Chilly day, low winds (temporarily over 16, but I spent all that time packing anyway).
Jump 1 - Out after a 7-way. Worked on fall rate changes. Yeah, I got that squared away. Worked on steeper dive for the swoop & dock, but felt a little unstable, so I backed off. Braked deeper and deeper until stall started. Landed in front of the other hangar. Packed.
Jump 2 - Tracking & steeper dive while tracking. Stayed stable this time, and felt the angle change downward. Horizon was gone, and I was looking at the ground. The sound of air going by my ears went up a lot. Easily got stable in a belly-to-earth position afterwards. Opening seemed slow, but maybe I'm just hypersensitive about my own pack jobs. Landed in front of FBO. Packed again.
Jump 3 - Steep dive in freefall again. Canopy opened fine. Turns & spirals under canopy. Landed by other hangar.
The coaches and instructors were crazy busy with tandems. I wasn't able to squeeze a jump in with any of them. Oh, well, maybe next week...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
4 jumps, and I jumped a rig I packed. Finally.
There was almost no wind today. Made for some interesting landings.
Jump 1 - King Air, only got 4,500 feet. Jumped, got stable, hung out for a few seconds, pulled. I jumped the 240 last weekend because Doug had the 230 all day, and I forgot just how responsive the 230 is. Had a lot of fun under canopy, then had a less than perfect landing with no wind.
Jump 2 - I was going to pack the 230 with help, then jump it. Jim Smith was looking for one more to fill out a Cessna load, so I grabbed the 240 and got on. Spotted. First out at 4,500. Got stable, hung out a bit, pulled. The right toggle had a big loop of line that should have been stowed. It took me about 30 seconds of looking at it following the line, but I decided that the handle did no go through the loop, and released the brakes. On final, I realized I was heading for the taxiway. Put on some brakes, and landed well clear.
Jump 3 - I packed the 230 with a little help from Autumn. Took the King Air all the way up. Worked on turns using just legs. Did some tracking. Pulled a little higher just to have some extra time. Canopy opened fine with a little right turn when it inflated. Nice landing in front of the FBO.
Jump 4 - I packed the 230 with no assistance. King Air all the way up. Turns using just legs, including a 360. The canopy opened a little slowly, and seemed to be skinnier from front to back for a few seconds, then popped out into a perfectly good canopy. Maybe I was just overanalyzing it. Landed in front of FBO.
Talked to Van about getting some things signed off, and what I have to do to finish up this A license.
Jump 1 - King Air, only got 4,500 feet. Jumped, got stable, hung out for a few seconds, pulled. I jumped the 240 last weekend because Doug had the 230 all day, and I forgot just how responsive the 230 is. Had a lot of fun under canopy, then had a less than perfect landing with no wind.
Jump 2 - I was going to pack the 230 with help, then jump it. Jim Smith was looking for one more to fill out a Cessna load, so I grabbed the 240 and got on. Spotted. First out at 4,500. Got stable, hung out a bit, pulled. The right toggle had a big loop of line that should have been stowed. It took me about 30 seconds of looking at it following the line, but I decided that the handle did no go through the loop, and released the brakes. On final, I realized I was heading for the taxiway. Put on some brakes, and landed well clear.
Jump 3 - I packed the 230 with a little help from Autumn. Took the King Air all the way up. Worked on turns using just legs. Did some tracking. Pulled a little higher just to have some extra time. Canopy opened fine with a little right turn when it inflated. Nice landing in front of the FBO.
Jump 4 - I packed the 230 with no assistance. King Air all the way up. Turns using just legs, including a 360. The canopy opened a little slowly, and seemed to be skinnier from front to back for a few seconds, then popped out into a perfectly good canopy. Maybe I was just overanalyzing it. Landed in front of FBO.
Talked to Van about getting some things signed off, and what I have to do to finish up this A license.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
2 jumps, packed, but yep, wind again
Jumped twice today. Both times were full King Air loads.
On the first, I followed a 5-way out. I mostly watched them, did some turns just with my legs, and tracked. Landed the 240 right in front of the hangar. The winds were coming over the buildings, and we landed heading toward the buildings.
I packed the rig with some help from John Howard.
I did a floating exit on the 2nd jump. I felt like I was a little far from the airport. First out was a 5-way that took a long time to set up in the door, then a 2-way, then Chris, then me. The combination of being long and jumping a rig I packed made me decide to open a little higher (5,000 instead of 4,000). I got a hard left turn when it opened, but other than that, it was a perfectly good canopy. Landing was toward the buildings again. I slightly misjudged my downwind leg, but I was going to be in front of the other hangar. No big deal. Then I saw the plane taxiing, and I really didn't want to be anywhere near him, so I let the downwind leg go a little longer and landed on the far side of the runway. In retrospect, I should have known the plane would not go past the taxiway. Oh well.
I packed the rig on my own.
The winds went to 17, never dropped again until I had to leave.
