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 :-)

I landed in a tree on my second jump, a few kilometres from the landing area (no, I didn't steer or look around to see where I was supposed to land...). I got stuck about 20-25ft above ground and never had the slightest idea about getting out of the harness - I was mortified and feared the canopy would rip apart and I would fall down and die. I had brought my mobile phone and after wapping around for the phone number of my jumpmaster I called in and told them I was ok, but stuck in a tree somewhere I had no idea where was. They searched for me for an hour and a half before finding me, then spent half an hour getting me down. This included cutting my main and praying that they were able to hold me and I was able to cling to the tree fast enough to not fall down. Later they told me they had been in serious doubt about doing this, as the possibility of me falling down was probably around 50/50. Quite scary to think about afterwards. For some reason this encouraged me to continue jumping :-) Pictures from the rescue operation: http://www.geekhouse.no/Gallery/dyva20050430 (No, I didn't open the RSL, as it was too far above/behind my head and sight, and I was too scared to touch anything on my equipment.)

If I was you instructor, I'd be delighted that you went somewhere else to keep current when the local weather stopped you from doing it there. There is nothing as an eager student! (Too many drop out or loose interest or simply don't have courage to go somewhere else e.g. during summer holidays, when activity at many small DZs is low.) You will always be able to give back to them later by spending the sunnier and calmer days there.

If the area isn't exactly flat, be aware that your actual altitude may be quite different from the altimeter (which is adjusted agaist the original LZ) - so train your altitude awareness and be prepared for PLF and downwind or crosswind landings (if you don't have altitude or space for a proper landing pattern). Bring a mobile phone and know the numbers to you DZ.

We (in Norway) learn that we should ALWAYS complete an emergency procedure, and that there is only ONE way to do it (i.e. *we* learn one way, and we stick to it). It's always cut before pull. I know there are conditions where you may want to do different (I saw a security day poster from USPA saying something about this the other day), but we still learn ONE EP in Norway - look look take cut look take pull. I think as a student you should not be concerned about different ways to do it or under what conditions to do what - just cut first, then pull, if that's the EP you have been taught. (Ok, if you for some reason are extremely low and haven't pulled the main yet, then go for the reserve without cutting the main.) And as others have said, ask a rigger or instructor to explain the rig to you. The more you know the gear, the safer you'll feel. I didn't understand how the RSL worked for my first jumps, and refused to release the RSL lock when I landed in a tree on my 2nd jump (ok, not quite sure I am translating what I did into correct English here - I did NOT cut the main, just disconnected the RSL. After all I was dangling about 10 m above ground.). The rigger wasn't too happy about this when they had to cut the main to get me down (it released the reserve, but no harm done else). If I hadn't been too afraid to touch ANYTHING due to fear for falling down I would at least have saved him a reserve pack ;-) The good thing about the tree incident was that I got a throughout explaination of how the RSL and the cut system worked, which was useful :-)

You do have a backup system for your AFF 2-7: Your instructors. Like with other backups: Don't rely on them, but trust that they will be there if you need to rely on them. I forgot to check altitude at regular intervals on one of my first (3rd, perhaps, but it could have been later) AFF jumps, but my instructors never noticed... More important: I noticed myself, and I did check once I was stable (around 12000) and a little bit below 6000 ft. For a more experienced jumper this wouldn't mean much, but since I was supposed to check every 5 second or something like that I was quite stressed when I debriefed afterwards. I was too occupied with doing turns or something like that... My instructors told me not to worry, they thought I had checked altitude and for some reason they didn't notice I didn't, but I stopped doing turns and stuff at the right altitude, and did correct wave-off and pull - and I never forgot to check it later. Now I have about 60 jumps, and I usually check after each manuveur - mainly to get an idea about how much altitude I loose, not because I am worried about suddenly being at 2000 ft. I have only done a handful of jumps with other people yet, but I plan to get an audible soon, since I *know* I may get sidetracked if I concentrate too much (even if I shouldn't). I don't want to rely too much on it, so I am thinking about getting a pro-track and do some (solo) jumps with it strapped so I can't hear it, just to see the accuracy of my altimeter and how fast i actually pull, how much altitude I loose in my track etc. Another reason for not putting it close to my ear yet is that I don't know how I will actually react if it beeps... I want to "test" it without having to hear it first, just to see if we agree about what height I pull at :-) My last but not least reason for wanting an audible is a low pull I did about 20 jumps ago. I don't know what altitude I was on, but I am pretty sure my altimeter was at 3000 when I reached for the hackey (slow openings on my Spectre), and then I suddenly realized I was passing people under canopies. I am not sure if my altimeter got stuck or if my eyes were wrong, but the incident was awfully scary and is another main reason for getting an audible as backup.

