AFF Level 6, passed!

[angrypeppers 1]

I passed Level 6 today. Another beautiful fall day to jump. Temp was in the mid-50's, little wind, lots of visibility. Today, we were back in the Otter after a bunch of King Air jumps, so that would be fun. I arrived with plenty of time to spare, so I sat around and studied the SIM for a while. Before long, my jump buddy showed up, and we checked in. Looks like there'd be a little bit of a wait.

Not much later, Aaron grabbed us to do the briefing. That went well, then we practiced EP's a few times in the bibs. All's well, and we're ready to get going. We ended up sitting around through a couple of loads. That was a bit nerve-racking! The whole concept of getting unstable intentionally made me tense up a bit. I'd never done backflips or barrel rolls (intentionally, at least), so I was a bit nervous about that. Oh, and we'd be doing a diving exit, which was also new to me. Looked like fun!

After a while, my instructor showed up and we reviewed the dive flow. Shouldn't be too bad: spotting from the door, diving exit, COA, barrel rolls, back flip, tracking, with lots of altitude checks in between, then wave off/pull at 5500'. We practiced the exits, then got geared up. Before long, our load was called, and we were off to the trailer.

It's strange how I'm getting less nervous about the jumps as I go on. I still get that twinge in my gut at times, but overall, I'm pretty good...until the door opens up. But a couple of deep breaths, and that's usually OK too. Chewing gum helps me too, but I need to stop that habit!

The plane ride was OK. We'd be second to last out, my jump buddy was bringing up the rear. We dumped a couple of hop & pops on the way up, but otherwise, the flight up went fine. Nice having a little extra room in the Otter! Finally, we got up top, and the door popped open. That blast of cold air jolted me a bit...isn't summer here yet? The guys in front of us got out, and we hung out in the door spotting. The airport was easy to find; time to go! I think I rushed the exit a little, and flailed around some, but I was able to get stable. COA, then the barrel roll. That went OK, but I want to practice them a bit more. Altitude is still good. Time to backflip. Any time now. Time...to...backflip. I hestitated a bit, took a breath, and flipped over. That was fun! Not perfect, but not bad either. Altitude is OK, but getting close, so I only tracked for about a second or so. I'm still a little paranoid about pull time.

Wave off and pull went well, no problems with the chute. I love seeing that thing over my head! I took a couple of deep breaths, did my checks, and headed back to the landing area. Crap! I forgot to spit out my gum before the dive. No more gum on the plane for me. I felt a lot better under the 260 this time than last. I did some riser turns, flat turns, and set up for my pattern. We'd be landing to the south, and I wanted to get near the peas this time...need to start thinking more about accuracy, rather than just getting back on the ground. I was still a little high on base, so I did some slight s-turns to lose altitude. I landed pretty much where I wanted: just southwest of the peas. Did my usual step and stumble, but I was down safely.

Once back at the hangar, I dropped off the rig in the hangar, and we debriefed. Exit was OK, but I got out a little quickly. The instructor had to dive after me! I kicked my legs a bit too, which I don't normally do. Barrel rolls were OK, the back flip was better, and I should have tracked a bit longer. Altitude awareness was good, but I pulled while in a slight turn. Didn't seem to me like I was turning, so I'll have to check that on my next jump. Canopy control and landing were good too. Here's the logbook entry I like best: "...excellent Level 6. Good for Level 7."

Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

[StreetScooby 5]

Congrats!

We are all engines of karma

[pfloyd 0]

Nice!

My drinking team has a skydiving problem

[siddacious 0]

Excellent!

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[bigmike21 0]

Awesome Congrats!!!

[aardvarkeater 0]

Congrats

Muff Brother #4026
Loco Zapatos Rodriguez
SCR #14793

[Jewels 0]

WooHOOOO! Congratulations! I'm glad to hear that you're just one magic jump away. Nice jump. I'm glad it went well.

TPM Sister #102