Determined to get my A, I made 10 jumps this weekend.

[JMantheDrumMan 0]

They were all incredibly fun. Friday, I did G2, H1 and H2. Saturday, I did H3 and as I was debriefing with my coach, I suddenly realized that my next skydive was a solo. My main question to everyone is this.... What did you do on your first solo skydive? How did you exit? And what where you thinking about?

Anyway, I had a blast the rest of the weekend. I did three solos, a three way, and a couple more coach jumps. Not to mention the check dive which was so much fun it should be illegal.

[absane 0]

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What did you do on your first solo skydive? How did you exit? And what where you thinking about?

My first solo was right off AFF. What did I do? I did what a coach that I highly respect told me to do: exit the plane and do nothing but watch my altimeter until it was time to pull. The reasoning was to point out to me that I have much more time in freefall than I think I do... because as a student, it feels like FF lasts only 10 seconds and we have to rush everything to perfection. It was a great experience for me... I'd look at the altimeter and glance at the ground from time to time.

How did I exit? I think it was some sort of fetal position because I was too lazy to force a stable exit. Doing a few of those actually taught me a great deal about getting stable quickly.

What was going through my head? "OMFG I cannot believe I'm falling 120 MPH towards the ground all alone." It was very freeing.

Don't forget to pull!

[Ryye 0]

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My first solo was right off AFF. What did I do? I did what a coach that I highly respect told me to do: exit the plane and do nothing but watch my altimeter until it was time to pull. The reasoning was to point out to me that I have much more time in freefall than I think I do... because as a student, it feels like FF lasts only 10 seconds and we have to rush everything to perfection. It was a great experience for me... I'd look at the altimeter and glance at the ground from time to time.

How did I exit? I think it was some sort of fetal position because I was too lazy to force a stable exit. Doing a few of those actually taught me a great deal about getting stable quickly.

What was going through my head? "OMFG I cannot believe I'm falling 120 MPH towards the ground all alone." It was very freeing.

I did the EXACT same thing on my first solo jump after AFF. I told myself that I didn't want to get too crazy immediately after being a student so I went out there and did absolutely nothing haha. However on the next jump, I was doing front/back flips, 360's and it felt so amazing to look up and around and see nobody around me. I always hated being looked at the WHOLE time I was going through my AFF level's so I felt that I truly accomplished something. I did my first two way about 2 months ago and now I see exactly why people love jumping in groups!

Some of the greatest accomplishments were done by people too stupid to know they were impossible.

[skycamefalling 0]

I remember my first solo clearly. I did it right after my last AFF jump. I did a fairly stable diving exit. Once I was completley stable, I just kept a heading and enjoyed the view. I thought to myself, so this is what it feels like. Up here, alone, no instructor on my back, no AFF instructor in front of me and no dive flow to follow. It was probably the most greatest, yet peaceful feelings ever.

And now it is all about eating as cheap as possible, want to buy something but dont. Because all you can think about is how many jump tickets you could get for the price of what you are thinking about buying

Speedracer~I predict that Michael Jackson will rise from the dead.
And that a giant radioactive duck will emerge from the ocean and eat Baltimore.

[Ryye 0]

It's funny to go back and look at some of the videos of your very first jumps as well. I got a video done of my AFF level 1 jump and it's almost embarrassing to look at how inexperienced I was. It's just one of those things...

Some of the greatest accomplishments were done by people too stupid to know they were impossible.

[theonlyski 8]

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And now it is all about eating as cheap as possible, want to buy something but dont. Because all you can think about is how many jump tickets you could get for the price of what you are thinking about buying

My first rig costed ~200 jumps worth.

Second rig was about 10 jumps worth

Third isn't done yet, but its getting to be about the same as the first.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[Melissa126 0]

I as well, had a staring contest with my altimeter my first solo! Before exiting I had all these plans of what I was going to do... But instead, I got out there, got stable... then did Nothing but glance around, look at my altimeter, glance around, look at my altimeter... pull. Land. Smile.

[Ryye 0]

I don't know about you guys, but I still get nervous before every jump. Even if it's my 4th or 5th jump of the day I always get that little ounce of adrenaline before I make the leap.

Some of the greatest accomplishments were done by people too stupid to know they were impossible.

[Melissa126 0]

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I don't know about you guys, but I still get nervous before every jump. Even if it's my 4th or 5th jump of the day I always get that little ounce of adrenaline before I make the leap.

I def still get nervous, but not at the door... it has changed to now I am mostly nervous right before pull time....

[Ryye 0]

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I def still get nervous, but not at the door... it has changed to now I am mostly nervous right before pull time....

Right before pull time? I usually don't get nervous during the actual free fall, but I do think about the parachute opening properly but who doesn't? When I look back on it, the entire skydive is mostly a blur until your floating safely to the ground...

