Mockingbird

Hi, Joe! Congratulations on passing your first jump--- sounds like you did a HECKUVALOT better than I did! Isn't it a blast? I love it; but I sure wish I could get past Level 4 (I've done it three times) so I can try something new. It's been three weeks since I even tried. Maybe tomorrow will be my day... Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Hey, I'm a tall, short-haired girlie (yes, at 50 I still consider myself a "girl"!!!!!) who's antsy before a jump too---- we're practically twins! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

My radio wasn't working right on my last two jumps, so I got to do two landings already without assistance. It was fantastic. I was proud of myself and REALLY surprised. Of course, my instructor had gone over the landing pattern with me before we went up, but still I was able to control my flight so that I was over the right spot at the right altitude. [God is good.] As for PLFs, all of my landings have been plf's *or a version thereof*... except one. On that one I did a stand up, then forgot to drop a toggle, so you know what happened... Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

And how are YOUR post-graduation, pre-license jumps going??? Having fun? Argh, I envy you. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Not well at all. My dz won't "let" me jump. (I'll PM you.) Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Since I started this thread (ahem!), I'll contribute to this side-track and say that as a student-- a total newbie-- to this fantastic sport-- I appreciate knowing how much experience a person has who might be answering one of my questions. I don't care where they're from or what their home dz is, but I like to know how many jumps they have. I don't read a single reply or post without looking over at the person's jump number--- it just helps me with perspective on what he or she says. I'm not aware of any dz.com rule that says you HAVE to provide that information, but if someone chooses not to, I sort of just skim over what they say in a post even if he/she sounds like they know what they're talking about. And with that being said, I proudly have 9 whole jumps under my belt!!! Whoooooohoo. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Thanks, everyone. The info you've given is what I was looking for. I found certain statements about it in extinuating circumstances, but I couldn't find the general principle.

I had just the SLIGHTEST taste of that on my last jump. Something happened on our exit that made us do a somersault or two on the way to getting stable. I loved it.... course I knew in the back of my mind that my instructor was holding on. My response was to arch arch arch and sure 'nuf, we were belly down in a flash. Can't wait to do it on purpose!!!!!! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

See question above.

Thanks; this is what I was looking for. But what about crosswind? Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Lisa, you look absolutely fantastic up there. You are so stable! These pictures show me what *I* can do if I just stick with it til graduation (and beYOND, of course). What are you doing in the last three pictures? Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Thanks, John. I have to remember the things I did RIGHT!! (Yes, there were some!) Did you see Lisa's photos that she gave the link to above? Wow. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

The answer I've come up with from reading and my limited experience is.... it depends. One canopy might get it's best glide in 1/4 brakes...another may need no brakes and the rear risers spread 6 inches. What I'm looking for is a general principle. Such as: When holding, half-brakes has such-and-such effect on glide ratio. When holding, toggles all the way up have such-and-such effect on glide ratio. When running, half-brakes has such-and-such effect on glide ratio. When running, toggles all the way up have such-and-such effect on glide ratio. When crabbing, half-brakes has such-and-such effect on glide ratio. When crabbing, toggles all the way up have such-and-such effect on glide ratio. I hope this question even makes sense. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