On the first, I followed a 5-way out. I mostly watched them, did some turns just with my legs, and tracked. Landed the 240 right in front of the hangar. The winds were coming over the buildings, and we landed heading toward the buildings.
I packed the rig with some help from John Howard.
I did a floating exit on the 2nd jump. I felt like I was a little far from the airport. First out was a 5-way that took a long time to set up in the door, then a 2-way, then Chris, then me. The combination of being long and jumping a rig I packed made me decide to open a little higher (5,000 instead of 4,000). I got a hard left turn when it opened, but other than that, it was a perfectly good canopy. Landing was toward the buildings again. I slightly misjudged my downwind leg, but I was going to be in front of the other hangar. No big deal. Then I saw the plane taxiing, and I really didn't want to be anywhere near him, so I let the downwind leg go a little longer and landed on the far side of the runway. In retrospect, I should have known the plane would not go past the taxiway. Oh well.
I packed the rig on my own.
The winds went to 17, never dropped again until I had to leave.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
4 Cessna jumps
First time jumping out of the Cessna 182. Seats 4, but you really have to be OK with giving up personal space.
#1 - 4 of us. Cloudy. Got 5,000 feet. We were the first load, and were testing how much altitude we could get. Exited off step, stable quick, pulled at 4,000. Played with brakes under canopy (the 230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
Started to pack, but JR suggested that if I get Tara to pack it, I could get on the next load. Sounded OK with me.
#2 - 4 of us. 5,000 again. Exited over a thin cloud that I could vaguely see through, and I could still see the runway beyond the edge of it. Pulled @ 4,000 just as I was at the bottom of the cloud. Played with brakes under canopy (the 230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
I planned to pack, but Doug wanted to switch off and jump this rig, so I couldn't.
#3 - 3 of us. I spotted. John Howard said that he was a little long on his last jump, so I got us out a little earlier. We exited at 8,500 feet, so I worked on fall rate changes. I was completely stable when I slowed my fall rate, and I could really feel the speed change. Brakes and turns under the canopy (240). I must have flared a little more quickly than I should have on this canopy, because I ended up getting a little lift. The canopy just sort of set me down after that, so not really a big deal. Just need to remember that when I jump a different canopy, I should do more practice flares before landing.
Didn't really want to pack the bigger 240 sq. ft. canopy.
#4 - 2 of us. 5,000 feet again. Exited from step again. There was some rain in the air (not on the ground) that really stung my face. Felt like ice, but at only 5,000 feet it probably wasn't cold enough. Turns and spirals under canopy (230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
#1 - 4 of us. Cloudy. Got 5,000 feet. We were the first load, and were testing how much altitude we could get. Exited off step, stable quick, pulled at 4,000. Played with brakes under canopy (the 230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
Started to pack, but JR suggested that if I get Tara to pack it, I could get on the next load. Sounded OK with me.
#2 - 4 of us. 5,000 again. Exited over a thin cloud that I could vaguely see through, and I could still see the runway beyond the edge of it. Pulled @ 4,000 just as I was at the bottom of the cloud. Played with brakes under canopy (the 230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
I planned to pack, but Doug wanted to switch off and jump this rig, so I couldn't.
#3 - 3 of us. I spotted. John Howard said that he was a little long on his last jump, so I got us out a little earlier. We exited at 8,500 feet, so I worked on fall rate changes. I was completely stable when I slowed my fall rate, and I could really feel the speed change. Brakes and turns under the canopy (240). I must have flared a little more quickly than I should have on this canopy, because I ended up getting a little lift. The canopy just sort of set me down after that, so not really a big deal. Just need to remember that when I jump a different canopy, I should do more practice flares before landing.
Didn't really want to pack the bigger 240 sq. ft. canopy.
#4 - 2 of us. 5,000 feet again. Exited from step again. There was some rain in the air (not on the ground) that really stung my face. Felt like ice, but at only 5,000 feet it probably wasn't cold enough. Turns and spirals under canopy (230). Landed in front of the other hangar.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
1 jump, wind.
I got one jump in today. Load 2. I was spotting. Surprised to see a plane directly below us. Grant said it was on final to the airport, and it turned down the taxiway. I wanted to extend jump run a little bit because of the wind. Green light on, Grant said go.
Got out just before the rainbow field. Did some tracking and turns with legs only.
Opened roughly over the 6. By the time I did control checks, I was in front of the hangar. Flew back to the 6 easily enough. On landing, I realized the winds were definitely higher than the 15 kts when I got on the plane. Got just enough penetration into the wind to land well into the grass up from the picnic area. Ground winds were 20 when I landed. Still, easy landing.
Spent the rest of the day waiting for the winds to drop. Swapped skydiving stories, watched malfunction training videos, worked on packing. My flaking part of packing seems to have taken a step backward.
Got out just before the rainbow field. Did some tracking and turns with legs only.
