AFF 1: I refused to jump!

[Zagor 0]

Hello all,
skydiving is an old dream for me, since I was a child. Two years and a half ago, I decided to make a tandem jump and it was great! I surely was nervous the day before and also in the plane, but after the exit I was incredibly good.
This year I have decided to take the AFF course, even though I was nervous about it. The day of my first AFF jump, while driving to the dropzone, I was very tempted to bottle out and go back home.
But then I saw the canopies gently come back to the ground and softly land, so I said to myself: "Damn it, If they can do that, I can do it too".
And I went on to the dropzone to jump.
But then something happened. There were many people that day and the instructors seemed a little busy.
The dropzone director signed me in for the next load and I had 20 minutes to get ready.
My primary jumpmaster took a rig for me and, while he was checking it, I heard him say: "Who the hell packed this rig??" shaking his head. A handle (the auxiliary main canopy handle for the secondary jumpmaster to use in case I was left with one instructor and the primary jumpmaster was lost) was missing.
Somebody had forgotten to put it on.
From that moment I started feeling very scared: if the one who had closed that rig had forgotten the handle... he could have made some other mistakes we didn't see. So I told my jumpaster: "aren't you going to check all the rest?"
I didn't feel safe with that rig.
But my instructor told me to think about the task I had to do during the jump, and not to worry about the rig.
I tried to tell myself to forget about the rig and I boarded the plane.
Once at the door, I felt terrified about jumping, which I knew is quite normal at the very first jump, but here came my worries about the rig.
What if there was an error in folding the canopy or the lines, etc... Was I going to perform a cutway on my very first jump? Would I be able to perform it correctly?
I didn't feel safe, and when my jumpmaster asked me if I was ready to jump, I said "No, sorry. I'm going down with the plane."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm going down with the plane"
And so I did.
I lost 300 $ for my failed AFF1.
Now I think this was partly because of my fears and partly because of my jumpmaster rush in preparing my rig.
I think an AFF 1 student should be cared for more accurately. It really takes 5 minutes for an expert jumper to pack a parachute, and for not wanting to spend those 5 minutes they gave me a parachute they didn't know who it had been packed by.
Maybe a student? There was en error on the rig, there could certainly be two.
I paid, when I came back to earth and I didn't say anything also because I think it was my responsibility to accept to board the plane.
But now I'm a little angry with them too, becuase I think a student should be cared for more accurately.
And after refusing to jump the first time, I'm afraid I will find it harder to jump the next time.
What do you think about it?

Zagor.
(sorry for my English, which is not my language)

[anthonymcgrath 0]

eyup mate
sad tale but you've only let yourself down there I'm afraid and you know it. I've spent the last week doing my AFF course and 4 of my ten console jumps and I can only tell you that it gets soooooooo much better it really does. falling through clouds an mist and feeling it rattle off your skin or popping your canopy and turning around to see the sun cast your shadow on a cloud surrounding you with a stunningly colourful lens flare. These are just a couple of things that I've experienced and I'll never see them anywhere else except up in the skies.

Granted it might have give you a fright with a rig that had a missing secondary handle but at the end of the day those things want to open and you just need to put your faith in it. If it doesn't thats what your reserve is for. If you bottle it midway through trying to go through your reserve drills your AAF is designed to fire at around 1500feet too.

my first console jump done on the wednesday just gone RIGHT AFTER my aff level8 was packed by MYSELF having never packed a canopy till then... opened sweetly. did console jumps 2 3 and 4 having packed it myself too. The guy doing the rest of the packing was occasionally like 'yeah that'll do' each time I asked for his check and assistance. I've watched an older guy stuff the canopy into the container with his foot and still come down safely.

when your up there next time just get out into the skies - the instructors will be at your side making sure your canopy opens but you have to put your trust in your equipment and most importantly yourself. Yes its scary - my first AFF was terrifying... now I pile out the plane backwards spin about like a loon and love every wonderful second of freefall. If you'd have told me on saturday 7th July2007 that I would be gleefully doing all of this on my own I'd have laughed in your face.

As for instructor care and attention believe me they are from the climb up to the ground but at some point they have to cut the umbilical or you'll never do it yourself. A week ago instructors were considering me the most important person on that dropzone... now we hit 11,000 feet and they're like "right ant... get out there you ladyboy" and I love it hahahahaha!

...to sum up mate - YOUR MISSING OUT!!!! - skydiving is the single best thing I've EVER done with my comically dire life - get out there and enjoy it mate its literally life changing. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT!! PLEASE!!!!

