Bill_K

Hello All, does the Optima record your free fall time so that you can look at it after the jump, or does it just give warnings and all that goes with that? Thanks, Bill K.

Mo, That sounds like a pretty cool course. So far I'm doing pretty well with the landing part of my training. I've not sat down a landing since level 3. The rest have all be stand up or 2 or 3 step landings. The last two have been within about 10 feet of the big X they put out as the target. I think being a pilot helps with some of that too though. I understand glide paths, and how to maintain them, etc. I'm able to pick a point and adjuts to fly to it. The more techincal stuff in the air though and I'm sure a lot more closer to the ground I still need to learn a lot more about. BK

Lisa, Thanks for the detailed answer. I at least feel like I'm on the right track with some of that. I did a lot of that stuff going through AFF and on my first solo I messed around with some more of it too. I've not done any barrel rolls yet, but I think the rest of it I have. I love to track and caught my level 7 instructor off guard with it. On my level 7, the last thing was a track. I came out of it, was still at 7k so I tracked again. Stopped the track at about 5k, waited to 4500, waved off and pulled. Right at the end he came screaming up, but stopped short of me. Later on the ground I asked if I was doing something wrong at wave off and pull time and he said no; I had just caught him off guard with my track because it was so good. Said it was one of the best tracks he's ever seen out of a level 7. Later on my solo I did some more of it. I like that feeling. It's fast and pretty cool to to do. What is a tube exit? I've done the super man straight out thing and everything else has been poised exits. Thanks again, Bill K.

Sounds like good advice to me. I spent a lot of time in the tunnel learning how to do knee and arm turns, slides, and controlling my fall rates, etc. I want to try those things in air and with other jumpers now. I did some knee turns and some knee/arm turns on my solo. I understand that they are used to make quick turns while doing RW work. I want to keep learning...

LOL, trust me that was driven home.

No, but with any luck that will happen this weekend. I just got an AAD finally. We are installing it this weekend and weather permitting I've got enough $$ this weekend to jump at least 5 or 6 times on it, so we'll see. I'm excited to give it a go.

Here is me last month in Orlando in the tunnel with my Mamba. Sorry about the quality of the picture. I did 30 minutes in there and I loved it. I love it in free fall too.

Thanks Mo, I actually did 30 minutes spread over two days in the wind tunnel in Orlando last month. We were down there on vacation and I was able to get in there and enjoy some time. My AFF instructor said that he could tell the difference on my level 7, said was a lot more comfortable and confident in the air. The same day that I did level 7 I went right back up and did a solo and had we not run out of day light, I would have gone a 3rd time. What did you learn in the canopy course? What types of things? Thx again, BK

You got that right. I've learned that lesson. Oh and don't tell them when you hit 100 or 1000 jumps I found out either. And if they find out they missed you at one milestone, they will pie you at the next one with interest. I'm a long ways from those milestones though.

Well after several months of weather delays and other delays, I'm finally off of AFF... What Next? I know that I want to get my class A to start and beyond. However beyond even that, what next... what should I be focused on learning? I want to get better, and better and safer and safer, but I want to do it in a structured and fun way. BK

You guys/gals all rock!! I'm super amped now to do my solo stuff. I can't wait to actually look around and take it all in. I've been laying on the floor and practicing going from track back to lazy W real slow like, well normal speed like and not like I did it on 6. Just trying to get the feel in my head for 7. My exits are pretty stable now so I think it's just a matter of slowing everything down and doing it smooth. I will be doing much of this next time out. Slow smooth breathing, see it in my and, big smile and try to talk it out in the air as I'm going. I want to nail 7 and then get a solo or two out of the way. Weather and work permitting I'm going to try and make that happen on Friday. Otherwise it will have to wait a week. Until after vacation. Thanks again, it's helpful to hear this stuff from those of you who've been there before... BK

Because that's where the person who left the plane before you is. Going the other direction (following the plane), you head towards the part of the sky where the person/group leaving after you is. Thanks kelpdiver, that makes perfect sense. I guess up to now I've been so far behind the other groups that it's not been a worry, but now that I can actually move across the sky a bit, it's a much more real concern. BK

Why is this? Why can't one track back toward the landing area, I did this on my second track during my level 6 and while I was not holding my heading all that great I was in theory tracking along the flight line? I.e. I was tracking at the time parallel to the runway. The plane should have been higher and behind me? I've found it's only when I rush my exit count for what ever reason that I have a so-so dive. If I slow that down the rest of the dive seems to go awesome. On my level 6 even though I fast counted my exit, I did exit stable, because I got to watch my instructor in a heads down high speed track from the plane down to level with me. Was way cool to watch, but as soon as he gave me the nod, I was rushing it again. I think that once I've been able to jump a few times with out the pressure of having to do a bunch of stuff that I will start to settle down. Each jump seems to be getting better and better in spite of myself though.

Thanks JeepDiver!! I can't wait until I can go solo. I'm one jump away, I think. Regardless of the dive today, I feel great and am thrilled to be knocking on the door of my AFF completion.

