Bramble

Sorry- didn't think this qualified as a "soapbox". Can you move it to SC? BTW, I know there's a boogie going on there the week before we'll be there, so I was hoping someone did find a great and low cost place to stay for that and could pass on the info!

Going to Puerto Rico next month, and the house we thought we were renting might not work out. We will have a car, so getting to the DZ isn't a problem. Anyone have any suggestions on a nice (affordable!) place to stay while we're there? TIA!

Well said! I did end up talking to a couple of instructors yesterday, and the best they could come up with is that I may not have been raising my opposing shoulder enough. One suggested that I experiment with keeping upper body still, and only dropping a knee to make turns. I've been able to show that I can purposefully get unstable, then restabalize (back flip) so I don't think they are worried about the kind of instability that a previous poster mentioned. Anyway, isn't that the purpose of the solo jumps? To try to refine how to fly your body? To practice your new skills? On a side note, up until jump 15, I was having trouble landing my parachute- I felt like I came in to fast and piled into the ground each time. I asked every instructor, and the advice I consistently got is "you have to learn to feel it". A brand new instructor with around 250 jumps came on, and I asked her too. She listened to what was going on, agreed with what the other instructors where saying, then asked how far I had to pull a toggle to get a response. When I showed her, she realized the brake lines on the rig I was jumping was too long for me. Brilliant. Put me on a smaller canopy with shorter lines, and I have stood up all subsequent landings. I find forums like this valuable because there are people who can think outside of the norm and provide insight. I'll take the abuse from those of you that dissaprove on the off chnce that I might get another flash of insight from someone!

Thanks for all of your input! I'm two jumps away from solo status, so I'll be able to try fine tuning those jumps soon! I start center turns during this next jump, so I'll see if dropping a knee will help me turn the way I'm looking. I'll also pay more attention to my legs. BTW, I find it very valuable when other new skydivers share their experience. I read their stories the same way I do with all of yours- I think about it, see if what is said rings true, and ask my instructors about anything that seems contrary to what they are teaching me. I do the same thing with everything that I read from experienced skydivers, skydiving articles, books, etc. However, excluding the posts from those who actively teach students, sometimes newer skydivers are more able to relate to the issues of learning to fly your body- the more experienced skydivers sometimes can't remember what the learning experience was like! Please don't discourage new people from asking questions or contributing to conversations.

Right, right, guess I didn't make that clear. With the upper body turns, I am rotating my upper body while keeping the spine straight. If right arm/shoulder dips, left arm/shoulder raises.

I'm a static-line progression student and have just passed my two 15 second and one 45 second deployments. On these three jumps, my task was to start and stop either 90 or 360 degree turns. I'm only doing upper body turns- no center turns yet. On each jump, I've gotten stable, checked altitude, looked over my right shoulder, dipped my right arm, and...turned left. I just ride the turn left, stop on my heading then dip my left shoulder/arm to go right. What gives?? I haven't asked my instructors because I don't want to give them any reason to have me repeat the jumps and because I have been able to start/stop the turns with no issue. I just turn in the opposite direction which I think I'm going to. I have asked all three instructors about body position and symmetry, and all three said I was very stable and looked symmetrical. Also, the turns weren't real quick, so I don't *think* that I had dropped a knee. Any insights would be appreciated!

+1. Jumping frequently really helped with my nerves. Also, once I was off of the static line, I started to have fun. I definitely get butterflies, but I have way fewer, "I could just drive away now and not come back" moments. I still have the bottle of Pepto in my bag though, in case those nerves come back

I felt queasy during my first tandem canopy ride- the g-force from tight turns was something my stomach wasn't prepared for. I didn't have any issues once I got to fly my own canopy. I'm actually starting to play with those fast turns now. Good luck!

130 for me, all of whom I have, or would happily have had a beer with, except 1. I ignored most of my high school cohort so I'm left with hiking buddies, trail riding buddies (horses, not bikes), and my new skydiving buddies.

Does anyone know if a full helmet helps reduce noise?

Yay Skydive Snohomish! Yay Skydive Snohomish! And congrats on getting into solo status. I haven't found that there is a gap between students and the licensed skydivers at all. Granted, I'm female, but I've had a warm reception from the women I've met as well as the men. I ask a ton of questions, I ask people about their suits, why their canopies are different, landing styles, etc. I haven't had anyone be unfriendly, and the only couple of more standoffish people have been more senior students! Thanks for starting this thread though- I'd sure like to know what the no-no's are too.

Hey, I'm also a student pretty early in my training. I had a similar experience- a fantastic first tandem that left me wondering about the people who do this for fun, all the time. Maybe half of the skydivers I've talked to say that they are adrenaline junkies- the other half tend to be like you and I, willing to do something risky, but wanting to do anything we can to eliminate unnecessary risk. I've learned a lot about myself by going through this training (I'm static line, not AFF) and the skydiving community, at least at my DZ and here at DZ.com, is fantastic. Good luck to you!

My first tandem I did for a lark, but I'm now working toward my A license because the thought of really learning how to skydive scared the crap out of me. That said, I find that each jump reminds me to live with urgency. Skydiving certainly complements the Budhist death meditation!

You guys are fantastic- this has been amazingly helpful. I want to go try again!!

Thanks so much for your responses! It is so hard to know what is a normal response to this experience is without input from those of you who have been there/done that. first static line = me pedaling frantically (I thought I was supposed to be belly down) second static line = total mind blank- no fear, but definitely not present with the situation and forgot to count. third static line= very little nervousness, but my mind was more interested with the fact that my goggles blew off my head to remember that I was to do a PRCP until after the canopy opened. In a fit of faith last night after my failed jump, I did book 3 jumps for the 24th (2 PRCPs then the first 5 second solo assuming both PRCPs go well). In the mean time, any suggestions on how to get passed the sensory overload will be greatly appreciated!!