More AFF

In the past week I have doubled my total number of jumps... not like it's that big of a deal since that only brings me up to 8 (including the initial tandem), but it's been a fun week.

Jump #4: AFF Category C-2

Last Thursday (Sept. 4th) I made my first jump since I returned to Idaho. The student rigs here have pilot chutes instead of rip cords, but otherwise everything was familiar. The jump went pretty well. Kevin released me and I was mostly stable, though I went into a slow right-hand turn and then started chipping again around 7,000ft. I held onto my PC for a split second on deployment, but then released it and had a nice opening with no issues. I was pretty much without radio under canopy--Kevin told me when to turn in for the final approach, but otherwise I was on my own. I managed to flare at close to the right height and had a stand-up landing, though it was not quite as gentle a touch-down as I would have liked.

Jump #5: AFF Category D-1

I came back to the DZ again on Saturday evening, had too much to drink, embarrassed myself a bit, and spent the night there again. Sunday (the 7th) I got up bright and early (fighting against the urge to do nothing but sleep all day to recover from the previous night) so I could be on the first load of the day. On this jump I was supposed to be doing 90- and 180-degree turns, but I couldn't seem to get my body position quite right. I just fell stable and on heading... and then more chipping around 7,000ft. No turns = repeat the jump. So my goal of getting all the way through the course without any repeats is out. Oh well. As long as I'm still having fun, which I definitely am, I'll stick with it anyway. I was entirely on my own under canopy this time. I didn't even bring a radio with me, and I was a little nervous about how I would do without it. I ended up flaring waaaay too early (around 25 ft above the ground), realized my mistake, let up on the toggles (even though I knew I was supposed to just continue with the flare in that case), flared a second time, stalled, and then dropped straight down a foot or two for another not-so-gentle stand-up landing. I'm sure I'll get the flaring thing figured out eventually.

Jump #6: AFF Category D-1 (again)

This time I managed to turn, but then I couldn't get myself to stop. It was a slow turn--not out of control by any means--but if Kevin hadn't grabbed on to me again I doubt I would have been able to stop on my own. Thanks to the video, Kevin concluded that I was bending slightly at my hips, which caused me to turn regardless of what my arms were doing. Looking back at the older videos, it turns out that's what happened on my C-2 jump as well. More chipping at 7,000ft. This appears to be a chronic problem. On opening, I had line twists for the first time but was able to get out of them quickly. I flared a little too early, did another stupid double flare, and had another bumpy stand-up landing. Even though I felt like I wouldn't have been able to stop my turn, Kevin said I did fine and passed me on to D-2.

Jump #7: AFF Category D-2

Tuesday I came back to the DZ after class hoping to get a couple more jumps in. On this one I got my turning issues worked out. After Kevin released me I went into a right-hand turn as planned, making sure to keep my torso straight. I turned 270-degrees to face him, and then just made small adjustments to stay pointed at him. No more uncontrolled turns, though I was obviously still nervous and started chipping again. I had more line twists on opening--this time they were twisted a full three times around. It only took a few seconds to get everything straightened out, though, and then I just played around and tried out a couple maneuvers required for the A-license. I did a couple very sharp turns and tried out turning and flaring with the back risers. I'm starting to really enjoy my time under canopy. My flare was almost right this time--maybe a little bit early, but I managed a single smooth flare and yet another stand-up landing. On to category E and acrobatics!

After going over what would be required of me on the category E jump, we headed up on the sunset load. Unfortunately, the climb to altitude took longer than expected, and it was too dark for me to jump by the time we reached 10,000ft. So I got to ride the plane down for the first time. It was quite the experience. In an effort to get us back on the ground quickly, the pilot flew in fairly sharp spirals, and I could feel myself getting light-headed as the blood drained down to my lower extremities. Although I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to make that last jump, I was glad that Kevin made the call to ride the plane down. I'd much rather deal with that disappointment and stay safe than go for it and end up with an injury.

I'm planning to spend all day Sunday at the drop zone again, so we'll see how many jumps I'm able to get done. As much as I'm looking forward to trying flips and rolls, I'm also really nervous. Hopefully I'll get it right on the first try... I can't afford to repeat too many more jumps.