ShadowCount

Which dz did you call?

You're at a dropzone where they make you repeat a tandem (with the stress being on the word tandem)? Why not do the entire AFF strapped to a Guy's chest?

Skydiving had always been a dream of mine. I have pictures of me as a 3 year old, gaping at the flying canopies at my local dropzone. I later learned about basejumping and I became obsessed with everything skydiving. About 5 years ago, after I had completed AFF and had done some solo jumps, I decided to put my skydiving career on hold (or stop all together) for the following reasons: 1. While I loved AFF, post-aff skydiving became a pretty boring experience for me. I hated having to wait for hours for my next ride. Packing also was a drag, because if you used rental gear, you had to get clearance from an AFFI on five different checkpoints during the packjob. Then when the packjob was finally done, skydiving meant waiting and more waiting. Most of the my fellow AFF students had quit, so I was pretty much on my own out there. By the time I found out they were still jumping, I had already quit. 2. Solo skydives just aren't all that exciting. The lack of bodies in the air, means you have no point of reference. So it doesn't really feel like flying, just hanging in the air, with the ground slowly creeping up on you. 3. When you're a lowtimer in western Europe, good jumping conditions are a rare. This means that if you absolutely want to jump, you have to wait at the dropzone for the weather to give you a break. I really hated doing that. I found it hard to stay current because I didn't make it to the dropzone. 4. The cost. I was at a point in my life/relationship where we were looking for a house to buy. Renting gear seemed like a crazy thing to do (every jump became just a tad bit expensive), and I couldn't really afford decent gear of my own. Lately I've been thinking about giving it one more chance, as money is no longer an issue. In retrospect, perhaps I should have been a bit more patient. Any opinions on my re-entering the sport?

Can anyone who jumps at Commando Skydivers please send me a PM? Thanks a lot.

Is there any way you can hit the tailstabilizer when you exit the plane at the right time? I'm working on my regular exits (grand caravan) so I can do hop'npops. In other words...I exit plane on the left, behind the wing. I can ace floaters (climb out and float away) and dive exits towards the tail. But I feel that my regular exits (sit near the door squatted, jump out facing the wing/up jumprun) are not as they should be, but I'm afraid of jumping too hard in an upwards motion. I've seen a guy fly right (6 inches?) under the tail and I figure if he can do that, he can also hit it. So I guess I'm asking two related questions. 1. How can I improve my exits? 2. What should I not do if I want to stay away from the tail. I'm asking this because I've had it on my mind ever since I did my AFF1 and now there's a dude that killed himself because he hit the tail after exiting. I've read the topic and I know he jumped when the plane was still climbing but still. I've talked to my instructors about Q2. I'll ask them to check my exit this weekend.

I've had the pleasure of being trained by great people. They taught me everything I needed to know, pointed me to my errors, failed me when it needed to be done, but they did so with a friendly and positive attitude. Even if they thought I was a schmuck (I know some of them do). Because of this I felt at home at the dropzone and was happy to go back there after I received my A. I've seen grumpy AFFI's ruin the whole experience for students. "Do this and so" before the jump, silence in the Cessna, only negative comments on the ground. I know you can't choose your own personality, but still. A little effort does wonders. AFFI** So talk to me about that jump STUDENT-- It felt pretty good * Did it now...(silence)... -

I wouldn't do it. However. Say you deploy and during the snivel you see a canopy deploying in front of you. You'd want to get at the toggles as soon as possible I guess. So this is only useful when the canopy is fully inflated?

What happens if you pop the brakes during deployment?

Alright brick, I'll take your word for it.

I can dig the whole "wrong muscle memory" thing. But still, if someone can explain how to do it in a list of do's and do nots, I can check all these things in the mirror. Plus, there's always a chance of practicing it wrong. I mean, my AFFI does not live with me so he can't correct my posture when I'm naked on the bathroom floor practicing my arch. The whole drinking thing was a bad joke. Let's not hijack this thread. I know drugs are bad. Mkay? Haha, guess you've got a point. I'll just ask the guys if there's anything I should not do. Now if you all agree that I shouldn't practice before I try, you can forget about my first question as well.

I'm starting my AFF course this weekend. I have three questions. Numéro 1: I want to practice my arch. Can someone, preferably an instructor, explain to me how to do a perfect arch? Picture says a thousand words or perhaps a link to an AFF syllabus? I want to practice muscle memory in front of a mirror and possibly in the pool. I'm talking arms, legs feet head, back... Numéro 2: Me and mah bitc- I mean AFFIES are in the door ready to go out. Aside from arching, what can I do to prevent the last AFFI out the door tumbling over us? (or if you will, AFFI number one going low) Numéro 3: I'm a bad drinker. Will this be a problem? Also willing to put in some practice. Btw I'm not a troll. Would appreciate answers to questions one and two.