GoalSkorar

Ditto here. You will start looking down when you aren't focused so much on performing for your instructor. Especially when theres no instructor there, then you've got lots of time to look down! I actually got ground rush on my 1st solo -- at 5 grand! I even wondered for a split-second if my alti was still working. I just wasn't used to having all that "free" time! I know that feeling. I did my high solo about a week ago and that was the first time where I was actually in freefall withouth a list of manuevers to do. It was also about half an hour after I bought my own alti. This was the first time I was looking at the ground during free fall, then checking my alti, then thinking how do I know if this thing works

I had plans of doing that next week when I went back to the dropzone. The supervisor had for yesterday's jump wasn't the same instructor I had for my AFP program. I think I'm going to try to talk to the AFP instructor...my jump supervisor yesterday didn't seem like he was having a very good day and wasn't in the best of moods. In the meantime, I thought I would post the message here to get a feel from others. Thanks!

Hey, I just graduated my AFP program about a week and a half ago and I just went back this past weekend to do my high solo. This was the first time where what was going on was really up to me, so I have a couple of questions about canopy control if anyone could offer some advice. There were light (less then 5 mph) variable winds coming from the NE. I had a supervisor on the jump who was responsible for doing my gear check, but that's about it. He asked me where my holding area would be and I told him NE of the landing area, he was ok with that. It ended up it was a new jump run for the load I was on, and it would be running to the north. I was going to be the 2nd jumper out of the plane so I would be to the south east corner of the landing area. Because there was little wind the other jumpers on the load were opening high (around 4500), since I'm still learning, I opened around 5500. So that's the background, now here are my questions. For me to move to the northeast corner of the landing area, I would have to fly almost along the same path as the jump run, which I was reading in other safety postings the danger with this is mid air collisons as you are going under other jumpers who might still be in free fall. What adjustment should I make in this situation? Should I be looking for an alternative landing area (there is one south of the main landing area but on the other side of the run way). I kept alert of my surroundings and moved to my holding area, but did not go as for north, and stayed more east of the landing area. Now once I get there, it appears those landing ahead of me are landing to the west, which is completely different from what my original plan was and what my jump supervisor agreed to. Based on my position, if I were to land to the west I would not be able to go through my full landing pattern, since my holding area was to the east. In this case, should I rule out the downwind legs of my landing pattern and go right into the base leg making north and south 'S' turns along the east side of the landing area then go west for my final leg? Besides talking to my jump supervisor before my jump, there was no additional talk about which direction everyone was landing, it was mainly the first jumpers down who set the pattern. I know now I probably should have checked with other jumpers on their planned landing direction. The load before the one I was on did the NE landing, and the load after mine did a North landing. I'm guessing I should talk to other jumpers no the load to find out what their planned landing direction is just to verify I am on the same track rather then just run it past one person. I'm open to any additional advice. Thanks in advance!