My first free fall

[Orange1 0]

OK – other posters on the forum have said “go ahead” to stuff like this. To the experienced guys, well yes you’ve probably seen it a thousand times – so don’t read further if you don’t want another long rambling newbie account raving about something that is second nature to you by now ----

Well – it was the weekend. THE weekend, that I would do my last DRCP and my first free fall. I was so excited and nervous all at the same time!
The weather… all the way to the drop zone (about 170km/100 miles) there was low dark cloud, fog, intermittent bits of rain. It WASN’T looking good. But the skydiving gods were smiling, because as I climbed the mountain pass that would lead to the valley the DZ is in I saw my first bit of blue sky… and the valley itself was under glorious blue skies with the odd bit of cloud . A couple of loads had already gone up by the time I got there. I was suddenly really nervous: if this DRCP went well, I would have to free-fall!! Aargh! The DRCP went well… but an instructor watching my landing wasn’t happy with my canopy control (ok, fair enough, I did go through a tree ). I explained the wind had suddenly dropped and I overshot; he explained by now I should be able to compensate for that. (He was right of course – I just needed a bit of a wake-up call about taking real control.) He didn’t want me going up for first F/F worrying about landing as well. So I did another – with a perfect on-target, stand-up landing.
And what a cool bunch of guys on my DZ, it was very quiet cos most of the guys were away for a wedding, they made sure they got a load together so I could do another DRCP, and then organised that there would be a load next morning (first FF must be done within 24 hours of last SL). With no more loads going up that day, we relax a bit before I get the free fall briefing (which starts with: you’ve just said goodbye to one mal (static-line hang-up) and hello to a whole lot more ). I take the opportunity to refresh a lot of stuff and ask a lot of questions (some of them initiated by discussions on these forums).
I started getting really nervous that night, but everyone was cool and supportive, and next morning I was AMPED!! It felt a bit weird to put on a rig with no SL – my “comfort blanket” was gone. But it’s exactly the same jump as I’d done the previous times. I got a gear check. The weather was glorious as we walked out to the plane. My heart starts racing but not too badly, if that makes any sense! The plane starts up, taxis then turns for the take-off … that glorious smell of AvGas comes in, we all lean towards the front of the plane and then we’re in the air. It’s all the same and all different, and at 1000ft it feels a bit weird to not get my static line hooked up…. I start wondering if I really want to be a skydiver after all, but tell myself the only way I’m getting back down to the ground is by jumping out the door . My JM will put me out at 4500ft, presumably to give me an extra bit of comfort - I know I’ve got an extra 1000ft than usual. I start focussing on my exit.
Then we’re on jump run, the pilot cuts, my heart starts beating faster but my actions all seem very calm – I’m kind of on autopilot. Sitting in the door (C207T), and the relative wind and propblast that seemed so overpowering on my first few jumps hardly even register, and it seems to take FOREVER before the “GO!” command comes.
When it does, there’s no hesitation. I jump out, and the arch is good, and I’m staying on heading cos there’s no line jerking me when it deploys my chute, and then I’ve got the ripcord in my hand and I’m being pulled upright, and I’m looking up and I’ve already been told the canopy opens more slowly than on the SL rigs, so for the first time I actually look up to see not a fully open canopy but the last few cells inflating and the slider coming down. I can’t help myself and shout “yeee-haaaa”! Then - Oh SH*T! It’s not perfectly square – the PC has wrapped itself around a line at the front, and there’s a little kink. But the canopy feels fine. I do the control check, watching carefully for any signs of problems with the cells inflating as I turn, but it behaves perfectly. I decide I can land it but – also knowing I’ve got a bit more height than usual – I give it some more, quite hard turns just to check again. It’s fine, and I’m higher above than the DZ than I’ve been before, but I can still read the words on the hangar roof .
I know the sky is my own cos the rest of the guys are going up to altitude (on a 207, remember) (but I still check all the time, just in case). I look at the pretty mountains, I practise some flat turns, I do some S’s, and then time for landing – almost no wind, I land on target, I stand it up.
Walk back to the hangar, there are my husband and kid (was it REALLY such a good idea to have them around on my first FF??!!) and the first thing I say is – “I’m a real skydiver now!”. I put the canopy down for packing and go back out to watch the other guys come down, and think of the day when I can downsize a bit and have such fun on the way down too . My JM lands and says to me “that was one of the best first FFs I’ve seen!” – not only says it, he writes it in my logbook. I feel like the kid who got the gold star in first grade. Now there’s a little ceremony I have to go through, involving beer, a new t-shirt, and a pledge to become the best skydiver the club has seen. I’m told the smile will stay on my face for two weeks. They’re right. But now those 2 weeks are up, and I’ll be back for more tomorrow .

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[mnealtx 0]

Great writeup.... congrats on your first freefall!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[rasmack 0]

Congratulations!
It means a lot not being tied to the plane anymore.

