AFF and Aircraft.

[skygal3 0]

While at the dz this past weekend I overheard someone mention being able to choose the aircraft you want to jump from while at manifest. The super otter is primarily flown, however there are two cesnas as well. Here's my Q...should an AFF student who starts jumping from the otter at some point during her progression try the cessna, (while she has an instructor present), or should she wait until she is out of her student status? For the record, I have never been in any aircraft other than the fabulous dehaviland super otter at this point..and those cessna babies look awfully tiny!(but the idea of hanging from the wing gives me a funny tickle in my belly that makes me wanna try it soon!)

[AggieDave 6]

Wind is wind, right?

And Relative Wind is still Relative Wind, so don't worry about it and realize that when you finally jump a cessna (which is what I normally jump out of and really enjoy jumping, btw), that all you have to remember is where the relative wind is and fly it.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skygal3 0]

certainly. But think back on your newbie nerves..maybe experiencing a new (and tiny) aircraft on top of a students objective in whichever category would be too much at once? I dunno..I had already done a tandem out of the otter (which was my first time in the plane, btw) prior to my first AFF jump so I was comfy with my surroundings. Aw heck, maybe I just need to make an observer ride in the cessna before I decide to try it then no big deal, right? But that would mean I would have to land for once in the plane! NO!!!

[lazerq3 0]

Hey I know what your going through....I learned in a cesna 182 and 206 and everything was great , and then when we had a supper otter come to town my first question was ."do we all get to jump it or is it just for like D lic poeple...I dont have to tell you the laghs I got from that!! Anyway when I saw it parked out side the hanger all I could think of was "thats a BIG plane" and was really nervous !!! But once I jumped out after that,,it was all good....!! So I guess what I'm trying to say is that you just havet to try it cause it is fun crawling around that strut at 10000 or what ever ft!!! Even though we jump a caravan I still sometimes miss going up in the little planes and stacking 5 jumpers on the wing!! GOOD TIMES!!!
jason

Freedom of speech includes volume

[darkvapor 0]

One thing to consider is jump run altitude. Most 182's can't get to the same heights as a turbine. Only time I jumped a C-182 was on my AFF-2, and we were only able to get up to ~10k (after a long climb). Something to think about is freefall time. When you are on AFF, I would think you would want as much working time as possible. Getting to jump at 13k or even higher might be a good thing, especially if you have trouble getting stable quickly.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Not sure about everywhere else, but we only fly our Cessnas to ten-five. It just takes too much longer to quantify climbing an extra two thousand feet, especially in hot weather. That said, it's just as easy to do AFF out of a Cessna 182. I find both exits equally easy as an instructor.

Chuck

[andy2 0]

I'm still going through AFF, but Im the opposite way from you, the cessnas are much less intimidating to use. My first jump was from a king air, and that was pretty scary/fast. After that I jumped a few times from a cessna, and it was so mild in comparison, just hang on and kind of let go, as compared with the king air where you're swept out of the freaking door! Its all good.

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[AggieDave 6]

Since I started in 182s, they didn't bother me...now when I got on a King Air at 20 jumps, yup, I was nervous.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[AggieDave 6]

Gypsy (one of our 182s) usually flies to 11k, sometimes to 12 or 13k depending on conditions and load weight. Its also the fastest/strongest climbing 182 I've ever seen (that wasn't a turbo).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[oldnewbie 0]

I think that during your training, you might want to make one jump out of the 182. The only planes that I had jumped out of were otters, and skyvans. Then the last time i went I was in a Porter. During the ride up all i could think of was (besides how small this is) how do we exit out of here. I was lucky, I was the last one to exit, so i just did what everybody else did!!! Now that i have to find a home dropzone, i'm sure that they will have a 182 to jump out of. I don't have a clue how to do this (i have seen some posts on this) but i suspect that I will do OK!!!lol But i wish that i had jumped one 182 during training. Although i do hear that they will seem to take forever and then some to get up to altitude!!!! I think we had 9 in the porter, and having student gear, it sure is cramped in there! I wonder how many they can stuff in a 182!!

[skygal3 0]

I think you're right..I saw the cessnas sitting there and all I could think is how extremely frightening they looked! But that just makes me want to try them even more...

I do love our otter though. It is such a great plane.

[oldnewbie 0]

The funny thing is, i'm a pilot and i've flown 182's, i just can't seem to figure out how to jump out of them!!

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

Hello Skygal3!
When I jumped my final AFF level, I went to my old dropzone on a weekday when no one was there to jump out of a cessna for the 1st time. I had only jumped out of a King Aire on my previous levels. You know what? It was relaxing and fun! I currently love the Otters the best, but I personally look forward to jumping out of many different planes, helicopters, balloons, etc. Why not try them all, Skygal?

