etidie

Thank you everyone for the tips and advice. I really appreciate it a lot!

For general reference: I work at a facility where all of our students do 20 minutes prior to their first one-man AFF jump out of a tailgate aircraft. Ten minutes (two minutes per rotation) doing basic body stabilization with only a jumpsuit and another ten minutes (again, two-minute rotations) with a dummy rig on to work on bottom-end sequence (wave-off, practice touches, pull sequence). We put them in for their first rotation with the air turned down so we can manipulate them into a good body position, get them to turn left and right, then forward and back with their belly on the net. If they are squared away then I have them turn up the air and get them off the net right away. If not in the first two minute rotation, definitely very soon into the second rotation. I'm in the wind with them walking the net or flying with them every second of it. Ultimately, the sooner you get a student off the net, the better. Also: it's ALWAYS better to be coached by tunnel coach who is also an actual AFF instructor. Thank you for the reply! I was told that they do have a rig there that I can wear next time if I wanted to. Being that I've put 10 minutes in, would you recommend I wear it next time? Or just kind of play it by ear and see how things go?

I think you may be right. I started feeling more comfortable and relaxed the last couple of minutes, but then it was over. Will probably need to invest in some more time for it to really click.

Boy, they sure have you spend a lot of time on the net. You look okay. Don't worry about back flips and barrel rolls. The real test is getting stable afterwards. I really don't care how sloppy the maneuver is. Tracking is not something learned in the tunnel either. Just concentrate on going in a straight line and work on speed later.

Okay, video added to original post. Thanks again everyone!

And that's all I really am looking to gain from any tunnel time right now is just more confidence. Really I just want to be relaxed during free fall. The biggest thing I was told during my tunnel time was that I really need to relax and not be so stiff. Going off of the notes I was given when I left "Relax, Relax, Relax" stands out the most.

I'm uploading the very unimpressive video to YouTube right now and I'll post a link. My coach was Victor at iFly. He was great. Really patient, spent a good 30-45 minutes before and after the tunnel going over things with me.

Hey everyone! Was hoping to get some advice. I'm currently going through my AFF and am loving it. Here's my progressions thus far: Cat A- Went great, pulled on time and had good alt. awareness throughout. Standup landing. Cat B/C - These were combined. First attempt went alright. Good alt. awareness and pulled on time, but flipped onto my back for a couple of seconds before I was able to flip myself back over. Had some trouble with right turns because I was "crunching" to my right when I was turning right instead of just twisting. Landed in a slide. Second attempt went much better and passed. Had line twists, managed to get out of them and landed on my feet unassisted. I went back last Saturday for my Cat D & E, but had to leave and reschedule for this coming weekend. The next day I went to iFly in San Francisco and was able to get in 10 minutes of coached time. I was really, really hoping that I would leave there with more confidence in my overall stability and in my turning. I definitely feel better about it, but not great. After reviewing the video I can see how much I was moving around. I'm wondering what you guys think. My biggest concern is stability and basic control. Should I get in another 15-30 minutes in the tunnel before continuing on, or just press forward without anymore tunnel time? Thanks in advance! Tunnel Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Su9kYIHfbA&feature=youtu.be

Is there a community college close by? I'm currently finishing up my bachelors in graphic design and have had a couple of classes in photography. I can't stress enough how important in-class critiques are of the work you submit. Without those critiques you won't know what is working well and what's not. I'm sure there are critiques in an online classroom, but I don't think they would be nearly as effective at making you a better photographer without the face to face interaction. If there's a community college close by I would definitely suggest going that route. Probably cheaper than an online course, too. I think I still have my syllabus from the classes I took if you'd like me to email it to you. You wouldn't have the benefit of critiques, but you would at least have set guidelines on what you are needing to achieve. It has a break down of each assignment (what focal length to use, aperture, shutter speed, subject, etc.)

Couldn't agree more. My extremely limited experience with all of this has already changed my perspective on things in my life in regards to what's actually important and just not sweating the small things in general. It's hard for me to put into words that accurately describe the feeling.

It's the only DZ i've been to so I can't compare, but I like it. Everyone I've talked to so far has been great and the instruction I've been receiving has been top notch.

Thanks! I'm really excited about it. I'm doing my aff at Skydive Sac in Lincoln.

Hello everyone! I've been lurking around here for a couple of months now trying to soak up everything that I can and just enjoying everyones stories. This seems like a really great community and I'm excited to be a part of it. As for myself, I'm about as green as they get. I did my first tandem back in April with my girlfriend as part of her birthday. I went into it not thinking anything would come from the experience other than a cool memory. What ended up happening was a feeling of finding something that I didn't even know I was looking for. I thought it was going to be this huge adrenaline rush, but it ended up being the most peaceful experience I've ever felt in my life. Every day since then it's been pretty much all I've been able to think about (being back up there). Fast forward to the beginning of this month and I went back to do a working tandem to see if maybe the first tandem was just sensory overload and it wouldn't be as amazing this time. Turned out to be even better and I signed up for AFF before leaving that day. As of today I've completed my cat-a and am scheduled for b and c coming up. I think I may be hooked.