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[vt1977 0]

Congratulations! First freefall is an amazing feeling and you will never forget how scared you were beforehand or the sense of achievement afterwards.

Here's to many more...
You did buy , right???

Vicki

[Peej 0]

Congratulations, that's awesome!

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[tdog 0]

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OK – other posters on the forum have said “go ahead” to stuff like this. To the experienced guys, well yes you’ve probably seen it a thousand times – so don’t read further if you don’t want another long rambling newbie account raving about something that is second nature to you by now

I went thru AFF, and so did everyone I know that is a younger jumper (younger in jump years, not birth years.) Well I know some military guys who did SL, but their stories are different...

So, it is nice to read stories about other people's experiences that are different than your own.

I found the part about the canopy and tree to be telling about the priorities of static line progression.

I personally have told people that I doubt I would be skydiving today if my only choice was SL... I just had a "hang up" about being attached to the plane by anything... Call me silly, but it still seems intimidating to me, and I question if someone gave me a SL rig, if I would even jump SL today... So, keep posting your experiences, perhaps even a synopsis of all your jumps when you graduate, so us AFF guys can see how the other half lives.

Thanks for posting.

[Orange1 0]

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I found the part about the canopy and tree to be telling about the priorities of static line progression.

I personally have told people that I doubt I would be skydiving today if my only choice was SL... I just had a "hang up" about being attached to the plane by anything... Call me silly, but it still seems intimidating to me, and I question if someone gave me a SL rig, if I would even jump SL today... So, keep posting your experiences, perhaps even a synopsis of all your jumps when you graduate, so us AFF guys can see how the other half lives.

Thanks for posting.

Do you mean in terms of canopy control? Yes - but they need to be happy with your exit and stability before they let you DRCPs, and then almost 100% happy with those before you freefall. I think I kinda like this, cos when i start doing the various FF tasks I won't be worrying about those, AND the exit, AND (normal) stability, AND flying and landing... Having said all that, what I've picked up with these forums is that almost everyone is most comfortable with what they went through themselves!! I did think about switching to AFF after my first few jumps then decided to stick with SL, for the reasons above.
But sure, if it's not gonna bore you all to tears, I can update the progression every so often

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[wmw999 2,534]

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was it REALLY such a good idea to have them around on my first FF??!!)
...My JM lands and says to me “that was one of the best first FFs I’ve seen!” – not only says it, he writes it in my logbook.

Yes, it was a good idea to let them share your joy with you -- you kicked ass! Congratulations. I can remember my first freefall clearly; it was an awesome jump, and it sounds like yours was too.

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)

[tdog 0]

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Do you mean in terms of canopy control?

Yes... Read what Skratch and Brian Germain think about AFF... They both have posted publicly that they think AFF is making good freefallers and bad canopy pilots.... I have seen both of them advocate SL... Search their posts for their exact words, I don't want to put works into their mouth... You are the first student I have heard make a comment that seems to support their claim - that with SL you don't move on until the canopy control is ready.

Hey DZ.commers... Please, I think I might have opened a can of worms... Comments about this controversial SL vs AFF issue should be posted to one of those threads about canopy control you can find in the searches. I really don't want to hijack Orange1's experience here...

[Orange1 0]

[replyYou are the first student I have heard make a comment that seems to support their claim - that with SL you don't move on until the canopy control is ready.

[gordy 0]

Awesome, glad to enjoyed....

[Snowbird 0]

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing/reading the excited accounts from new jumpers. And there is so much more to come! Your account is very well written, a joy to read.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

[kelpdiver 2]

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Do you mean in terms of canopy control?

Yes... Read what Skratch and Brian Germain think about AFF... They both have posted publicly that they think AFF is making good freefallers and bad canopy pilots.... I have seen both of them advocate SL...

If SL means that there's a guy on the ground critiquing all of the landings, then it makes more sense. I'm not sure one's progression to free fall should be held back though - they can still improve their canopy skills at the same pace. But it's true that once I was past AFF onto solo jumps, I rarely got feedback, and was landing a mile away at the student LZ.

Orange - what's the standard for landing accuracy your instructors want to see? Keep having fun!

[Orange1 0]

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If SL means that there's a guy on the ground critiquing all of the landings, then it makes more sense. I'm not sure one's progression to free fall should be held back though - they can still improve their canopy skills at the same pace. But it's true that once I was past AFF onto solo jumps, I rarely got feedback, and was landing a mile away at the student LZ.

Orange - what's the standard for landing accuracy your instructors want to see? Keep having fun!

I don't think it's having someone watch "officially" but it's a small DZ with the student landing area very close so there always ends up being someone watching. (Acually - maybe it is "official" because we're told not to worry if we land out, someone will always come to fetch us.) The basic standard for landing at this stage is not so much accuracy as safety. The instructor's point in this instance seemed to be that students are nervous enough doing first FF and being more confident in landing makes it less nerve-wracking.

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.