good news and bad news

[FliegendeWolf 0]

The bad news is that you all get to tell me "I told you so."
The good news is that it has nothing to do with downsizing and/or wingloading.
I don't think I'm going to be able to wait until August 10 to make my level III. It's been a week and two days since my last jump and I'm getting the shakes. To think of going through two more weeks will KILL ME!

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Wolf
I can understand you going through the shakes if you're having jumpers withdrawl (I'm having withdrawls right now and I jumped twice yesterday). But if the shakes are related to your Level III jump, don't fret. I did my Level III & IV jumps yesterday and the Level III jump is one of the easier jumps you will do in your AFF training.

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

[FliegendeWolf 0]

You were right with the withdrawal shakes! Since you just did it, I have a question. After the JMs let go, are you allowed to practice the turns or the forward motion? The JMs are still nearby, right?
I also want to learn to land better. A question to the general community: on average, how long did it take to get the hang of landing to where you could land standing up?

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Whoohoo! I'm an enthusiast! I'll be buying a cyber-case for you all!

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

, how long did it take to get the hang of landing to where you could land standing up?

That depends on a number of factors, talk to your JMs about it. They watch you land and can tell you specific things about your canopy control that will help you.

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

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Wolf
You might want to talk with your JMs about turns and forward tracking before your Level III jump. But at least the AFF syllabus my drop zone has been following, the turns and forward tracking are done in Level IV. So you'll be doing them very soon.
Also, a word of warning about turns and forward motion. They occur much easier than one might think. So be subtle concerning your arm, shoulder and leg movements. On my Level IV jump, my first left handed 90 degree turn turn out to be more like a 135 degree turn because I was too abrupt with my body movements. And my forward tracking also was a similar experience. I was surprised when my JM told me that I had passed the jump but he said this was because I never really lost control. I was just too abrupt with my manuevers (something I will have to remember next weekend when I continue with my Level V and up jumps).
As far as your landings are concerned, you're not the only one who is wondering how a student can get better. Definitely each landing I've made has progressively gotten better. But I have plenty of room for improvement and I'm thinking that two things are in my way as far as getting better is concerned. The first one would be, that I'm still in the PLF mindset that my first ground school JM put me in. I've got my feet and knees well out in front of me on short final, but I think my weight is aft and I'm not in the mind set yet of at the very last second shifting it slightly forward and running/walking with the landing. The second issue I believe I have is that I'm not a small student (I weigh about 210 lbs without any gear) and while my student canopy is plenty large, I've seen fellow students who weigh a good 40-80 lbs less than me just float to the ground while I don't float very much on short final. But I know I'm going to have to start greasing my landings using my student 290 canopy before I can even think about using a canopy somewhere in the 210 size range (a size I believe that will be good for some one my weight once I gain a little more experience).
Well I've got to run and at least make an effort to get some work done (though my mind is still out at the DZ).

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

[FliegendeWolf 0]

---

You might want to talk with your JMs about turns and forward tracking before your Level III jump. But at least the AFF syllabus my drop zone has been following, the turns and forward tracking are done in Level IV. So you'll be doing them very soon.

---

I actually made a turn to the left, a turn to the right, and a three second forward track for my level II. What was your level II? I was hoping that I'd have some time up there to practice it, especially if I have a few thousand feet with nothing else to do (but this does go back to a post I made on an earlier thread about never paying any attention to just experiencing freefall...maybe that would be a good time to do it!).
Regarding landing, on the first jump, my JMs forgot to turn my radio on, so I came in at half-brakes and flared far too soon. The PLF was fine, though. My second jump, the JM said "Annnnnddddd, flare." I began the flare when he said "flare," but it occurs to me that he might have meant that I should have begun with the "and" and ended as he said "flare." As you guys point out, I'll need to verify this with him when I talk to him. At any rate, I got dragged on the ground a bit on that one. Nothing serious, though.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Wolf
I did turns and forward movement during my Level II jump as well. But the difference was that there were two jump masters holding on to me. In the Level IV jump, there is only one jump master and he/she is not holding on to you. It makes a huge difference when nobody is hanging on.

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

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Oh, maybe I should wait, then.

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[skymut 0]

My suggestion is to focus on the jump at hand, and passing it.
I myself had a bit of a problem with 'porpoise-ing' on my level three. That's basically when you become rigid, instead of relaxed, and you sort of rock back and forth (head to toe) like a boat in wavey water.
Concentrate on relaxing, and having fun. I know for me, it felt strange not to have a JM hanging on my harness.

Matt
A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours.

[Snowbird 0]

Oh yeah I so understand the 'shakes'. I went three weeks between student jumps once, and it was pure torture. So you are not alone in that! I was really beating myself up, doubting myself. And I was useless at work. My body was there, but my brain was in the sky. Actually, that's usually how it is. The smallest distraction and I'm thinking about skydiving not the work at hand.

Good luck staying sane until your next jump...

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Quote

Oh yeah I so understand the 'shakes'. I went three weeks between student jumps once, and it was pure torture. So you are not alone in that! I was really beating myself up, doubting myself. And I was useless at work. My body was there, but my brain was in the sky. Actually, that's usually how it is. The smallest distraction and I'm thinking about skydiving not the work at hand.

This description fits me to a T! All I've been doing at work is messing around on DZ.com!

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[Rdutch 0]

I also want to learn to land better. A question to the general community: on average, how long did it take to get the hang of landing to where you could land standing up?

Its the canopy not you, try a Velocity something small you will land a lot better. How many jumps do you have? 4 No problem you might want to try this 84 your not quite ready for the 79 yet. Oh yeah parody not to be taken seriously. You probably will want to wait until you have 100 jumps like everyone else to try something that small

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!