Author Topic: Well, that was INTERESTING! (Read 564 times)

StSanta · « **on:** July 17, 2000, 11:14:00 AM »

Well, did my first three jumps this weekend.

ABSOLUTE HORROR; I was scared sh*tless. The jumpmaster opened the door, I looked out....FAR down, and we were only at 3000 feet. The noise was quite loud, and the feeling of the wind terror striking.

"INTO READY POSITION" the JM signalled, and, with my heart nowhere near where it is supposed to be, I somehow got myself moved into position, right leg out of the door, left leg behind me ready to push off.

"READY TO GO" was the next signal. I looked the JM deep into the eyes. At this point, fear level was high and on the rise, and I could feel my heart pounding away at the highest rate possible. "Don't look down, just go by automatic, like you've trained" I thought, all while repeating loudly "SEE GRAB SEE GRAB PULL PULL" - the emergency procedure in case something goes wrong.

Suddenly, I saw the JM's lips form "GO!" and I felt a slap on my shoulder. I don't know how, but I pushed away and a 140km/h wind grabbed me violently. I was knocked from an upright position to one where my head was pointed up towards the skies. Totally forgot about counting to 6 and was in totally scared. Violent pull, then, an open canopy above me. WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, still alive! two cells not properly inflated, but that is easily hanlded by pulling down on the breaks a bit.

Then 24h to next jump. Tjis time, I knew what awaited me and I was *even more* scared than before. I thought about not jumping a lot, and had slept very little the previous night. Jumpers 1-4 ahead of me jump off, no problem. My turn, last man. Something happens as I take ready position, and my pilot chute is out while I ams till in the plane! Jump master grabs it, pulls me in, closes door and orders pilot to land imemdiately. This scares me evn more. On the ground, a quick repacking of chute and they send me up on the very next lift. Now I am truly terrified. In position. GO. And I go. Better exit this time, I watch the plane disappear as I descend faster and faster. Chute out, feels good, chute is good. Lots of 360 turns, lots of laughing like a maniac, lots of screaming. Then upwind for landing. landed slightly harder this time and fell on my bum.

Third jump, same day. Weather is very grey and this is probably going to be the last jump anyone makes. I am number one to leave the aircraft again. Still feel very nervous and quite a bit afraid, but not as bad as last time. READy, then GO!. Perfect exit, in box from the start. COunt 1-6 thousand, chute should start deploying. Am thinking about pulling reserve when I feel it suddenly coming out, 4 seconds later than it should. Great fun flying around in the sky, lots a screaming again; I just cannot stop myself! It is SOO good and I am SO alive!. I make a standard landing approach, but cut some corners because I want to land near the club house. Turn upwind at 100 meters above the ground. There is a little wind, which helps my landing. Perfect landing; like stepping down from a step. One other student land near a tree and the canopy drags her into the forest, and another one decides landing on a bush is the best option. My sis makes a decent landing as well.

Now, something is wrong with my sis. She says, and I believe her, that she is more scared of taking exams than jumping. Not so with me. But the reward for jumping is absolutely fabolous. Nothing I've done to date can compare with it. The terror I feel is also very real, but the more experienced people say it'll pass with time. Well, jumping the chute you yourself has packed is sort of nerv wrecking to begin with, but then all the extra stuff comes in as well.

Next Saturday JumpWeek starts - 9 days of continuous jumping. I hope to get 25 qualified jumps that week and earn my certifikate. Hopefully the fear factor will go down at least a LITTLE next week; I don't consider myself a coward, but that stuff scares me mucho. But is fun at the same time. No fun without pain, the masochist said, I guess

.

Sorry for long post, but this was just awesome. Now I know why the birds sing, and have upraded myself from a "Wuffo" to a "F*cking Student". Hopefully I will go to "Turkey" from here

Next time I bail out in AH, I will THINK about just how scary it can be. Geesh, think I'd rather ditch

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StSanta
II/JG2

Gh0stFT · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2000, 02:25:00 PM »

hehe cool StSanta!

Ive dreaming myself to parachute one day,
1993 ive done a Bungee jumping from 70m, and
i can tell you, i was scared minimum like you describe it

But it was hell of fun and something you never forgett.

greets

----------------
Gh0stFT

A.K.A. Winner of the Desk Envy

"you had to be careful in dogfights when you were
turning hard, flying on the brink of a stall,
because the buck of the guns was enough to peel
off a few critical miles per hour and make the
Mustang simply stop flying." - Col C. E. "Bud" Anderson

funked · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2000, 05:04:00 PM »

Anyone who jumps out of a perfectly good airplane needs to have their head examined.

StSanta · « **Reply #3 on:** July 17, 2000, 06:36:00 PM »

funked

Jumpmaster told me "there is no such thing as a perfectly working aircraft"

.