[hawkbit 0]

I can relate to this... I did my tandem and level 1 thru 3 AFF out of a king air and when I went to do my level 4 it was during a weekday and we had to take the Cesna up. I remember that the whole idea of learning to exit a new aircraft on top of the dreaded level 4 (seems like everyone was having probs with that level) made me nervous as hell .
However, after I made the jump (and passed) I decided that the cesna was pretty cool after all, even if it does take forever to get to altitude Like other people have already said, air is air, so once you are out of/off the plane and down the hill it is all the same.
I would say go for it, but if the idea really makes you nervous and you don't want the extra stress then wait till after aff and try it out. Either way you will find that it wasn't that big of a deal, but hindsight is a whole lot different than staring a new situation in the face.
Whatever you decide, just remember to smile and have fun

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You don't quit playing because you get old, you get old because you quit playing"

[dterrick 0]

Quote

the idea of hanging from the wing gives me a funny tickle in my belly that makes me wanna try it soon

May I?

Cessnas (Cessnae?) Rock!! I've only jumped the KA at Hollister (that rocked too) but there's something about being sardined into a flying soupcan with 3 of your (now) closest friends for 20-25 minutes, fighting every wee waft of turbulence and then exposing HALF the right side of the plane to 'Out There', sticking half the weight of the plane in people on a litle aluminum step, and thinking it will all go well. It has for me...

...except the time it almost stalled on jumprun

I think that , like learning to drive on a rented Mercedez Benz when you have only afford a beater Chevy, that learning on a turbine from 13,500 jades you for the simpler, poorer life. (yes, I'm jealous )

Dave

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[pilotdave 0]

I made my first jump from a 182 then did the rest of AFF out of a king air. I found the 182 a LOT trickier. Course it was my first jump and all... But you've got a lot less room to move around, and just getting in position to exit can be pretty stressful. It's sort of a dance to get out there. Lot more to remember than the kingair exit: "step left." I don't see a benefit to switching to a 182 for one jump. Once you're off student status and jumping solo, there's nothing all that complicated about exiting a 182 anyway.

And hanging from the strut is great. But thank goodness I've been able to make most of my jumps from a twin otter.

Dave

[BenGriffiths 0]

Cessna's Rock - They may be small and slow but their nice a/c!!!!

If your on AFF however (as most people have already pointed out) most DZs only send cessna's to 10 grand. In each AFF you want as much working time as possible if you are not 100% confident.

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Ben G
Still Sinking :-(

[kingbunky 3]

i never jumped anything but a 182, and i did the full pff course out of it last summer. they are fun, and like others have siad, you get to spend quality time with 3 (or 4) of your new best friends on the way to altitude. we go to 10.5 most of the time, but 12's are done if conditions permit. (meaning if the dzo is on the load!). we have a pretty solid line on an otter for july, if it comes through, it will be the first (beer!) time an otter has flown skydivers in the maritimes. i'm scared half to death (but really looking forward to) jumping a big turbine for the first time!

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[Luv2Fall 0]

I don't think I would like a 182 as I'm 6'4". For me, a King Air is decent but the Otter rules.

[PhreeZone 20]

I'm 6'3" and a 182 is'nt an issue. A plane is nothing more then an elevator to the top. If you start getting picky on your ride, you never know when your ride will break and leave you with nothing but the Cessna. 182's are nice for clear and pulls, I'd prefer to freefall out of something faster though

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[QTPi 0]

Hey Skygal3
I did my entire AFF on a C-182 and in fact it is the only thing I've jumped to this day with the exception of a boogie last Sept where I jumped a CASA. You should have seen my eyes when I saw that CASA! It was as big as a house!
I love the 182 although as a student sometimes I found it hard to get comfortable depending on where I was sitting. I think that was just student nerves thinking back on it because I can get comfortable anywhere in the plane now. If you have a chance, jump one. Like the Aggie said, once you leave the plane, it's all the same.
Just make sure your fellow riders haven't had beans for dinner!! It can get bad in a small plane!

--
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. -Oliver Wendel Holmes

[pilotdave 0]

It's sort of funny... as a pilot, I consider 182s to be NICE planes. They're high performance, complex aircraft. They're just one or two steps above anything I normally get to fly. I'll be starting to fly Grumman Tigers next month and they're described as almost being in the same league as a 182, but not quite (similar cruise speed but much less payload). But when I'm jumping, I think of 182s as dinky little pieces of crap. It's all about perspective.

Dave

[Thanatos340 1]

I started my AFF Training in a Porter and then got lucky enough to a jump from a CASA on lvl 5. The DZ went through some restructuring and a 182 has been the only option for my last couple jumps.
I was really nervous about crawling out on the step and hanging from the strut but found it to be the easiest exit. Really Cool because you are already in the relative wind, just let go and arch.
Yes, the ride up is Long and umm.. Cozy but the exit is the easy part once you past the crawl out on the wing part.

[wintermute 0]

I did my AFF Level 1,2,3 and 6 out of a 182. The first step was a doozy!

[johntheking 0]

I guess it was really kind of a nice thing- I started my AFF in a Porter, then finished in an Otter. My first couple of solos were from a Super Otter, and a DC-9. I did my latest jumps out of a Skyvan. The mix has been interesting, and there are things about each that I really enjoyed, and value having learned. I surely advocate jumping all the planes you can go up in; it may broaden your confidence and skills, and certainly seasons you as a jumper. I wouldn't hesitate, at this point, to climb into any aircraft that was sky worthy.
John