This post is being typed up from notes taken from logbook

Flat stable exit @ 12,600′. First to exit so 20 second track away from plane. 2x hard 360 turns, followed by another 20 second track, before slowing fall rate and deploying @~ 4k. Good landing on southern PLA ~ 10M from intended target

This post is being typed up from notes taken from logbook.

2-way jump with Will T

Linked exit. Got stable and released. Worked on levels, turning and linking back up. Turned and tracked off at 5k. Pulled @ 3.5k. Good landing on southern PLA

Typed up a while after jumping.

Rolling exit. Tracking, 360 turns, backflips, practise slow and fast fall positions. Deployed pilot chute at around 4k. Good landing on the south pla

Rock up to the dropzone hoping to get a single jump in, and, im in luck 🙂 the fiancee is with me and this will be the first time she has seen me jump / land. Im all kitted up, and will be the first out of the plane (after an initial low load at 7000 feet). At 12500 feet, i roll out of the plane, and track away, do a few turns and a bit more tracking, before pulling at 3500 feet. a few hard turns under canopy, before entering the landing pattern for a nice soft landing on the north PLA

FS1 coached jump #8 with Ant, and jon stalking with a camera

We do a 2 way linked exit, nice and stable. 90 turn left, link, 90 turn back, link, 90 turn right, link, and repeat a few times. do 2x 360 turns and link, before breaking off and tracking away at 5000 feet and pulling at ~ 3500 feet, for a good landing on the southern landing area

Once again its been weeks since my last jump. Since the last one theres been a big skydiving exhibition in nottingham, where a nice new Symbiosis jumpsuit was bought, custom made, which will arrive in the next few months at some point. Today though im hopinh to get 2 jumps in, with one of them being a coached jump.

The first jump of the day is a solo jump. A nice rolling exit followed by a small track. I pick a reference below me and side slide left and right, do some more turns, a bit more side sliding, followed by a track before pulling at ~4000 feet. A nice uneventfull canopy ride down to the southern landing area, which ive not landed on for a while 🙂

Its been a LONG time since my last jump, since i got my license, this is the longest gap between jumping. My rig is ‘offline’ as the reserve needs to be repacked, so i ask to jump a 210, with the aim of going down to a 190. Im told that as i have done so many jumps on a 220, i can jump a 190, as long as i jump twice on a 210 first, all on the same day as jumping the 190. This means hiring kit, but thats ok, but today wont be that day, as i can only jump once.

I hire a club 210, but, theres also students hiring club kit. As im a B license holder, i get the rig WITHOUT an RSL (a safety feature that auto deploys the reserve canopy if you cut away your main one) as im now an experienced jumper. This throws all of the ‘what ifs’ in my mind, but i try not to think like that, and instead double check everything and practice emergency drills over and over, you know, just in case.

The ride to altitude feels like im back on AFF training, the nervousness has returned, but wierdly, im enjoying it. 11,000 feet and getting ready for exit. 13,000 feet, and out i go. a nice stable dive exit, track away from the plane, and do some slow turns whilst just enjoying the view. its a nice clear day and i can see right up to the brecon beacons, covered in snow, and as quick as it started, the jump is over.

I deploy at just under 4500 feet, but I reach around to pull the pilot chute, but, its stuck. I give it another tug, its not coming. I bring my arms back in front of me, for one last try, if this doesnt work then its emergency procedures. I reach back, grab and yank as hard as i can, with my elbow against the side of the rig for maximum leverage, and out it pops. This is commonly called a ‘hard pull’. The canopy opens nicely, and, unlike my own canopy, is fuly inflated upon opening. and im now at 3500 feet. I turn towards the dropzone, have a few spins under canopy before entering the landing pattern  for a nice uneventfull landing 🙂

Its the 100th jump, and its wayyyyyy too cold to do it naked. As i dont yet have my FS1 certification, im limited to how many people, and who, i can jump with, so decide that a few of us will wear morphsuits for the jump 🙂 however, this was soon cut short due to saftey concerns about visibility whilst wearing the suit. Next, I ask exactly how many people i can jump with as i dont yet have my FS1, and as its my 100th would like to jump with a few if possible. The answer i received was ‘As long as everyone else has their FS1 and you have a plan, youll be OK’

I went off to find someone to build me ‘a plan’, and, after a quick chat, and repeating what i was told about who i could jump with, the man with the plan said ‘lets fill this fookin plane’ 😀

There is 11 of us jumping, ill be in a group of 4 right in the door, ill be on the outside and ‘giving the key’ so everyone else knows when to leave, then the rest of the gang will jump as soon as we clear the door, and all meet up on the way down, sounds simple, right?

