malooper

What are the "new jumper blues?" I can guess but I like being sure. Wondering if that's what I'm dealing with.. Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

I have to do the same. There's a handful of us students that seem to be in "crunch time" mode and stressing ourselves out. You're exactly right, it's not a race. Sure, it'd be great to get things done quickly but our ultimate goal should be competency not speed. Plus, that added pressure is probably not conducive to a relaxed position! It's why I think I failed level 7 the first time. I was worried I was going to fail, it was the last load I think of the day and I was hoping to pass so I could attend a canopy class I needed for my license the next weekend, the cost, etc. Way too much and so I failed. That's when I realized how much pressure I was placing on myself. It certainly wasn't coming from my instructors!

The fact your first jump is going to be through AFF, I'd say it's totally understandable and normal to be nervous! I was super nervous going tandem for my first jump!! You're jumping out of a plane so it'd be a little weird and concerning if you weren't! Like the others have said, breathe. This is something my instructors told me and yep, when I'm going up in that plane I'm taking deep breaths. In AFF, when I would check in/out with my instructors in the door, they would smile and take a deep breath and wait for me to do the same to relax since I tend to be a bit more anxious than others.

I can't speak for the other newbies that will read this, but as for me I've learned to take things pretty lightly here so no need to worry I'll be led astray here. I like to verify facts myself. Appreciate the lookout. I don't even have my A License, I was just thinking out loud when I asked about this. My brother and I had briefly talked about it before and he was sure that if carried one on the plane that I'd get kicked off. Maybe if you're a girl you get less scrutiny? I'll definitely plan for extra time when I do have one of my own. So, when the plane dipped on the initial descent, my stomach lurched a bit!!! I'd forgotten that sensation! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Too funny!! I love the one about gearing up. Oh man, april fools jokes or something. Too bad we can't be a bit more light-hearted flying commercially anymore. Thanks everyone for the input and links! Landing should be boring now, right? Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Haha, you don't think that'd go over well? Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

So, kind of a random question but I'm headed to a wedding this week for a good friend and I was thinking, "Man, if I was licensed I could try and find a place to jump!" Then that made me thinking about traveling with a rig on commercial airplanes. Do you guys just check it or has anyone tried to carry it on? Do you guys get funny looks, do people even recognize what it is? It'll be my first full plane ride since starting skydiving so I'm sure I'll have a different perspective now! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Way to go lady!! You're flying through it!! It was with an instructor but we were just having fun. Worked on tracking and docking which I'm not good at so that was good. I'm still a little apprehensive about my alone jump and I have to wait two weeks or more so hopefully I won't let time get my nerves up. I think we can only jump with instructors and coaches too, maybe D license but yeah I need to ask too.

Yeah! That's what it feels like, except flying which is so much more fun! I bet it's really neat to be a part of something like that! I can't wait! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Yay!! That's awesome! Bet you're feeling sky high... Already going for your B, huh?! Can you get it done during your vacation? Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Passed AFF!!

Eeeeeee, that could be me tomorrow! Nothing like, "well, it's all you pup!" to get your nerves going... Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Haha, yes, by far the best part of the video! One of my instructors want to give me the nickname "dolphin" for that very pose! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Haha, thanks for the advice! Yeah it was supposed to be a back flip! I kept thinking "I'm supposed to do something else…." then I remembered a bit late the legs part! I'm really looking forward to another try at it. It was so much fun and now that I know that I can get stable after becoming unstable I feel way more confident (which I was lacking a lot of before). Maybe tomorrow after I pass my level 7!!

I posted this on Facebook but since the general audience doesn't know anything about skydiving, this video isn't as funny to them so I thought I'd share with you all. Maybe it's just funnier to my instructors and I but I hope you enjoy and get a chuckle or two! I was never coined "graceful" that's for sure! And for the students out there, you can learn from my mistakes! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGuTRCI-7Ds Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

What a spin! I can totally understand your reservations about going further but I just want to say I really admire your resolve to pursue it. I don't know if I would after an experience like that as a student. Way to respond and learn from it! It's definitely a question we all have to ask who are battling with our fears: Is the risk worth the reward? It's something I ask myself every time I'm at the DZ. So far, yes it is! Thanks for sharing your video! Can't wait to hear about your journey through AFF!

