. And, fwiw, I think you were probably on the load right before mine.

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Really? You see a tall goofy AFF student in the bright red jumpsuit? That was me lol and my friend did her first tandem with Trevor

I don't recall a tall goofy looking jumper. So either you weren't goofy enough, or our general space-time coordinates just never quite overlapped. I only had time for one jump. Load 9 I think it was? I got there around 11:30'ish and left around 1'ish. Short day for me.

Congrats! I was there today too. Perfect weather it was.

What does "brand new" mean? Have you made any jumps? Started or completed AFF? An "A" license holder? Do you have an instructor to talk to about canopy makes and sizes appropriate for your experience level? As someone new you'll definitely want to error on the side of docile and a light wing loading. But if you haven't completed AFF yet, you'll want to do so before deciding on anything.

Sounds unlikely we'll run into each other anytime soon then. Usually the only weekday I can swing is Wednesday. And even that isn't very often.

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I need to find more people to jump with

When do you usually jump?

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To the OP. I totally get that you want to jump with your father and I agree it would be really cool for both of you.

So here is what you need to do.

Make a lot of jumps and get a ton of experience on your belly. Learn to go out late, dive and dock on other belly flyers. Get to a tunnel and learn as much about belly flying as you can. And jump - jump - jump.

Just two weeks ago I filmed a young lady who wanted to chase her friend who was doing a tandem. She has about 400 jumps - almost all doing sit fly and freefly. She was all over the place on her belly and I was trying to keep an eye on her so she wouldn't slide under me. She did slide under the tandem.

I did not focus strictly on the tandem as I normally would because my life is more important to me than getting the shot. The video of this person's one and likely only jump was not up to my standard which frankly is quite high.

When you jump with your father make certain you are up to the task not only in your opinion but in the opion of others who know your skills.

Be safe and have fun when you introduce your dad to what you love.

Excellent advice and thanks for expanding on the issues. It all makes sense and I can understand the hesistancy of all that would be involved.

That's true. I was just thinking I'd like to get a photo of me and my father in freefall. He'll never jump solo, so the only way would be during a tandem.

Thanks. The 19 commandments is what I had seen before. Couldn't remember what it was called. And not sure how I missed that other thread.

What are the requirements needed in order to jump next to a tandem? As in, if I have a friend making a tandem jump and I want to dock with them?

I do realize I am a long way off from being allowed to do that. Just trying to figure out when it could happen. I think I've seen this answer before, but can't seem to find it again.

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but the tunnel will allow me to do 4 with much more confidence.

I did tunnel between 3 and 4 for that reason, and because the tunnel is a lot closer than the DZ. I didn't really need to, but liked the idea and figured it would make 4 that much less stressful.

Good work!

I'm also new, and jump a Sabre 2. What really improved my landings was practicing slow flight up high. And in particular, finding the point early in the toggle range that just started to slow the decent rate, but not so much as to eat up flare potential. Now when I think I'm almost at the point where I should flare, but possibly a moment before, I slow myself down slightly. Not even to stage one level of a two stage flare. Just slowing down enough so that the window of opportunity widens a second or so. Ever since I started doing that, well, I don't fear landings any more.

That log entry sounds very positive to me. Leg issues and dearching are very normal, especially so early in your career. At least you know what to work on.

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Looks to me like he did that to himself. At 1:47 you see him pull the toggle through the loop in the excess brake line that had come unstowed (or wasn't stowed properly when it was last packed). If that's what he did, it was an avoidable malfunction.

That does seem to be it exactly. When watching the video I was trying to figure out just what exactly happened. It wasn't obvious to this noob. Pulled out my rig and it didn't take me long to reproduce it. I guess I just learned one more thing. I'm sure if the line had become unstowed like that on me before now, it wouldn't have occurred to me how cautious I'd have to be. So regardless of the intent of posting the video, I'm glad it was posted and discussed.

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See "private necessity". BTW, the voluntary nature of our activities has nothing to do with it.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/private_necessity

Very interesting. Thanks for the link.

I'm not a lawyer, but it would seem to me that he would be favored by the courts. It is his private property and we are participating in a completely voluntary sport. Plus, he has provided warnings. Try landing on The White House and using the "it was an emergency landing" line. :) It *might* work once, but repeatedly?

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My question is, is it typical for AFF1 students to kick on their first jump? Is that just a primal human response that happens to new students?

You are throwing your body into a situation it has never experienced. Down is forward, and it is a long way down. There is nothing physical to grab on to in order regain balance. Blood may be thicker than water, but air is not. Treading ain't gonna work. You must have faith in the aerodynamics of the moment, and then learn to manipulate your movements by altering flow and pressure. It is all new and your reactions are all normal. Trust and relax. Small corrections.

I also used to get motion sick on jumps. It was so bad on my first AFF jump that I didn't want to go back. Eventually the desire to jump overcame my memory of the nausea. And while I did get nauseas on my following jumps, it wasn't as bad, and it has progressively faded with each jump. Some of that is probably just less adrenaline now that the experience is less new. I now also make sure my stomach has some food in it (but not too much). My worst case was when I hadn't eaten. Also, when making turns under the canopy, it helps if I don't look at the ground much, but generally look level with the horizon (but don't forget to look for others in the air).