Hit the step of a C182

[skydivermom 0]

This could only happen to me! My second jump for the day, and technically my 13th. I had already done one awesome jump with my JM hanging onto me and I was super stable!

So we go up to do one more with my Jm still exiting with me but not hanging onto me. He climbs all the way out and hangs while I hold onto the strut and have one foot on the step and one dangling! I initiate the count "ready, set, go" and bam! I hit the step with my nose.

So all I could do was arch with everything I had to stop the small spin I was in. I managed somehow to do everything I was supposed to and pull at the correct altitude. I thought my goggles were fogging up during the freefall but actually they were covered in blood. When I went to unstow the breaks, my hands were drenched too. It was my first jump without the radio as well. I still landed where I was supposed to and will never forget the look of shock on the instructor's face when he saw me. I must have looked like I had been shot!

The JM that jumped with me didn't even know I had hit and he was actually flying with me the whole time unaware anything was wrong. The pilot did see me hit and thought I was just too far up on the strut. Needless to say, I am NEVER exiting like that again! My nose is pretty swollen, but not broken, yet I can't WAIT to jump again. Man I must be crazy

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

This could only happen to me!

Wrong. It's happened to MANY.

You probably didn't push yourself back away from the step, possibly worrying abour hitting the horzontal stabilizer, and just removed your feet from the step. Practicing your exit on the ground may have solved this. Your instructor may have caught your mistake on the ground and warned you about this.
Next time practice pushing off at a 45 degree angle and you'll be fine.
edit to add: If you hit your nose, you were probably looking down. Hitting you under your chin would have been the correct position, but still the wrong step away from the plane.


Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[calledisrael 0]

wow, ed's post was good - very helpful. i know he is a thoughtful instructor. i am a spoiled otter/caravan baby, and wouldn't know. i sometimes don't end up down the hill in the right place, but i have never worried about hitting the plane...

either way, i am proud of you for hanging in and getting it done. you're not that crazy, not any more than any of us.

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
(helen keller)

[Lindsey 0]

I've hit my shins/feet on the step many times. But better a leg than a nose. Ouch.

You sound like a bloody mess.... Better luck next time!

Peace~
linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[NWFlyer 2]

Good job finishing the jump and not freaking out. Facial injuries sure can create a lot of blood, can't they?

I hit the step once with my hand, but never with any real damage. I learned my lesson doing a solo jump as a student. One of my instructors was on the plane doing a fun jump and commented on my exit, something along the lines of "Were you TRYING to hit the step, girl?" I didn't know what he was talking about, but fortunately, one of the other jumpers on the plane had videod my exit. Seeing that video made me realize just how close I was coming to the step.

My mental block was trying to get belly-to-earth, rather than just flying my body on "the hill." That's why you'll often hear "watch the plane" - it helps to keep your head up and your body in the right position for flying the hill.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[EvilLurker 2]

I bounced off the tire with my knee once chasing a 3-way out the door while doing video. That sent me spinning like a top. After I got stable I got some real nice long-range video of the jump (you could almost make out that there were 3 of them at a couple of point, even). They were underwhelmed at my skills.

Nose to the step sounds bad, glad you're okay.

[skydivermom 0]

Thanks everyone. I feel better knowing that has happened before and I'm thanking God it wasn't my chin or my mouth that I hit. I have braces and that would have been REALLY, REALLY bad!!

I'm looking forward to my next jump

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[phoenixlpr 0]

I feel lucky.

I've missed the step, gear and the tail several times.

[NickDG 23]

Step off to the side not straight back and you'll not hit the step. JMs would also serve their students better by following them out on a Cessna and not leading them out. This puts them in a much better position to assist should your rig come open (he can tackle you off), if there is some reason to abort the jump (he can assist you back in), and in a minor way he's taking the chance of falling off and leaving you there alone.

NickD BASE 194

[skydivermom 0]

***either way, i am proud of you for hanging in and getting it done

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Thanks Ali, I still don't know how I did it

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[ScottyInAus 0]

I clipped the door of a C182 with my rig chasing a 5-way speed star out...
When i got stable i was ages away from the rest of the gang

Someone did a H&P and hit their elbow on the step, they didn't notice it hurt untill someone on the ground commented that they heard it...

Cheers,
Jason.

[JohnMitchell 16]

I don't think it was because you were too far out on the strut. Sonds like maybe you just didn't launch right.

Best solution? Jump from a twin Otter.
Glad your nose isn't broken and that you're not discouraged.

[skydivermom 0]

***Glad your nose isn't broken and that you're not discouraged.

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Thanks! I'm glad it's not broken, and I'm especially happy I didn't hit with my mouth. No way would I let something like this ruin my skydiving adventure! I've been through too much to get to this point!

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***Best solution? Jump from a twin Otter.

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We are moving to San Marcos in the next six months, so that will definately happen

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[skydivermom 0]

MAN! I didn't realize it was so common. I really can't wait to start jumping from a bigger plane. It will be a luxury to me after only jumping from the C182!

