My first skydive.

[mikrowavemikey 0]

Hi
Couple of weeks ago I did my first skydive. It was a tandem jump, so nothing impressive. BUT, I must say, it was the best moment of my life. I really beleive I will dedicate my life to skydiving.

Before the jump, I was super keen, couldnt wait to get out the door, and this remained the case through the duration of the whole experience. I wasnt scared, I get more nervous going to a job interview, which is why I just can't understand why, when we left the door, I seemed to just forget everything my instructer had told me to do.

As soon as we were out, I spread my arms out and adopted the freefall position he told me to. It wasnt until I felt a firm push on my arms that I realised I should have the crossed, head back, back arched etc.

Does this happen alot? I want to begin my AFF course soon, but I'm not sure what may happen should I forget everything again, maybe I should do another tandem jump before?

I'd like to get some opinions, and figure this would be the best place to do it.
Thanks
Michael

[Baksteen 84]

-sigh- low jump numbers, not an instructor, yadda yadda yadda

---

I did neither tandem, nor AFF but I know one thing:
The instruction you'll receive in AFF is a lot different and way more extensive than the instructions for a single tandem.

The first freefall can be overwhelming regardless of the course you choose - it was that for me, even though it only lasted five seconds.

As I see it, once you decide you want to become a skydiver, loose tandems are just a waste of money.
I'd save it for your AFF course, if I were you.
You may or may not forget to arch (or whatever) during your AFF level 1, but your instructors can probably remind you.

As to what may happen, don't sweat it, two very experienced instructors will be holding on to you during the freefall part of your first AFF jumps. Tell them about your worries when they are training you, and they probably can say a lot to boost your confidence, way better than anyone over the internet can.

"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

[DoubleH 0]

Lots of people forget what to do on their first jump, be it tandem or AFF. So much is going on and so fast that your senses just get overloaded by it all. Your jumping out of a plane 13000ft in the air.....dont beat yourself up about forgetting stuff on your first time......you jumped, you lived and thats all that really matters. You probably were scared but had so much adrenaline pumping through your veins you just didnt realise.

On my AFF Level 1 i was convinced that id only been in freefall for about 4 or 5 seconds but when i saw the video id been in freefall for about 45 seconds. I was getting "LEGS" signals virtually all the way down but it just wasnt registering in my head. The cameraman was only 10 foot in front of me but i dont recall seeing him at anytime on the way down.

AFF is a huge learning curve (and lots of fun) but your brain/body is suprisingly fast learning when your life is on the line. Levels 2 & 3 which i did the weekend after were immense. I was totally switched on and aware of everything that was going on.....if i thought level 1 was fun, these two levels were something else. The later levels just get better and build your confidence hugely.

IMHO any tandems after your first one are waste of cash if you want to take skydiving up as a hobby. If anything get some time in a wind tunnel as it will help massively with the later levels and give you a taste of what its really like to freefall on your own.

[DSE 5]

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Lots of people forget what to do on their first jump, be it tandem or AFF. So much is going on and so fast that your senses just get overloaded by it all. Your jumping out of a plane 13000ft in the air.....dont beat yourself up about forgetting stuff on your first time......you jumped, you lived and thats all that really matters. You probably were scared but had so much adrenaline pumping through your veins you just didnt realise.

On my AFF Level 1 i was convinced that id only been in freefall for about 4 or 5 seconds but when i saw the video id been in freefall for about 45 seconds. I was getting "LEGS" signals virtually all the way down but it just wasnt registering in my head. The cameraman was only 10 foot in front of me but i dont recall seeing him at anytime on the way down.

AFF is a huge learning curve (and lots of fun) but your brain/body is suprisingly fast learning when your life is on the line. Levels 2 & 3 which i did the weekend after were immense. I was totally switched on and aware of everything that was going on.....if i thought level 1 was fun, these two levels were something else. The later levels just get better and build your confidence hugely.

IMHO any tandems after your first one are waste of cash if you want to take skydiving up as a hobby. If anything get some time in a wind tunnel as it will help massively with the later levels and give you a taste of what its really like to freefall on your own.

Experiences vary. I couldn't do AFF due to tradewinds, but had the jones to jump. Did 5 tandems in Hawaii. AFF course was about 5 hours, and most of it sank it quick. First jump, was done with everything by 7k, was able to geek the video and pull on time. I didn't find it a "huge learning curve" at all. Some will, some won't. I thought I did well completing AFF in four skydives. Then I saw a tunnel rat complete AFF in two skydives. I've seen a few need 15+ to get off student status. We're all different. MikrowaveMikey might be one of those really fast learners.
Welcome to the sport!

