elightle

Glad to help. But I'm not the only authority. Seek advice from other experienced coaches/skydivers. I'd like to hear how about your progress in the months to come. PM me if you'd like. Above all, be safe!

You failed the CAT III jump for several reasons: 1. You have an incorrect mental picture about docking on a formation. NEVER approach your slot "fast from the top"! The only time you go fast is when you are diving to an area outside the formation (maybe 10 feet out and 3 feet up on your 3-way) where you will be setting up your final approach. Then inch your way in, staying just high enough to give you a smooth glide down to your slot. 2. You docked before you matched the fall rate of the 3-way and before you were stopped. NEVER dock if you can't stay level. Find a coach to help you learn how to slow fall and fast fall. You should be able to sink down and pop up several feet to match the coach's changing fall rate. Some tunnel time helps tremendously with this. 3. You tried to decrease your fall rate by "hanging on". Big no-no. Again, match the fall rate first. If you can't, work with a coach. It might be body position, it might be you have a fast natural fall rate that needs corrected with a roomier jumpsuit. 4. Looking up made you backslide and put even more tension on the 3-way. Again, get some one-on-one coaching, preferably in a wind tunnel to learn how to fast fall and slow fall and be able to look around without sliding. And that's just part of a formation skydive. Once you're docked, you have to help fly the formation. Learning to adjust and maintain your fall rate as mentioned above will help with that too. I hope this helps! Blue Skies!

Thanks, siddacious. We can all offer our two-cents worth but Dan BC's Visualization article blows us all away. We've all learned a lot from Airspeed. One very effective Airspeed training tool is to creep each move/transition three times. This really helps to burn moves into memory. Blues, Bro's!

Mike, thanks for reminding us to remember where we've been as well as where we're going in the skydive. And the part about seeing more of the bigger picture as we learn shows the importance of starting out with simple dance steps (I don't know where the dancing analogy came from - I can't dance a lick ). Cheers, All.

Don't throw in too many points when you're first learning. Start out with no more than three and with experienced jumpers who won't make you rush. While the exit settles out, think about your move to the first point. As you move start thinking about your move to the third point. It's not just the point you are remembering; it's your move to get there. For example, remembering how you move when you turn to cat on your partner is just as important as remembering what the completed caterpillar looks like. The completed caterpillar is really just the end of your move. What all this means is always try to be a point ahead in your mind. While you building one point, you should already be anticipating your move to the next point. Move to your slot and plan your next move at the same time. It's like learning to dance. Small steps at first then as you build the basic moves into memory, you can add more steps. Blue Skies! Ed

Jim, I hope that nobody got injured and did no more damage than flush themselves and the jumpers they bumped into. It sounds like it's the close-in flying that jumpers need to clean up. You are so right when you say that big-way jumpers need to do more than just jump during big-way events. Finally, thank you and Carey and all the other captains for working hard on these POPS events. I am sure put in a lot of hours to pull everything together. Blue Skies and Big Blots! Ed Lightle

Hi, Hannah. Congrats on the Gold! I'm surprised you haven't gotten any responses from this post. If I had the funds, I would do it. Tell BC I said Hi. Blue Skies and Happy Landings! Ed Lightle

Say the letters AND the names each time you dirt dive and at home when you mentally dirt dive. Why not? You've experienced the pressure of competition and you're asking for help. Sounds like you're doing just fine. Aw, stop your whining

Yea, that REHMWA guy knows what he's talking about.

Hi, Daniel. NSL rookie teams can exit any of the 16 randoms in the dive pool. However, many of the randoms are difficult to exit without considerable practice. For this reason, rookie teams usually exit easier formations and transition to the more difficult ones. For example, you can exit an E (Meeker) and grip switch to an L (Adder). You can also exit the Meeker and transition to a J (Donut). There are more but this gives you the idea. Hope this helps! Ed

Still... 55 points in 35 seconds is impressive, tunnel or no tunnel. It shows how well Airspeed works together and how mentally sharp and focused they are, not to mention some great athleticism

Congratulations on the Irish 51-way record! I bet there was a lot of drinking afterwards

It would be great if it happened here in the States! I am sure this will be a popular thread if it is really true.

Terri sold me a set of white cordura booties to install on an old RW suit. The booties were well-made, sold at a very reasonable price, and I received them in just a few days. A seamstress friend of mine said installing them was a breeze.

Congratulations to all of you, Jesse! By the way, Carolyn Johnson jumped with me on the 81-way POPS record too. I guess it was a DZ record too, right? Bluesies! Ed

Jeez! There should be plenty of lurkers salivating right about now. If I lived in NJ, I'd be tempted. I hope you find a replacement. Blues, Ed

And I thought I was something special with a 15-year layoff from 1983-1998!

Before you order a jumpsuit, see if you can borrow an RW suit with booties from somebody around your size. Do some simple 4-way randoms (when you get to that level) and see how it goes. If you find yourself fighting to stay up with everybody, you might need a slower suit. If you're floating, a slicker suit might be in order. But before you do 4-way, make sure you can do 360's, fall slow and fast, fly no contact and stay put, and track. The jumpsuit is just a tool to help you maneuver more efficiently. Discover your natural fall rate before you order one then it will be easier to get one that works. Blue Skies! Ed

Is this your first time with booties? If so, that could be the problem. Another thing that might help is to cup a little air as you turn away from the formation. I was playing around with this on a couple fun loads last weekend and on video it looked so smooth, like I was floating as I turned. Of course you don't want to dally around getting into your track, just save a little altitude as you turn. An old buddy of mine learned to track with his arms out in front--looks weird but it works. Safety-wise, though, I woudn't recommend it--you can't see down and to the sides very well. Okay, enough of my blubbering. You'll be fine.

If you can track, you can track with or without booties. A track isn't flat unless you're getting some kind of lift as you boogie. Experiment with what works for you. It sounds like you just need to get a little more lift in your front end--if you're already steep, you're halfway there. Push down with your arms and raise your butt and look where you want to go. Keep pushing down with your legs too. Once you get the hang of all this, turn those toes outward and you're sailing, man! Heck, I wrote an article on tracking and I still don't have all the answers. You'll know it when you're in a good track!

Whoa! Flashback to many years ago when I had just turned to track away from a 20+ way and a green canopy came up to meet me. My foot barely grazed the nose of the canopy as I got away and knew for certain I had used up one of my 9 lives!

John Hart, founder of Team Fastrax and the nicest person you could ever meet, opened Start Skydiving in Lebanon, Ohio last year and things are hopping. Teachers salaries in Ohio are great; and the cost of living is among the lowest in the country. We'd love to have you join us. Two turbine aircraft and the best coaching in the world; plus, we're planning on doing a big-way camp this year. Blue Skies! Ed Lightle

Eric, Thanks for passing this along. I sent my condolences to John Hart and will mourn Kelley's passing with the Fastrax Team at Start Skydiving this weekend. Blue Skies Forever, Kelly.

Yes, that's what I meant--SAFER.