Aerodyne Demos and Freeflying
If you live in my neck of the woods and you looked skyward this weekend, it may have seemed like a bust for us skydivers, but for me, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early to make the trip up to Skydive Tecumseh to take advantage of the Aerodyne demo tour that was in town. With the consistent cloud cover throughout the day, the Cessna was only running hop & pops, but that was sufficient for canopy demos.
Though don’t get me wrong, I would have loved a couple trips up to 14,000 in the Otter, but for the purpose of testing out the Pilot, I was completely content with what we got.
When I arrived, I headed straight over to the reps to get myself a rig and canopy to demo. Naturally, we ran into the issue that I’m a small girl with a low number of jumps. So they had rigs that would fit with canopies that were way too small to even consider jumping, or canopies that would fit into a smaller rig, but then the reserve is entirely too small.
But, with some quick thinking and innovation, the Aerodyne team put together a rig for me to test out. I was happily able to jump an Icon with a Pilot 188. It was a great ride. Still a bit too big for real excitement under canopy, but it got me to the ground safely and smoothly, which is all I can hope for at this point.
Now, I’ve always been a huge fan of the Pilot. It packs easy – well, at least the one’s I’ve packed before – and opens comfortably. It flies flatter than some of the other canopies I’ve tried out in the past (you know, those 10+ different rigs you jump as a student) giving me time to get back from a long spot or just to play around a little longer and still know I’ll get back to my target.
I also learned that the Pilots tend to react better to turbulence than some of the other canopies on the market, too. A huge plus for me!
It definitely looks like I’ll be purchasing a Pilot in the near future. After this hop & pop and the great customer service of the Aerodyne folks, I’m sold!
Once it appeared that the clouds were just not going to cooperate, the rest of Saturday was spent back on the road to Cleveland so I could get home and rest up for a big Sunday.
Sunday morning I was back on the road to Canton Air Sports for my friend Rick’s 200th jump. The weather wasn’t looking so great for us this day, either.
I sat around the drop zone for a few hours, watching BASE jumping videos with the other regulars, while trying to will the clouds away. Just as I was about to leave we got word that the weather was clearing from the North. So I stuck around. After all, I didn’t drive all that way to miss Rick’s 200th.
Around 5:30 we were able to get into the air. Rick decided on a shirtless, shoeless hybrid (him, not me), with our buddy Tod doing outside video for us. So we piled out of the Cessna-182, with me and Nick as the linked base, and Rick hanging from our chest straps.
*Photo courtesy of Bill Ramey. Thanks Bill.
This is what our hybrid looked like!
The exit was flawless – except that Tod couldn’t see Rick’s count and ended up shooting video a little higher above us than expected. Nick and I kept a steady base from which Rick hung straight down. He even kicked his leg out for a bit and put us into a fun little spin. We broke off at 4,000 and met up back on the ground to celebrate Rick’s accomplishment.
So glad I got to be a part of your 200th, bud!
Thinking that was going to be the last of the day, I finished logging the jump and packed up my stuff. Naturally, I was convinced to get on the sunset load – really, who can pass that up – and headed back up for a three-way with Rick and Tod.
We were going to do the hybrid again, with me in the hanging position, but changed our plans on the ride to altitude. Instead, Rick and I did a train with a rolling exit. This was my first true freefly attempt – yes, I know, beer – and was a little bummed when it didn’t go exactly as planned. But we did manage to exit smoothly and stay linked for about 4,000 feet until we spun apart.
With a little post-jump coaching on the ground I completely understand how it should have worked to get us vertical. Next time we’ll get it!
And yes, I did mention that video was taken on both of these. As soon as they are in my possession I’ll be sure to post them. With three jumps, I definitely made the best of what otherwise would be seen as a cloudy, gloomy weekend.
Blue skies!
Ashley
Stepping down
Last week I mentioned on Twitter that I’m stepping down my canopy size. As an AFF student I was jumping a 260, but as a 120 pound person that’s become too large. I’m in the air too long for my liking.
The dilemma I was running into was that the next size down at my home DZ is a 190. Upon Tweeting this, I was overwhelmed with the responses concerned for my safety.
Thanks y’all. Talk about making a newbie feel cared about! I’m all about the love.
Luckily, my presence was requested back home in Michigan this weekend, and I was able to jump at Skydive Tecumseh where the variety of student rigs was much greater.
I was able to get in a couple good jumps on smaller canopies and ended on a Pilot 210 that I loved! I’ll definitely be looking to get a Pilot when my budget allows for the purchase of my own rig. Anyone know of a 170 that’ll be going on the market this year?
This weekend I’ll be back at Canton Air Sports in Alliance, OH, jumping with some of my favorites. Fingers crossed that they have something in a comparable size. I really don’t want to jump that 290 like last time.
