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Oh hey, there's a skydiving thread again. I made an attempt at training last year. Didn't do too hot. 5 AFF jumps, 9 all told when you count tandems. I could not figure out how to relax in free fall. I wound up separating my shoulder during opening (maybe, it could have happened on exit) on that last jump. That was in September, and while my shoulder is recovered I've put on too much weight over the holidays to get back into it right away. Of course I'm not sure if my shoulder injury completely disqualifies me from trying to do AFF again. I still have a bit of tightness when my arm is where it would be in box-man flight. Any advice for overcoming the panic of free fall and relaxing in the sky? Ways to offset the half-hour-long trip to altitude where I tend to psych myself out? Anyway, I'm the guy who failed at the sport and didn't have the good sense to die in the process. Feel free to laugh at me.
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Mar 24, 2014 17:19
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 21:14 |
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Tremblay posted:For me it was remembering to smile, and breathe. If there is a tunnel near you that might help a bit. You're going to be scared, the trick is to be able to calm yourself and/or put it aside. Until I hit 100 or so jumps I still had butterflies first jump of the day. If you can't get past it, then ok. How did you do under canopy? If you did ok with that, then finding a drop zone that does static line training might be a better option for you than AFF. I think I did okay under canopy. I could fly a decent pattern, and I managed one stand-up landing out of five attempts. Especially on that last jump with my shoulder not working, I am drat proud I managed to fly the pattern and land in the DZ using only elbow and wrist strength in my right arm. Granted I slid in, and I think I broke my tailbone, but I was able to stand up and walk back to the DZ building on my own. The biggest student rig my DZ has is a 260. Too small for my current weight. At least the harness fits my height; the first two AFF jumps I made, I was in a 240 with a harness one size to small for me. That sucked.
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Mar 24, 2014 20:11
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Thrasophius posted:How often are you able to land in the designated field? It's all well and good saying here is where you should land, but with unpredictable factors like the wind I imagine it's easier said than done. Barring mistakes or terrible luck? You should be able to land in the planned LZ every time. Before you even step on the plane, you should have a wind forecast for several different altitudes above the DZ, and you should know where your exit point, your holding area, and the turning points for your landing pattern are based on landmarks on the ground. The direction of the wind shouldn't change dramatically in the time you're up, unless the wind itself is pretty weak to begin with ("light and variable" winds). You will be hanging out in the holding area, turning circles, until you're low enough to enter the landing pattern. If you enter the pattern at the right point, and turn into your base and final legs at the right points, you're going to land right where you want to. Even if you're off by a hundred feet or so, you should land within your target field. You must always plan your jump. And then you must always jump your plan.
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Apr 23, 2014 16:10
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Hey, the Salado DZ is the last place I jumped! Good people there. Some jumpers get helmets with a clear face mask. I am seriously considering one if I manage to get back up there.
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Nov 25, 2014 22:24
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Tremblay posted:I prefer to jump with a full face helmet when doing free fall jumps. Others don't like them at all and use an open face with goggles or sunglasses. No right answer. For AFF you'll need to speak with the instructors. I know at Elsinore you are not allowed to use a full face helmet until you are licensed. Being able to fully see a students face is important for us to figure out what the hell is going on (or not) upstairs. Other DZs may not care. This is why I was told to get non-tinted goggles. Your instructors need to see your eyes.
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Nov 27, 2014 01:06
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 21:14 |
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Shooting Blanks posted:Prenatal. Wanna see those log books. Was your mom an active skydiver when you were a kid?
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Dec 1, 2014 17:32
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