[skymama 37]

It's perfectly acceptable to not jump when you are not comfortable. I also noticed that last year you posted that you backed out on doing AFF also. Maybe you would be more comfortable doing another tandem again. Some dropzones have a program where you incorporate 3 tandem jumps in your training progression. It costs a little bit more, but it's sure better than wasting $300 on a jump!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[peanutgallery 0]

My primary jumpmaster took a rig for me and, while he was checking it, I heard him say: "Who the hell packed this rig??" shaking his head.


If I heard that on my first jump I probably would've backed out too. That's unacceptable and the instructor needs to watch what he says around students. It's only your life he's talking about!

I used to have a handle on life, but it broke

[AFFI 0]

Where are you?

[sundevil777 102]

Your instructor should have not said anything to you about the missing handle. No need to give you that information, he should have just had it fixed without you knowing about it at all.

When I started, we used military surplus (gut gear) student rigs, while watching the experienced guys go up with modern rigs. You really had to want to jump to put that shit on your back, so consider yourself lucky.

I've been waiting for pushback from the gate in an airliner, when the captain will get on the intercom saying that this or that is wrong, and we will have to get it fixed, blah, blah. I think they're stupid for giving too much detailed information - telling exactly what bit of equipment/system is on the blink. Just tell us that something really trivial needs to be checked and we'll be on our way in a minute. No need for passengers to have so much detail to worry about.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Zagor 0]

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Where are you?

Italy. Of course I'm not going to tell you the dropzone name.

[AJskydiver 0]

Hi Zagor.

I think you did the right thing. You didn't feel right about jumping and you called the dive.

There's a difference between (rational) fear and anxiety compared to the, "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Sounds like you felt rushed, had some gear fear, doubted your ability to handle an emergency...NOT jumping was the 100% right thing to do in those circumstances.

Don't feel bad about riding the plane down - but don't give up either!

Good luck.

[hchunter614 0]

On my AFF 1, my two AFFIs (they were dating) got into a very heated agrument (screaming at each other) about something that had happened the night before. was already geared up and we were on a 5 minute call. I was very uneasy going up with them but I made the jump anyway and it went fine. But when I went to manifest for my next jump I asked that they not be my AFFIs.

I think that you made the right call. It's your call as to if you're getting out of the plane. When you go back to try again you might want to tell manifest you'd like to spend some additional time with the instructor before getting on the plane.

Good luck. You can do it.

[diablopilot 2]

I think that you were not prepared to jump at all, and the rigging issue was a convinient excuse.

There is nothing wrong with the Instructor poining out a problem, however he/she should do what it take to ensure that it has been resolved to your comfort level. if that means a repack of the main, and you're willing to pay for it, so be it.

It is your responsibility to not board the aircraft untill you are ready to jump. You lost the money because you boarded the A/C before you were ready to jump. No one will ever FORCE you on board.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Zagor 0]

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I think that you were not prepared to jump at all, and the rigging issue was a convinient excuse.

maybe you're right... maybe I was not ready, but even if I was, hearing the instructor say "who the hell packed this rig?" sounds like "who is the idiot who packed this parachute?". I don't feel safe if the parachute on my back has been packed by somebody who "forgets" about handles and so on. This means he's careless, and you cannot be careless with somebody else's life.

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if that means a repack of the main, and you're willing to pay for it, so be it.

Why should I pay for a repack? An AFF student on his level 1 cannot repack because he hasen't been taught yet. And what I pay for is a jump where my rig is perfectly ok. And I expect my jumpmasters or professional packers to repack it. Would you jump with a rig that maybe was packed by a student with 8 jumps to his credit? Because in our dropzone, students also repack school rigs and hang it there, ready to use.

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It is your responsibility to not board the aircraft untill you are ready to jump. You lost the money because you boarded the A/C before you were ready to jump. No one will ever FORCE you on board.

This is true, and this is what I'm blaming myself for.

[diablopilot 2]

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Why should I pay for a repack? An AFF student on his level 1 cannot repack because he hasen't been taught yet. And what I pay for is a jump where my rig is perfectly ok. And I expect my jumpmasters or professional packers to repack it. Would you jump with a rig that maybe was packed by a student with 8 jumps to his credit? Because in our dropzone, students also repack school rigs and hang it there, ready to use.

Because this sport is about personal responsibility. If your isntructors word and assurance is not enough for you, then you have two options. Learn to pack and pack yourself, or pay for someone you do trust to pack it.

If you go back and are worried about the gear, ask the instructor if he/she would jump it. If they say yes, and you trust them, then jump it, if you don't trust them, you shouldn't jump with them.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[tombuch 0]

I'll take a quick stab at this one and agree with you.

