Baksteen

My scariest off landing wasn't even that far away from the DZ. It was the first time I'd been to 12k, and I found myself in a flat spin I could not correct, even in delta. (issue resolved on the very next jump) I pulled and ended up with some line twists, which I managed to get out with plenty of altitue remaining. However, I was a bit shaken from the "scary freefall", so I bollixed up my left hand pattern. I found myself over a farmhouse at 500 feet, made a small correction, and realised I was going to end up in a ditch. I made another small correction, and did a stand up landing on a small freshly sown lawn. One of my feet was on solid ground, the other dangling above the ditch. Fortunately the wind caught my canopy and blew me back onto the little field. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

It's Scottish. http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/fluffer "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

In the Netherlands it varies greatly. There is no "tipping culture" as far as i'm aware. Restaurants, bars etc. all have their individual policy. Some let each individual waiter/waitress keep whatever they collect in tips. Some pool all tips, and divide it among all waiters/waitresses, either equally or depending on how much every individual has worked that month. Some pool all tips, but divide it among all staff, including cooks and dishwashers. Some claim to have included the tip in the bill. And some just take away the tips, and pocket them. Those are the joints I'll never return to. As to the tips I give, sometimes I just round up the bill to the nearest convenient price, even if it's only 30 cents. Sometimes, on a large bill, I tip as much as a fiver. But Dutch restaurants are not allowed to cut the staff's pay. But minimum wage or not, you'll take whatever I feel like giving you and like it (and I have been a waiter myself). "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Where do you go when your dying for Beloney? "Samurai Pizza Cats"! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Why not go to the DZ just to hang out? Especially new students; Make some friends and get some valuable advice from them. Buy a few beers. Learn to pack, or make yourself useful in some (other) way. This will help one ease their way into the skydiving community, and help them form that attachment with the sport which you are referring to. Isn't it the people who care for nothing but their own jump(s) who quit before completing basic training? edited for clarification "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Please let's not go there This argument, of course, works both ways: "If you are a first jump student with no alti, and your radio stops working, then how would you expect the student to land safely?" ETA: In reply to your actual question: I'd turn into the wind as best I could, try not to drift, and flare "when I could see the grass blades" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

So, er, who are you going to sleep with first? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I guess forgetting your countdown is the same as not looking at your wrist while trying to fix that twist. I am from a small DZ too, with a student landing area which is quite large and has lots of outs and only a few minor obstacles. We have no radios as far as I know, but students might get visual signals for the final stage of their first five jumps. I certainly never did. You've got a point about alti-reliance though. I recently found out that I was correcting my eyes by my alti, instead of the other way around. This resulted in basically good landings and patterns, but usually WAY off target. ETA I fixed this now, some ten jumps ago. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I recently downsized from a manta 260 to a Falcon 215. My exit weixt is approximately 220 lbs, putting my wingload at 1.0 so I am in no rush at all to downsize further. I really enjoy flying the Falcon, because in comparison with the sluggish manta it reacts quickly and "enthousiastically" to all toggle input. If I was to try out something else, it would be a Sabre (ZePo canopy), but whether I'll go for a Sabre 210 or a Sabre 190 will be up to my instructor. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I am aware of the limitations of an altimeter, but I would not like to not have one during a jump. I completed S/L recently, and always jumped with an alti. Mals aside, how can you teach a student to fly a conservative pattern without an alti? They'd have no reference of when to make sure to be turned into the wind or anything. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Welcome back to the skies! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I've got 38 jumps, so I may make mistakes of my own, but I just can't keep quiet Please don't consider this flaming, but one of the things you *do* say is that you do not recommend letting up your toggles when below 200 ft, because that would cause you to fall. Then what if both your toggles at some point are at full brake? You'd get a stall, and even at 100 ft. impact from that would be quite hard. Besides, a flare generates maximum lift, and thus softest impact when performed from 0% brake. I was taught to try to fly ten seconds at full speed (against the wind obviously) before reaching flare altitude. And although I am a noob myself, and thus prone to high flares, once you have initiated your flare, you stick with it, even if you are *a few* feet too high. But that would place me keeping my toggles down at, say, ten feet rather than two hundred. edited for grammar "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I see people telling this guy that he is not offering sound advice, and other people agreeing with that. I can see why, but maybe an instructor or other very experienced person could/should point out the more lethal mistakes and correct them, just in case? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I cannot speak for everyone, but I too somtimes think "why the hell do I enjoy this!" even upon takeoff. What matters is how you feel once you're out of the door. Can you relax and enjoy the freefall? I reckon that if I couldn't, I'd have quit by now. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