Some of the greatest accomplishments were done by people too stupid to know they were impossible.

[absane 0]

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I don't know about you guys, but I still get nervous before every jump. Even if it's my 4th or 5th jump of the day I always get that little ounce of adrenaline before I make the leap.

The day you stop getting nervous is the day you should hang up the rig and take a break... or quit. We naturally regard jumping out of a plane as life threatening... so if the day comes that you aren't a bit nervous, then you either have a suicide wish or you've become complacent.

My first jump of the day is anyways the scariest... especially if I haven't gone in over 2 weeks. After that, I find it easy to deal with the anxiety.

Don't forget to pull!

[Ryye 0]

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My first jump of the day is anyways the scariest... especially if I haven't gone in over 2 weeks. After that, I find it easy to deal with the anxiety.

The first jump is always the scariest. It's also the jump that I always tell myself "Let's just take it easy the first time around and then go from there..." lol.

Some of the greatest accomplishments were done by people too stupid to know they were impossible.

[Scrumpot 1]

I exited last, out of a trail-otter on a 200-way record dive. Swooped effortlessly into last-whacker glory-slot, officially getting the record set, within only 20 seconds total working time, so the 2nd point could be turned by 35, also making it and sanctioning it as a sequential record as well. Then, after holding the record for another 15 seconds, was a part of the 1st break-off / tracking wave, that tracked horizontally for @1.5mi - so that I could deploy my Xaos74 to descend to the national canopy speed/distance swooping meet taking place at the neighboring dropzone - where I also took 1st place for both speed and distance during the pond swooping event being concurrently held there.

I have mad skillz!
There. I just wanted to (finally, after all this time) just get all that off my chest. LOL.

Actually, IIRC - I think I pretty much just "hung out". All by myself, for @ 60 sec of completely peaceful, solo freefall, dong pretty much "nothing" at all. - Might have turned a few slow, easy "360's" and I just thoroughly enjoyed the ride!

Enjoy yours! Don't ever let the wonderment of it all slip away from you. Your "journey" (no matter what disciplines & activities path you choose) has now truly just begun. - WELCOME!

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[Stem13 0]

I am going for my third attempt this weekend to try to get AT LEAST my first solo in and have been trying to figure out how I am going to leave the plane, what state of mind I will be in, how it's going to feel free falling alone, etc.

Not to mention, almost every other night since I finished my AFF (about 3 weeks ago now) I have had dreams about skydiving.

Decided that I probably shouldn't over think it and just go with the feel when the door opens.

Just hoping that it will be able to happen soon.

some sort of crazy liquor cheeseburger party

[mutumbo 0]

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I am going for my third attempt this weekend to try to get AT LEAST my first solo in and have been trying to figure out how I am going to leave the plane, what state of mind I will be in, how it's going to feel free falling alone, etc.

Not to mention, almost every other night since I finished my AFF (about 3 weeks ago now) I have had dreams about skydiving.

Decided that I probably shouldn't over think it and just go with the feel when the door opens.

Just hoping that it will be able to happen soon.

this is the 4 step simple exit i was told to do for my first solo.

step 1- move to door.
step 2- when at door lift left leg behind right and grab left ankle with right hand.
step 3- let go of bar with left hand and fall forward.
step 4- hold said position for a few thousand feet.

enjoy.

Thanatos340(on landing rounds)--
Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet.

[turtlespeed 220]

Quote

I exited last, out of a trail-otter on a 200-way record dive. Swooped effortlessly into last-whacker glory-slot, officially getting the record set, within only 20 seconds total working time, so the 2nd point could be turned by 35, also making it and sanctioning it as a sequential record as well. Then, after holding the record for another 15 seconds, was a part of the 1st break-off / tracking wave, that tracked horizontally for @1.5mi - so that I could deploy my Xaos74 to descend to the national canopy speed/distance swooping meet taking place at the neighboring dropzone - where I also took 1st place for both speed and distance during the pond swooping event being concurrently held there.

I have mad skillz!

You left out that you did this all without an aad or an rsl and . . .
WTH are you doing flying a Xaos? Velo is where it is at brother!

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[beekay 0]

my first solo was this weekend last guy in the caravan counted to ten ride the slide couple of threes and reached for my pilot for the last 1000' best feeling ever!!!!

[bluetwo 0]

Pretty much what a couple of other people said.

I just tried to stay on heading, observed how my view of the ground changed as I went and did a lot of altimeter checks.

It was awesome and even though it definitely didn't feel pointless there was still that slight nagging that I could've accomplished more. Probably because of how the other jumps were more task oriented.

_______________________________________

[BigMark 1]

Jump 14 was a cutaway, riser twists had my chin pinned to my chest, Thank god a glider pilot directed Bad Spot Bill to my rental canopy. The DZ was kinda wooly back then...