called into the DZ in the afternoon, a little earlier than last week, due to the weather i didnt think there would be jumping, but thought id stop by just to say hi, the whole place was closed, maybe next weekend 🙂

went to the DZ late in the afternoon as soon as i had some free time, and was told ‘you are just in time for the last lift’ YESSS!!! starts getting kitted up, but i wasnt just in time, as its just leaving, aww gutted, watch everyone landing, and hang around chatting for a bit, maybe next week 🙂

So, my first jump in my local DZ, I own ZERO kit of my own, but everyone at skydive swansea is so welcoming and friendly, im taken through everything, and explain that ive been having issues with flaring too high, and am a little worried about my landing, so i go on a radio to land, and while it wasnt really used, gave me a little confidence boost that if i was doing something wrong, i would have been told. I got to be the first person leaving the plane, which ive never done before (ive been the last a few times) but i still managed to be the last to land, and then i landed miles from everyone else, and flared a little too early, but loved my first skydive in wales 🙂 a crate of beer on its way to skydive swansea

My last day in Empuriabrava, I fly home tomorrow 🙁

My last 2 jumps last night, were my first puling at less than 5,000 feet, im now pulling at 4k, and i have 4 more consols to do today, as well as my hop n pop. Im not allowed on the first lift just in case the higher winds are bad, so, even though the DZ opens at 9AM, the first lift goes up at about 9:50, by 10 im manifested 🙂

my first consol jump of the day (consol 7 jump 15) if the trees were still opposite the hangar in Empuriabrava, I would have been plucked out of them this morning, even though the trees were’nt there, i still flared too high. My next jump, whilst following the student landing pattern, at around 500 feet before turning ready to land, i became unsure about the trees that run parallel with the runway, i didnt know if id have enough space to get over them, and turn to level out and land safely, so i made the decision to turn early, and land in the mud on the wrong side of the trees. it later turned out that this was the landing that scotty had the new students watching me coming in on. the 2 mile walk around to get back, in the heat, in full gear, carrying a large student canopy, was a hard walk, i also still flared about 2 seconds too early. My next jump of the day was perfect, landed right in the center of the landing zone, flared just right and landed gently on my feet, punched the air triumphantly shouting ‘YESSS!’ just as a gust of wind caught my canopy, and dragged me onto my arse……..

Consol 10, jump 18, its just after dinner time, and the winds are starting to pick up, but theres still no jump limits in place, I get manifested, im up, and im out, under canopy, im bouncing, this is new to me, the slider above my head is making a banging noise, and i can feel myself being ‘bumped’ left and right. I stay in my holding area, and at around 1,800 feet, start my decent parallel with the runway ready to turn and land, i keep looking at my alti, and im not even half way down the runway, and im now at 500 feet, i dont know where my height has gone, or why, but i know i have to turn now, or itll be a downwind landing into trees, so i turn, and once again today, land where the trees used to be opposite the hangar, i flared and landed fine, but had a bit of a fight to collapse the canopy. On my way back to the hangar, the CCI pulled me to one side to say about me landing in the same area twice and did i know there was a limit in place, i said there was no limit when i went up, yet when i landed there was a 200 jump limit on

I now only have my hop n pop to get my A license, and the winds have picked up 🙁 im not leaving this DZ though in case they come back down, and this pays off

just before 8PM, the limit comes down, and im manifested for a hop n pop, but, its on the porter plane. this is the only plane ive not done a single jump from, the planes a lot smaller, the door is smaller, has a step down to get out, and the doors on the other side of the plane to what im used to 😮

theres 6 (i think) of us crammed into something the size of a mini metro, with wings on, im excited, but also know i only have ONE chance at this, and if i fook it up, i wont get my license, suddenly, im turning around and the doors open, my foots on the step, 3, 2, 1 and im out, and the movement is so fluid, its perfect, im stable, ive pulled, the canopy is opening, i look up, see it inflate fully, the plane climbing, im screaming YESSSSS!!!!!! i land in the landing area, i flare perfectly, im buzzing

My logbook is signed off for BPA CAT8 and FAI A license 😀

Today i get in 5 of my consol jumps before the afternoon wind picks up, the second the wind drops and im allowed to jump, im in the queue for manifesting, as i get to the desk, the guy before me took the very last available slot, which was also on the sunset lift, to 15,000 feet, and the last one of the evening

on all of todays jumps i couldnt get my flare right, 4 times too high, and once too low, try again tomorrow 🙂

