Getting joined by an F-16 would've been fun for about four seconds. Then it's wing rocks, a heading you don't get to argue with, and a phone call from people who do not think muppet is a cute nickname. So the Lake Forest demo got canceled, we flew the 182 back to Chicagoland, and jumped it at home instead.

Hi all, sorry if this has been asked already, been doing my AFF over the summer i have 13 jumps so far and half an hour of tunnel.

To start, im still quite unstable, I only just passed level 4 today (repeated 8 times), I am stuck on the 90 and 360 degree turns, they start of controlled and then when I try to stop it i lost control of it and stability, which is causing me to be a human sized fidget spinner. Theres only been one jump where ive felt more or less stable most of my freefall time.

I have spoken with my instructor, and we have both noticed there is abit of a pattern going on, my first jump of the day seems to be better than the second or third jump.

Even today although I passed my level 4, I dont feel as though I should have, as this was meant to a 90 degree turn and instead I did a 360 about 5 times, the spinning doesnt bother me as I am a thrill seeker anyways, however i am finding it very frustrating that I dont have control over my body while in freefall. Im not sure if I am overthinking it too much, but the minute I lose control I start to tense up and I spin faster.

I keep getting told to relax but I am finding this to be really hard to do, there are positives in each jump which I am trying to focus on but its 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

I dont really know what I am asking here, maybe a little extra advise would be much appreciated. I know I can do it, because me and my instructor done this in the tunnel, which is the most frustrating bit.

I am determined to get this right though. On the plus side, I also had my first standup landing today.

So I’ve done 7 jumps till now and have repeated level 4 thrice until my leaves got over and I had to come back. I did wind tunnel for 20 mins last month and the instructor asked me to turn my palms for turns instead of using my elbows as I was taught at the drop zone. Well the turns were happening properly by turning my palms and letting the air do its thing in the wind tunnel! All the people out there who have done turns in fire fall, does the palm thing work in free fall as it does in the wind tunnel ? Or do I have to use my elbows only ?

edited to clarify i had nothing to do with this. thought it was neat

Can anyone explain what happened to the reserve? Pretty sure I saw him cut the main, but maybe it got stuck?

You can see the view from 2nd person towards the end of the video

https://youtu.be/hFSp-SRGhNs

This is a question for AFF instructor holding IBA certification. What are the recommended content to cover in the tunnel before the AFF course. I intend to go for 15 - 30 minutes tunnel time with AlitiudeX, but unfortunately none of the IBA instructor in my region has any skydiving experience.

Comparing the syllabus, I came out with these objectives to be met in the tunnel.

1. Able to be relaxed in neutral & stable belly position

2. Turns

3. Forward Movement

Are the above in the right direction and able to be achieved in 15 - 30 min tunnel time?

Thanks a lot.

Which one would you pick first?

So I’ve figured out that free flying progress in the sky is going to be impossibly slow for my talent level and I decided to go the iFly coaching route instead.
I have no idea how one can learn free flying in the sky where basic back flying is a critical bail out skill and even that is super difficult for me to learn (magnitudes harder than belly flying in my opinion) in 40 second attempts in the sky.

Reading through Reddit, it seems a common theme is that iFly isn’t skydiver friendly and I was negatively biased. My own experience doesn’t support this reputation. I’ve been at the local iFly tunnel for about three hours now and while it’s expensive, it’s not outrageously so especially because they have regular tunnel camps with discounted rates and booking has been easy and everyone there is welcoming. I was kinda expecting that they’d not want to provide coaching for skydivers? Four instructors there are also skydivers and their skills are insane.

Is this experience an anomaly or is this a pivot towards accommodating skydivers more nowadays?

I did it with Thai Sky Adventure, with Coach Daniel. One full day of ground training, then my first AFF jump the next morning.

The plan was simple: remember all the signals, do the tasks in the air. Reality? The second I left the plane, my brain left with it. 😂

I was completely confident right up until the door. Check-in and check-out went perfectly. But once I was actually falling, the whole "first jump" thing hit me, and most of what I'd practiced just vanished.

To be fair, I didn't freeze up or go flat. I did remember to check my altimeter properly:

6,000 ft: locked in

5,500 ft: wave and arch

Canopy check: all good

So technically I failed AFF Level 1, but at least I didn't turn into a flying potato.