A friend of mine is a teacher at the local primary school. One day he told me this beauty of an anecdote: While he was conducting class some day, one of the kids suddenly shouted "vibrator!" Of course that was all very funny, right until my friend asked the kids if anyone knew what the aforementioned appliance actually WAS. Not a single kid knew, including the little stand-up comedian. So my friend explained that some women do not have a partner, so they use one of those things "because it feels nice". Oh. Okay. My friend immediately forgot all about the incident, until the next parent night, when the parents of the kid who shouted vibrator completed the story. When their son came home that night, he went to his mother and asked her whether she had a vibrator. Upon questioning her son repeated what the teacher had told him. Mommy explained that she was not alone, she had daddy. Oh. Okay. Mommy too forgot all about the incident. Until the weekend, when they went visiting the really conservative Granny. "granny? You are all alone, aren't you?" "yes, dear, I have noone at all left," granny joked. Oh. "Then do you have a vibrator?" I would have given an arm or a leg to have seen that particular grandmother's face.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Taking the risk of turning this into yet another "SL vs AFF" thread, i really feel you shouldn't dismiss the static-line method quite so easily. It is still a great way to start skydiving for people who don't have enough money up front to pay for AFF (such as me). And I don't know about AFF replacing SL in America, but in other countries that might not be true. Especially the smaller dropzones might only offer SL. And if a small dropzone offers both methods, SL might actually be a better choice if you just want to jump as often as possible. Remember that for an AFF level-1 jump, three people and the weather conditions have to agree about when the jump will take place. A static-liner only needs a jumpmaster. So maybe it would be better if you just listed the pros and cons of each method, and let people decide for themselves which method suits them best

(Warning: low jump number) Because you might have pulled the ripcord partially free when yanking it, so that there is a risk of your main deploying when you do not expect it anymore. This could mean that you'd have to deal with a new malfunction, such as a personal downplane or an entanglement. On the other hand, if you did cut away, the main will (probably) stay in the container, and be less likely to tangle in your reserve. And if it turns out you cut the main away for nothing, it will still be inside the container, and easily be fixed back onto your rig.

Paraphrasing my basic training: ...which you should try to kick out - provided you haven't reached your predetermined cutaway altitude yet. (say 2000 ft.) Step 3: replace the "for a bit"-bit with "until you reach cutaway altitude" If at 2000 ft you haven't solved the nuisance yet, it immediately becomes a problem. Cut away, and pull your reserve ripcord, even if you're jumping with an RSL. Should you have lost altitude awareness, and be below 1000 feet, do NOT cut away, just deploy your reserve. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Well, sort of... For starters, I always turn against the wind using my rears immediately upon opening. Second, I have practiced canopy control, but haven't made the official jumps yet as demanded by the requirements or the A-licence. However, I am not confident enough with my flying skills to land anything but a completely operational canopy, and I feel that a rookie like me should never attempt to land upon rears for practice (for f's sake). Besides steering with risers only costs a lot of energy on such a huge student canopy as I'm jumping for now. So should a steering line break, I think the best option for me is to cut away for now (altitude permitting), and land the reserve. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I quoted you to expand on your point while replying to Lowie :) For a further explanation see my sig And the reason I said that was that i am not confident about how my chte reacts when I touch my rears instead of the steering lines, let alone what happens when I flare that way. For now, I will not touch my rears unless very high up. If my chute doesn't react the way I thought it would, I'll still have time to cut away if in doubt. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

See my post, no need to cut the brakeline. Besides, would you really advise a rookie like myself and the original poster to try and land on rears? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I prefer not to die at all, and to jump as safely as possible. In the Netherlands, AADs are mandatory for anyone not yet in possession of a C-licence (CRW and such excepted, obviously). Yet we get taught the full EPs, and are told never to rely on RSL or AAD alone. In the air, always finish your EP, even if the RSL has already pulled your reserve. Remember, your main safety backup is yourself, so keep it well maintained and up to date. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

The way I was taught, which boils down to: If necessary get back to the "parking space" and stay there. Cross the predetermined 1000 ft. line at that altitude and with the wind at your back, if necessary crab a little. Make a left hand turn, so you are flying against the wind at 250 ft, WITHOUT crossing the 250 ft line, which was also predetermined. Do NOT make any wild turns below 1000 ft, as these cost altitude and could cause you to crash. In addition, you might end up crashing into another jumper. (this is not a dig at swoopers; fact is that some additional rules apply to students

Thanks, or rather, dank je :) "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

If people ask what I do on weekends, I tell them my schedule. If they keep asking, i'll allow that I go to an airfield. Still interested? I tell them I'm learning to skydive. I watch their reaction. I tell something about my jumps so far, the best and the worst ones. Again, I watch their body language. If they really seem interested, why not explain that everyone can learn it? What do I care whether I actually convert them or no? At best they'll come and do a tandem, or even a course, which means extra cash for my DZ; at worst they say that they'd never skydive. They need to know such options exist, is all I want to say. It would seem to me that saving up for skydiving is more appealing if you can do it by performing a skydiving-related job. Keeps the interest alive, so to speak. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom