Olmed

I have so far made 4 level 8 AFF solo jumps. I did 25 minutes of tunnel before AFF course. It helped me remove a lot of stress connected to free fall. So it was all worth it. On the other hand I developed an arch where my chest was pushed forward instead of my pelvis (I am sure the experienced jumper can imagine how "easy" it is to get out of a free fall spin when you arch the torso instead of pelvis).. What really helped was to video my free fall. It gives an excellent opportunity to study your technique. I also find free fall in the sky easier compared to the tunnel. And more "relevant". After you get some real time experience the tunnel is probably an excellent tool to refine your technique. Ok, this was just a true beginners experience so far, with time the impression could easily change..

Before you do, consider the factor of depreciation of market (i.e., re-sale) value. Your profile says you have only 29 jumps. So it seems this is your first canopy after becoming a licensed skydiver. That means that you may want to sell your first canopy and downsize a bit in about a year or so, depending on how often you jump. If you buy a brand-new canopy, its re-sale value will depreciate (reduce) considerably as soon as you make your first jump on it. If you sell it a year or 2 later, it may be for a lot less than you paid for it. On the other hand, if you buy a used canopy, you might be able to re-sell it later for not much less than what you paid & put into it. Since the Silhouette has been in existence for a lot longer than the Pulse has, there are more used Sils available "out there" than there are used Pulses. You might only put 100-200 jumps on the first canopy you buy. It's the second canopy you buy that you might put 500-1,000 jumps on. There's nothing wrong with a new jumper buying a brand-new canopy as his first canopy, but that's one reason why most new jumpers' first canopies tend to be used ones. Hey, Thanks for the well meant advice. Not trying to beat experience but I was hoping that down-sizing wont be an issue the first 500+ jumps. Hope to remain conservative and not get carried away by the need for more speed. I am not negative to used canopies but at least the idea was to keep my first buy for some time..

Thank you all for excellent comments. It gave a lot of the answers I was looking for!

Plan to buy. Vector rig and Silhouette or Pulse main chute. Weight 206 pounds (stripped). Height 6,07". Is the Silhouette outdated? It seems as a very good and predictable yet with some fun in it for a novice jumper? The Pulse seems to bring a novice jumper one more step closer to the more "aggressive" sport chutes? Is either one better when landing out and how is the flare/landing compared between those two? Both have been discussed earlier, but I am about to buy and would appreciate any input (what you heard or own experience). I have already been through the gear section and former posts. Thanks!

So the advice is to rent gear?

I got in total 12 jumps last week as an AFF student. It was extremely painful stress before jumps and unpleasant stress in the plane up to altitude. Once the door opens, the fresh air floats in and I feel extremely well. Like the wait is finally over and from now it is mainly concentrated and focused pleasure. Doing a good exit, getting stable, some maneuvers and to see a flying canopy before planning a good landing is just fantastic. I still fight the image in my head of the worst happening, kind of "why could it not be me".. But after I learned from an experienced jumper to perform reliable checks on the rig before the jumps instead of holding and checking the gear all the way until you stand in the door, things became more calm. Focus on safety, if something seem wrong it probably is and do not push beyond own capabilities is what I tell myself. Fly as you train and train as you fly. Sorry for the long post.

I see no reason to push away the nervousness you feel. More than one experienced jumper have been talking about how they would love to re-experience the fear/nervousness they felt during their first few jumps. My peace comes when the door opens..

No worries. Your actually not heavy for your surface area. I'm 6'1, 212Lbs and can fly with the 5'10 117lb girls at my dz with no problem, just give it time. Going to a tunnel and doing slow faling drills (fire grate, low wind, burble drills) will help bolster your confidence and really teach you to use your torso (the most surface area) to really cup the air. But does it mean I have to fly like a "freak" to fall "normal" and free fall will mostly be tense work instead of a fun relaxed experience? Appreciate your reply! Less posting. More jumping. Two more days. And I take you on your word! I am out of here.

No worries. Your actually not heavy for your surface area. I'm 6'1, 212Lbs and can fly with the 5'10 117lb girls at my dz with no problem, just give it time. Going to a tunnel and doing slow faling drills (fire grate, low wind, burble drills) will help bolster your confidence and really teach you to use your torso (the most surface area) to really cup the air. But does it mean I have to fly like a "freak" to fall "normal" and free fall will mostly be tense work instead of a fun relaxed experience? Appreciate your reply!

As seen in a number of the canopy collision incidents... They say you can do everything right and still die. Part of this is you can do everything right and somebody else coming up behind you can still kill you. Its good though to be aware of possible risk posted by the more experienced jumpers here. Not to scare away from the sport but to be motivate when it comes to honoring the safety issues. In the end I guess everybody want to be safe.

Thanks! Grateful for every encouragement.

Well, that depends on you and your attitude. But.... Don't kid yourself for a second, you can easily die on any jump. Anyone that tries to tell you this is 'safe' is lying to either you or themselves to make themselves feel better. People die every year, not to many of them thought they would die. Agree And personally I do not buy the "its safer than driving a car" kind of comment. But I also think you have to believe in your equipment and training to keep the chances for accidents on a minimum. The one time you do NOT follow your good routine and take to lightly on safety/procedure is probable when everything can happen. I think the clever ones wont push beyond their abilities and expect the impossible to become possible just because you are high on yourself. F.ex. you wont drive a car 100 km/h in a turn meant for 30 km/h. With that said. I have understood that nobody can ensure you that jumping out of a plane is free of risk even with all precautions in hand. And if everything goes wrong your chances of a good end are pretty poor. I have made my decision to jump, how many it will be only time will show, but i am at least going to experience free fall. So its time to focus on how to perform well and how to act in case of something unexpected happening. In less than a week I am hopefully falling (controlled and safely) from a blue sky (so enough posting from me until then

Any reason to choose the Pulse over the Silhouette (for someone just off AFF course)? Anything besides easy and less size packing??