How does brake position affect glide ratio when: holding, running, and crabbing? I've looked in The Skydiver's Handbook for the answer to this question, but I can't find one. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Gosh, I suddenly feel this compulsion to go to a tunnel... where'd that come from??? Paige, I'm just not sure WHAT I should do!!!!! Several factors are bouncing around inside my head... and they keep colliding with each other, which makes it really hard to make a decision. The major factor is money: whether I fly to Orlando for tunnel time OR repeat Level 4 several more times (how many times will it take before I "get it"?), it's going to cost a lot of money. Also, one of the videographers at the dz is going to tape my next jump--- maybe seeing what I'm doing wrong with my own two eyes will be all it takes for me to "get it." I just feel like the more times I repeat the jump but keep spinning, the more my spinning is becoming ingrained. SO, on one hand, I know the tunnel time would help, if not solve, the problem. On the other hand, just having my next jump videotaped may do the trick. Oh BOTHER! Maybe I should start a thread on this conundrum... Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Lisa---- fantastic news! CONGRATULATIONS!!! You are so far ahead of me it isn't even funny! You were so smart to get right back up there in that King Air and not let it get the best of you. Now, if I can just pass LEVEL 4 some day, I'll join you in the winners' circle--- I have now done my LEVEL 4 jump three times--- once on Memorial Day, and twice today, but I still failed it. I'm just not getting the hang of freefalling without turning left constantly. The first two attempts, I was told that I was dropping one knee. I corrected that on the last jump and arched well throughout the freefall, but I still turned left inadvertently and did not counter it successfully. I'm seriously considering getting myself further into debt and flying out to Orlando for a day to do some tunnel time. The cost to fly out there and have about 30 minutes in the wind tunnel is approximately equivalent to four AFF jumps here at home. Seeing as how I'm repeating Level 4 for the fourth time next weekend, I'm just wondering if in the long run I'd be saving myself money by going to Orlando. If I can just get a really great deal on airfare, I may do it. I am putting so much AFF money on my credit card; it's gonna' take forever to pay it off! But seeing as how I'm so much older than most people starting out in skydiving, I don't feel like I have time to save up the actual moola. I bet there are others in the same fix. ONE BIT OF GOOD NEWS: My radio was turned down too low (or something) during my canopy rides today, so I had to set up the landing patterns all by myself... WELL, I was able to judge the altitude/distance thing correctly both times and ended up just a few yards from the peas. My flare is still a little weak (I'm doing some upper body strength training and have not quite "arrived" yet!)... only got the toggles down to waist level. But it was good enough that I didn't hurt myself landing. I love the people at my dz. They're all extremely supportive. I appreciate them a lot. Yea Skydive San Marcos! Congratulations, LisaMarie! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Or you can charge it like I am, and get yourself deeper in debt!!! My credit card company must love me. But if I waited to "save up" enough bucks for training, it just wouldn't happen. I barely bring home enough to pay bills; it would take me forever to save up. But I want this SOOOOO bad! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

