Laundry list of screw-ups (long)

[masterblaster72 0]

I recently read a post regarding a game in which people bet on who's going to go in. I just learned a new term -- DGIT. It occurred to me that I might be worthy of a place on such a list, though I doubt my dropzone would have one.

I've made the same mistake several times, even after being talked to about correcting the situation. I listen and thank the person who is giving me the advice, but I've made the mistake more than once. I definitely don't mean to.

Over the weekend I made the same mistake I've made many times -- heading downwind too early, or not going far enough downwind out of fear of landing on trees, and coming in too early to the landing area and having to saché to lose altitude.

The second time I made that mistake I got chewed out by another jumper. He called me a f.cking moron and repeatedly told me to look around before making turns over the landing area. I'm not whining about it, don't misunderstand me. Rather, I think he was in his right and that maybe I need a kick in the ass -- a humiliating experience to shake me up a bit. It definitely did. After a recent incident that involved a collision, I can imagine that the dropzone is on edge about these kinds of mistakes.

It really made me think and reasess my involvement in the sport. I could live with harming myself, but I hadn't considered before that my mistakes could harm someone else. That would be very difficult to live with. I love skydiving and don't want to quit. But I don't want to be a danger to others.

So I made a list of the mistakes I've made, and how many times I've made them. A lot of these mistakes were made on the same jump and are consequences of those mistakes on the same jump. Needless to say, I intend to put an end to them.

I have the idea of studying it, maybe even reading it each time before I begin my day jumping.

Have a look at the list -- it's not easy to post it but here it is. Whatever opinions you have, please share. Thanks.


- landed way off dropzone after failing to locate it after opening. (once)

- opened in spin, resulting in line twists. (five times)

- lost altitude awareness trying to get stable during student jump, pulling at 4.5 instead of 5.5. (once)

- kiting my canopy, not intentionally. I just found out that can be a hazard. (25 times)

- repeatedly headed downwind too early (approx 20 times)

- landed on or near runway (twice in one day)

- sachéd over landing area (seven times, twice in one day, several days)

- landed downwind (four times)

- piloted over runway under 1,000 (three times)

- turned below 200 (six times)

- gone to the dropzone on a few hours of sleep (ten times)

- failed to flare or flared much too late, resulting in hard landings (four times)

- opened within 50 feet of another jumper (two times)

- came in too high over landing area (15 times)

- landed with legs apart (20 times)

- pulled with belly not completely square to the ground (once)

- tracked too far downwind before pull (five times)

- boarded the plane in a rush, having forgotten my altimeter (once)

- loose chest strap that someone else spotted (once)

- came in too late to landing area, having a close call with trees (four times)



And thanks to y'all at CK patient enough to offer advice.

Paul

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[nate_1979 9]

hmmm.. lets see,

kiting, done it.. (didnt know it was a hazard)
landed in high performance landing area (few times)
almost flew into the side of a hanger on a crosswind landing (once)
landed a canopy that I could not control due to malfunction instead of chopping (once)
landed down wind (couple times)
ate shit on landing (few times)
opened in close proximity to another jumper (twice)
opened and had someone freefall past me because I didnt properly clear my airspace (once)
floated after a cork on a freefly jump almost causing what could have been a fatal collision, we barely missed.. Couple lessons learned there, one being that I should not be up there with other people yet when freeflying (once)
Tracked along the line of flight on some early solos before I knew any better (more than once)

We all make mistakes... Recognize what they are and fix them, you've recognized them, your leaps ahead of some people.

edited to add more crap to the list

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[panzwami 0]

That may seem like a lot, but I would guess that most of the people on here have done at least half the things on that list.

Everyone is going to make mistakes. That's why we have things like AFF and the BSRs. I'm not afraid of people that make mistakes. I'm afraid of people who make the same mistakes over and over, refuse to learn from them, and insist on arguing that it's always someone else's fuck up.

Sounds to me like you're actively trying to make yourself a better skydiver. I can't argue with that.

[airtwardo 7]

kiting, done it.. (didnt know it was a hazard)


***

Okay Nate...can you explain to the class WHY this might be a hazard?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[nate_1979 9]

Quote

kiting, done it.. (didnt know it was a hazard)


***

Okay Nate...can you explain to the class WHY this might be a hazard?

Why's it gotta be like that? I was corrected about this many jumps ago (cuz I have sooo many jumps)

*** Kiting is bad because it creates confusion on the landing area, creates more of an obstical on the landing area, and could cause someone to have a bad day. ***

Or something like that..

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[AdrenalineBluez 0]

The list isn't too terribly long. However, there are lessons I have learned that STUCK!!!!

Toyed with the idea of chopping a step through until below my hard deck and decided to land. It was not as controllable as I thought. *Bruised ego* NO I DIDN'T PACK IT!!!

