Inspired

I think 15 minutes in the tunnel is plenty to learn how to fall stable, hold your heading, and probably do some simple turns. Knowing how to do that will keep you from worrying about freefall so that you can spend more time worrying about other things, like exits and landing your canopy. Don't think that your first time in freefall will be as easy as the tunnel though. You'll still have to deal with the probable sensory overload and resulting brain lock. But it is nice not having to worry about going into a flat spin when you get released the first time. You might even save some money if it keeps you from having to repeat levels. I did tunnel time first and I'm real glad I did. Have fun!!!

Or maybe his instructors really suck. I'm not saying that they do, but it certainly doesn't hurt to get some opinions from more experienced jumpers.

Good earplugs have a nonlinear frequency response that attenuates background noise more than speech frequencies. You may just find you can hear "Lookout" better with good earplugs. Can you recommend a good brand? .

Mike Mullins. kids Charlie (8,000 jumps), Joel (3,000+), Jeff (4,500), and Zachary (3,000+) all started at 11 or 12. I had the pleasure of jumping with Charlie when he was 14 and 15, and with Jeff when he was 11. Totally dialed in, more methodical, conscientious and procedurally safety-conscious than almost all adults. Plus I learned that we all look like 11-year-old kids in freefall... then we put our adult faces back on after we land, whereas Jeff... well, he was 11 in the air and on the ground too. Jeff no longer looks 11. He is now 24 and 6' of solid Marine muscle 1st LT F-18 Hornet Fighter Pilot. Charlie is 32, Captain on Falcon Jets for International paper in Memphis. Joel is 27 and a 1st LT Army Guard Helicopter pilot who just completed a tour of Iraq flying a Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopter. He also flys EMS Helicopters for Hospital Wing in Memphis. Zack is 19 and will soon follow Jeff into the Marines. Matthew will turn 12 on August 4. He has 220 jumps and still looks like a little kid. If you're not just busting with pride, you sure as hell ought to be.

That maneuver, if done incorrectly, will cause you to lose line tension and spin you into line twist right quick. I practice it pretty often myself, but only up high, not as I'm about to enter the pattern. I would STRONGLY urge you not to try anything out on your own without first discussing it with your instructors.

That just ruined it for me. I think there's something wrong with me. Something terribly terribly wrong!

And while the debate rages on, can we at least all agree that it's time to start collecting some meaningful data? Why isn't this already being done?

No its not. Yes it is. 's not! 's to! Wow, I love snot stew! Brings back memories.

AWESOME! You made quick work of it, didnt you. Now tell us about the cutaway!

I just recently had it pointed out to me that I was flying in another jumper's blind spot. Not a safe place to be. Lesson learned: It's not just about me knowing where they are. It's also about making sure they know where I am.

Ok, so I stick with my group. If they're all taking a dip in the river, then so am I. That certainly would spice things up. And actually, there are plenty of outs around my home DZ, except to the east where there is a river and lots of trees. I think that's what has had me a little spooked. As far as checking my spot before I exit... how often is that possible when jumping in groups? I saw what I think was an 8 or 10 way all land far out one day. When I mentioned it to my instructor, he said 'that's why WE look at the ground before we jump.' When I thought about it though, I wondered how many of the people who exited in formation from inside the plane ever got a chance to check the spot. They were trusting the floaters to do it for them, and obviously they didn't do a very good job. I haven't done anything larger than a 4 way so far, but even then, when I'm exiting from inside the plane, I never did check the spot. Should I be insisting on the opportunity to check it when there's a plane full of people waiting on me to exit? Or do I put blind faith in people I've just started jumping with? After all, they almost all have lots more experience than me.

A toupee costs money. Comb-overs are free, AND... a timeless fashion statement!

If I'm jumping with a group and, while in freefall, I realize that our spot is not so good, what should I do? a. Is there some standard way of letting others in the group know that I want to pull high because of the spot? b. Should I still pull high even if the others don't? This obviously would create a hazard. Or should I just turn and track early (perpendicular to jump run) and hope nobody else tracks in my direction when they break off? c. How high can I pull without creating a hazard with the jumpers that left after us on the load? If planned deployment was for 3.5k, can I pull at 5k? Or 6k? What's the limit? I plan on asking my mentors about this later, but I thought other newbies might benefit if I ask here too.

I wonder how many 'no' votes never got counted because people tried to 'leverage' their vote by not sending it in. I guess we'll never know.

Privet!

I thought you needed at least 100 jumps for all that. Woo hoo!!! Gonna get me a Velo! Yeah baby!!!

Plus windchill. Brrrr...

I just did that yesterday, and let me tell you... it was friggin' cold up there! After a couple minutes, my fingers started getting a little numb and I started thinking that maybe I should've pulled at 9 or 10k instead. It was an awesome experience though, and I plan on doing many more of them. The view was spectacular and I had no reservations about testing some of the limits of my canopy from that altitude. I think I agree with you, they're a great idea.

Try taking a slow deep breath in, then slowly exhaling and force yourself to smile, all just before leaving the strut. It sounds silly, but I think it makes a big difference. Talk to your instructor about the importance of breathing.

Are you certain it's a collapsible pilot chute?

I'll be there!

Those floaty 250 pounders would probably have a tough time finding a weight belt that fits them.

Just because something isn't pro American doesn't make it anti American.

If you're practicing tracking on your own, please also maintain awareness of where you are relative to jump run. Practice tracking perpendicular to jump run so that you don't risk tracking up or down jump run into another skydiver or group. Good point. Thanks! My instructors stressed that point with me.

What I've been doing so far: Turn exactly 180 and track. Then repeat several times. Practice slow, by the book, deployments... then pretend I have a high speed mal and practice my EPs. If we're flying only one Otter and there are no tandems on the load, I'll exit last and pull extra high and use the time for practicing canopy skills. I'm looking forward to hearing more ideas. Good idea for a thread.