WooHoo passed level 1

[DivinDon 0]

Well we finally had some good weather and after visiting the DZ for about 2 weeks,watching DZ get all the gear back out,I had went out this past week and took pics of landings even got to sit in on a flat packing class Thursday that I was thankful for being able to observe Sat. went out to take more pics,weather was nice blue skies with a few puffy clouds but winds were up and I decided not to start that first class yet after 2nd or 3rd load DZO approached me and asked if I was jumping and I told him i was going to sign up for the aff course the next morning 9:00 am what I had been looking foward to since my last tandem in Oct.2002 was really going to happen.I arrived at 8:00 am just busting at the seems.The class went well and I was ready to be manifested DZO grabbed me to watch him talk in 3 aff students and see how my approach would be.Then it is my turn went through dive flow and emergency sequences over and over on the ground and I felt nervous but quite ready to make my first jump.We exit the plane at 13000 I had this feeling like we were going to start a head down dive I arched hard and felt as if we were stable I checked alt. and JM's I then got a legs out sign which I responded quickly did my PRCP's first 2 JM helpd 3rd I got on my own looked at alt. again 7500' I got another legs out sign reacted quickly and then it happened I received a pull sign from reserve side JM totally threw me off I looked over at main side JM got no reaction looked back at reserve side got pull sign again and it registered I looked at alt we were at 6000' reached back and pulled.Opening was nice and soft canopy was good and it was now time to enjoy the view what a beautiful sight it was did well under canopy and had a stand up landing to top it off.As soon as I touched ground I was looking for resrve side JM as he approached I told him I did not lock on and he told me that we had to pull high to make the DZ which was a relief to here since I was worried about my alt awareness I had missed pulling on my last 2 tandems so now I will wear the tape out that I had done I seen I have some things to work on for sure but will have a ball getting them worked out I will keep posted on how things go.I must say that reading over the winter and watching a lot of video sure helped so thanks to all who take the time to help someone new to the sport.


PEACE


Don

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Hey Don

Congrats on your first (beer) solo landing jump. Don't fret about the reserve JM giving you the pull sign. The same thing happened to me when I did my Level One. But one thing that you should have done was pull right away as soon as the JM gave you the signal (instead of checking the main side JM). But other than that, good job and good luck with the rest of your training.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[DivinDon 0]

yeah I mentioned that to him about pulling as soon as I seen it the first time I was just thrown off knowing alt. was good but never the less pull as soon as you see the sign looking foward to the next one though can't hardly wait I'm so anxious


Peace


Don

[btucker 0]

yeah baby. When is stage2?

[DivinDon 0]

I was hoping for this weekend but the weather may turn sour but I know how I am I will get back asap.On another note would it be wise to make more than 1 aff jump per day or should I make 1 jump study video and give myself time to see what needs worked on instead of going right back up,after my first jump one of the guys packing asked if I was going back up for level 2 is that odd or should I go ahead and schedule more than 1 aff jump provided the first jump goes well .Any info would be appreciated


Thanks Don

[Muenkel 0]

Thanks Don for sharing this. Keep us informed.

Chris

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Chris

[JohnJug 0]

I am no expert here, but I say if you can afford it go ahead and do more than one in a day. It gives you a chance to really get down what the body position feels like without having a week between jumps to let your muscle memory get lax. Still do your debriefs and think about your jump between dives, but go for it. I did aff 1 and 2 on the same day, and it worked out just fine.

You come from nothing. You go back to nothing. What have you lost? Nothing!

[DivinDon 0]

Will do Chris this is way better than I ever thought possible.


John maybe I will swing level 2 and 3 on the same day provided everything goes well with level 2 I didn't give it a thought when I did level 1 but will take advantage of it my next jump thanks.


Peace Don

[KenKnight 0]

Quote

On another note would it be wise to make more than 1 aff jump per day or should I make 1 jump study video and give myself time to see what needs worked on instead of going right back up,after my first jump one of the guys packing asked if I was going back up for level 2 is that odd or should I go ahead and schedule more than 1 aff jump provided the first jump goes well .Any info would be appreciated

I always tried to do more than 1 level a day, and found it more important to do that when things didn't go quite right. (didn't want to leave the DZ on a negative note)

Decided after my first jump that I needed to save up until I could complete my AFF in a shorter period of time rather than stringing it out. So after a couple of months away, I had to repeat my level 1. One of my toggles was stuck on opening and wouldn't release. Ended up having to cut away. Went up the same day and did levels 2 & 3. Felt that if I didn't go right back up, I might not.

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D28695 PoPs #9237
"Mix ignorance with arrogance at low altitude and the results are almost guaranteed to be spectacular"
— Bruce Landsberg

[DivinDon 0]

Thanks Ken I waited til now to start my aff because I did not want to start it then have to stop for winter since traveling was not in the picture.I now am ready to get my journey started.hope everything goes as planned I plan on getting a lot of jumps in before the next snow fall I did hear talk of someone bringing in a wind tunnel that would be a valuable resource this summer have my fingers crossed anyways.Thanks again Don