How would you compare the Silhouette and Pulse? What would you recommend someone right of AFF course? I'd call the Pulse the "new Silhouette." Very similar, except the Sil can be a tad more sporty under similar wingloadings. I'm loading my Pulse at 1.2, so nothing radical. I would NOT recommend a Storm for a newer jumper. It has a steep glide and without experience at confident flares, could be a problem Either Pulse or Silhouette are excellent, IMO, for first canopies. I bought my first Sil at 30 jumps. Went from 210's down to 150, then moved to the Storm. But is the Pulse not more "aggressive" compared to the Silhouette? The Silhouette just seems more of a reliable and forgiving canopy while the Pulse seems more similar to the advanced type canopies (f.ex. more chance of line twists and spin?)... Probably because of weight issues I would end up with a Pulse if I decide to invest in my own gear. Thanks for you answer!

I really never thought your intention was to prevent people from skydiving...

Credible information helps us make better decisions, but nothing trumps personal experience. Within a supervised environment, who is more qualified than you to know what you will like to fly? By all means, get some personal advice from those who have earned your trust. But ultimately, you will learn the most from actually jumping different canopies. Opportunities may be limited by your experience and what is available, but take every chance to try different canopies. I borrow gear from others and also lend-out my gear for this purpose, and we have all learned greatly from this experience. This is a big investment, so make sure you will be happy with your choice. Thanks for good advice.

How would you compare the Silhouette and Pulse? What would you recommend someone right of AFF course?

There are a lot of things that are going to determine your fall rate(body position, jumpsuit, etc.), but just looking at your height and weight, you shouldn't have any issue staying with most groups. Yes you are heavy, but you have a LOT of surface area with a 6'7'' frame to balance it out. When I taught at the Military Free Fall school I had a fairly broad range with regards to my fall rate, so I was able to jump with nearly any student there. We grouped our students by size, and I was surprised occasionally by seeing the lightest student in the class fall faster than some of the heaviest students in the class. I remember one day I jumped with an Air Force kid that barely weighed 140 and watched him burn a hole in the sky, then immediately followed that with a jump with a 240 pounder that floated like none other. Don't worry about the fall rate too much at this point, you'll learn as you get more experience to make huge adjustments to ur fall rate. In the long run that tall lanky frame may actually help you move efficiently when u start turning points. Look at guys like Craig Girard, he's a tall lanky guy and can move with the best of 'em. Thanks for the encouraging comment.

The more different canopies you try, the better your final choice will be, and the longer you will be satisfied with it. I was planning to stay a little conservative..And the Silhouette seems as a good first canopy after what I read about it and after I seen it fly (on Youtube..). But the Pulse is also mentioned as a good first canopy.

My thougts are that if I Get hooked by this sport I will either by a Silhouette or a Pulse in most probable a Vector container.

Why did you quit? As an AAF student in about 9 days I wonder if I signed my death sentence when I booked the course?

There's a difference between relaxing and going limp. What you're looking for is balance with the wind. Not enough pressure with your legs, and the wind will blow them out of position, easy to understand. The flip side, however, is different. You can lock your legs into the 'ideal' position and tense your thigh mucsle to the maximum and the wind will not move your leg, but it's not right. What you're looking for is 'just enough' tension in your leg to hold your leg in position, but too much that it causes you to tense up. Think of it like the suspension of your car. If the shocks are weak, the car will bottom out and the tires will rub the body. Not good. Now you can stiffen up the shocks and keep the car from bottoming out, but if you go too far, the ride will be stiff and uncomfortable. The car won't bottom out, and the tires won't rub, but it's still not right. You want the middle ground, where the car doesn't bottom, but the ride is still smooth and comfortable. Thanks. Even if I did not start this thread.

It is okey to feel familiar and comfy with the gear you use. But NO way I would start making arrangements on a rig myself, besides those simple stuff every jumper has to do himself. But even before that I would make sure I totally understood how a rig functions. I would gladly spend those extra dollars on a reliable and competent rigger. If we want competent riggers I believe we also have to respect and appreciate their "profession". Not create an atmosphere were who does what really does not matter.

Ok, I am NOT a skydiver, at least not yet. But I share my minimal experience from 17 jumps (years ago) and a few minutes in wind tunnel. I had the same problem. Either I arched to rigid or I became too loose and ended up on my back on exit. In the wind tunnel I would wobble and move uncontrolled around when I did not relax.

Why skydive if you feel nothing at all To master the fear is part of what makes it interesting.. I start AFF course in 12 days. Did 17 jumps (8 free fall) in 1993 and last weekend spent 25 minutes in wind tunnel. I believe its necessary to make up your mind about jumping before you go up in the air. Then focus on the jump itself and at the same time relax! With that said...I have no clue about how I am going to react when entering the door at 13000 feet...But right now I am really looking forward to do it. This time I also have 2 experienced instructors by my side.. If its not for me I will quit after a few jumps. If it is for me I already started to plan jumping in USA this autumn. Guess only time will show. But for sure I wont "force" myself to stay in this sport if it feels wrong. Good luck with your jumps! Greetings from another (nervous) AFF student soon to be..