Newbie Advice

[Luna 0]

I've been lurking a lot here since I did my first Tandem on June 22. I feel like I know all of you already. Anyway, I just went for my first level AFF yesterday and want opinions.

Basically, I lost altitude awareness. I did manage to pull after my instructors were pointing violently in my face, and they said I was at about 4200 when I did, 1300 lower than planned. What happened was my altimeter was being blown around the other side of my wrist and I was really only seeing the bottom of it. Anyway, I really thought I was at about 7000-8000 when they told me to pull. I was wondering why they were telling me to pull, what went wrong. After my controllability checks, I checked my alti and saw I was at 3000 and wondered how on earth I had got so far down so quickly. I had to ask the instructors what went wrong after I landed. They both told me not to beat myself up over it, that I did good. I don't feel so good about it though. Obviously I'm going to make sure my alti fits better next time, but besides that, any advice? Should I be freaking out, or is it pretty normal to screw up on Category A? I was just hoping that I'd do better, but it was very overwhelming, even after the Tandem. Thanks for listening!

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Biggest pointer to give - RELAX !! I know it sounds hard, but it's the best thing you can do. When in the plane going up, imagine the dive going perfectly. Don't focus on negative thoughts cos they'll get to you.

____________________
Say no to subliminal messages

[Canuck278 0]

Well i'm no one to give advice....I've got 12 jumps....no aff i'm doing a different system for my A lic. On my first freefall jump.....I never did any tandems...started doing an IAD jump.....it was very weird to leave the plane and not have my chute open itself automatically...anyway my first few free falls were somewhat "overwhelming" but i am getting used to it now i guess...i want to do an AFF (PFF up here) jump next and try that too......basically i wouldn't beat yourself up too much.....hope your next jump goes better. and relax...
I'm so cool......SHEEP count ME when they go to sleep

[skydiverbrian 0]

Sounds like a great skydive to me! You exited the plane, freefell, had a good opening, and landed in the same number of pieces you started with.

All the rest is just finesse. Relax, and enjoy - the reason you have jumpmasters is you're supposed to be LEARNING. If you already knew all this stuff, you wouldn't need them, would you?

Congratulations on your first AFF (BEEEEERRRRRR!!!!) Now get back in the plane and do the rest of them. We'll see you on your own in the skies in no time!

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[jncoughlin 0]

Hi Luna;

I finished AFF 5 weeks ago. Have not been able to jump since then because I went to the tunnel in Florida and tore my rotator cuff in my shoulder.

Your first AFF jump is very intimidating for anyone. There's alot going on. Althoug losing altitude awareness is very serious, learning that it can happen is very valuable. On my second AFF jump, the JM's thought I did great. However, while driving home I realized that while I was looking at my alti every 5 seconds, I was not registering in my brain what altitude I was actually at. All I was realizing was that I was not yet at 6K. That's a form of lack of alti awareness.

On the next dive I made a point of shouting it to myself. It helps.

You'll do fine. Don't worry. Relax (easy for me to say) and have a good time. AFF actually gets easier after level 4.

Good luck and let me know how you do. I'm dying to get back in the air but I can't arch with my left shoulder.

I find myself staring at the sky too much!

[meatmissile 0]

I'm also not qualified to give advice - except to say take technical advice only from qualified people
But take encouragement everywhere you can. Good luck & hang in there!

--
ZZZzzzz....

[gale 0]

Hmmmmm, normal? Well, that I wouldn't know, but I DO know that my first PFF jump went badly and I had already done 7 or eigh IADs!

It went a little something like this:

I exited badly from the plane which sent me falling back-down, this also made me loose my right instructor right away. It took me a few seconds to remember to arch (actually it was only looking up and seeing the sky and thinking "that's not supposed to be there, oh yeah I was supposed to, ARCH) and then actually managed to do two practice pulls. By then it was around 5500 and I was supposed to pull around 5000 (that's 2.5 seconds away). However, it was at this time that the instructor that I lost came back and docked kind of hard sending me flailing downward. At some point, the instructor I had left managed to flip me over, and pull for me. (This was above 2500) I didn't understand what happened, it seemed to take only a few seconds for the whole thing to happen.

I considered that dive a success, here's why:

1. First freefall (BEER)
2. Managed to do at least SOME of the exercises.
3. Landed in one peice.
4. Actually exited an aircraft from 10,000 knowing that the chute wouldn't just automatically open. Conquered some BIG fear there.
5. Learned how NOT to do a poised exit.

All good stuff. I think you could make a similar list for your dive. I've now graduated from the program and have 28 dives. I've never lost awareness like that again, not even close. My coaches say my altitude awareness is great.

All I'm saying is, one mistake doesn't dictate how the rest of your training will go. Mistakes are absolutely serious when they happen at 10000 feet, but try not to beat yourself up about it. Just listen to your instructors, try hard, and learn. Oh yeah, and all those people telling you to relax are right, it really does help (I still have to remind myself).

Gale

I'm drowning...so come inside
Welcome to my...dirty mind

[bbarnhouse 0]

Congrats on a job well done!!! You are learning, you had fun, you got down safely. I'd say that was a damn good skydive!
Cheers

[lummy 4]

I'll 4rth or 5th the notion Luna, you did good, AND you learned something out of it, which is even more important!! Also, you pulled for yourself when your JM's said to, which says you at least knew what to do when necessary

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[drenaline 0]

Hey Luna you had a great dive, you even pull the ripcord by yourself! WOOHOO!!

don't worry about the altitude awareness, it will come in time.

The altimeter moving? not to worry, tight the strap a lil bit more. On one jump I made with a huge strap altimeter I had to grab the altimeter with my thumb so that I could see it, then the owner of it told me a different way to put it on, Ask the instructor before going up again and he will tell you a trick or something.

Congrats for the jump! Blue Skies!

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[DENGOPHER 0]

hi luna,
congrats on the great skydive.. be ready to be broke the rest of your life!!! hhmmm as for the altitude awareness... relax and remember your dirt dive.. plan your dive and dive your plan... the most important thing here is you pulled when your instructor told you to.. super job!!!just jump!!!!
gopher

[Pammi 0]

I'm with the rest of them Luna. You did great it sounds like! I think a lot of us lose altitude awareness, to some point or another, at some time in our skydiving careers. Hey, I was told once that they were going to strap on two altimeters, two dytters (one for each ear) and hook up an LED light to my full face so it flashed across in front of me "PULL!". How scary is that?! You lived, you learned and just be particularly careful about it the next time.

Good luck!

[Luna 0]

Thanks to everyone for all the re-assurance. That is just what I needed.

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