I did my pre-second jump (static line) in September 2003, and was really scared afterwards. I don't remember anything from the jump, except landing outsida a really HUGE landing area. According to my instructor I was in foster position - and that's probably right. 5 months later I did a repetition course&test so I could jump again later that spring. It took me 2.5 months to have enough courage to do my second jump after that. I was still scared, but managed better and remember the jump: I was too long at the strut (C-182), and under canopy I did absoluteley NOTHING, except something I *thought* was steering the canopy. As I ended up in a tree, 10 metres above ground, 3-4 km from the dz. I phone my instructor and hung there for 1.5 hours before they located me, then for another 30 minutes before they got a ladder up and cut me down. For my third jump absoluteley all my fear had disappeared - I really had a feeling of mastering, and knew I could do this. (Not that I really could, though - after another 6-7 static line jumps I gave up and switched to AFF, which was a great success.) My advise is to get out to the DZ and have a look. Don't think that you have to jump, just look. If someone asks you why you're there, tell them - perhaps they can calm you don or have some good advise for you? I suppose most of us have some of these stories, and the best thing to do is to face the fear - not necessaily by jumping in fear, but by realizing the fear is there and try to cope with it. The sky is definitely wonderful seen from the middle of it :-)

I did my AFF level 1-7 (9 jumps...) in 3 days - 1 on the first, because I had to leave early, 3 the next and 5 on the last day. My fifth jump that day was at the edge of what I could do, I was really exhausted when I came down. Then I did my last 11 jumps (8 solo+3 hand deployed) in 3 days and got my A-licence. But I had about 10 static line jumps already, so the adrenaline rush probably was less for me than for many of the other students. Adrenaline really exhausts you - when I did my first jump, on a Saturday morning, I was totally exhausted and hardly able to drive home in the evening. I couldn't even think about doing more jumps that day! Another thing is that I find it pretty scary that a person could have her A-licence and be an independent jumper in just a few days and with experience from only one dropzone. Of course experience from several DZ may be a luxury (I did my ~30 student jumps in 5 DZs), but it is certainly very useful to see the practice in other places - or at least have enough time at your only DZ to absorb what's going on around you, not just do an extremely intensive course and all your jumps in 3 days. There is simply so much to absorb and learn, both mentally and physically as well as skills and theory, that the average person should hardly think about it.

I flared ok on my first 10 jumps. Then I for some reason forgot to, until my 48th jump when I was REALLY happy with my flare, just to be told I let go of the toggles too fast. Bah. I know how to do it, I have learned about tree-tops and "FLAAAARE" and sweetspot, I have practiced a lot at high altitude both with student equipment and my own gear, and I can tell when a student (or someone else, for the matter) flares too early or too late and give advise accordingly - I just don't remember to do it myself... But I have never been good at keeping my balance - or perhaps I have just not seen the point in standing all the time - so whether it's height jumping in school, skiing or skydiving I just fall. I have only had a few bruises so far, but, yeah, it's probably just pure luck, I should get a good flare reflex.... And yes, my userpic is an example of a baaaad flare. Or no flare.