[Andy9o8 2]

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Did 5 tandems in Hawaii. AFF course was about 5 hours, and most of it sank it quick. First jump, was done with everything by 7k, was able to geek the video and pull on time. I didn't find it a "huge learning curve" at all. Some will, some won't. I thought I did well completing AFF in four skydives.

We all know how much sensory overload plays a role in student jumps. 5 tandem jumps is more than most people who continue on to be sport skydivers do; so your experience makes for interesting anectdotal data. Anyhow, those 5 tandems gave you plenty of chance to work out the overload and work in the familiarity, and thereby reduce your learning curve. There's no way to test this on you, obviously, but that probably was a big factor in why you did so well in your FJC and AFF.

[DSE 5]

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We all know how much sensory overload plays a role in student jumps. 5 tandem jumps is more than most people who continue on to be sport skydivers do; so your experience makes for interesting anectdotal data. Anyhow, those 5 tandems gave you plenty of chance to work out the overload and work in the familiarity, and thereby reduce your learning curve. There's no way to test this on you, obviously, but that probably was a big factor in why you did so well in your FJC and AFF.

I don't deny that 5 tandems were a factor in my mental ability; however Hawaii is a tandem factory. I received no training other than "here's how you exit" and on the fifth skydive, I ended up with aninstructor that said "when the needle hits 6, reach for this handle and pull." I was not taught to do what most tandem students are taught (though I didn't know this at the time).Once I met Jon Stewart, discussions with him brought some sense into what I had been doing.
FJC was very revealing to me, and taught by a good instructor. I'd also spent hours here on DZ.com reading and asking questions, had purchased a couple of books on the subject, and had immersed myself into the concept.
The tunnel rat I watched last week had 0 tandems, and was off student status in two jumps. The tunnel can't prepare a student for exit overload, so our experiences are dichotomous. I was very mentally prepared for the exit/skydive, he wasn't. We both finished quickly, but he finished even faster. Ergo, a learning curve may be steep for some, and less steep for others.

[DoubleH 0]

I dont think there is any denying it. To go from being a non jumper to jumping solo after as little as 8 jumps is by anyones standards a steep learning curve, whether they fly through it or not!!

[Andy9o8 2]

Well, so much of getting one's initial shit together enough to "get off student status" involves 2 things: (a) getting past the sensory overload enough to be fully aware of what's going on in real time, and (b) nailing basic freefall stability and control in a column of high-speed air. Your experience shows the value of (a), while the tunnel rat - as well as military freefall school programs, such as at Bragg and Yuma (which begin with tunnel training) - show the value of (b).

[DSE 5]

Great summation, Andy.
re: steep learning curve...I feel like with anything, some are more prone to adapt and be adept than others, therefore, the curve is more or less steep depending on the individual. The information is the same no matter what, but the absorption will be different.

[VincentVL. 0]

Hmmm...it's definitely a plus that you did a tandem first. Now you won't get sensory overload during your AFF. That's probably what happened?

I don't like tandems though so I'm going straight to AFF

[rygon 0]

I doubt you can tell how you are going to react in an alien situation like your 1st skydive, but if you can think clear when things go wrong (whether it be at home, work or when driving etc) then you will have an appreciation of it.

My 1st skydive was AFF level1 and I reacted to every signal my instructers gave me... pulled myself and landed well (even if it was on my arse). Yet i couldnt remember much about it at all due the the speed things where happening and the sensory overload. level 2 was pretty much the same and after that it got better and now i can remember everything as clear as i would with normal activities in life

[bot403 0]

Heh. My first 2 tandems were more nerve-racking than my first 2 aff jumps. Most of the worry during my tandem was being in the twin otter with the door open, no seatbelt, and not yet being attached to a chute. I was pawing at the sides of the plane nervously trying to push myself further up :) Once I was hooked to the TM I was calm as could be.

Flights are only nerveracking for me below 1,500 now when I know it will be rough to get a chute over me.

I thought I failed my first AFF jump because I forgot the legs out signal. The JM was giving it to me and I stared at it in freefall for a good 15 seconds. I could feel my body being unstable in the air and them holding on to me but for the life of me I had no clue what he wanted me to do despite a perfect review of the signals several times in the pane. He gave up and gave me an arch signal. I think the arch fixed my legs :)

On my second AFF my radio failed and I had to land solo on what (I hear) is one of the smaller landing zones in the country. (CSC Hinkley IL).