DTOXX

First and foremost, thank you for the responses. Yes I plan to video the next jump. Like many I had my AFF 1 filmed with the idea of showing it off to friends and family. I have since used it to see how my JM's flew and how my body position was on my first jump. I agree video is a great tool all be it expensive if used excessively. I of course have and will again discuss this with my instructor. It was/is my hope to use the forum as a way of getting multiple views on this problem. I am also making plans to be in Las Vegas next month and plan to visit the vertical tunnel. If nothing else perhaps I will be able to work out this little problem without all the other issues being present. Those being the chute opening or not, and will this landing be OK or not...

Hello all. I am taking instructions via AFF at my local DZ and have again failed my last lesson. This is where the single JM releases and I am to perform 360 left and right turns. My problem is that I keep dropping my right knee which causes a left turn. This is from observation from my instructor and my own recollection. Knowing this I have the following questions. Should I attempt to keep my knees (and feet) on a parallel plane while trying to turn with my arms? OR Should I "counter balance" (if thats the correct terminology) with my legs. I.E. for a right turn I would bank my arms to the right and raise my right knee. Any insight from someone with more experience would be greatly appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this newbies question. ------- D.T. Holder SIMstudy

Just put your helmet on and roll your head around on the scanner... ------- D.T. Holder SIMstudy

This is real do-able. I am in Bakersfield Ca. this is not a commitment, DTOXX extends to warrenties to this claim and may or may not actually attend.

My AFF instructor keeps using this one phrase that gets my attention EVERY TIME. It goes like this: Instructor: So if you cut away, this ring will still me attached to your harness. Some people have spent the rest of their lives pulling this ring thinking its the reserve handle. Me: WHAT? Later its; Instructor: Some people have spent the rest of their lives trying to decide if this (photo of line over) is a good chute to fly. and on and on and on. Everything is "Some people..rest of their lives..." Everytime he does this I would GULP really big.

What a timely post.

Temp at DZ Friday = 111 Temp at DZ Sunday = 104 ------- D.T. Holder SIMstudy

On my first jump (which is half of them at this point) the radio in my helmet died at about 1000 feet. I heard "make some turns" and then "ksjhdfk kshf l;flks hkl", then nothing. I thought, "OK, you can do this, face the wind and glide on in". Well I worked my way downwind, crossed where I thought I should and was headed into the wind like a good boy I watched as the landing area gently slide underneath me at about 50 feet. I then recalled reading somewhere that you should 1. land in a safe place and 2. land close. I choose number one over number two and kept on flying into the wind. It was shortly after this thought (very shortly) that I realized my landing would occur either on the barbed wire fence that surrounds the airport or on the highway next to it. I made a gentle turn and was forced to make a cross wind landing. This turn just happened to line me up on the old abandoned runway where I landed just about center of the white "X" denoting its non-use. I had never landed a chute so of course I applied the brakes WAY too soon, over corrected and shot forward a bit, reapplied the brakes to attempt a flair and discovered the ground was approaching quite rapidly. I then was thankful for my instructors insistance that I practice the PLF hours earlier. I must say that it could have been a better landing but thanks to a PLF, snagging my left leg in the control lines and a short slide on my bum it was not bad at all. All of this happened on older blacktop runway!