GoGoGadget

It was my canopy coach filming my landing and flare who recommended taking 4 inches out. The rig had 60 jumps on it when I bought it and I have put 15 more on it. Is that enough to change it?

1st two jumps last Friday I slid in. No wind. Wind picked up a bit for the next two and I was able to stand it up. I will get him to shorten them up another two inches. If that does not do it, I don't know what else to do as there is not enough to room to do more. I let them all the way up and checked the control lines as I pulled down. I think 2" is about all the slack there is in it.

What about asshole newbs? I guess I am spoiled jumping at Orange, I did not realize it was supposed to be difficult getting on a load. I just manifest and jump. If there are others who want to jump in a group at my skill level, I do that. If not, I jump solo. Although I guess at my level there is plenty for me to work on by myself (both in free fall and under canopy) so that makes it easier.

I am putting my whole hand in there. Figured it is easier to hold onto the brakes when also pulling on risers. Might grab the top of the toggle or take a wrap next time and see if that helps with the flare. We also fly with the arrow regardless of wind. Only stand up I have on it was on a long spot where I did not make it back, so was able to steer into the wind and land off DZ. It was a perfect landing that pissed me off since it was during the canopy course and he was filming the landings for critique. My one good one and nobody saw it. LOL

New jumper with 13 jumps on my Pilot 210, loaded at 1.1 and I am having the same issues with my flare. Completed the B license canopy course and the instructor recommended I have the lines shortened. During the course it took two wraps on the lines and a long hold at full flare to stall it. I had my rigger shorten them by 2 inches. Jumped twice after that and felt like I was getting a good strong flare at altitude, but when I came in to land it was very meh and had me sliding on my ass. There was almost no wind, 2-3kts. Is it unreasonable to expect to stand up in no wind with this wing?

Never really understood laws/regulations like that. "(c) If installed, the automatic activation device must be maintained in accordance with manufacturer instructions for that automatic activation device." You don't HAVE to have one, but if you do, it must blah blah blah.

Ever seen aerial photography from a drone? You can get shots with one that would be very difficult to get if a person was physically holding the lens. It will still take the artistic eye to edit and score the footage. Imagine having several of these things moving through a formation, small and relatively inconspicuous. Take all that footage and put it together for a video that might have taken several jumps to get enough footage to compile. Still takes the human eye and skill to make it into art.

Nice. Started reading your blog. Your experiences largely mirrored my own. Soreness. Being able to remember more and more from each jump as you progress and the adrenaline overload is a bit less each time. Learning more from screwing up than from doing it right. :D

He didn't, but I have been noticing a slow evolution toward having the student have their hand further forward rather than on their helmet. I don't correct a student if their hand is "close enough". What matters more anyway is how good of an arch or hips-down body position they have while reaching and throwing. Whenever I have taught the initial first AFF jump deployment, I have told them to use "arch, reach, throw".Agree totally that the arch is most important. We first taught the "hand on the helmet" for years, then went to the "open palm with thumb on helmet", which helped with the head-low, but now do extended arm (almost straight) open palm, which helps even more to combat head-low. Another "new" (alternate) technique from Michael Wadkin's Xcel Skydiving program. Just got my A, and I struggled with stability on my practice touches and actual deployments with my left hand on/near my helmet trying to mirror image my right arm reaching for the hackey. One instructor had me reach out straight towards the horizon. Once I started doing that, I stayed nice and stable.

Motorcycle trackday events do that with newb riders. They have them wear a bright yellow shirt over their leathers so the experienced guys know to be wary passing them. I just got my A-license and plan on writing on my helmet. "Warning: Newb Inside" "Old guy but New Jumper" etc.

Skydive Orange in Orange Va. There was student there from Bethesda last week. Long drive for a day. They only do the Cat A ground school on Sat (I think, maybe Sun also) but once through that, it might be worth it to camp down there or get a motel and stay a few days to knock it out a few chunks at a time instead of driving back and forth from Md.

Took a few days off and and got my last 13 jumps in. So all licensed now. Was going to go back today for some fun jumps on my own rig, but I am sore as shit now. LOL. My 49 y/o body does not recover like it used to.

Thanks. I went and did my C2 and D1 jump. C2 jump was good, but flared to hard and fast, and ended up doing a PLF into a pile of cowshit. D1 jump I screwed up by the numbers and ended up spinning wildly until my instructor swooped in and stopped me. I think I have it figured out as to what caused it all, bad exit, being in a CCW drift when doing my practice touches that spun me more. I went to the tunnel to work on turns since I only had time to get one in on that jump. Tunnel coach was giving me a thumbs up and big smile indicating I looked very stable and was turning well. Then he signaled me to do a practice touch. As soon as I did, I started spinning. Got stable and tried again, and spun again. D1 jump was first one where I did not have someone holding on for that part. So apparently I have been doing it wrong for the 1st 4 jumps. Gonna hit the tunnel Tue night and work on that before trying to finish up Cat D Wed.

Jumping is one of those things I have always wanted to do. Never had the money to spare tho. Kids are grown and gone. Career is picking up and I can spare the cash.... so here I am. Started talking about it for real last year so my wife bought me some time in a tunnel for Christmas. I sucked so bad there I thought I would be wasting my time trying AFF. I was so stiff I was bouncing off the walls and could not hold position. Then my son wanted to do a tandem in coordination with a marriage proposal to his g/f. So he, g/f's Dad and I jumped tandem and he proposed on the DZ. That got me reinvigorated so I signed up for the AFF program. I am 3 jumps in and keep looking up at the blue skies wishing I was back up getting ready for the next jump. Having a ball and each jump is getting better.