Cleared for solo!

[Throttlebender 0]

I got in 3 jumps today, and have been cleared for solo and coach jumps. It feels good
That is all.

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[LongWayToFall 0]

Have fun!!!!! Those first few feel really boring, if you don't plan on doing anything. Try your best to do coach jumps, and keep learning. If you can't find anyone to jump with, doing a tracking jump is fun. It is hard to self evaluate if you are backsliding or something by yourself, if you are just sitting there on your belly. Talk to your instructors and get some ideas!

Congrats!

[medic001918 0]

Congrats. It is a great feeling. Enjoy your new self supervising status!!! You're a step closer to having your license.

Shane

[PhreeZone 20]

Congrats! If you are about on the weekends look me up and we can jump or do your coach jumps!

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[popsjumper 2]

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Have fun!!!!! Those first few feel really boring

Speak for yourself. That first solo and the several following were some of the most memorable jumps of my career.

Not every jump has to be learning jump.

No requirements
No performance pressure
Just simple unadulterated fun.

My first solo I did nothing but float on my belly looking at the wonderful view that God gave us that I never got to actually see before.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Throttlebender 0]

Thanks everyone

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[brucet7 0]

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My first solo I did nothing but float on my belly looking at the wonderful view that God gave us that I never got to actually see before.

+1
Mt Rainier to the Southeast, the Olympics to the Northwest, the ocean off in the distance. Add to that Seattle and Mt Baker, the Cascades, Puget Sound, Hood canal. It took me more than one jump to enjoy the scenery. I still do solos when all I do is look.

POPS #10623; SOS #1672

[burtonjm 0]

Congrats! I will probably be up at the DZ Thursday-Sunday so come find me if you want someone to jump with!

This shit, right here, is OK

[Hvance 0]

Congrats!

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

[davelepka 4]

Nice work. I would actually suggest that you do a solo or two now that you can. Take your time, plan out your jump ahead of time to include how you want to exit, any freefall manuvers you want to work on (or just relax and look around), alti checks, pull altitude, and your canopy flight. Then, go out, follow your plan, and enjoy the accomplishment of planning and performing a successful skydive on your own, after all, that what you've been trianing for.

[Throttlebender 0]

Thanks Jess and Eric. I'll probably take you up on it.

I think I'll just do a simple joy jump for my first solo with a few turns thrown in for fun. I think it will definitely be nice just to relax and take it all in with out any objectives.

I mean it's funny how pre-occupied we get training and for good reason. But it didn't even occur to me I was actually alone for the first time during my H&Ps. They were over so quickly though, but solo free fall......Nice

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[LongWayToFall 0]

Oh I totally agree with you, I guess boring is a bad way to describe it. "Uneventful" is probably a better word. No more pressure to do anything, just have fun and hang out. Hard to beat it!

[Throttlebender 0]

Well, I did my first solo yesterday. Sat at the door, opened it, spotted for the load, etc. All of that went smoothly.....then I exited

King Air was trucking along pretty well and I was carrying some tension, so I did 2 1/2 backflips followed by 1/2 barrel roll to get belly down. I didn't mind it at all....fun actually but not what I meant to do so that's no good. Then I started potato chipping for the first time. THAT annoyed me, but I relaxed and was smooth by 11,000. Then I just practiced some turns and did a 6-8 sec track on heading which felt great!
All in all it was fine but i definitely did some odd things on that jump. Better luck today

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[Melissa126 0]

Congrats!! Sounds like you're having a blast :)

[Throttlebender 0]

Thanks Melissa.

How's your progression coming?

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[Melissa126 0]

Pretty good! Level 7 and 8 left then I'll be cleared for solo :)

[Throttlebender 0]

Excellent

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[Melissa126 0]

Finished on saturday, then did My First Solo!!!!

[MikeJD 0]

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King Air was trucking along pretty well and I was carrying some tension, so I did 2 1/2 backflips followed by 1/2 barrel roll to get belly down. I didn't mind it at all....fun actually but not what I meant to do so that's no good. Then I started potato chipping for the first time. THAT annoyed me, but I relaxed and was smooth by 11,000. Then I just practiced some turns and did a 6-8 sec track on heading which felt great!
All in all it was fine but i definitely did some odd things on that jump. Better luck today

Sounds like you have good awareness, so that's a good thing.
The thing I remember about my first solo is how lonely it felt to be by myself in the back of the plane after everyone else had exited!

[Throttlebender 0]

Jumping last would have been odd I think. I was first out on mine and I think that helped me get going because everyone was waiting for me to get out of their way

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin

[3mpire 0]

I was last out on my 3rd solo dive, and got a really sweet view of the caravan diving away. made me want to be last out every time.

[Master_Yoda 0]

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Have fun!!!!! Those first few feel really boring

Speak for yourself. That first solo and the several following were some of the most memorable jumps of my career.

Not every jump has to be learning jump.

No requirements
No performance pressure
Just simple unadulterated fun.

My first solo I did nothing but float on my belly looking at the wonderful view that God gave us that I never got to actually see before.

Heck yes! Good advice.
And when you finally get your A license, get a few friends together and roll a tube! Hold on tight till it blows up, swoop to the low man & build a star. And if you still have enough time, do a horny gorilla!!
You won't learn shite but it'll be a VERY memorable, outrageously fun skydive.

Rolling a tube out of an Otter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibb8eBvhw8Q

Horny Gorilla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhuBXEQSdDc&feature=related

[FlyingFrank 0]

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My first solo I did nothing but float on my belly looking at the wonderful view that God gave us that I never got to actually see before.

+1
Mt Rainier to the Southeast, the Olympics to the Northwest, the ocean off in the distance. Add to that Seattle and Mt Baker, the Cascades, Puget Sound, Hood canal. It took me more than one jump to enjoy the scenery. I still do solos when all I do is look.

You just made me want to move the the PNW...

Wow, that tube and the horny gorilla looks so fun! Congratulations on your first jump. Keep letting us know how you are doing so that people like me who haven't gone through AFF yet can live through you. Haha.

Some people spend their whole lives afraid to die that they never truly live.

[Throttlebender 0]

You got it Frank

Just did jump 15 today(H-2) and it was swooping docks, level changes, and tracking. Diving exit which is so much more fun than floating or poised exit. And I am addicted to tracking. The feeling of breaking off, turning 180 and then launching out across the sky is just too much fun.

Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage. ~Anais Nin