As an AFF level 7 student…my response to that was "oh my gosh!" So glad you were able to snap out of the fatalistic view you had and tried something that changed your outcome! Smart to go back real soon to do it again too. I'll admit I'm nervous about these. I think it's the fact that there's a lot less altitude to correct something if anything happens. I pretty much took a small jump out of the plane on my level 7 that I didn't pass this last time which had me turning a bit making me think I was on my back (completely clueless to the fact that I wasn't looking at a blue sky) so I did the roll out of bed maneuver. Had my instructors laughing at me but I just watched the video again and saw how much time it took me from the moment I left the plane and felt unstable to the point I was stable and it was just under 4 seconds. So..I agree that the higher altitude hop and pops would definitely help boost confidence and experience with those of us who are a bit anxious about these! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

As a newbie myself, one level away from completing AFF, I can say that I don't have any interest in the disciplines really yet. I'm concentrating on AFF and my license next but would you suggest pursuing a discipline soon after getting your A license? I've seen CRW in action and stories from those who use wingsuits and other disciplines but to me my cautious nature is screaming "You're already throwing yourself out of a plane, why on earth would you attempt that?!" So I'm thinking I'll be content to just jump with friends but after reading these posts… Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

I can definitely relate and struggle with pretty much the same thing. I'm on my level 7 now (I failed it) but I barely passed level 4. I actually thought I didn't because I went more than 90 degrees (like 360) but like the other poster said, they look for control. So while I overshot it, I stopped the turns and pulled on time. My problem, like yours, is my legs are off. They're a bit low and wide for my size so my center of gravity isn't quite where it needs to be. This cost me on level 7 because when I needed to turn and track in another direction, I went into a slow spin after my first successful track. Took me a spin and a stop later to attempt another track where I started spinning again and almost got out of control where my instructor needed to stop me but thankfully I stopped it right before she did. I had three instructors look at my level 7 video and I got great input from them all. After the last one looked at it, he saw what was my main problem and two of them helped me practice what's the proper form I need and input on my legs. I feel much better already about it because now we know what's the problem. Also, you may not have a problem with this because it seems you tracked really well but I seem to forget about my heading. My mind is focused on the tasks I need to do that I sometimes forget to find a reference point which causes instability in me. Anyways, all that to say, I understand what you're going through and just hang in there, relax and have fun!

Thanks! It's been a whirlwind! I was able to go up again this weekend and passed 4 (barely),5 and 6 but failed my last level! I was really frustrated with myself and still am but I know I tend to be a slow learner (not to mention over-analytical) and I know this about myself so I don't know why I was expecting to fly through this! I know I have a tendency to spin and was having a hard time stopping it (thankfully I did before my instructor had to stop me herself) so I only got 1 good track in when I needed 2. I got to experience my first heavy "fog" in freefall that was bigger than we anticipated which threw me off a bit. I've given people lots to laugh at though! I've done some silly, funny-looking things, like a dolphin pose, roll-out-of-bed when I wasn't on my back and other stupid things! I'm nothing if comedic! Although I'm frustrated to some level, I know that I'd rather fail than pass when I'm not ready to be on my own. I'm planning on going to the wind tunnel with one of my instructors this week so we can nail down my arch/form. Looking forward to it but he thinks we should go for 15 minutes and I'm thinking "whoa, am I going to be sore!" And hopefully, weather permitting, I'm gonna finish up this weekend!! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

The door is always open at my DZ perhaps because it's 100+ degrees during the summer so maybe that helps ease the door anxiety. I was a bit more anxious on the last jump, level 3, because I knew they were potentially going to release me so my instructors said not to watch the others jumping out and to picture the perfect skydive. It helped! I'm definitely someone who once has set a course, focuses on it and does the steps necessary to get there so I think that helps a lot too. Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Haha, that's exactly how it goes! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

I think so too which I'm not looking forward to! But I passed level 2 and 3 and the door is still looking fine! Now it's a different exit so we'll see! One of the guys who got his A license recently was poking fun at me because I was writing out the steps of the dive and he said "I've never seen someone like this before a jump." I'm just rehearsing it over and over and the best way that I learn is to write it out! We're all different. I'm surprised (and super thankful) that I'm so anxious before but I'm relaxed during the freefall. I get uptight when I'm anxious but it hasn't translated in freefall or canopy flight so that's encouraging to me! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

Love that quote! You know…the door anxiety thing. I don't know if I really experience it. I'm sure I do, but I think it starts way before then so I can't discern the difference. I meant to ask my instructors yesterday if they noticed hesitance or things like that at the door. I remember the very first jump, a tandem, and approaching the door, thinking "oh my gosh!! whoa!! Am I going to do this?" but since…mentally, I'm fine. My body, however, if yesterday was an indication, is feeling something else because that was one thing they said I could work on. While my head was up and out of the door, my hips were still in the inside a bit! Have a blast and keep us posted on your progress! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist

For anyone interested….I passed AFF1 with almost flying colors! I realize not everyone shares in my major enthusiasm so I'll contain myself and won't post the details but yay!! Hoping to get level 2 done tomorrow, holiday traffic permitting! Courage is the power to let go of the familiar. -Raymond Lindquist