magnio

Talk to your instructors about canopy control and patterns. You may have misunderstood something from your FJC, or your mind may be able to grasp the facts and details better now. Do a few jumps, then ask another instructor if you still have trouble - sometime you just have to hear it told in another way. But most important: remember that YOU are flying the canopy. The canopy is not flying you. It took me almost 200 jumps to actually realize this, then my landings improved a lot over just a few jumps.

Sounds great! Good look with your first jump :-)

I did the same after 10 S/L jumps where I forgot to arch on most of them. I was really scared about not being able to arch in freefall, but to my relief I only needed a couple of seconds to get stable and arch like a banana.... (The X position took a couple of jumps to de-learn, though.) The learning process is quite different, and while most potential skydivers can probably choose any, some of us are best suited for one of the alternatives. That's life :-) Why do you think not telling your instructors about your former jumps would be a good idea? They will probably notice you are not nervous in the same way as some of the other students, and they will certainly notice that you actually have canopy skills... They have probably also taught former SL students before, so they can tune the training a bit. I was really worried about my arching problems (as well as problems of letting go from the plane), and told my instructors about it. They just said "well, let's give it a try and I am sure you'll do great!" And it worked - 2 seconds and I was like a (grinning) banana ;-)

Dive exits is the only thing I really ENJOY :-) I feel I have much more control when I can dive out, even if I didn't exactly LOOK out on my first 25 or so dive exits. When I was doing the low-alti solo jumps to get my A (we do 6 jumps >8000 (I think), then 2 from 5000 and 3500) I was supposed to exit with the back towards the tailgate, but I couldn't do it. I told my instructor it was no way I was doing that, but I had been stable within 2 seconds on my former dive exits so could I PLEASE try that first? Luckily he said yes :-) I still don't feel quite comfortable with exiting like this, but I accept my position if I am jumping with someone, take a deep breath and try not to think about the exit at all when I am at the ramp. (And yes, I am now suggesting that I stand with my back towards the door, so I HAVE to work with my fear.) I did AFF from a side door plane. I asked if I could do a regular exit at level 7, because I had been a bit unsymmetric, hesistated etc before I finally did a perfect(ish) exit on level 6 and wanted to try once more. I said I was going to finish level 8 (solo) at a DZ with a taildoor plane so I could learn it there, and it was ok for them.

I started to loose my left lense every 10 jump or so - the right one was like glued to my eye. I usually happened after a few hours, when my eyes started getting dry - kapoof, lense gone somewhere above the DZ. It turned out my left eye is a bit smaller than the right one, so the lense didn't fit as well as on the right eye. Now I am getting a smaller one for my left eye. I got dailies to use during Easter, and they fitted very well too - but due to my weird astigmatism I can only we monthly lenses. I didn't have big problems landing without my left lense, though - my right eye is obviously the dominant one! Distance was a bit hard to measure, but I could easily land, and it was also a relief to me that I could see both my altmeter and the airport from 3000ft without lenses (when I closed the right eye). I had been worried about not being able to find my way back in case both lenses escaped... (I have -5.75 and -6.5 left/right.)

I was dead tired after my first SL jump and couldn't imagine doing another jump that day - I guess that's pretty common for first jump, though

I did my level 1-7 in 3 days (plus FJC), I had to redo level 5 and 6. Then I spent a weekend (Thursday night - Sunday afternoon) at a large DZ (with an Antonov 28) and did level 8 (I did 12 jumps), then I got my A-license. As for cold: gee, get used to it! I did 30 jumps in Norway before Easter. When it's -18C on ground, it doesn't feel much colder in air. Just get some good gloves - military winter gloves are generally Very Good (mine say they are good for -60C, and I haven't frozen any of my fingers off, not even when pulling at 5000 in -10C). And woolen underwear next to skin.

I did some really crappy SL jumps before switching to AFF. On my last SL jump I was actually taken back into the plane - with line - because I COULDN'T let go of the plane (and since I was standing on the step with both legs, I didn't climb far enough out and the plane had 3 jumpers in it, they couldn't just tip me off). On the next run the same almost happened, but I managed to let go. This jump REALLY scared me, and I still remember the scared face of my instructor when he desperately tried to get me to let go of the damned plane. So when I was doing my first AFF jump, my biggest fear was that I wasn't going to be able to let go of the plane. I told my instructors about it, and they were just calm and said, "well, give it a try, we'll make sure you jump". And so we did - I did my counting, and felt them hold my suit (and was sure they had forced me out) - and then we were in air. Meeep! Puh. Relief :-) After the jump I asked how my exit had been, "you pushed me, didn't you?" "No, you almost went too early." Oh. I have never had problems jumping out of the plane after that, but it took me about 30 jumps before I was able to look out of the door when I was sitting WELL into the plane, after 45 jumps I dared to jump out with my back first (I always dived before that), and after 50 jumps I was able to look down before jumping without feeling an urge of panic. This Easter I enjoyed 30 seconds at the edge of the door while looking down at the landscape under me :-)

We were taught to start the flare, to about 1/4 down, at tree-top height. Then do the rest of the flare when we thought we hit ground - and never look down, just straight forward. Can't say it worked, but at least it worked better when I consentrated about it... (In fact most students here flare well enough.)

Generally: ask several people. I talked to at least 3 instructors (plus a bunch of freeflyers) about how to sit, and I got different advise from all of them. I tried them for a couple of jumps, and finally I "could" sit (well, for some definition of sit. At least it's not belly down!). All the advise was probably basically the same, but the different explainations helped me understand how to do it. Also get someone to film you, or at least jump with you, so you can see (or be explained) what kind of body position you actually have.