We go through the exit a few times in the mock door on the ground, the 4 of us will exit linked together, and everyone else will come to us and then link in between us. Us 4 leaving together is called ‘the base’ and we are the solid block that everyone else builds onto, and the most important thing im told is ‘DONT LET GO!’

Apart from 2 tandems, the plane is full, and everyone on it on on my 100th jump 🙂 yay, we go through the exit plan on the way up, and again, ‘DONT LET GO!’, then at 13,000 feet, the red light comes on, the door opens, shortly followed by the green light. My heart is pounding, i feel like a student again lol 😀

2 of us climb out of the door, turn around and take grips on 2 inside the door, i look at the other 3 and nod, they nod back, using my leg as a key, and screaming ‘READY!! SET!! GO!!!’ and we are out of the door.

We quickly get stable, i look up and something bangs my head, and causes the visor on my helmet to pop open, this winds in my eyes, and i cant see a thing. I remember ‘whatever happens, dont let go!!’ so, i close my eyes, and hold on tight. I move my head to get the wind out of my eyes a bit, and there are bodies everywhere, i see somebody zooming along beneath us, 3 people above us, and people are starting to link into us as well. Someone new is now holding my right hand, and people are still trying to link on. Im continously moving my head to try and keep the wind out of my eyes, and to see my altimeter, still at 8000 feet, somebody takes my left hand, then suddenly, they are under me, and everything goes sideways, and the next thing i know, im upside down. The whole ‘thing’ we built has fallen apart and we are approaching 6000 feet where there was a band of cloud on the way up. I get myself stable, and rotate, as my altimeter bleeps at 5500 feet, i turn away from everybody, slam my visor shut, and track, hard, and, im blind!!! My visor has caught moisture from the cloud and condensed it on the inside, i cannot see a thing. I stop my track, pop open my visor as my alti now starts its more panicked bleeping at 4000 feet. A quick look around me to ensure there is nobody around, and wave off and throw my pilot chute.

As usual my canopy opens half collapsed, so i hang on the rear risers and jump up and down to pop it open, before a nice uneventfull canopy ride back to earth, landing on the smaller southern PLA, to be met with high fives all round 🙂

Seeing some of the different videos in the packing area, different peoples perspective of the jump, shows how much hardly any of it went exactly to plan, but, everyone was safe, and everyone had fun, and, i didnt let go 🙂

Like the last jump write up, this is being typed a couple of weeks later. The exit was a rolling tumble outof the door, and tried to open stable on my back, which didnt quite work as planned. I tried to get stable on my back, but kept losing control. At 6000 feet i decided to get myself nice and stable, and tracked into the wind, before levelling out and deploying my main canopy at 3500 feet. The canopy opened with the usual end cells collapsed, and a few pumps of the lines popped them open, and i turned towards the landing area, and held that line all the way back.

At about 500 feet i realise im not going to clear a patch of rough ground, with a few small trees, so apply a little more brake to land in the small clear grass before it, its still in the landing zone, so wont be landing off the drop zone. I hold the brakes, and land right on the very edge, and as i flare, my foot gets caught in the longer grass on the edge, and i face plant into the taller wet grass, and the canopy collapses on top of me

A fun jump with a wet ending, itook the canopy home without packing it to leave it drying out

This jump is being typed up over two weeks after doing it due to site issues. The jumpwas a rolling exit, and as i was first out, a track with slight downward dive. This levelled out and was followed by a backflip, and practised some slow and fast turns using just my legs, before deploying at 3500 feet.

Coming in on half brakes for the whole of the canopy descent, it was starting to spit with rain, so on landing quickly gathered up my canopy and headed to the packing area.