First time jumpers are often afraid, and it is the instructors responsibility to make sure all the questions have been answered and the student is ready to jump before boarding the airplane. That's his job. Obviously, the student has responsibility here too, but students are often afraid to make waves, and it is up to the instructor to identify problems before jumping. In your case it sounds like you have been freightened about the jump for a while, and your instructor should have picked up on that and given you whatever time and attention you needed (within reason).

The issue with the rig probably wasn't a big deal. Most likely it's a rig that can be used by experienced jumpers or students, and the handle you needed wasn't included because the pack job was intended for an experienced jumper. Your instructor should have held his thoughts to himself, but once he identified the problem out loud he should have been much clearer regarding what the problem was, and should have done whatever was necessary to address your fear, including getting another rig or repacking ti with you watching.

Too often instructors forget that students are always scared to some degree. Part of our job is to impart information, but another really important part of the job is handling the psychology of fear, and helping our students to master their emotions.Your instructor really let you down in this case.

It sounds like you didn't fully raise your concerns at the time, so I can't find fault with the payment issue, but hopefully if you go back the DZ will assign an instructor who is better at customer relations, and they will cut you a financial break on a replacement jump. I also hope your instructor recognizes himself in your post and thinks about how he can improve his student training. We all make mistakes, but good instructors learn from their mistakes, and become better instructors.

Good luck.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[chrismgtis 0]

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My primary jumpmaster took a rig for me and, while he was checking it, I heard him say: "Who the hell packed this rig??" shaking his head.


If I heard that on my first jump I probably would've backed out too. That's unacceptable and the instructor needs to watch what he says around students. It's only your life he's talking about!

Yea, really.

I remember one jump I made when I picked up a student rig that had not been jumped that weekend and that itself made me nervous, since the rig had been sitting on the rack all week with no attention.

I've packed my own rig plenty of times now and the one time I thought to myself that I probably shouldn't jump a specific pack job I made, I had a small malfunction.

Don't jump if it doesn't feel right. If you get the slightest nervous feeling about the rig you're about to jump, pick one up that you feel better about or get a repack/inspection.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[napaguy99 0]

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Would you jump with a rig that maybe was packed by a student with 8 jumps to his credit?

Quite honestly, yes. I'd trust just about anyone to pack. It's amazingly simple to do and amazingly difficult to mess up. You are worrying over it a bit too much.

Your logic is a little flawed:

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From that moment I started feeling very scared: if the one who had closed that rig had forgotten the handle... he could have made some other mistakes we didn't see.

What if the one who had closed the rig had made no mistakes, could he not also still have made other mistakes you don't see? You will just have to trust your packers. If you don't trust them, learn to pack your own. I know plenty of people who started out packers before they even did a level 1.

Sorry your instructor made such a big deal out of it and convinced you not to jump . Don't give up yet.

Also, is that customary in Italy to FAIL a jump for not getting out of the airplane. As far as I'm concerned the jump never happened and we'll try it again later; it's certainly not a FAILURE, though.

"Let the misinterpretation and attacks begin."

[Zagor 0]

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is that customary in Italy to FAIL a jump for not getting out of the airplane. As far as I'm concerned the jump never happened and we'll try it again later; it's certainly not a FAILURE, though.

technically speaking, I didn't fail the jump since I did not jump. But I did occupy my room in the airplane. And also the room for primary and secondary jumpmaster. Three rooms in total for that attempt to jump. So you have to count three tickets plus the jumpmaster "job" even if they did not jump out of the plane, but they were with me during the ride up and ride down.
I did not ask for a refund but maybe they will be willing to help me. I will see the next time I go to the dropzone. Last time I was too down for the failure to talk about money.

[VTmotoMike08 0]

Maybe point out that you did not put any wear and tear on the rig because you did not jump and perhaps they can cut you a discount at least on that portion of the cost.

Mention that you have a potential for a lot of return business... unless they refuse to reasonably work with you on this cost. In a polite way of course.

[Zagor 0]

Thank you all for your kind answers, above all to Tombuch.

Zagor

[Krip 2]

Hi Z

Every DZ treats their customers differently.

Maybe you need to spend a little time visiting some other DZ's and see how they treat their customers, train their students etc compared to the way you were treated. Take a chair, pack a lunch and watch the show.

You might find another DZ that you have more confidence in than the one you described.

[kelpdiver 2]

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The issue with the rig probably wasn't a big deal. Most likely it's a rig that can be used by experienced jumpers or students, and the handle you needed wasn't included because the pack job was intended for an experienced jumper.

is the secondary AFF-I release a USPA requirement for AFF jumps, or just a standard? And is it a requirement, to your (and anyone else) knowledge in other countries?