I'm planning on it!! As for the change in instructors, I just hope the one I have on the next jump doesn't change the dive flow, or I'll get confused. I wish I could learn to be more flexible (mentally)! Your idea on relaxing is a good one. I hadn't thought of changing my facial expression from "I'm concentrating" to "I'm having fun", but it just might work. I'm going to try it next time. I'll let you know how it works. Thanks! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Hey, Boom! I was sick on Sat. & Sun. so I had to wait until yesterday to go. But hey! At least I got to jump right away. I ATTEMPTED to do my Level 4 jump. Here's the re-cap: OK, so I flunked. No big deal [she tells herself]... just re-do it. It was still a total blast, especially after being grounded by a h.a. for two days. And it was really fun doing it on a work-day, 'cos all the time I was at work this afternoon, I day-dreamed about my jump, and the adrenaline was still flowing. Here are I.'s remarks from my logbook: Repeat Level 4. Good exit (but need to have a wider stance). Good self-scan of body position. Started drifting to the right-- need to correct and counter and keep upper body loose. Lost altitude awareness-- got an altitude prompt and responded. Stopped "working" after 8000' until pull time. Good pull at 5500' and canopy control. Don't flare too high!!! Although I was rarin' to go, I wasn't really in sync with what we were going to do on this jump. As happens more often than not, when we rehearsed the dive flow, my instructor made some changes to the procedure I had been practicing for the past two weeks. I don't mean he changed the dive flow intentionally; but the written directions for the dive flow from which I had been working did not include every single thing that was supposed to happen, so when we rehearsed it I realized that I was going to have to remember some things that I hadn't counted on. Minor things, actually, but for someone like ME, it was enough to throw off my rhythm and confidence. Our exit was pretty decent, although it felt different having only one instructor hanging on. It took us a little longer to reach that point where we were belly-to-earth. I made my initial altimeter check. When he let go of me and flew around to the front (head-on), I was supposed to check my altimeter again, look at him, nod to tell him I was ready to start my 90º turn, wait for his nod in return, and then start a controlled turn. Well, it didn't work out that way at all. I forgot to check my altimeter, and I immediately began turning-- unintentionally-- to the right. Darn. I tried countering the turn, but he told me later that I hardly countered at all. He must be right, of course, because I didn't stop turning until he reached out and stopped me. Did I check my altimeter at that point? Nope. I don't know why, but I always feel like we've got all the time in the world when we're up there. Hello??? "The porch light is on, but no one's home." He let go of me again, and I started uncontrollably turning again. I tried countering again to no avail. Dang. I think it was at this point that I said to myself, "Oh what the he!!, it's not going to work anyway; I may as well forget the turns; we don't have enough time left to make this dive successful" and basically gave up. See? Now that was so dumb--- I still had about 10 seconds (yes, I had actually checked my altimeter--- at his signal) that I could've at least tried. But I couldn't get stable enough. Every time he let go, I turned. Besides trying to counter the turn, I also tried to relax, as that should've also stopped the turning. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and let my wrists go limp, but it didn't work. He said I continued to look pretty stiff. How could I be stiff if I was trying to relax? This is turning out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. The last jump was so great, 'cos when they let go of me, I remained stable and didn't start turning or anything. But this one was totally different. HOW DO I PRACTICE THIS????!! The canopy ride was awesome. I wanted it to go on forever. I didn't gauge my ride back very well, and for a few seconds, was afraid I was going to land in the pond about a thousand feet south of the target. As it was, I did land well south of the target, but I missed the pond. Had the bright idea of deciding on my own when to flare and ended up flaring too high, but it wasn't a total disaster-- just not a nice stand-up landing. I PLF'd it and was fine. I feel like I need to do my jumps closer together--- not let so much time elapse between jumps. 'Course, I couldn't really help that, as last weekend was a total wash out with no instructors there that could jump with me. And this weekend I had the headache. Things I need to change or work on: My stance at the doorway. Right foot was too far behind left foot. Relaxing my upper body (especially) during freefall to avoid unintentional turning. Countering any unintentional turning with OBVIOUS motions (dropping the shoulder, etc.). Checking the altimeter EVERY 5 SECONDS. Checking my heading-- looking at horizon. Using every second of freefall to work instead of resigning. Learning what 15' from eye-level to ground looks like. And keep strengthening upper body--- I'm making a lot of progress with that, but need to get even stronger--- for flaring and canopy control. (When I flex my biceps, there's actually a lump now--- wooHOO! Look out, Jane Fonda.) OK, now, when can I go back and re-do this one? My preferred instructor is leaving the country for three weeks, so I'll be jumping with someone I never jumped with before. Eek. Hope to meet you there soon, Bryan! Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Awesome post, Jeth. Thanks. I don't see myself graduating very soon! It's getting really, really hot down here, and I just can't function in extreme heat. That will narrow down the days I go to the dz!! Let's see, it will have to be below 90º, at least PARTLY cloudy (not clear--- too much sun), and somewhat windy--- say, 5-14 mph. I'm not asking for too much, am I? The conditions I'm describing sound more like the Northwest than TEXAS. Maybe I should move. (Don't I wish.) Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Nope, not yet. Yesterday was just like Saturday, so I didn't even bother to go just to sit around waiting all day. I had a lot on my "to do" list anyway. Maybe next weekend. (I'm a bit discouraged about it.) Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Fantastic! Congratulations!

LisaMarie, This is awesome--- Way to go! It sounds like your jump was similar to what my dz does in AFF level 5. In level 4 we just do 90º turns, and in level 5 we do 360ºs. I'm really happy for you; I know how excited you are, 'cos I get that way too! I was going to do my Level 4 jump today in San Marcos, but I couldn't because they were short on instructors for some reason and I finally gave up after waiting for several hours. To tell ya' the truth, I was disappointed, but terribly, because my favorite instructor wasn't there anyway and I really wanted to jump with him; also, the winds were VERY calm (0-3 mph) and i didn't want to do a fast landing 'cos I have a sort of a fragile knee... I've done PLFs and haven't hurt my knee, but I just didn't want to take a chance. Ya' know? Also, it was horribly hot down over here today--- was it hot in Houston, too? I think it got up to 98º and the humidity was high so it felt over 100º. Anyway, I'm so glad to hear how your jump went--- Congratulations! Be sure to report back after the next one, ok? Tomorrow???? Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Probably, but it was a very long day of training. (Much longer than where you live, where the days are shorter. Just kidding.) Thanks for posting the photos. Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"

Hey, Brian. Have I met you yet at the dz? 360s--- yeah, I know--- how do you know when you've turned 90º? I guess it's intuitive. I just hope I can remain stable throughout the jump. Wish it were tomorrow... (I've got it bad) Blue skies & happy jitters ~Mockingbird "Why is there something rather than nothing?"