getting stable arch on S/L sitting exit

[gravitywhore 0]

I am having alot of problems forcing my arch when I leave the plane. I have had alot of different input from many different JM's still can't get it . I am just looking to see if anyone out here has any words of advice
... I am getting frustrated with my exits and arch. It's getting to the point that I'm wondering if this just isn't the sport for me ..... I love everything about it though
...... I have 6 jumps on round mains (S/L) and 4 on the squares . it was five years ago I did my round jumps ... was off it till this summer. so maybe I just need to stay current .. Sorry for ranting ... if there is any advice out there it would be greatly appreciated...

[dragon2 2]

I have like 15 SL jumps or so, didn't quite get the exit thing either. I always let myself slide out of the door a little bit, ending up usually stable but off-heading, not a "positive exit".
Then my instructor said: if we throw you outta the plane at 5 k, you gonna pull after 5 secs? YEAH! So I counted the fastest 5 secs of my life, pulled my ripcord after 3 or 4 secs LOL and had the jump of my life. On the (tandem) video, my instructor went "YEAH!" too LOL
I then worked my way up to 12k in 1 1/2 weekends and did the clear-and-pull jump much later. Problem solved
Look for a thread about Wendy Faulkner, I think she had a very long SL prograssion but she made it and still jumps (and World Records, too)
If you can afford it, and depending on what your problem is, you can also try tandems or go the AFF route, see if that helps you.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[mjosparky 4]

When you leave the plane keep your eye on the door and your instructor.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Suavel 0]

What planes are ya'll jumping out of? We jump Cessna 182s and we just hang from the strut and let go, arch.

[yoink 321]

Loads of little bits make a good SL exit. Bits that I tried to remember while going through SL include:

Look up at the top corner of the door, and keep looking there all through your deployment. Use your whole head, not just your eyes.

Your forward hand needs to be as close to your forward knee as possible - give a really good push off with this hand at 90 degrees to the door and push your chest forward at the same time. Kick your back leg out as you do!

Remember, the exit is a hugely positive move - don't just slide off the door.

and finally, get video if possible! My SL exits improved dramatically when the despatching instructor started videoing them.

hope these help.

[lekstrom10k 0]

You sound like you're trying to get out of a U206. We started using one for static-line in 1969. We would have the student sit as far out on the door frame as comfortable, their J/M kneeling forward in the back of the door. When they got the go their hands were,both on the bottom door frame. . They would raise themselves up slightly, hop a turn to the front out the door while raising their arm up thumbs even with their ears. It still works today . Hope this helps

[Orange1 0]

Also did SL with sitting exit (C206 & C207), and also battled at first. One day it just "clicked" ... but basically the things that helped me were:

looking up at the plane, and looking up before exit so that you are already looking up as you go (in fact our exit commands were: climb out - look up - go). If you look forward or down you will dearch.

Advice differed greatly on how far out the plane to sit but getting quite far out (basically only half a butt cheek on the plane) so you mainly only have to move forward, rather than sideways out first, helped me.

punch out aggressively and upwards - we were told to try touch the wing (a case of beer offered to anyone who actually could, but of course no-one did)

and swing out with your hips. I have had quite a few people tell me the arch is in the hips, but confess it took quite a few of those exits before I really understood how to do it.

Good luck! I also felt quite disheartened with those exits at first but when you get it, it's really great!

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[wmw999 2,577]

I had a heck of a time with seated exits when I was on static line (twin Beech), so when I became a jumpmaster, I tried to keep it in mind. I'd be pretty active about handling the student's container, so that their body position matched their intention.

If the arch is good, that will help a lot. If the arch is not good, it won't help, which is exactly what you want -- feedback to the student that what they're doing is working.

Good luck, and I know that you'll get it. Honest.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[riggerrob 643]

Sounds like you are jumping a Cessna U206, with a cargo door, maybe even the same one I did my first few freefalls out of in 1979, back when PST was in Arthur, Ontario.
The key to stable exits from a U206 is pointing your hips in the correct direction before pushing off.
I also tell my students to sit half-assed, with only their left cheek on the door sill. Wind will try to rotate your right leg too far aft. Resist the urge.
Put your left knee near the front of the door sill and trail your right leg so much that the right half of your body is arched before you push off. As you push off, finish pushing your hips forward. At the risk of being crude: try to f&^% the right main wheel.
Put your left hand on the floor and use it to lift your hips and pivot.
Put your right hand half way up the aft door frame and us it to push off and try to slap the right wing tip.
And as several other instructors have already told you, fix your eyes on the propeller - or right wing - and keep them there until opening.

As usual, practice these new techniques with a local instructor before trying them in the air.

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

Also did SL with sitting exit (C206 & C207), and also battled at first. One day it just "clicked" ... but basically the things that helped me were:

looking up at the plane, and looking up before exit so that you are already looking up as you go (in fact our exit commands were: climb out - look up - go). If you look forward or down you will dearch.

