Griff69

My reserve ride was jump #6. Very hard opening ended up with two out. They were ok briefly and then started to split, so I chopped. I didn't pay for anything more than the jump. Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

Congrats on getting back up! I'm still waiting for a break in the weather here, but I can certainly relate... For me, the ride up and the walk to the door got progressively more frightening. In fact, I discovered last week that even watching people's videos there's a difference. Freefall and canopy stuff is great, but seeing the inside of the plane and the exit, my stomach does loops. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with butterflies on the ride. I'll work on not psyching myself out and I'll look for you in the air. Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

We are currently under a winter weather warning, which means I'm going to work all week instead of jumping... I've been ready for winter to end since about a month before it started... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

OK, newbie question. What is this? Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

As I'm reading through posts here, I see people with many more jumps than I who are, shall we say, extremely averse to landing off. As I thought about it, I caught myself doing something I think is very unhealthy: thinking to myself, "landing off isn't so bad." I've had two off-field landings, one just barely off and one way out there. A lot of us on that load landed off, which makes me think I wasn't the only one who screwed up by not checking the spot. So, while I fix my mindset, I thought I'd open up the discussion here. Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

While I'll second the blessing, we do have plenty of our own silliness to go around... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

It must be near DC. Most of us have trouble finding that too... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

#3 was my first and last so far... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

Yes, several times. I'm confident everything was good to go when I left the plane. Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

AFF level 6 was yesterday. Floating exit was new and odd. Something didn't go exactly right, but I don't know just what. Maybe I wasn't squared with the wind or maybe it was just the new (to me) exit. Anyway, it threw me off for a second, but arching stabilized things. Next new bit: backflips. Much harder to get the momentum than I expected. The first attempt yielded nothing but a new and intriguing position. Trying again, I got part way there before rolling to the side and back to the arch. Second one was pretty much the same, except I was on my back for a couple seconds. Both times I was able to get back to stable without problem, but that's the best that can be said for them. Next, some tracking. Not great forward motion as my legs apparently weren't fully extended, but it worked. Here's where things got wonky (yes, that's the technical term). Wave off at 4.5 and pull. After pulling, though, for reasons still unknown to me, I reached back for the risers, rather than flying through the deployment. I saw that on the tape, but once the main started out, the recording stopped, so beyond that is guess work. I don't remember seeing the main deploy, but the next thing I do remember is seeing the main, nice and square, in front of me. Now, a logical, earthbound brain at this point would figure out that I was hanging vertically, but looking at the main, so there must be something else above me. Instead, my brain in the sky thought, 'well, there's one I didn't see on the tape. I should put that back above my head where it belongs.' Altitude is good, and I proceeded to unstow the brakes and apply them very gently. It floated up over my head, and as I watched it approach where I thought it should be, I noticed the nice bright reserve already there. Shit, two out. That isn't good. OK, gentle inputs on the rear risers. I reach back for the risers, and the main starts to descend again. Seeing the two moving apart said downplane to me, and altitude was still good, so I followed emergency procedures and chopped the main. I had some line twists in the reserve, but they cleared very easily, and I had a very fast ride down on the reserve. It seems much faster both horizontally and vertically than the beefy 290 I've been flying. Now, the not so clear parts... First, I suppose, is how I got two out in the first place. My instructor pointed out that the brain fart during deploying (reaching back for risers that aren't there yet) would have made for a harder opening. It didn't seem any harder than past ones, but with only five other reference points, I'm not certain of that. With the strange body position and harder opening, could that have jolted the RSL into deploying? On an unrelated point, I was also told by one of the other jumpers in the air that at one point one canopy or the other was wrapped around my foot. I didn't notice anything, and I couldn't find him again after debriefing to clarify which canopy it was. Overall, it surprises me how foggy some things are, but I landed safe and sound under a good canopy, so I'm happy. I look forward to the guesswork on here as to how I ended up with two out. Level seven this Saturday! Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

I thought it was 87.3% Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

There may be a little more to this trend, too. I am ALMOST 100% certain I did not check photography when I filled out my profile. However, when I came back in to update it two weeks ago, there it was, telling the world that I thought I could jump a camera... Now, I don't know if I did it unconsciously, or if there is a tech issue of some sort, but if I can have that in my profile without my knowledge, maybe there are others... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

And snow! Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

"And when it has gone I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where fear has gone, only I will remain" Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

I have so far maintained fairly good altitude awareness, but legs are my challenge. I keep folding my legs up as well, not always evenly either. I talked to my instructors (and watched the video logs a lot) and they all feel that there are no huge looming issues. Certainly something to work on, but nothing I can't beat. Just curious what your instructors had to say about your awareness? (Edited to clarify) Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

(I know I'll regret this but...) Is it just me or do all women look better in jumpsuits? Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

I'm thinking maybe two a day will be enough, for a while anyway. Any thoughts from the general public? Is three AFF jumps a day too much? Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

Thanks, Avion. Both tips filed away for future use! Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

