jimmy_m

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Posts posted by jimmy_m

  1. As a brand new skydiver who just got a Class A, I'd like to share my thoughts on the matter, while my training is still very fresh in my mind.

    I understand why a heads-up display would be nice - especially for things like crabbing along during crosswind landings (at my DZ, we always land north or south). Aside from this, though, I'm not sure having audibles is a great idea for students.

    A major reason I'm opposed to audibles for students is I've already had an altimeter fail on me. It froze on me at 5800 feet on my Cat C, so I executed a landing pattern without looking at an altimeter at all (and was successful, yay). It unstuck itself somewhere under canopy, but at that point I wasn't even looking anymore - why would I trust it? My worry is this - how long would it take for a student to figure out an audible altimeter wasn't working? What are the consequences of a student not knowing their audible isn't working until they're lower to the ground than they want to be under canopy, and haven't made the necessary turns to hit their landing area?

    I understand some might consider this a special case - altimeters don't fail all that often, right? I disagree with this mindset - we rookies and students need to be the most aware of failing equipment, because we're the ones who take the most time to process and make appropriate judgment calls. I think a visual altimeter is far more easily identifiable as "wrong" than an audible one.

    A less extreme example of when I wouldn't want to be a student relying on an audible follows. This, and similar situations, have happened to me already:

    I've done a few jumps today with a consistent landing pattern, but the wind has picked up. On my downwind leg, I realize (a) I will gain much more ground on downwind than I originally expected, and (b) gain a lot less ground on finals than expected. If I don't turn onto my base leg soon enough, I will not be able to clear the trees on finals. I'm below 1,000 feet - no restarting this pattern now. I have a couple options. If I won't cut anyone off, I'll swing out wide on downwind to drop altitude while hitting the same target to start my base leg. Alternatively, if I won't cut anyone off, I can start my base leg above 500 feet.

    Because I became aware of my too-far-downwind landing patterns early on, I never had to bail to another nearby field to avoid both collisions and trees; waiting for an audible to tell me where I am may have led to a different result. This type of scenario is especially relevant for students, because they're always trying different canopies. Since each jump can be radically different, even in similar weather conditions, I think it's important for students to be assessing the situation constantly in landing patterns.

    I understand where you're coming from on wanting audibles for students, but I think it's more important for students to introduce them as an aid or a backup after they have mastered landing with visuals alone.

  2. Quote

    The contracts I signed with the Manufacturers,.. which falls under the FAR's. Are there no more contracts with the manufacturers or are we just not reviewing them after being signed?



    Oy! The manufacturers of the... helmets? harnesses? I would like to know this, as I have gone on three tandem dives and got only a frap hat each time!

    As far as the student not having an alti - that's also a big no-no! I did notice the left RSL line was out of its channel a bit - not quite where you want it.

  3. Quote

    You're supposed to arch at the pelvis, not the chest...



    I didn't learn this until after two AFF jumps when I went to a wind tunnel! Many men in particular tend to arch their back. My instructor said "No, stand near a wall, and push your pelvis against it without moving your shoulders - that's the arch form you want!" I think that most people who aren't familiar with skydiving technique or terminology assume "arch" = "back" -- I wish more instructors were more explicit about this!

    Quote

    I had a very nice ride down, did what ground control told me, got on final, and the radio shits the bed! Nothing but this God-awful howling and clicking noise...



    Yeah, man! My first two AFF jumps the radio didn't work at all. My third one I had gotten so used to landing that they just didn't have to say anything and cleared me off radio, and that time my alti was busted!

  5. Hi Everyone,
    I just graduated my AFF training last Saturday, and made my first solo dive last Sunday! I've been eager to get into skydiving ever since I made my first tandem jump back in 2009, and finally have the time and resources to get into it! During the school year I won't be jumping as much, as my income will drop significantly, but I figure it'll be worth it to knock out the high start-up cost of getting a Class A license now so I can make a cheaper jump or two every couple of weeks, and go with friends!

    So far, I haven't been deterred by my altimeter freezing on my cat C :S, or going completely unstable during a front loop on my first solo jump.

    Skydiving is such a blast, and I fully intend to make it a lifelong hobby of mine! :D