I'd agree that this 'packing error' doesn't give reason to doubt the rest. It was packed for a different audience.

The experienced jumper situation that comes to mind is if the cypres is turned off. Lots of people say they'll jump without it. Fair enough, but if that part was overlooked, the rig likely wasn't checked either, and who knows what else wasn't done.

[BillyMongilly 0]

It would have been proper for the instructor to grab another rig instead of telling you to "not worry about it. I would have been skepticle as well, and it may have been well worth your $300 dollar loss for you to back out. Things like that you just never know about. Consider it an investment that paid off, and try another drop zone. That one obviously has some supervision problems.

How high are we going? Oh about 9000. Oh Mr. Pilot! How high are we going? Oh about 12000! That's the ticket!

[anthonymcgrath 0]

I just read TomBuch's post and the others above and I think I've learnt something important here - that its down to YOURSELF in how comfortable you feel with the equipment, the situation your putting yourself in and yourself as a person in a stressful situation like skydiving and I want to apologise to Zagor if my first reply didn't sound too sensitive or caring. I just put myself mentally in your shoes in that situation and when I think about it I probably would have done exactly the same on AFF Level1.

however I want to point out that I was jumping my own pack jobs right after level8 (not sure if they do that outside the uk) and I think its like was mentioned you have to put your faith in it - the kits want to open. If your still not confident then get in the training harness and DRILL that reserve procedure into your head till its a reaction to any situation - do it standing up arched, do it on a pile o beanbags - do it with gloves and full pack on - get comfy in that kit but please dont give up mate - skydiving is amazing fun and I know it'll be the best thing you ever do in your life - it is for me :)
go for it pal!

[pkasdorf 0]

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***I'd trust just about anyone to pack. It's amazingly simple to do and amazingly difficult to mess up.

With all due respect I very honestly disagree.

Packing may be simple once you learned how to pack but certainly it is not difficult to mess up when you get distracted while doing it or in a hurry!

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[Baksteen 84]

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Would you jump with a rig that maybe was packed by a student with 8 jumps to his credit? Because in our dropzone, students also repack school rigs and hang it there, ready to use.

Yes. I have been packing from jump three onwards, and at least over here it's customary that people check the parachute at varying stages during packing.
So if these stages have been checked off on the card that goes with the parachute, and the instructor tells me it's safe to jump the rig, jump it I will.

On a side note, would getting out of the door be any easier if you lowered the mental pressure?
Go static line, enough DZs in italy still offer that course.
That way you may be perceived as "less cool" by the local skygods, but then again, paying attention to what those have to say only gets you killed.

An advantage of SL is that you'll have a lot less to worry about per jump, even if it does take way longer to get to the same stage as with AFF.
(For me 55 jumps so far, still no A-licence).
The major benifit though, is that the cost per jump is lower, as you do not need two AFFIs, just a single jumpmaster.
However, you should expect to have paid as much for your A as an average AFF-student by the time you get there.

Lastly, it's perfectly fine to be afraid. Here's my first jump:
Up until the moment I was looking outside I was fine. Slightly nervous, but fine.
I went to sit in the door (C206), looked at my JM, and got the go signal.
When I actually jumped from the plane I felt my stomach clench, and I tensed, jerking my arms and legs some. Retrospectively I am sure that I would have hada severe brainlock if I had to make a freefall after that exit.
If you look closely at the video, you can even see me shut my eyes briefly.

Except then I was sudenly distracted by the parachute opening, (forget about counting)which felt as if I abruptly came to a full stop and did a summersault.. Surprised, I looked up and thought oh yeah... that large hanky above me..I need to perform some checks... I then saw I had a few line twists, and I actually laughed!
I kicked out the twists, and from that moment on, skydiving mainly has been loads of fun.

Good luck!

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[filip0721 0]

Your instructors demeanor at least from the way you describe it seems fairly inappropriate for the jump u were doing. Obviously a student doing their first AFF jump with only 20min notice and only that much time to get geared up and ask any additional questions they have. It's no surprise u were already stressed and the instructor brushed off your concern and seems like actually didn't address it infront of you even once he knew u were aware about it. Just seems like it was a busy day and u definitely did not receive the appropriate amount of attention and care as a new AFF student. AFF requires a lot of attention and time with your instructors so that they can reassure you and answer any questions u might have. Go to another DZ i would say or try a day when it's not so busy. Good luck with it hope u don't shy away from the sport because of a bad experience. If i feel unsafe about a jump i will ride the plane down its a few bucks and an ounce of small shame i guess lol but in the end i have only 1 life.