I was trained on S/L out of a C-U206. And you are right, you must look up. If your head is back and looking up you can break your arch. And it seems that a newer jumper can't arch if their head in forward and looking down. Try it sometime.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Zing 2]

From a pilot's perspective of S/L exits ... when sitting in the door exits are done, quite frequently the lower corner of the rig does not clear the door frame ... student arches ... rig catches door frame ... student's body turns. Have seen that occur often, and sometimes the jumpmasters don't see what happened to induce the turn out the door.

Zing Lurks

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

From a pilot's perspective of S/L exits ... when sitting in the door exits are done, quite frequently the lower corner of the rig does not clear the door frame ... student arches ... rig catches door frame ... student's body turns. Have seen that occur often, and sometimes the jumpmasters don't see what happened to induce the turn out the door.

You are right Robert. That would be true on most left hand doors like the King Air, D-18 and such. But on a C-U206 the jumpmaster should make sure the student is far enough forward in the the door for this not to happen. But when I think about it that doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time.

Come to think of it, I can remember seeing it happen on a DC-3 quite a bit.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Zing 2]

Exactly ... and if the student doesn't launch aggressively, the rig can catch on the bottom of the door (the floor) too.

Zing Lurks

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

Exactly ... and if the student doesn't launch aggressively, the rig can catch on the bottom of the door (the floor) too.

Damn, those were good days.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[gravitywhore 0]

I am fairly certain it's the exact same plane you jumped, it is a 206 and has been around for years. Lloyd the owner from Arthur sold about 6 years ago to Adam Mabee and he got the plane in the deal.

Thank you all for the advice I will ask My Jm's about trailing my right leg I love the humping the wheel Idea,if nothing else I will have a good laugh when I see the photos of me with my fuck face on (pretty close to my jumping face anyway) LOL and I will try and slap that wing

Again thank you all for your advice I will for sure keep you all updated as to my advances..
Dave O

[Zing 2]

Just remember the most important part ... smile! It's all for fun.

Zing Lurks

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

Just remember the most important part ... smile

And you can take that to the bank.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[toolbox 0]

Try to turn or pivot your hips into the relative wind as you punch out your arch. You should not thrust yourself out the door but instead smoothly fly your body off the aircraft riding the relative wind from the direction of flight. Just relax and fly against the wind. You should already be flying the part of your body exposed to the wind before you drop off the plane. Watch the plane fly away as you drop off of it and smile at your jumpmaster. They will love to see you smile back up at them,I know I always felt great when my students smiled up at me after they left. I hope you stick it on your next try.
Blue Skies!

[Yossarian 0]

i used to get my instructor to yell 'arch' instead of 'go', amazing how much it helped, as i was thinking about arching rather than simply going, simple but effective...

[NelKel 0]

let me guess, Your doing a sl out ot 206 cargo door in the rear?

Am I right?

You should have maybe picked somrthing eaiser. I think it is rediculas to sit students in the door for sl. Sl are supposed to be done from the strut of a 182. that is all.

Your going tohere lots of opions and advice on how to get stable because everyone has trouble. The reason everyone has trouble is that a sl is supposed to be done from the strut of a 182.

You should find another dz that knows what it is doing.
Oh sure I have heard all kind of BS about how to do this and that. I have seen people try to deploy sl from beechcraft, and otters, sadly the result is the same, strugle,and failure.

Sure if your an experienced jumper/military you can probably do it and be make it. But as Instructors were suposed to give our students every chance to succede, and sitting on the floor of a 206 is just dumb.

_________________________________________

Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan

[Andy9o8 2]

I agree with your basic point, but sometimes life does hand you lemons, and that's what you have to deal with. I think the OP was asking: so how do you make lemonade?

[yoink 321]

That's a particularly unhelpful reply...

Students have been making sucessfull SL exits out of all sorts of planes for years using a sitting exit - Sure, hanging from a strut may make it easier for some, but it's sure as hell not the only way of doing it.

I've done SL from many different types of plane, including the strut of a 182, and the easiest one I found was simply dropping backwards out of the tail of a skyvan and arching... easy. Unfortunately that doesn't mean that every dz should get a Skyvan!

I've seen students soar through SL using sitting exits and I've seen people struggle using hanging ones. Saying that 'you need to find another dz that knows what it's doing' is completely uncalled for.

[indradhanush 0]

dear friend, to get the best arch, dont tighten and pull make a hard arch instead, relax only put your chest and hip to prop wind. instead of trying to jump side ways or downwards present the chest and hips in a symitry.
blue skies

life is a daring adventure or nothing at all

[toolbox 0]

I always use the word ARCH! in place of go when dealing with students. I also try to refrain from using the word jump. Instead,I like to use words like skydive or fly with students. Good skydivers do not jump out the door,they fly their bodies against the wind as they come off the aircraft. There is alot of psychology in teaching and learning,especially in skydiving. I hope you can make more money to spend on flying,I mean skydiving.
Blue skies!

[gravitywhore 0]

thank you all again for your advice, I will not be trying a different DZ as I have made some friends up there and I am sure I can progress there .... and if I was going to go to another school it would be for AFF not S/L . I will keep you all updated I will be going up this weekend .
Dave O