nigel99 568 #1 March 31, 2013 Thanks to a fun jumper doing a lot of legwork, I managed to get my first night jump done yesterday Really freaky being in a jump plane in the dark and seeing the lights. It felt alot like being on a commercial flight. The moon hadn't risen and so it was very dark, CI had said we would be able to see trees and stuff, but to be honest I couldn't. I found it very high stress from take-off to 'feet down'. I came very close to riding the plane down, towards the red light/one mile mark. Intense pressure to land accurately in the staff landing area with a concession that the beer line didn't count. Lucky for me on the beer line concession cause I was about 10m short. There was the additional 'demo' pressure of doing a decent landing in front of the CI/DZSO and a bunch of jumpers watching. I also discovered how to do effective harness turns, just struggle to turn a strobe on your ankle on Last night I didn't think I would ever want to do one again, but now that I've had a chance to calm down I'd like to give it another go. The stress levels were in the range of first jump mental overload. Very good fun and so glad that someone put the effort in to pull this off,Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strife 0 #2 March 31, 2013 how was the depth perception on landing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel99 568 #3 March 31, 2013 Quotehow was the depth perception on landing It was fine for actual landing as I landed in the lit up area. Apparently it is the dark that makes it hard. What I did really struggle with was the pattern. CI had given very good and clear instructions, but I ended up going a touch to far down wind. Another 5 to 10m further back and I would have been getting into a tougher landing area with little to no light.Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #4 March 31, 2013 Do the next one on a full moon, you love it, don't need to stinking lights to see.you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strife 0 #5 March 31, 2013 would have been close missed by a few days Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel99 568 #6 March 31, 2013 Quote Do the next one on a full moon, you love it, don't need to stinking lights to see. Easter boogie and people wanted to start drinking Moon rise was about an hour and half after we jumped. We jumped at about 7:30, sunset was 6:15 and moon rise 9pm.Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #7 March 31, 2013 Quote how was the depth perception on landing My first night jump I picked a nice fluffy sagebrush and PLF'd right in the middle of it. Good enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #8 March 31, 2013 Quote Quote how was the depth perception on landing My first night jump I picked a nice fluffy sagebrush and PLF'd right in the middle of it. Good enough. I have about 10 night jumps and the last one was the scariest. Deaf world record 3 point 8 way. Camera man took forever checking the spot and climbing out. Exited at least a mile out. Only one of us landed at the airport, with myself picking a lighted parking lot and roundabout driveway with a grassy island at a shuttle bus depot along the highway at Lake Wales, and the rest of us out in the black beyond. No injuries and everybody landed safely, even though the camera guy was lost for 2 hours in muck up to his knees. Serves him right. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfzombie 3 #9 March 31, 2013 i had a couple of night jumps with the 82d, talk about a rush.http://kitswv.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigMark 1 #10 March 31, 2013 On my first, some guy apparently didn't know what counter clockwise was, scared the crap out of me. The air was so smooth and the city lights awesome, just used headlights from Bad Spot Bills old truck to land with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #11 March 31, 2013 First one landed in the trees behind the Farm with one other. Navigated my way out by the stars. Picked up on a 4-wheeler ~1hour later. Slightly twisted knee from landing on slated hillside. No biggie. Torn end-cell from catching a limb between the trees. There's story... the idiot who 'organized' it. OK...and us other idiots who knew better than to do anything HE 'organized' but did it anyway. My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 60 #12 April 1, 2013 I've got a few, both with and without moon. I recommend the moon. All of mine were at Perris, which has the largest DZ for this kind of thing, but the moon makes it so much better. You can see your fellows in freefall, and you can see them under canopy. Oh, with the moon, you can see the planet coming up to smack you, as well lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 60 #14 April 1, 2013 Quote She said Moon. Are we supposed to titter? lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigMark 1 #15 April 1, 2013 She said titter! LOL, BTW my two nights jumps were at Perris 8/20/94 from Shark Air first one solo from 7500 agl initiate deployment at 2800 and the second a two way from 13,000 turning some good points initiate at 2500, it was my 174 jump, friggin awesome. I was jumping a new Javelin no AAD and a PD210 main, it normally opened in 500-700 feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel99 568 #16 April 1, 2013 Quote First one landed in the trees behind the Farm with one other. Navigated my way out by the stars. Picked up on a 4-wheeler ~1hour later. Slightly twisted knee from landing on slated hillside. No biggie. Torn end-cell from catching a limb between the trees. There's story... the idiot who 'organized' it. OK...and us other idiots who knew better than to do anything HE 'organized' but did it anyway. Fortunately at our DZ in Western Australia, you would have to try pretty hard to hit something. There are the odd trees and fences but generally it is wide open space. That said one jumper managed to land between the fuel shed and the boarding area. It is a corridor about 15 foot wide with a fence and a 182 on the one side and a fuel bowser, poles and metal fencing and hut on the other. It was pretty close. BTW as with all things in Australia, there is a progression. 5 second delay, 10 second delay, 30 second delay and then cleared for RW.Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulk04 0 #17 April 1, 2013 I've got 2 night jumps in, and loved them. Do you think the strobe on your ankle might have blinded you on landing any? When I did mine I had my strobe on my helmet. I just wouldn't want to look down and get blinded by a strobe on my feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #18 April 1, 2013 Point it away from your eyes? Just wonderin'....My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #19 April 1, 2013 QuotePoint it away from your eyes? Just wonderin'.... Had mine taped to the top of my helmet. Flash-illuminated my canopy on a couple of those jumps."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel99 568 #20 April 1, 2013 QuoteI've got 2 night jumps in, and loved them. Do you think the strobe on your ankle might have blinded you on landing any? When I did mine I had my strobe on my helmet. I just wouldn't want to look down and get blinded by a strobe on my feet. Strobes were pointing down.Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
