DZDANK

I jumped in Greensburg all last summer and stay in touch w/ many of these folks including the AFFI's... I'll see if Bob called any of them regarding the lost main and let y'all know. Myspace to the rescue...

I have very basic red cross training recieved through years of lifeguarding, the training is no longer current... I guess the most usefull thing I could do would be to immobilize somebody if neck/back injury was suspected to try to keep them from causing further injury. I know that there are more qualified folks at the local DZ, so I would probably run for the phone and get the wagon there asap. Don't really like to see/think about it either...

My first reply was a little rushed, i did not mean to make light of the anxiety that can be involved with making a skydive! A friend (who is the reason for my involvement in the sport, and currently in AFF) informed me this weekend that he may no longer continue due to the level of stress he is feeling. I am not qualified to tell my friend how to feel, but ive shared what is currently helping me get by... Confidence is a huge factor in all aspects of life - skydiving included. Fear has a tendency to undermine confidence, and the cycle perpetuates itself. What helps me stay confident is committing to the jump the moment i put the ticket in. By making the decision to exit the plane on the ground, you have one less thing to think about on the ride up (if a safety issue or whatever came about, i would take a ride down!). This seems to free my mind a bit to think about my diveflow and emergency procedures. Gear fear also hurt me for the first couple of jumps (I still rent), so now i wait for the rig i want to jump. I check it thoroughly on the ground, and anything that i am not sure of, I ask the rigger to look over it. On the ride up, a quick prayer for myself and the whole load, and I'm ready when the light says i am! One member made comparisons to riding motorcycles earlier in the thread, i too was involved in that sport. This past weekend I purchased a full faced helmet, and i had no idea such a small detail could make a significant difference! The familiarity of a full faced deal did wonders. It cut down on the distractions (wind, noise, cold, etc) and worries of losing goggles / contacts, etc. My awareness in the air went up, my confidence followed. Whats working for me personally, in a nutshell, seems to be as follows: Accept what you are doing, and that you would not be there if you didn't like it. Be comfortable with your gear. Commit to the act and follow a plan. This is not advice. I am not qualified to give advice. Please don't flame me.

HA HA - Farts, the smell of fear... I just finished AFF and have done four solo jumps since, my anxiety seems to be under control at this point. What really hurts me is if i show up early and sit around too long. Get there, manifest, check your gear repeatedly and then get on the plane!

Your ride was on loan here in IN for two weeks, I was on its last load before it headed back to your dz. I liked it; climbout is awesome, but general concensus was that it was cramped inside compared to a caravan. Oh, and it had problems both weekends, a fifty-cent o-ring kept it grounded... But it got me altitude yesterday, so i'm a fan! Ask the pilot if he liked his farewell from everybody out here

I would like to buy equipment right away but see a couple of problems in doing that this early on: The money spent would make it difficult for me to afford to jump my new gear I have no idea what I would want just yet... I made three jumps on a 280, told my instructors I didn't feel in charge of that canopy, and immediately switched to a 230 which felt much better (i weigh 180). So I think i'll keep renting for a while, maybe come across somebody getting rid of a rig and can demo it or something. I think ill end up happier with my purchases that way, even if it costs more in the end.

Haha, I was at a bar with some buddies about a month ago after just a few AFF classes. I hear this dude say something about skydiving, so I start talking to him about this and that; turns out he has 1000+ jumps, even showed me a rigger cert and pics under canopy, etc. He looks over at my friends laughed and said that i probably wouldn't shut up about jumpin until i at least had a couple hundred under my belt. He's right, i cant stop thinking about exits, freefall, canopy; it's kindof making me crazy and my friends are going to kill me if i don't shut my mouth! And this one time at the drop zone...

Not to steer this conversation elsewhere, but since your talking about openings... On a jump last weekend I had what I considered an extremely soft opening; in retrospect may have been a minor mal (of no consequence). I had the pilot chute out at 43 or 44 hundred feet and was open at three grand. When I threw, I felt the 'tug' and was brought to a standing position, brought my hands to where my risers shouldof been. To my surprise and (brief) dismay they werent over my shoulders/head as in the usual way. I tried to look up, felt something on the back of my helmet, and just as I would have gotten worried, risers showed up and I watched a beautiful blue n white skymaster unfold. Any thoughts? Risers twist as i was opening (i was arched after pulling and not spinning, I know im fresh, but i at least remember being pretty stable). Anyway, not letting it bother me, on to the next one, just curious what it could have been, cause i couldn't see it for the two seconds or so it was occuring...