This is a very long newbie first-jump post. Feel free to skip or skim... After taking the class for my AFF jump sometime late last year, Ohio conspired with mother nature to keep me grounded until yesterday. Saturday morning, I arrived at the dz armed with the raincheck from my class, freshly updated with a refresher course, and a glorious weather forecast. While waiting for the manifest to fill, I sat in with the new batch of AFF students starting their class until my instructor came to pull me. We reviewed, dirt dived, etc, and then suited up. I was psyched! I was finally going to get to make my first (non-tandem) jump. On the ride up, I ran through the dive mentally several times, visualizing everything. Finally, 15K and next to last out. I take position in the door, and start the dive flow. Good exit and practice touches go perfectly, so I'm done with everything by 9.5K. I find I keep pulling my legs in and try to focus on keeping them extended. Uh oh, 5.5K already, wave off, and pull. Well, try to pull. Despite the practice touches, when it's time, I try to throw my inside instructor's altimeter instead of the PC. He guides my hand to it, and I throw, count and check. Damn, that hurt! I think I just ripped holes in both thighs... Main looks good though, 360 left, 360 right, flare; all seems good. Now start turning, looking for the dz. I can't find anything remotely familiar, but then the friendly voice in my ear directs me home. A tendency to drift to the right, with no discernible cause, but eventually I get to the landing area. Then time and speed start doing strange things for the last 100' or so. It seems like I'm accelerating both vertically and horizontally as I come in. OUCH! A lovely high impact butt plant. I debrief with both instructors: legs out! I knew that one, but haven't managed to ingrain it yet. And the reason 5.5K came so fast was that I wasn't there yet. I'd apparently lost the ability to read numbers and tried to throw at 6.5K instead, as well as rushing the pull itself. We talk about keeping the legs out and practice that some more, and then they sign me off for 2! I asked about the pain from the leg straps and the consensus is either a) the student rig just wasn't designed for me, so it will be a little uncomfortable and/or b) my straps weren't tight. I warned you this was long.... On to 2! Same dive flow, but with a controlled turn, and a brief track, to show that I can exert some control over my fall. Lots of walk throughs, physically and mentally, tighter leg straps, and we're at 14K and in the door. Legs are a little better this time, turns and stop go well, and the track went very well. Lock on at 6K this time, wave off at 5.5 and pull. Damn, that still hurts. Controlability check good, but the tendency to turn right is even more pronounced. Check end cells. Everything up there looks good. Must be me. A better approach for landing and this time I remember to PLF. Review: 1. still pulling my legs. I need to focus on keeping them extended. It was better this jump, at least until pull time, but still an issue. 2. I need to figure out the right turning canopy. The turn with the pain inside my thighs makes the instructors feel I wasn't strapped up tight. Cleared for 3! Since the outside instructor had filmed this jump, I start a video jump log, too. Take a break and get some lunch, but I can't stay on the ground for long. I report to manifest for 3. This one gets a little different. Same exit, 3 practice touches, toe taps to ensure legs are even, but then the intructors are letting go! I'm gonna be flying on my own! I go back and forth between excited and frightened for a while, but eventually it's time to go. I tighten my leg straps as much as I can, and then cinch them up again when we head for the door. Exit good, more extend legs signals, three practice touches, toe taps, and then the rest of the jump is "Heading, Altitude, Legs, Relax." I realize I need to extend legs some more, but I don't do it smoothly. A little turn going. Stop the turn. Check altitude. Hey, look at that. Both instructors are out there in front of me. Oh yeah, legs! Then it sinks in. Those two jumpers out there are my instructors! I'm flying on my own! Stop the backslide. More turning. Stop that turn. Legs uneven. Fix that. There's a lot going on, but I keep running the mantra through my head, "Heading, Altitude, Legs, Relax." AFter what seems like fifteen minutes, 6K. Lock on to the altimeter. 5.5k, wave off, and pull smoothly. Much better opening. No pull to the right this time, but some rough air. Winds are pretty variable up here. I look down and actually have some vague idea of where I am this time. I am right over the holding area, so I play around down to pattern altitude. The landing doesn't have that time distortion thing going this time. Flare 1, 2, 3, hold it, hold it, and step down. Nice. Hey, I stood that up! Debrief and review. Watch the film. Those fifteen minutes I spent trying to fly stable was actually a hair under 15 seconds! So, here's what I learned yesterday: 1. Make your leg straps tighter! Not only will it be much less painful, I think that was also behind the right turns. 2. Extend your legs and keep them level! Today I've watched my log four times so far, lying on the floor, arched, with my feet on the couch. 3. Three jumps is quite a lot for one day at this point! It's amazing how tiring it is to fall through the sky and hang under a canopy. 4. Relax! You'll live longer and have a better time doing it. 5. Skydiving is addictive and amazing! Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

April?! I just got March! Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

The US has an education system? Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

Wow, a topic here on which I'm not completely ignorant! The point most often missed in this debate is that "knock down power" or "stopping power" is a fallacy. You can measure the KE or momentum of a projectile, but as was already pointed out, this measure alone means nothing. Any handgun that can, by virtue of momentum alone, knock someone over will also knock over the shooter. Whether the target goes down is impacted more by the shape and composition of the bullet, whether it deforms, how much damage it causes, and most importantly, psychological conditioning. Most people fall down when shot because they think that's what is supposed to happen. And personally, I prefer .40 for pins... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

I'm sure those with more than one jump have better answers, but according to the Safety Day refresher Saturday, the short answer is: In a downplane, yes. Otherwise, generally no. Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."

I promise. Now that I've promised, can someone tell a newbie what this is: "to triple check my chest strap threading on each and every jump." I've not seen that mentioned before... Chris "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep."