mountainman 0 #1 August 26, 2001 OK all.......I finally have enough energy to write about all my jumps. I didn't last night, cuz I was just too damn tired. OK, here goes....Laura and I drove down to the DZ on Friday afternoon after I got out of doing my student teaching thing. All the way down there I was so excited because I thought that if we have lots of loads going up, I will be able to get 20 jumps in and get my A license.We arrived and everything looked good. We manifested for the first load with two coaches and then got geared up. We headed out to the plane with our coaches (Jaybird and Wes). We got in the plane and Wes and I sat in the back while Laura and Jay sat in the front as they were to go first. Both of us were on the backward and forward movement and Wes had decided that he would just track and me and I needed to stay away from him. So, in the plane ride up (C-182), I just visualized my dive. It was our turn to go and I did a dive exit and Wes dove out right after me. I got stable but didn't see Wes. I slowed down a bit and soon after he swooped down in front of me and started tracking towards me. I put myself into a hard backslide and saw him about 10 ft away tracking his ass off while I was backsliding. He waved the dive over at 4500', so I turned and tracked away and dumped. This was a fun skydive, but they just kept getting better.I stood up my landing about 10m from the peas and Laura did the same!! I am so proud of her. She used to land them all on her butt, but now stands them all up (usually softer than me).After this jump on Friday, the clouds started moving in and they only got one hop-n-pop load up. Oops! We were the only load up......SWEET!!!Saturday morning comes and we are all talking about when and what to jump. We decide to go manifest and we get on the first Cessna load since the Twin Bo doesn't have enough people yet. So, it is me, Laura, Jay(bird), and Jonny Stewart (one awesome canopy pilot). We all get on this load and Jay and I are going to exit last. We are going to do a side-slide and 180's jump on this one. As we exit, me dive and him facing me on the step, we get no more than 20' of seperation. I remember seeing his face as we go down the 'slope". What a feeling! When we get the same fall rate, I notice that he is flying with a hard arch, hands behind his back and his feet on his ass (Pro Track said 134mph on 2nd half and I was doing sideslides). When we get face-to-face, he nodded, and I turned 90 and slid towards him, turned 180 and slid again, and repeated until about 4500' and broke, tracked and dumped. I came in for this landing and stood it up in the peas! Yeah, doggy!!After this, we manifested for the Twin Bo and got our gear back on. I was to be with Keith and Laura was with Jay. My jump was a coach dive - dive-n-dock, 360's, chaser, compressed accordian jump. Heheh....sweet. We all loaded up on the plane and headed off. We got 13,100' on this one which was SWEET!! He hung out the door and I followed him out on exit. I got unstable for a sec since I'm got "un"used to the jetblast riding in Cessnas so much, but got stable and sped up to match his fall rate. We docked and then I moved back. I did a 360 left and then another one right. He backslid and I followed him and did a compressed accordian on his left side. I moved back, checked alti (5000') and decided to end the skydive. We turned 180 and tracked and dumped. Coming into the landing pattern, I saw that it was a good spot. I decided to head for the peas again. I came in nice a straight and......STAND UP IN THE PEAS AGAIN!! This is awesome!!Now, I have to get this packing thing wrapped up. I packed up my gear and someone else wanted to jump it. This was my first "real" pack job by myself, so I said "HELL YA!! Hope it works!". He jumped it, lived, it's all good. So, he brought it back and I packed it again. We manifested for a load and decided that we would do back-ins. Keith and I exited at about 12000' and I got stable, and then moved in for a dock. I turned 180 and moved back until he grabbed my legs and shook. I trurned another 180, docked, went back into 180 and then backslid again. I kept backsliding, wonder where on Earth (hahah) he was. He flew over me and moved back in front of me.......ok. So, I flew at him and did a compressed accordian again on his left side. I moved back, turned, and tracked away. I dumped but had some bad line twists and a hung up slider. Jay said that I was still going down under lines twists at 2200'. Oops!! Must've packed it wrong. Oh well. Got those out and landed safely.After that jump, I didn't think that we were going to have time to jump again. That was my 20th jump and I wanted to go one more time to get signed off for packing and be done with all. So, I told Johnny that I'd pack another rig. He said that if I packed it, jumped it, and it worked, he would sign me off. So, I went and packed it, but half-way done I heard LOTS of rain. Damn!! Oh well.......I kept packing and then took the rig outthere. I manifested on the next load with Jaybird just in case the weather cleared. We got a big hole above the DZ and manifest decided to go ahead with the load. Woohoo!! Jason and I decided to do a ATTACHED exit and then do a full-blown chaser dive. We got in the door and I took grips by his shoulders, he grabbed one of mine, plus the door. Exit count.....GO!! We went on the slope PERFECTLY and I just looked at him and smiled big. We leveled out and I matched the fallrate by flattening (remember his last one with me with his arms and legs behind him....no more). He started to side-slide back and forth and then I just followed him. He started to orbit around me so I just turned a slow 360. Man, that was awesome. Then, we docked and we called it over at 5000' since it was a long spot. I turned, dumped, and IT WORKED!! Woohoo!! No twists or anything!! I landed way out and had to hoof it back. Anyone who knows Richmond, I landed past the Tet and on the otherside of the runway (almost hit the runway).I got back and everyone was SO excited!! I had 21 jumps now and all my reqirements done except the written. I went back inside and tried to take it all in. It was so great to know that I had accomplished this.I didn't know if I wanted to take the written test since I hadn't studied or anything, but went ahead and did it. I read the SIM's twice about 10 months ago, but hadn't done so since then. Oh well......I took it and got a 90%. I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING NOW!!! We filled out my app and faxed it to USPA last night. I am so STOKED!! Also, Laura is about 3 jumps from A license, so she did a packjob at about 9pm. All she needs now is 3 more jumps and take the test. I am so excited!!If you read all of this.....thanks!! It was really important to me and makes me feel really good that I have done all of this. --------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zennie 0 #2 August 26, 2001 Sounds like you got some really good RW practice in. Congrats! Now get Laura her 3! --------Zennie"I know the pieces fit. 'Cause I watched them fall away..."--Tool Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #3 August 26, 2001 QuoteSounds like you got some really good RW practice in. That is the cool thing about the coach program at Richmond. There are certain things that you must complete through the coach program to get your license. It is great because it allows you to learn some basic RW moves. You need to do 360's, back/front slides, side slides, back-ins, fallrate, compressed accordians, chaser dives, etc. I liked it a lot and felt VERY comfortable in my ability to do these basic things when jumping with Jason.Can't wait to jump for "fun" now!!--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkearns 0 #4 August 26, 2001 I think new skydivers should have to go thru a coached program. The amount of information and skills that you learn when just starting in the sport is invaluble. You learn the turns, fall rates, exits, the RW position (mantis) all in a more relaxed atmosphere. The goal of which should be to clear you to do 3 ways up to 8 ways. Then when you get your SCR the sky's the limit. Or the ground what ever you prefer. You'll learn more with 8 or 10 coached jumps with a good instructor that 20 flaildives with you and you buddies. imho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #5 August 26, 2001 QuoteYou'll learn more with 8 or 10 coached jumps with a good instructor that 20 flaildives with you and you buddies. imhoCompletely agreed. I think that my progression just with these 5 jumps was tremendous. Jaybird can probably attest to this because he said there was a definete progression. It seems to me that students who just go through 7 AFF jumps and just right into jumping alone do not know enough, or what they should. For me, when I graduated, I never got the chance to practice RW moves that would be helpful. However, now, I feel comfortable to jump with 3 other belly flyers and get into positions...though it may take a second longer for me. My .02.--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybird 0 #6 August 27, 2001 what a weekend. we do need to get laura her three more jumps. and the two of you progressed throughout the jumps i did with you. it was great. cant wait to get to do more jumps. thanks to the both of you for requesting me as your coach, i had a blast. NOW FOR THE BOOGIE. (im doing a little dance now too)jaybird Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