This conversation just popped up saturday night around the campfire at the DZ... Ultimately i think so many people try to shield themselves from having too many 'real' friends that are skydivers because of the high turnover rate of people at dropzones. I have very few jumps and only started in july, but feel very welcome hanging out / crashing on the weekends, dinner and all that stuff. I take it for what it is - a helluva good time!

I dunno, i think i should have gone right back up after that jump. I did a clear and pull the day before, but it had been two weeks since i had any real fall time - jitters kept me from enjoying it as much as i could have... I'll be back out this weekend getting some coaching, i have to make sure to get a couple jumps back to back. The most fun and relaxed jumps have been the second ones of the day when im more chilled out. There are so many dimensions to this sport, its a lot to think about! Also looking forward to getting my own equipment for consistency reasons - jumping a different rig each time adds yet another element to the equation... I probably worry to much, but it keeps me on my toes. Anyway, one boot before the other

Well I appreciate the good advice! This weekend im going back out to get a coach to work on my tracking (seems like an important area to work on). And maybe I'll RELAX a little bit, I was a bit nervous on that jump, it affects me in the air in a huge way

What kind of distance (laterally) do you like to see other jumpers opening at? I think the seperation was probably fine per standards, but being new and all, I want plenty of space!

Hey all, new to the sport and the forum, just finished AFF and my first solo jump this weekend! For some reason im a little disapointed with my first jump... Sunday I went up for my first solo - i had manifested for a light load, but got bumped onto a heavier one. I was second last out (aff cat a behind me), gave plenty of seperation before exiting after the group before me. Diving exit got me a little head down and upside down (had my legs out leaving the plane) but arched it out very quickly. From 11000 to pulling at 4K, i didn't do much of anything at all. I wasn't frozen by any means, I just kept my heading and waited for pull time... I had a very soft opening and was under a good canopy at 3K. I made the decision on the plane ride to do no maneuvers during freefall. My main goals were a stable body position and a canopy out at my stated altitude, and i accomplished these. Looking at the previous jumps ive done for AFF, I think I far prefer to have a diveflow and a task, or tasks to complete... I was stable in the air, was not tracking or backsliding and was a little bit surprised by the proximity of the instructor canopies opening above me. Back on the ground, I was told one of the intructors had to track over top of me to gain seperation from their student. I find this a little bothersome, cause if my canopy had deployed early for whatever reason, bad things would have happened. I do recognize the fact that the instructors pulled higher than they usually would due to seeing me below, and also that i am not used to opening in any traffic at all; so seeing canopies deploying anywhere around me is new... This jump made me realize several things: I like goals! I will have a diveflow to complete on my next jump. Seperation is going to be a issue for me throughout my jumping career (I plan on doing this for a long time). How can I ensure that people behind me give me enough time out of the plane? After gaining more jumping experience, do you become progressively more aware of others around you in freefall?

I visited Flyaway TN after my third AFF jump hoping to hone some skills. Not exactly what I had been hoping for, but i had a good time... This is the closest tunnel to Cincinnati that I know of (although I have heard rumors of a possible tunnel being built near Dayton, OH). My brother and I bought 15 minutes for about 120 or so and split the airtime. Staff was very friendly and helpful, but they make you wear a VERY baggy flysuit to give you lift. They also instruct you to get big in the air, with almost no arch. Whereas this did help me learn to slow my freefall rate, it hurt me in the stability dept. My next jump I was trying to cup air like i was in the tunnel, had to remind myself to arch it out. They did bring a girl that couldn't walk into the tunnel with two very good instructors, that kid was all smiles long after her time was up, I thought that was pretty cool.. It was about 96 outside and near 120 inside that place, so if you go in the summer - be ready to be a bit warm!