Hey Justin, Good to see you on here. :) Actually my first jump of the day today was probably my best yet. It was on my second jump that things went wacky in my head. I think it started with the fact that we had a tandom load get on late and push all the way to the front of the plane and I had been there so I had to shift down and that separated me from my instructor on the plane and caused some anxiety a bit and I'm wondering if I just never got myself relaxed after that. Last week it was my jump one that I was running fast on, but my second jump was a dream. BK

Bob, He and I talked for a good long while after the jump and he suggested many of the same things. He also said to 'talk' my way through each item, the time it takes me to talk it out should be how fast I should go. I'll get it settled down I think. Just gotta keep at it. Thanks for the response. BK

Hello all, How can I get myself to 'slow' the freak down in the air. What I mean is I feel like I'm rushing things in the air constantly. I'm still working on my AFF and just did jump 6 today and hope to do level 7 and a solo next time out. Anyway, I find myself rushing my exit count sometimes, and rushing my objectives in the air sometimes. How can I slow myself down to just chill out and have a good dive. Don't get me wrong my 6 was still awesome, but I rushed myself through my back flip and right into tracking and never got stable between the two. That started a chain of events that caused me to keep rushing for some reason. I passed the level and did all the right things at the right times, but it was not 'right' if you know what I mean. I really, really want to get a lot better at this, to do that I've got to slow down. Can some of ya'll give me some ideas on how you keep yourself slow and in control? Thanks, Bill K.

Thanks guys, that's what I kind of figured, but I wanted to double check. My level 2 yesterday felt great. My level 1 was a bit rough. I hope the next few go smoother like my lvl 2 did. I'm still riding a huge high from yesterday's lvl 2. Anyway, thanks again!!

Hello, where in the AFF L3 do the instructors let you go? Does the student exit on their own or is it like 1 and 2 and they let you go in flight? Thx BK

I witnessed something awesome this morning. I was there to do my AFF 2 and while waiting and chatting with other jumpers we were watching a load come in that had 2 AFF level 5's on it. It was the first load of the day and the winds were up a bit and both these guys got carried down range. Both of them made the decision to try and make it back to the field by coming over a stand of trees and both of them scared us to death. The first one just barely cleared the trees at the end of the field, but he made it. Everybody by this point was out of the hanger and watching the last guy. He was way out and we all kept swearing that he should turn to an alternate spot or he would end up in the trees that boarder the field. At the point that this guy was about 300-400 feet I would guess one of the other instructors jumped in his truck and went tearing away down range before the second guy ever landed. Thankfully the second guy found an opening at the very end of the airfield that we could not see and managed to come down clear of the trees. What I liked the most though was this instructor jumping in that truck and going tearing down that field to make sure that he was there in case of an off field or in the trees landing. It totally set my mind to ease that if there was a problem with my pattern that somebody was going to be watching out for me. My AFF 2 went off without the drama and was the best jump so far. I did one tandem first and that hooked me and then I came back and started through the AFF. So I've got a total of 3 jumps. Sure hope that I did not butt in off topic here. I just know from what I saw today, that at my DZ that they would not be waiting, they would be moving as soon as they even suspected a problem!!

You could come back with a canopy that's bigger than normal, and then slow it way down so you don't have to try the ankle; maybe just kind of 'sit' down for a while? May not be the coolest looking landing in the world, but probably a lot less painful...

Funny you should say that about getting it filmed. I was thinking about that and talking to my wife about it last night. I was commenting that I bet the video is a very, very useful tool for training and it might not hurt to get one done every 25 or 50 jumps, just a progress type of thing. Thanks for the encouragement!! I'm going to drive out there on Thursday and at least try and get setup with a regular instructor so that when I can come back and take the ground classes and can start doing the AFF jumps I know who I'll be working with. BK

As wide open as my mouth was during free fall nobody would ask that. I was sucking down so much air I'm wondering how many bugs that sucked down too!! Do people really ask about breathing through your skin?

LOL, you guys kill me. I assure you, nobody wants to see me skydiving naked!! The sport would be ruined for everybody else!! As for gear, I can wait. I just want to get back in the sky! But if I keep looking I think that I'll know when the time is right. Last year I lost a bunch of weight, like 80 lbs, after Saturday, I got the motivation that I need to take the 30ish or so that I put back on, back off. Now I have a reason to take it off and keep it off. Last night I was kind of nervous, just like all of the sudden it kind of hit me. As the day went on today though it went away and I was pumped again. Now I'm chomping at the bit to go again, and soon. I've got family and business stuff that will keep me from the ground school for two weeks though. As soon as I can though, I'm taking it and I'm moving on with this. Thanks again for the welcome and advice. I noticed the USPA.org site is up and I've been reading up on it. So much to learn, so worth it though. -Me

Thanks for all the very encouraging responses guys'n'gals. I like the advice of renting a bunch until I find what I like. Frankly after I spent 4 or 5 hours reading about why this one is better than that one, I think this is very good advice. I don't know how long it will take to get through the AFF stuff, be it 7 or 10 jumps, so long as I'm still alive at the end and being safe, then it was a success. Then as they say when learning to fly, then I really start learning. A private is a license to learn, and instructor rating is a license to learn what you really don't know that you think you know. Anyway, right now I'm wanting to learn a bunch. I find myself thinking about the next time, I'm living for it right now I think. Heck I can't even sleep with the excitement of it. Well that and I go to work real early anyway. Thanks again for the kindness already, Bill K.