The winds that started 2 days ago, continue to stop me from being allowed to jump, but, slowly the jumping limit is falling, by around 3 PM its now down to 50 jump limit, and by 4:30PM, im up in the air again 🙂

AFF Level 6: backflips. ive NEVER done a backflip in my life, cant even do them on a trampoline, so i knew this was going to be interesting. exit the plane nicely, then flip over :-/ flip back over, and do my first backflip, i knew it was a little sideways, but recovered from it with no problems, as we have enough alti, theres also 2x 5 second tracks, before waving off and pulling

 digidude AFF Level 6 on youtube

AFF Level 7: for this jump, im with an instructor called tim, instead of scotty, but, for the last week ive been socialising with tim every day as part of our group so im more than happy with this. im getting more excited with each jump, going over it all in my head on the way up, then doing it on the way down, this one was backflips, turns, and putting everything together. watching the DVD back, just coming to the pull altitude, im checking my alti, but being given the signal to straighten legs, then the shake of my head to say ‘thats it’ it looks like im saying no to the signals lol.

 digidude AFF Level 7 on youtube

After this, i also get in my first consol jump, which had amazing views of the sun over the mountains, and was my first jump where i didnt really have to concentrate on ‘doing’ anything specific, however, being in the plane on the way up, alone, was very unnerving, but, the second i was at the door, i knew exactly which way to go………..DOWN 😀

The winds that started yesterday dinner time, continued all day, in the morning, things started out windy, then went up to a 400 jump limit, before going onto ‘stand-by’, but as a student, the wind didnt come down enough to allow me to jump today, for the majority of the day, there was NO jumping at all going on 🙁

this morning, another student has decided not to carry on, leaving only 2 of us, again, the winds picked up around dinner time, meaning we could only jump in the morning

AFF Level 4: again, i went through everything in my head on the way up, exit the plane, and am let go, 90 degree turn left to find scotty and wait for instructions. i do 3 full 360 turns in the directions indicated, remembering the issues i had with left turns in the tunnel, but i nailed them, 🙂

digidude AFF Level 4 on youtube

AFF Level 5: the solo exit. this is one ive been looking forward to, i exit the plane, and im on my back, flip over no problems, then im on my back again, flip back over, and turn to face scotty. do 2 360 turns in the directions indicated, then a 5 second track, turn to face scotty, as we still have enough alti left, another 5 second track, before waving off and pulling, brilliant fun, absolutly loved it 😀

digidude AFF Level 5 on youtube

today one student has decided this aint for them, leaving 3 of us, things start out good in the morning, but then the winds pick up, but i managed to get onle level completed

AFF Level 3: after level 2, i know i have to visualise on my way up, i go through everything thats about to happen, we exit the plane, and im fine, go through everything, and this is the one where im ‘let go’, everything went smoothly 🙂 i later find that im a ittle too light, so for the next few jumps, will have to wear a weight belt to stay ‘level’ with scotty

digidude AFF Level 3 on youtube

AFF Level 1: Leave the plane with 2 instructors, go through everything ive been taught, but, durong my wave off and pull, i tried to do it all a bit fast, and had to have my hand held to stop my pulling at a fraction under 6k, back on the ground, i said how hard i found it to pull the pilot chute, and it was then explained that my hand was being stopped, and looking back at the video, can see perfectly, learned for next time

digidude AFF Level 1 on youtube

AFF Level 2: On the way up, was sat right behind the pilot, so being curious, watched what he was doing, instead of going through what i was about to be doing in my head, this turned out to be a bad thing. Gets to the door, and suddenly feel nervous, too late, jumped, then, my head went to sh!t for 5 seconds. I sort my head out, do my practice pulls, then some tracking (with instructors holding on), wave off and pull, and on the way down go over in my mind what went wrong. on coming in to land (under radio) theres a slight wind blowing me towards the left, so im concentrating on keeping a little bit of right going to keep me going straight, and ready to hear ‘flare flare flare’ in my ear. The radio springs to life, but, as ive been concentrating on this little bit of right to go straight, my brain screams at me ‘left left left’, so i pull the left toggle down, hard, and slam into the ground, hard. the radio bursts back into life ‘what are you doing, i said flare flare flare, are you ok, stand up, stand up, stand up’ i stand up, i know the radio said flare, but i was so fixed on right, that for whatever reason i translated it as left, that hurt, a lot, and thats also learned for next time, and every time

digidude AFF Level 2 on youtube