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[JohnMitchell 16]

In the meantime, don't let it get ot you. I've got maybe 800+ Cessna jumps, without bonking my nose. Just make diving exits or, if going poised, make sure you step to the side as you leave. Don't push off to the rear. That makes you vulnerable to a step strike.

[Orange1 0]

Wow Kathleen - glad to hear you're ok! I presume you were facing the front of the plane? we were warned to take a proper "step" backward rather than just let go or that could happen... anyway, soon you'll be facing the other way and diving off that step, whcih is a lot more fun

I hit the side of a plane once on exit, a C210 where suddenly the landing gear was up (FS team leaving before me) and i'd only ever dived out it before with no landing gear in sight... not nice to be in the door of a plane and be thinking "wtf is that doing there???"!! - bad angle on exit, small bruise on my arm but i kept on thinking -- could've been my head, glad i'm wearing a helmet!

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[riggerrob 643]

Welcome to the club!

We always remind freefall students to step SIDEWAYS off the Cessna.

I have lost count of how many hundred S/L and IAD students have only climbed halfway out and I had to plant my left foot on the step so that they would slide down my leg instead of face-planting on the step.

[Speed2000 0]

Kathleen,

Congratulations! You should be proud of yourself! Seriously.

You were presented with a painful and distracting situation (seeing one's own blood obscuring the goggles has a way of capturing the mind's attention) early in the skydive, yet you still controlled your body position, pulled at the correct altitude, pulled stable, and landed on target without assistance.

If I were your instructor I would be proud of how you handled yourself and have a lot of confidence in you after this.

Good job and good luck with your continued training.

Blue skies,
John

[Mike111 0]

Congrats on finishing the jump, and hope your nose is OK.

[skydivermom 0]

Thanks, that means so much coming from someone with so much experience. I didn't start out in the sport like this. I was really a bundle of nerves in the beginning but I just kept pushing and I'm glad I did. Yes I am proud and amazed at myself, yet guarded against overconfidence.

As for the instructors, I think they were in shock more than anything. Seeing someone land while covered in blood has got to be a sight!!

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[Speed2000 0]

Kathleen,
Hey, hey, hey, go easy with the experience label! I am but a pup hoping to learn as much about jumping as a lot of skydivers have forgotten.

I, personally, am a fan of the C-182 as a student plane. Once a jumper is comfortable with the flying jungle gym, exiting most every other aircraft is a piece of cake.

As for the instructors reaction ... `Staff Meeting!'

Blues skies,
John

[RogerRamjet 0]

The best advice I ever got for a 182 (or any step) exit is to simply hop to the side. The relative wind is from ahead anyway, so no need to kick the legs up, push backward, or anything fancy. Just trail a foot while holding onto the strut and hop 10 inches to the right and arch while looking forward, simple.

When I was originally tought at Z-Hills in 1973, they used a kick the legs up and then push off from the strut method. The problem was, if you kicked up too little, you risked a back flip, too much and you could front flip. Don't push hard enough and you risk hitting the step, too hard and you flip like above.

I seemed to be having all those troubles (though I never hit the step). One day another instructor is assigned to me and after I tell him my problems, he recommends just hopping sideways about a foot. Talk about easy.... I went back to the instructor that was in charge of student operations at the time and told him all about it. To his credit, he and the owner changed the training to the hop to the side method from that day on.

Sorry for the long story, but it was the most difficult thing for me to "get" when I was training and the solution was so simple once presented.

Try it, I think you'll agree.

Umm, edited to add: As always, discuss this stuff with your instructor before trying....

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[NickDG 23]

Another bit some JMs miss is if they use the actual aircraft while its on the ground for exit practice. The distance from the step to the strut is different from when the plane is airborne. The gear leg drops down quite a ways when there's no weight on it. This will surprise your student when it’s time to climb out if you don’t mention it beforehand.

NickD BASE 194

[Jeth 0]

Kathleen,

You go girl!!
I was fortunate enough to do my training from an Otter. But when I had about 40 jumps I went to a new dz where they only have a C-182. Man, I hated trying to exit from that thing! It definitely didn't help that it was raining! On my first attempt I couldn't get a grip on the wet strut, so I just dove out. On my 2nd attempt I got ahold on it, but I ended up hitting the step with my rig. It was quite a jolt. When it came to pull time I was thinking "gee, hope the container stays attached when this thing comes out!" Fortunately, it was fine and no damage was done to my rig. But I can't imagine hitting that step with my body, let alone my face! Ouch!

The experienced jumpers at that dz told me I hit the step because I didn't slide out far enough along the strut. They said to grab ahold as far down as I could, so when I step off I will be clear of it (to the side). The weather got worse so I didn't get to try again that day. But next season I will be heading back there to get that damn strut exit down.
Good luck in the rest of your training.

p.s. You will love it when you get in an aircraft with a big door, nothing in front of you but the big blue sky.

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[skydivermom 0]

***Sorry for the long story

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Don't apologize! I love hearing about other's experiences. Thanks for sharing and for the great advice

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28