tiedye

Not sure how you're exiting, but when I did it, we had to hang from the wing strut. Very good instructor suggested one of the things to picture is that you're standing on a beach ball on your tip toes trying to reach up to something. Or, try thinking of how the gymnasts in the olympics end their routines- feet together, arms wide apart. (Feet should be shoulder width apart but picturing them together will help with the kicking and help you not fall spread eagle.) Or that Nestea commercial where the guy falls back into the pool in slow motion...try and picture something in your mind that has the right body position and is relaxing. Look up at your JM and not down at your feet, you don't have to worry about the ground until later. Don't worry about comparing skills on jump numbers with other people, everyone is different. And from what some people have said, it seems that alot of people who had the most frustrating starts end up to be the ones most skilled in the long run. What have your instructors suggested? They should have some tips, I'm sure you're not the first guy to try to run all the way to the ground.

A good thing for you to do is make a list of all the things you are concerned about and bring it to your FJC. The FJC spends alot of time going over how to determine if you have a malfunction or not and what to do to fix "problems' including what to do with 2 canopies out (this is not always a good thing..more is not always better). It may touch on how an AAD works (it doesn't cut away your main, it deploys your reserve), but if they don't explain it to your satisfaction, have them address your questions at the end of the class. I'm not sure how in depth your FJC will go into AADs- the one I took didn't go into it much because they want students to learn emergency procedures and not rely on a device to deploy the reserve for them. Alot of people are overwhelmed with their first jump, so the FJC drills in the stuff you really need to know to start and builds on the information on your subsequent jumps. Don't try to overthink things, and don't expect to learn everything you will ever need to know about skydiving in the FJC. Alot of people have a hard enough time just getting out of the plane, so while you may be able to take in and retain alot of information, other people can't. There are many stories of students who do their first jump, perform maneuvers under canopy, land in the bowl but don't remember anything after leaving the plane. Don't stress yourself out, learn your EPs, ask questions and listen to your instructor, trust your gear....and have fun.

Bunkhouse?