To top it off, my instructor had a dislocated shoulder from three days before (crash landed sort of) and the pal I was going to jump with was visiting field. he had crashed had and broken leg and pevils. hospitalized for 9 weeks, but came out to see me jump. probably to scare me.

It worked

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StSanta
II/JG2

av8or · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2000, 02:55:00 AM »

I'll stick with flying 'em but will consider jumping if there is a major problem.

And you are right the is no such thing as a perfectly working airplane i haven't found one yet.

Badger · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2000, 06:32:00 AM »

Congrats StSanta......<Salute>

Welcome to the club....

I went the opposite way to most....

After 152 times exiting them (highest 12,500), I decided I'd like to learn to fly them.

It took 30 years, but finally got a PP license and my own C172 back in 1994.

I think you'll remember the comraderie and jumping experience with great fondness all of your life. Just remember to turn OFF the barometric opener, if they still use those things.

It was one mistake I made early on....hehe

Regards,
Badger

StSanta · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2000, 06:47:00 AM »

<S!> Badger

Tell me; does the Fear go away a bit as you gain more experience?

We have some odd mechanical device on our reserves, and they must be turned off if we go down with the aircraft again

.

But the comraderie is great; I am completely new to the club, yet they've taken me in as if I was one of them. Showed me sleeping quarters, told me to use the kitchen as I wanted and so forth.

And, oh, they all drink loads of beer

. That helps.

My highest jump this far is a meagre 3000 feet - still seems VERY high as you jump, but as you fall it seems FAR too little

Next jump is dummy pull. I bet I will still be scared stiff

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StSanta
JG54 "Grünherz"

Badger · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2000, 06:26:00 AM »

My fear never went away, but I'm innately afraid of heights. I can't stand looking off the balcony of an apartment building or office tower. I won't even go out onto a balcony. I took up jumping in the army as an airborne soldier back in the 1960's, because my buddy and I discovered they paid you an extra $60/month (risk pay) for becoming a paratrooper. That was a lot of money back then and sure bought a lot of extra beer for parties, which tends to be your priority when one is young and stupid.

We graduated to free fall after making 10 or so military jumps and gradually worked our way up to 60 second delays from 12,500 feet.

On my first actual 5 second (3,500 feet) free fall after doing "dummy" rip cord pulls, I was so excited I forgot to turn OFF the barometric automatic opener on my reserve chute. It went off at 1,800 feet and I ended up with full deployment of both canopies, a 28 foot Double L main and a 24 foot twill reserve. The rotation all the way down to landing almost made me seasick and it was somewhat embarrassing.

Good luck with it and I know you'll enjoy the experience. The fear is actually just anxiety and I wouldn't worry to much about it as everyone, even those comfortable with heights go thought it. Like all things, it will diminish with confidence in your equipment and yourself over time.

Regards,
Badger

StSanta · « **Reply #8 on:** July 19, 2000, 08:12:00 AM »

Badger

Very interesting story, thanks for sharing it

Landing under two chutes? AAARGH!

Thanks for words of encouragement too, I hope you're right

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StSanta
JG54 "Grünherz"

DoZZ · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2000, 06:39:00 AM »

I remember my first static line jump like it was yesterday

Its a long story so I wont post it all but to give you an idea of how it went... doors opened ....at 3,500ft... jumpmaster orders climb to the door....... my reply you wonder?.... the most serious NO! I've ever said in my life!!

BTW I did make the jump...all my buddies were
there to watch so I had too hehehehee
You have'nt lived till you jump out of a perfectly good airplane !

1 more thing... during my groundschool training they put me in a hanging harness to train me on what to do in chute malfunctions.
The jumpmaster had these huge pictures of chutes in various situations. Well we would go through the jump routine and when I was to look up to check my chute he would hold up one of those big picture's and yell "what do you do!" Well he held up a streamer and started slinging me around in my harness yelling what do you do! He had my so shook up it took awhile for me to locate the reserve D-ring. When I asked him why he was slinging me around like that he said thats what a streamer would feel like.
So be prepared an know your gear like the back of you hand!
BTW what is it? like 8 sec freefall from 3k?
stay away from that high speed dirt!
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DoZZ -=NightStalkers=-

[This message has been edited by DoZZ (edited 07-20-2000).]

StSanta · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2000, 03:11:00 PM »

Heheh dozz, we've had those emergency drills too. Pretty amusing, but I fear failing them

.

Longest freefall this far has been about 6-7 seconds, and that was because the pilot chute got stuck in the vacuum behind my back. As I looked to check why I wasn't hanging vertically from my chute, the slipstream was changed and it sucked the pilot chute out.

But, if all goes well, before next sunday I will have jumped from 3500 meters. That should give me 50-55 secs of free fall.

Dammit, now I am scared again!

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StSanta
JG54 "Grünherz"