Went on a dive that I should not have been on 12 way and went low because I couldn't decide if I should open. Everywhere I looked there were people in free fall or opening canopies. 1900 feet when I was in the saddle. Not low for some to be in the saddle but TOO low for someone at 50 jumps at the time. (one time)

Climbed back IN the plane after climbing out on a red light my first time on a camera step. (one time)

Flew under 2 others in a 3 way burble washing both of them. Resulting in minor collisions. (one time)

Made a low turn and ate sh*t because I didnt want to get chewed out for taking a down winder, and breaking the pattern. Got chewed out anyway for being a tard!!! (one time)

Forgot to activate my AAD. (one time)

Forgot to put my face shield down on my A3, and spent 3000ft getting it closed instead of looking where I was going at terminal velocity. (one time)

Ok. I have to stop now... I am thinking I should T.U.G.

In any case. Everyone makes mistakes. Hopefully we learn from them all and become better skydivers. Hopefully we learn enough from ours and others so that we never make "the one".

Dont be too hard on yourself... Focus.. Learn.. Grow... HAVE FUN!!!

"Uh oh! This is gonna hurt!"

[nate_1979 9]

Quote

Forgot to activate my AAD. (one time)

ohhh!! forgot that one... done that twice... one time I did 4 jumps in the same day, realized it was turned off as I was getting ready to leave the DZ

what an awsome thread...

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[airtwardo 7]

*** Kiting is bad because it creates confusion on the landing area, creates more of an obstical on the landing area, and could cause someone to have a bad day. ***


***

Very good...here's your Gold Star, now go back to your seat....and leave little Mary alone!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[nate_1979 9]

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[idoru99 0]

I'm pretty low numbers myself, but I was also under the impression that kiting a canopy in the landing area also disturbs the air behind it potentially causiung "dirty" air for others to fly through. Is this correct or ahve I been misinformed? Thanks.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

The greatest risk you take in life is the risk you don't take.

[mdrejhon 8]

It is hard to completely eliminate mistakes but aim to avoid them, so you have fewer mistakes, and fewer mistakes are easier to learn from since you have more time to study and remember each mistake!

Even the thousand-jumpers make mistakes, learn from them...

I'm sure most jumpers have made at least one of each sometime in their lifetime, if they jump enough. You've also listed several of my mistakes too.

[airtwardo 7]

I'm sure it has an effect.

But I believe the main hazard is the physical obstacal it creates.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Andy9o8 2]

You're displaying the right attitude, looking to learn from your mistakes. CK is one of my favorite DZ's to visit when I'm traveling up North, but between the trees and the encroaching development there aren't a lot of outs to land in. (And if you keep piloting over the runway like that, you're gonna intersect with the Steerman some day.) Any DZ w/o many outs forces low-timers to learn their canopy control skills quickly. Sashaying will definitely get you "talked to" at CK or any busy DZ (rightfully so). I know CK offered a canopy control course there recently, and they have cc seminars from time to time. Take them. They have superb instructors there; go to them and ask for some canopy coaching (and maybe some coaching on those other "issues", too). Not only will you improve yourself as an overall jumper, but you'll be sending the right message to the right people.

[mark 107]

Quote

- pulled with belly not completely square to the ground (once)

If you are at or below pull altitude, pulling is not a screw-up -- regardless of body position.

Mark

[wmw999 2,439]

This is a good thread for learning from others what are mistakes. Not everyone is blessed with an environment that lets them learn what doesn't work in general (it might have worked for them). Ignorance isn't the same as stupidity, so let's fix some of it.

- I began spiraling my canopy at a bigway camp. Not just in traffic, but a bigway camp . Be predictable in the landing pattern.
- I've jumped in winds too high a lot.
- I've sashayed in the landing pattern. Be predictable in the landing pattern.
- I put a whole DC3 load about 1-2 miles from the dropzone at a boogie. If you're not local and it's an unfamiliar plane, that might not be the best time to volunteer to spot.
- I attempted some CRW with someone at a boogie without inquiring as to how many jumps he had. Turns out it was 50. Information is your friend.
- I used my teeth to hold onto a jumpsuit to get a better grip (big jumpsuits). Got the leg, too . Flying better in the first place is a better technique.
- I was part of a 12-way night dive that broke at 2400'. This was pre-Dytters, and we should have been way more aware.

One thing I don't often do is try to stand up when a PLF would be better.

I don't think of pulling unstable and the like as being mistakes. Being unstable is just a matter of learning, pulling unstable demonstrates that you don't let being unstable distract you from what's really important.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[masterblaster72 0]

Quote

between the trees and the encroaching development there aren't a lot of outs to land in. (And if you keep piloting over the runway like that, you're gonna intersect with the Steerman some day.) Any DZ w/o many outs forces low-timers to learn their canopy control skills quickly.