Heh, I did a canopy control jump this Easter and was going to pull at 5000, the wind was quite strong and I was jumping downwind of course. I briefed the pilot and said I was pulling at 5000 and that I was going to have a LONG spot, like 20 seconds after the last group. So there I sat at the door, counting to 20 thousand before jumping, while he got more and more confused - apparently he thought I was kidding about HOW long spot I wanted (he did know I was pulling high) and felt sorry for me because I would be landing FAR out. Of course I didn't. The wind took me and I was above the LZ at 4000ft. So much for experimenting with the canopy to find the most effective glide :-) During Easter we had 16 of 17 jumpers on one load landing out. A large group was doing a track jump, and the pilot was giving them a spot 500 metres from the regular spot, so they could track in. But they jumped 800m *before* the spot, and tracked away from the LZ... It was very tempting to just send a car to see everyone were ok, and let them find their own way back to the DZ!

I landed off the DZ on my second jump. I didn't turn and landed in a tree a couple of km from the landing area. It took them 1.5 hours to locate me, 30 minutes to get me down and another hour to get the canopy down. My JM was REALLY glad I was jumping with a mobile phone and could call them to say I was ok. No, we don't jump with radios. And I am not sure it would have done much difference; I seriously thought I was making turns like I should... it just didn't quite work ;-) For the last 100 jumps I have landed out 3 times, all of them due to bad spot (it's my own responsibility to spot). I found a nice field and was picked up by a car from the DZ every time. I always carry a mobile phone and call the DZ to say where I am. Landing out is something you should prepare for, even if your JM is spotting for you, you are jumping with radio, etc. Ask more experienced jumpers what areas you should aim for and what you should avoid. Don't fly over areas you don't want to land in (at least not under 2000ft) and if you are in doubt you are not in doubt - land out. It's not really something you should fear. During the year I have been jumping I have witnessed lots of people landing out, and not one of them have been hurt. The only sprained ancles and stuff like that have been in the DZ. The most important thing to think about is the wind - look at smoke, flags, trees etc to determine which way it's blowing, and use a regular landing pattern. Avoid obstacles - don't look at them :-) Avoid power lines at all cost - you'd rather land downwind in a tree in a lake than in power lines.

Getting out of the door is just like going into another room. From the small greyish-or-whatever room to the big blue one :-) (Yeah, I got this from someone in a dz.com forum) I was seriously afraid of the door of the Cessna when I was a static line student. The fear was gone when I jumped from a Beaver and it never returned, so I don't know if I was suddenly no longer afraid or if it was the Beaver that caused me "heal". But I was not able to sit next tot he door with an open door when the plane was taxing on ground (at slow speed and we wore seatbelts), and until my jump #35-40 or so I couldn't see down through the open door, not even before my own jump (I just stared straight forward when I jumped, and anywhere but at the door when other were jumping). Once I was out, the fear was completely gone, and I never had trouble looking down in freefall. Another point about the damned door: you only have to think about it for a few seconds, maybe 5, when you are climbing out of it. Drill your movements (not like you drill EP, but enough to now having to think about where to put your legs and hands to get out), and focus on the moments before and after: your JM telling you to go to the door, the hotel check, etc. Try not to focus on the door at all for your next jump. (Your instructors will probably tell you if they find out after your jump you NEED to focus on it.) Talking to them about your fear is also wise, of course - I am 100% certain they have heard about this fear before and probably have a trick or five to teach you :-)

During summer, when there are too few people to jump at the regular DZ, we jump at a farm not far from the regional airport. As long as we land in the grass fields and generally try to follow the field tracks out of the field rather than using shortest path he's happy with us. Apparently he lets us use his fields to annoy his neighbours - they probably don't like the plane, so I think he enjoys annoying them a bit ;-) (I don't think it's very serious, though, usually they are at nice terms, and when I was stuck in a tree in someone's forest last spring, a bunch of them went out with ropes and latters to get me down.) (And I *think* they weren't after *me* with them ;-))

I have 75 jumps (since May last year, so I guess it makes me kind of current) and I can still count my standing landings on one hand ;-) But I have never been hurt - there have been some hard landings, and my knees usually have a green-blueish pattern, but nothing worse. I have usually forgotten (yes) to flare or flared just halfway down (and I HAVE practiced them in air, plenty of times, so I know how the canopy reacts to it). ALWAYS gather your knees. No matter what you do, knees together. Two close legs are 6 (I think) times as strong as one to land on. My legs are usually tight at around 100 ft, and remain so. Practice flare again and again and again high up (above 2000ft), and remember you need about 10 seconds of straight forward movement with your canopy to get the most out of it (highest speed - ok, for your currency and experience, that is :-)) so have a straight landing pattern. Take your toggles 1/4 down at treetop height (or rooftop or whatever you can see if you glance straight to the side or *straight* forward) and start the rest of the flare *when you think you are touching ground*. HOLD YOUR HANDS DOWN when you you are finished - never ever let go of the toggles before you're down. ANd keep the knees together and prepare for PLF. Having someone film and debrief your landing will probably be very useful, too. Try to think of what you THINK you did and then see what you actually did. As for radio, that's not common in Norway and I never used one (except on my 10th jump when I changed DZ). We're on our own and it tends to go well. Blue skies - I am off for some nice winter skydiving in -15C now :-)