Graeme_Coutts

Sure is, and that doesn't change whether you have 1, 10, 100, 1000 or 10000 jumps. Keep that in your head as long as you're in the sport and you'll be a much more headsup skydiver than the ones who think as soon as they have their license they're done learning new things. That is my aim NW, thanks!

Thank you for the very insightful response. Hell, there is a shedload to learn in this sport....

I hear you (or more accurately "read" you) and can only respond by saying that I am hoping that it is the former that holds true here. Not that I would like to consider myself unlucky in any way but rather that than have a dodge packer on the loose! I trust that the old saying that things happen in threes does not apply in this case!

Andy, I have discussed at length with the guys and the response was not much different from the replies above. I admit, rather ashamedly that I played it down at the time as the post jump adrenalin was high and I had walked away happily after all. The fact that I was with a bunch of work mates did not help in me wanting to delve into the "whys" and "hows" at the time. It was only after jump 2 that I decided that I really wanted to pursue this sport in earnest. I have recently gone through the pics again and I think it could be because I have had 2 "funnies" in my 6 jumps that I pose these question to this forum. That and the fact that I want to learn all I possibly can so that I can enjoy this sport to the full. Jump 5 was a lot worse from my point of view and in retrospect (and after reading the above replies) I should have landed on my reserve. It was only after clearing my rather substantial line twists that I saw that all was far from right with my rig. By that time and with my non-existent experience level I thought I may have been too low to cut away. I was given a good talking to by my instructor and I realize how lucky I was not to have broken something......

The canopy was steerable to an extent but with it being my first jump I had no point of reference. The pic is of me on final and I was flying straight (just checked the uncropped pic and those after) and I landed straight into the wind. Looking at the vid I seemed to not have much forward speed and the wind was constant on the day. I did crumple a little on landing but walked away to jump twice more on the day. I am quite shaky at the thought that I should have chopped and it triggered a thought on how many cutaways have been done on first jumps! Scares the shit out of me!

Really? Bad enough to have chopped? Well in some respects I am glad it was on my first ride and hence didn't realize it was a "choppable" tangle! PS, I did pump the breaks twice.... Thanks for the response.

The attached is a pic from my very first jump. Not a major thing but as a first timer it certainly got my heart pumping a little faster. My question is this: What could have caused the line tangle? My memory of that first jump is vivid and there were no line twist on deployment and all seemed well until my checks. I had sufficient control, by using the LHS toggle for "differential" steering and walked away after creating a suitable cloud of dust on landing. For the experienced people out there, are there ways of clearing this type of thing or is it best just to fly it in for landing..... Excuse the noobness of the question.....

Thank you for the reply skymama! I plan to do both! What I really want to do when I grow up (only 38 years old now) is to fly a camera or two. I have been doing video work for a fair time now and my main passion is aviation so this is a natural progression. A rather radical one, but natural nonetheless!

Hello Folks, Newbie here, just 6 jumps down and one heck of a lot more to go! This site looks great. Lots to learn, so little time!