IAD exiting issues

[Carpe_Diem 0]

I just completed my 3d and 4th IAD jumps this weekend. However I slipped of the strut BOTH times. I was fine my first two jumps but I could not seem to hold on these times. Has anyone had issues hanging on the strut early in their career? My instructor said we may change to poised exits. What do you all think?

[AggieDave 6]

I think you should meter what you read here and stick with what your instructor says.

The large majority of advise people here are going to give you comes from people that have rarely jumped a 182 and most likely never have done a S/L or an IAD jump from one.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I have changed students to a poised exit on occasion for just that reason. It sounds like you are going to do at least one more jump from a hanging exit; if you do and you feel yourself slipping off, rather than putting everything you've got into hanging on, just let go and arch! You were planning on leaving anyway.

[Carpe_Diem 0]

LOL Thanks! Yeah my both times I slipped the instructor applauded me on falling into my arch :) I have kept on second guessing myself if I am meant to keep jumping. But my husband and intructors have ensured me I have the skills so I am ready to go!

[Carpe_Diem 0]

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I think you should meter what you read here and stick with what your instructor says.

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Thanks for the advice!

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[billvon 2,998]

>Has anyone had issues hanging on the strut early in their career?

I fell off once as a student. Worked on hand strength and the problem went away. As an instructor I've had a few people fall off the strut. Since they were usually small people, doing a poised exit was not a big deal for them.

[NickDG 23]

Carpe_Diem,

You are pretty much going to have to do what your instructor tells you, so this is aimed more at the other jumpers here . . .

I've done tons of Cessna jumps, and put many static line and IAD students out of them as well. My thinking is the opposite. I don't like the hanging exit and never use it except when the student is having an extreme amount of trouble with the poised exit.

The best Cessna exit, in my opinion, is from the step in a sideways fashion. In other words the student doesn't launch backwards, but just steps off to the side. After all what are we teaching here? How to fall off an airplane or how to exit an airplane? The side step exit than translates nicely into full on Cessna door exits the later Otter type large door exits. (But the door being on the opposite side seems to mess with them at first).

Another thing is while most students do fine no matter the exit, the hanging exit is probably the scariest for students and a scared student is a bad student. Sometime we forget to put ourselves in the student's place. What's a ball of laughs for us, is basically, "holy shit, I'm hanging off this airplane by my fingertips," for them. And no matter how brave a face they put on.

NickD BASE 194

[Trivial_Trekker 0]

It could be the pilot blowing you off with too much power on during climb out. It is worth mentioning. I know when I first started flying students as a jump pilot it was one of the first things the jump masters complained about.

[]DETE

[billvon 2,998]

>the hanging exit is probably the scariest for students and a scared
>student is a bad student.

I find that the poised exit works 90% of the time - but the other 10% of the time you get some really dramatically bad (and sometimes dangerous) exits. The hanging exit is scarier, but is harder to screw up. You just let go and you're belly to the relative wind.

For anything other than a standard door 182/206, though, I use the poised exit (well, when I did SL JMing, that is.)

[AnKaLi 0]

Definitely talk to your instructor about this, but I will tell you about my problems with the same thing.

When I started IAD I didn't have too many issues hanging on, but because of a riser slap on my 1st jump i had a nasty bruise on my wrist, that only got worse when I hung on the strut. I also used so much energy holding myself up on the strut that I was a kicking maniac when I finally let go because I had produced so much energy trying to hang.
With the advice of a few instructors I moved onto poised exits, which I struggled with at first, I didn't do a count and would jump off but not let go of the strut and ended up slapping my hand on the step, so you do have to be careful with them. But with a couple of jumps it was the best way for me to go, and I ended up progressing faster, using that exit gave me more confidence for some reason.
So talk it out with your instructor and see what they have to say about it. I find its better to talk to them about these things, because they only want you to be successful, so they'll find the right way for you to do things

[yellowgt 0]

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Has anyone had issues hanging on the strut early in their career?

No problems for me. Hanging off the strut is fun....like your superman! Hanging there gives me time to think for a few seconds before I let go, so it helps me visualize...last jump yesterday was kind of chilly on the fingers though (stupid canadian fall weather)

[dubioushubris 0]

I just completed my 14th IAD jump (I'm in RN school, so I don't have the money for the AFF yet). The first time I didn't hang far enough out on the strut and when I let go I bruised my upper arm badly on the step. I was so high on adrenaline I didn’t feel pain until an hour later. After that, the instructor put sticky tape in the shape of his hands on the correct strut placement. This may help with the grip and keep other students from making the same mistake. I just completed 20 seconds of freefall from the poised position and I do like it better than the hang. Its bad enough on your first jump to battle your brain to get out at even 4000 ft but to deal with the hang and the fear of blowing off makes it worse.

[yellowgt 0]

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The first time I didn't hang far enough out on the strut and when I let go I bruised my upper arm badly on the step.

The pilot at my home DZ is good for watching for stuff like this. Pilot would bank the aircraft if she sees the person may hit the step.