Opened roughly over the 6. By the time I did control checks, I was in front of the hangar. Flew back to the 6 easily enough. On landing, I realized the winds were definitely higher than the 15 kts when I got on the plane. Got just enough penetration into the wind to land well into the grass up from the picnic area. Ground winds were 20 when I landed. Still, easy landing.
Spent the rest of the day waiting for the winds to drop. Swapped skydiving stories, watched malfunction training videos, worked on packing. My flaking part of packing seems to have taken a step backward.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
One jump, packed, then wind
Sounds like the last entry doesn't it?
I arrived a little late today. Ended up on load 4, which went at a little after 1:00.
Floating exit, nice easy freefall. Did 3 backflips to send some love up to Celene, who was going to be getting out after me and trying to finally get a backflip right. She didn't, but mine were great. Also worked on turning with my legs rather than my arms. Tracked 90 degrees from the flightline for a solid 10 seconds. Much more stable than last time.
Slow opening, which was fine. Flew easily back to the holding area near the 6. Somehow, Celene got down to my altitude. We were sort of heading toward each other, so I turned right with no real concern about any accident, just to make sure we were separated. I did some spirals to get below her. When I started my approach, I knew where she was. As I turned, she ended up behind my canopy. I decided to land in front of the other buildings just to make sure she had plenty of space. Easy landing.
Then I packed the 230. JR gave me an assist on the canopy. John gave me some tips on closing. I wanted to jump it, but the wind got up to 21. It dropped as low as 17 once, but never low enough for me to jump.
I arrived a little late today. Ended up on load 4, which went at a little after 1:00.
Floating exit, nice easy freefall. Did 3 backflips to send some love up to Celene, who was going to be getting out after me and trying to finally get a backflip right. She didn't, but mine were great. Also worked on turning with my legs rather than my arms. Tracked 90 degrees from the flightline for a solid 10 seconds. Much more stable than last time.
Slow opening, which was fine. Flew easily back to the holding area near the 6. Somehow, Celene got down to my altitude. We were sort of heading toward each other, so I turned right with no real concern about any accident, just to make sure we were separated. I did some spirals to get below her. When I started my approach, I knew where she was. As I turned, she ended up behind my canopy. I decided to land in front of the other buildings just to make sure she had plenty of space. Easy landing.
Then I packed the 230. JR gave me an assist on the canopy. John gave me some tips on closing. I wanted to jump it, but the wind got up to 21. It dropped as low as 17 once, but never low enough for me to jump.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
A jump, packing, and wind
I only fit one jump in today. The first load I could get on was load 3. An 8-way, and me. After the 8-way got out (including Tonya, Rocky, Jim Smith), I moved to the door, watched them for about 5 seconds, then dove out in perfect position to watch them come together. I just hung out watching, checking altitude, and correcting body position with as little thought as I could until it was their pull time. I had another few seconds, then I pulled.
With the 45-50 mph uppers, I got out well past the end of the runway. Jump run was 240, 1/2 mile past. By the time I pulled, I was over the road past the field at the "6" end of the runway.
I had the 230 today, and I'm glad I did. It wasn't making much movement at all when I steered into the wind. The ground winds were 13-14, just at my legal limit. When I turned downwind, I was screaming along the runway. Turned to base across from the corn, turned to final over the corn, and watched the corn get closer as the wind almost balanced out my canopy speed. I landed well past the corn in the grass. Very soft easy landing with into the wind.
Rocky and I talked afterwards about adjustments I could make to my landing pattern in this kind of wind. Start 200 feet lower, turn to base roughly parallel to where I want to land.
Then, I worked on packing the rig I just jumped. I hovered over Tracy as he packed the training rig for JR and he talked me through it. I started on the 230 I had just jumped, and got completely stuck on the lines. Tracy gave me some help, then Dave gave me some help. In the end, Dave told me it was definitely jumpable. Unfortunately, the wind never came back down. In the end, I put the rig on the floor and put a ticket on it.
With the 45-50 mph uppers, I got out well past the end of the runway. Jump run was 240, 1/2 mile past. By the time I pulled, I was over the road past the field at the "6" end of the runway.
I had the 230 today, and I'm glad I did. It wasn't making much movement at all when I steered into the wind. The ground winds were 13-14, just at my legal limit. When I turned downwind, I was screaming along the runway. Turned to base across from the corn, turned to final over the corn, and watched the corn get closer as the wind almost balanced out my canopy speed. I landed well past the corn in the grass. Very soft easy landing with into the wind.
Rocky and I talked afterwards about adjustments I could make to my landing pattern in this kind of wind. Start 200 feet lower, turn to base roughly parallel to where I want to land.
Then, I worked on packing the rig I just jumped. I hovered over Tracy as he packed the training rig for JR and he talked me through it. I started on the 230 I had just jumped, and got completely stuck on the lines. Tracy gave me some help, then Dave gave me some help. In the end, Dave told me it was definitely jumpable. Unfortunately, the wind never came back down. In the end, I put the rig on the floor and put a ticket on it.
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