Oh, but wait. Just when you thought I was wrapping up. I want to back up to my time at Skydive Tecumseh. What kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t give my two cents on this DZ?
This was my 4th drop zone (Skydive Miami, Cleveland Parachute, Canton Air Sports and now Skydive Tecumseh). Other than the fact that it’s incredibly convenient when I’m headed home to see my family, it’s a great little community in itself.
In the day that I spent there, we had a few weather holds that allowed me to meet some great skydivers – and new friends. I also had the pleasure of being the very first student of a new coach on the scene.
Jeromy (check him out over at SkydiveBlog.com) did a great job and any student would be lucky to have him. He really helped me with my docking and tracking. I can’t wait to show off my new skills this weekend!
On top of all that, the DZ is really organized. And they fly an Otter full time to 14,000 feet! Can’t beat that kind of altitude.
Needless to say, I’ll be heading back there every time I’m in Michigan.
Blue Skies!
Ashley
Knowing Your Limits
This weekend was another skydiving lesson learned – this time, from the comfort of the ground.
Or really, I should say the uncomfort of the ground. As anyone who’s engrossed in any sport knows, having to sit on the sidelines while fellow athletes are out doing what they love has a tendency to make you quite antsy.
At one point, one of the jump masters asked me “are you okay, or is this killing you?”
Sure, I wanted to be jumping, but I was not about to enter into the risks under canopy yesterday.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Cleveland Parachute is a place where friends gather every weekend, and we’re getting a great core group of jumpers. We’re out there supporting each other, giving each other a hard time when our landings are sub-par, and learning from one another.
It’s great to have other jumpers with similar experience, and those with significantly more experience to provide pointers. And although skydiving is one of those sports where you have to learn the little tricks that work for you, it never hurts to hear and see what the experienced jumpers are doing.
This weekend was a great learning experience for us all.
Winds were high – higher than normal anyhow – and there was lots of discussion on canopy control and staying West of the drop zone as long as possible.
Unfortunately, for us students, with larger canopies and less experience, the winds were very much against us. As I watched two of my friends who are current AFF students get pushed backwards into fields far past the drop zone I quickly decided that jumping was not a smart idea. And given that I jump a ‘chute the same size as these guys (who are both 40 pounds heavier), who knows where that wind would have pushed me.
So, to save myself from ending up in Pennsylvania, I stayed grounded.
In hindsight, it probably didn’t hurt to give my elbow an extra week to rest from last week’s fall.
Regardless, it was a great day spent at the DZ with my weekend family. And if the weather stays true to the forecast, we’ll be headed back out this coming weekend for some more jumping.
Blues Skies!
-A
Lessons from Under the Canopy
The more I participate in skydiving the more I realize that it’s numerous sports wrapped up in one. For those of us who are drawn to the thrill of free fall, we’re also forced to become sports parachutists as well.
At least, if we want to do it more than once, that is.
Canopy skills are imperative to a successful skydive. You have to learn how to check the parachute upon opening to make sure it’s safe to land, maneuver with toggles and flare for landing. On top of that, you need to learn how to spot and navigate properly for a safe landing.
These skills are learned and perfected over time, but it’s important to start early. From my first AFF jump my instructors were talking over the winds with me and teaching me how to spot. At first I thought, “this is so foreign to me, I’ll never get it.” But once you’re jumping regularly and on your own, it forces you to focus and learn quickly.
This weekend I made it my goal to maintain a heading in free fall to drop nearly straight down. When my ‘chute opened I was directly overhead the drop zone and in good position.
I was feeling great about my navigation skills and at 800 feet started heading toward the target. It looked great, so I made it my goal to land in the middle of the target. There was no wind that day, I could tell it was going to be close. Coming in a 1/4 brakes to slow forward motion then letting up toward the end so I had a good flare.
One thing to remember when you’re under canopy is that you’re moving 10 mph forward. This can seem pretty quick when you’re getting close to the ground. This became apparent when I let up on the brakes. In turn, I flared a little soon and stalled my canopy about 5 feet above the ground.
Yep, you guessed it, no where to go but straight down.
This is why PLF (parachute landing falls) are so important. I rolled it out and walked away, ankles in tact. Though I do have a sore elbow as I didn’t keep my arms in flare position during the roll out.
Oops! Looks like there are two lessons here:
1) Don’t flare too soon, and if you do, be prepared to roll it out and,
2) Keep your elbows in!
Precision will only come with time and experience. But on the plus side, I landed about 10 feet from the target and felt pretty great about it.
(Feeling pretty great about my landing!)
Do any of y’all have tricks you learned to help with canopy control?
Blue Skies!
Ashley