Newbie wants to know what to log?

[fmmobley 0]

New to the sport, I am not sure what to keep track of in my log book.

I want to keep track of the things needed to meet requirements for future licenses and ratings I may want to get.

What do you guys (and gals) write in your log book?

[mr2mk1g 10]

whatever I like.

All I need for licenses etc are jump numbers confirmed by a sig and Licence # of a friend who was either on or witnessed my jump (generally whoever's nearest when filling in my log book).

Beyond there are specific requirements but for some ratings... those are generally witnessed by some form of instructor and then signed by them. In which case that one jump will be recorded in whatever way is required for the rating that specific jump was dedicated towards obtaining.

As far as all the others are concerned it's entirely up to you.

Technically you also need time in freefall but so long as you note exit alt and type of jump together with any pull height different from the norm you can work this out with sufficient accuracy at any time you might need it... thus these are also quite desirable facts.

[tombuch 0]

You should keep track of the date for currency, freefall time and altitude for licenses, canopy used to help you manage your parachute progression, and any specific maneuvers you made such as RW or vRW with the formation size and names of the other jumpers. Then get it signed. For a list of actual requirements in the United States take a look at the USPA SIM, pages 11-15.

In addition to all the above things, I also make note of the aircraft used and the cost of the jump. The aircraft isn't all that important, but the cost really matters to me so I can tally my annual expenses. As an instructor I also make not of any money I make for each jump. I log the financials in the space for "delay" so my entry might look like this; "70/-18" which means a 70 second delay and a cost of $18.00. If I make $30.00 for a jump, the entry would be "70/+30" It helps at tax time.

I also keep track of what happens on the jump, with more detail recorded for interesting or unusual jumps. It's sometimes fun to look back and recall the memories.
.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[darkwing 5]

If you jump a long time (and I hope you will), you will be glad the more you write. I log more information than most people, but wish I had logged more. Only recently have I started writing down the tail numbers (e.g., N3127C) of aircraft I have jumped. Write down names, because some day they may be a big gun and you can remind them that they used to jump with you. Write down things like "first jump with new lines on my canopy" and "a student threw up in the airplane".

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[airtwardo 7]

I also keep track of what happens on the jump, with more detail recorded for interesting or unusual jumps. It's sometimes fun to look back and recall the memories.

***

...and for those less memorable~

I log....Forgettable"

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[SwampThing 0]

I color code my log entries.

Black for 'normal' fun jumps,
Blue for Demos,
Green for instructional or $ jumps,
and RED for malfunctions...

The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!"
The Optimist says: "Sure it can!"

[Reginald 0]

Jump #
Date
Location
Freefall time
Commutative freefall time
Canopy type and size
Plane
Exit altitude
Landing target accuracy (very important for licensees)

Also, for some licenses and for good general record keeping how many people were on the jump and what type of skydive it was, e.g., 12 way star, donut

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[mdrejhon 8]

I have a complaint about my CSPA logbook...I don't have enough space to describe my jumps (just a one-line text field), so I have been logging details in a separate notepad (8.5"x11" page per jump) to help keep me track of what I'm learning. Once I get more experienced, quarter page or half a page of details would be nice.

I think the USPA logbooks are more well-designed for adding jump details

[HydroGuy 0]

Quote

Jump #
Date
Location
Freefall time
Commutative freefall time
Canopy type and size
Plane
Exit altitude
Landing target accuracy (very important for licensees)

Also, for some licenses and for good general record keeping how many people were on the jump and what type of skydive it was, e.g., 12 way star, donut

I also add my protrack info...deployment altitude, avg spd and max spd. And, being a newbie myself, I also try to describe my landings... ie soft, hard, sliding on my butt etc.

I am new to skydiving, but I have hundreds of scuba dives...only about 1/3rd logged. Now at 30 years old, I wish I had them all. When i am 80, i'll probably be really pissed at myself.

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[bisqit999 0]

hey what would u do if you did a few jumps at a DZ u never go to and forget to get your book signed. Happened to me last week, did 4 jumps in AZ and now am in NY. What should I do?

[fallingchip 0]

HONESTY

______________________________________________
"A radical man is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

[McG 0]

"Dear diary, I am writing you now for the very first time because you never answered my second post..."

Log the usual things like dates, altitudes, maneuvers, fellows and so on. But the MOST important is to write down your inner most feelings. THAT is what you'll love to read years later. Reading my diary of my first jumps I still can recall the atmosphere, me being nervous, the odors...

>

>If God meant for man to fly, He´d have given him much more money.

McG, DZ EFVA dictator

[mark135 0]

After a while you will be lucky to remember to log them at all.

_______________


"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

[popsjumper 2]

Mr. Mobley...you know who this is....

Besides what the SIM says for licensing and ratings,
man, log it all! Can you say memories?

After you get 10 gazilliion jumps, maybe your memory banks will be overloaded but your log book will still have it all for reference.

I have logs for who, what, when, and where plus a running list of jump planes, DZ's, people, boogies, etc...

Woohoo! You owe me a jump the next time you're out.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Orange1 0]

Quote

After you get 10 gazilliion jumps, maybe your memory banks will be overloaded but your log book will still have it all for reference.

Not even. You think you'll always remember all the details of your first few jumps... but just a few months later I'm already regretting just letting the instructors log and not adding anything of my own. I log most everything now.

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[fmmobley 0]

Popsjumper... Yea I know who you are! I hope you guys had fun this weekend, I was in North Georgia with in-laws.

Thanks for the feedback on logging !

I look forward to jumping with you next weekend (if the weather doesn't suck).

(7 weeks till my new rig arrives !)

... Marion

[MarkM 0]

Quote

"Dear diary, I am writing you now for the very first time because you never answered my second post..."

Log the usual things like dates, altitudes, maneuvers, fellows and so on. But the MOST important is to write down your inner most feelings. THAT is what you'll love to read years later. Reading my diary of my first jumps I still can recall the atmosphere, me being nervous, the odors...

No no no. Hire a personal videographer to follow you around and record your life events. Organize the tapes into a cryptic system that uses jump type, formation, who you were with, and jump number using an outside reference book written in an arcane dead language. Bind the book in nylon and avian feathers. In your will donate all your wealth to a foundation that will ensure that future generations will study and reflect on all the jumps you did.

[veter_ 0]

lol, I agree.

once I reached 200 jumps, I stopped logging them.

why log your life, just live it!

• Quote

[popsjumper 2]

We'll be at Skydive Atlanta for the Anniversaary Boogie this weekend....come on out and join us!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239