The importance of flaring on time

[wndrer73 0]

I learned a very important lesson today on my AFF-L2 jump: WHEN TO FLARE! The ground school for AFF-1 can only teach you the theory and the rules of when to flare.... but I think one can only learn through practice and -- (hopefully not) -- mistakes.. I made a big boo-boo, and that caused an even bigger boo-boo: I flare way too early... realized I was flaring early, eased up on the toggles a little but, flared again, and STILL was too early! Suddenly, now the canopy was stopped completely, and my feet were still about 4-5 feet above the ground (my estimate -- and I'm obviously not good on judging heights!)....
Well, you can guess what happened next.. The short of it is that now I'm sitting here with a fractured right ankle, not being able to do the two things that I love the most: Driving and Skydiving. (yes, in that order!)...
AAaaaah welll.... it had to happen sooner or later, right? But this still hasn't put me off from skydiving though (much to the dismay of friends/family who've never experienced what it feels like and who've given me that "I told you so!" look!) -- I'm going again just as soon as this leg is completely healed!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!
"Uh-oh, he's dead!" -- My video/photographer, after my first tandem jump

[PhreeZone 20]

Sorry but I got to... hahahahha.... I've heard similar stories a few times through out the last 2 years and they always crack me up. Students get injuried all the time and they are always asking to be put under the canopy that the more experienced jumpers use. My ankle is still painful and swollen after 2 months of just spraining it on landing. I was laughed at for weeks over that one....
Good luck on the healing process and hopefully you can post a picture of the X-ray or something when they take them again in a few weeks. Enjoy the good drugs while you can....
BTW.. Check out WildBlue's Site to see if your foot looks like his....
Cause I don't wanna come back down from this cloud... ~ Bush

[crazymel 0]

You have my sympathy....on my third jump I also misjudged the height (looked down) and slammed into the ground. Started to flare at about 20-25 feet (according to my instructor) - realized my mistake, but just kept the flare going. Didn't break anything, but hurt my knee pretty bad. Had a bruise for weeks afterwards and during the rest of the AFF course (completed it in one week) my knee gave me some problems (couldn't bend it properly etc.) But I have to admit when I was at the DZ the other day, I felt "better" seeing another student doing the same thing....

[DENGOPHER 0]

sorry dude but this brings up an important point ...parachute landing fall.. you must be ready to do a proper plf. every time you come in to land!!!!! i will take a roll on the ground over a broken bone any day.... practice it and be ready to use it!!!!! hope you get better soon ... and don't worry you will judge you'r landings better the more you jump.. good luck..don't give up..
just jump!!!!
gopher

[PLFKING 4]

Yeah, what Dennis said....
I had to be the world's worst as a student (hence the nickname).....I would consistently finish my flare 5-10 feet above the ground.....but never got hurt because I ALWAYS planned on a PLF landing. Sure, I pretty much wrecked my DZ's student jumpsuit, and gave my instructors all kinds of tumbling landings to laugh over once the beer-light came on, but the grass stains on the suit and rig looked better than a cast would have looked on my ankle or leg.
And you will get the hang of it, over time. Just gotta keep jumping......hell, I've got 13 stand-ups in a row now. If I can do it.......
And I even had my first surfs at Raeford Friday. That was the first time I met the world-famous Chuck Blue, and his two-minute instruction on toggle pressure helped me tremendously...and besides being a shit-hot canopy pilot, he's a pretty cool guy to boot.
Don

[scottbre 0]

4 - 5 feet? Are you sure it wasn't higher than that. I have had stand-up landings where I dropped 4 - 5 from where my canopy stalled, with no ill effects. 20 million bathtubs can't be wrong. . .

[Emmie 0]

Sorry about your ankle man. And welcome to the club. I did the exact same thing as you on level 5 & fractured and sprained my foot. It was my driving foot, so I had to learn to drive with the cast on, it wasn't so bad. At least you'll get to park in the handiccapped spots, and if you're caught speeding you can use your cast as an excuse. Get better!

[LittleJumper 0]

"one can only learn through practice and -- (hopefully not) -- mistakes"
That's exactly right, but it's good to make mistakes too. I'm still new too...just finished AFF 12/31/01. But I find the more I jump...the more I understand what NOT to do next time on landings. I flare too early as well, but once you start the flare...don't let up, that's what I've been told. But the best thing to do is like what everyone else has said...prepare to PLF.
Hope your ankle heals SOON...so ya can skydive!!
Terri
What you "think" you cannot do ...you CAN if you "think" about it

[Skystorm 0]

NOW they tell me about plf..... LOL
I did exactly the same. Flared much to high, holding the flare and eventually crashed into Mother Earth. Several times.... Last time I counted it was 12. Luckily I never sprained, broken or crushed any thing. Just a few bruises and scratches. I always opted for the softest spots to fall down onto. LOL
Some guy from another DZ watch me slammed into the ground and gave me some pointers. Now I have 1 run-out landing and 3 stand-ups to my credit. Cool!!! That being after 24 jumps....
Hang onto Heaven, when hell is on your back

[SpeedRacer 1]

I stood up on my first jump (AFF1) then PLFd the next 4 jumps & finally got the hang of it (well, MOST of the time )When I bought my gear after I had about 25 jumps, the woman who sold me her rig said, the trick is to wait until you're scared, then wait abit more, THEN flare! Well evidently I don't scare as easily as she does, because then I wound up flaring too late!! So I just found that if I ignore her advice I could do it intuitvely. I found that it's also important that just as your flaring, you look forward, and not down at your feet when you land!! Where you look is where you're gonna go.
Doing this I found that even though I was a relative newbie I nearly always landed on my feet unless I hit some weird turbulence just as I was landing.
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[wndrer73 0]

Quote

the trick is to wait until you're scared, then wait abit more, THEN flare!

Oddly enough, that is exactly what our ground school instructor told us to do as well.... "When you see the ground coming up, you're gonna say 'Oh Shit!' Dont flare yet... then you'll say 'OH SHIT!' again -- Dont flare yet... The time to flare is on your third 'OH SHIT!!!!!!!!'"
I think I flared on my first crap. Then I flared again, then I think I flared a third time, but don't remember now.. by then i was on the ground anyway.
AAAAGGGGHHHH I HATE THIS!!!!!! (sorry, dont mind me, i'm high on painkillers right now and not responsible for anything i say or do. LA LA LA LA LALALALALALLALALA.) When will the cast come off? when can i fly again? when can i yell "OH SHIT!" three times and then flare? WHEN WILL I FEEL THAT WIND IN MY FACE AGAIN?????????? :-( :-( :-(
To all students everywhere: Remember to wait for the third "oh shit!" If you don't swear, say "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" three times, then flare.
la la la la la IT'S THE PLATYPUS, I SAY! ITS THE PLATYPUS!!!!!! humuhumunukunukuapuaa.
"Uh-oh, he's dead!" -- My video/photographer, after my first tandem jump

[FallingMarc 0]

Wow, dude, whatever they have you on, please share...

[wndrer73 0]

it's vicodin.. and i'm sorry... it's a prescription, so you can't have it. it's mine.. ALL MINE... HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!
only way you're gonna get it is by flaring on the first "oh shit!" and then not doing a PLF.
Any takers?
"Uh-oh, he's dead!" -- My video/photographer, after my first tandem jump

[Spy38W 0]

Mmmm, vicodin, shit almost makes me want to break my back again. almost.