Exactly.It's the reason I go downwind early and don't go in far enough. Early on in AFF I had that off landing, and had to look around for a while for the out area (I was too far from the golf course). I'll just have to confront going farther downwind to get it right. Thanks for the reply.

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[airtwardo 7]

I put a whole DC3 load about 1-2 miles from the dropzone at a boogie.

***

Ohhhh...

That was YOU?!?!?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Elisha 1]

tracked back toward the flight path and almost over a jumper that was opening his canopy

downwinded a landing and didn't PLF correctly (and got banged up)

sasheyd in the landing area on final (I'm guessing this means S-turns) (do this way too often)

Forgot my altimeter (once)

Forgot to turn on my Cypres (once)

landed off - winds were in the high teens though (twice)

probably some others.

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

tracked back toward the flight path and almost over a jumper that was opening his canopy

Holy shit. Glad you're both still alive. Confession: I did something very similar when I was first learning RW. Really unnerved me because (aside from the obvious reason) the first fatal incident of anyone I knew personally was a freefall-into-canopy collision and I swore I'd never let that happen to me. Had about 80 jumps at the time. Oh, how we deceive ourselves.

Quote

sasheyd in the landing area on final (I'm guessing this means S-turns) (do this way too often)

Guilty as charged here, too (but not any more!). When I was jumping back in the 70's & 80's, only about half the jumpers jumped ram-air canopies; many DZ's didn't really have "landing patterns", and S-turns and random spiral-downs were pretty common. When I returned to the sport, 21st Century version, after a many-years hiatus, and then did those things a couple times while blissfully unaware of the pattern, it was a whole new world for me, and I received a serious talking-to pretty damn quick. (I don't do that any more.)

[iwasinkheson68 0]

i like this thread. kinda like a confessional. i've made some pretty stupid mistakes too.

-packed in the dark. had a malfunction. - once
-landed in exp. area when i really shouldn't have - couple of times
-forgotten to turn on aad and then lied to someone about it because i didn't want to look like a moron. once.
-lost altitude awareness on my first half-assed freefly two way (no audible or aad) once. pulled at two five, but that's not the point.
-uneven flares resulting in stoofs that i thought were due to sudden crosswinds. ten times or so.
-jumped with winds of 50mph at 3k. once (and NEVER again. sketchy, really f---ing sketchy)
-illegal two way. once
-jumped a few times i guess, after a heavy night, when i was probably still over the limit to drive.
-oh yeah, and i lied to some girls in a bar about being a BASE cinematographer. is that so bad?

edited to add:

i forgot a biggie, i did an eight way ten days after breaking my elbow, we funnelled the exit, my arm got twisted behind me and it felt like it broke again. my logic was 'i can bend it enough to flare. what's the worst that's going to happen? it's already broken.

[Elisha 1]

Quote

i like this thread. kinda like a confessional. i've made some pretty stupid mistakes too.

-lost altitude awareness on my first half-assed freefly two way (no audible or aad) once. pulled at two five, but that's not the point.

So what was the point? That you lost altitude awareness?

Quote

-illegal two way. once

How was it illegal? That you didn't have your 'A'? If so, then I'm guilty of that too.

[iwasinkheson68 0]

yeah losing altitude awareness definately counts as a screwup, i meant that i still pulled at 2.5 wasn't the point, i didn't take it all the way down to a cypres fire, but i still lost awareness whihch is the main thing.

[wmw999 2,439]

There's a thread in "Safety and Training" called "Stupid things I have done" that's got a lot of the same stuff.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[weegegirl 2]

Cool! I like this thread. Not that these fuck ups are cool, but that you can see that: A) People have made the same or similar mistakes, and B) You can learn from them and become a better/safer skydiver.

What have I done?

- Played chicken with the otter while landing. I was landing after a high pull and knew where every other canopy was. It was dusk, and for whatever reason, my circle of awareness sucked and I didn't notice the very large bird coming right at me.
- Demoed a very small canopy before I was ready for it, and turned 180 low. Ha! How I survived that one, who know? But I did... and that woke me up real fast!
- Got distracted while packing and packed myself a lineover that was totally preventable.
- Took off on a load when the winds were high enough to blow over an outdoor packing tent.
- Misrouted my chest strap just off student status and didn't realize till someone pointed it out as I was getting ready to exit the plane.

So yeah..... don't be so hard on yourself. Just make SURE you learn from your mistakes and mistakes made by others.

[justinb138 0]

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Forgot to put my face shield down on my A3, and spent 3000ft getting it closed instead of looking where I was going at terminal velocity. (one time)

I did that 3 times in 1 day a few months ago.


The first 2 times I didn't notice until freefall seemed kind of windy shortly after exit, and the 3rd time a friend closed it for me while we were hanging on the outside of the otter