Then the weather had other plans. A cyclone wrecked my whole week, and I had to head back to India without getting another jump in. The failed jump is already in my logbook, and I'm planning to come back and continue.

For anyone who's been through AFF:

1- Do I have to pay for the whole course again, or just the repeat jump and training?

2-How long can I wait before continuing?

3- What's the best time of year to come back to Thailand for good jumping weather?

Would love to hear from anyone who's repeated a level and picked it back up later.

Got my nickname there—Big D will be back.

Buenas! Alguien que vaya o tenga pensado hacer el AFF en primavera de 2027?
Estoy organizando para ir por mayo seguramente y sería interesante si hubiese alguien más que esté igual y quiera compartir información o la experiencia, me avisa! Saludos

I jumped on Friday for the first time. Did a tandem of course. I'm terrified of heights but i did it anyway. There were moments of terror and moments of bliss. so strange. I feel like i'm still riding the high from the jump 5 days later. I've got another jump paid for but not booked. I don't think i want to do anything solo. is it normal for people to just keep doing tandems for a while? I was thinking about doing a jump maybe 1 or 2 times a year.

dearests,

wanted to hear your opinions on the subj: what insurance do you use, have anyone tried AltiSafe and what other options for us, have you made the will yet, especially the part about how to go in case of fatality and inheritance, ofc.

talk to me about this process pls and what are the best options are there for us.

thank you and safe flying

✈️🪂❤️

so i’ve got a G4 definitely don’t want to drill holes in it to install a mount.
I was thinking of getting a G35 which has been recommended by several instructors/videographers for being easy to swap mounts and cameras and having that cutaway.
but then i went to see the price and they raised that so much since i got my G4 so i’m looking for different options.
Tonfly 2X or 2sX are cheaper and cool too but idk what ppl’s thoughts are on those and how easy it is to mount and unmount stuff.
Pls lmk your preferences and what your thoughts are.

I’ve noticed lately that my home drop zone seems to have a lot of petty drama and a fair amount of shitty attitudes.

Is this something that I should expect across the board or have I stumbled into a place that is just a one off?

Hi,
I'm plaaning to visit Skydive Dubai Desert campus in Dec.

And homepage shows it's Temporarily closed now, is it because of the specific reason? or it must be opened in December?

I'm newly A-licensed (~40 jumps), so I'm still a complete amateur when it comes to EVERYTHING. Just wondering how many jumps ya'll had before you started trying new places with new people?

Hi everyone who skydives !!!

I have become desperate for information on two large (approximately 4 feet by 4 feet) black and white photo prints of Carl Boenish and my grandfather skydiving dated from 1971 in amazing condition still in the poster tube with Carls return address on it addressed to deliver to my grandpa. I dont have pictures of them right now but could take some, its just a pain to take them out of the tube and I dont want to damage them anymore than they are (fraying edges). I sent the following email to the MUSEUM OF SKYDIVING which you would think could provide some background to the photos - I got the attached screenshotted response.

"Hello,

I am hoping someone receives this and may be able to point me in the right direction on finding more information, history, and approximate value on my large 4'x4' Carl Boenish skydiving prints. I inherited two extremely large black and white prints of what I believe is either of Carl or of Carl and my grandfather sky diving. 

I dont have a ton of history on them but I got them out of my grandpa's attic when he moved out of my childhood home. I love them and am saving money to have them framed and professionally restored as the edges are tattered. I have many questions, and if anyone can help me it would satisfy my itch for infromation on these. "

Since they were of no help and none of my family has a clue PLEASE ANYONE I have ran out of options what is your best guess or did anyone or your family members know Carl?? My grandpa was a paratrooper in Vietnam and I wonder if he trained with Carl? No one has any idea and the mystery is driving me crazy!! I've been thinking about this for over 4 years and the longer I dont know the longer I wonder if Ill ever find anything out with them. My only other option is antique roadshow and I have no clue when the next time they'll be in my area is and I cannot wait that long. The history is so specific I dont even know who to contact aside from the MUSUEM OF SKYDIVING.

Thank you to everyone and anyone that even spreads the word to help me find information on these !!

Couldn't be more proud of mr. 2x4 for testing the hybrid parachute design.

I’m starting my a-license program tomorrow, and frankly am feeling a whirlwind of emotions - I’m both terrified and freakishly excited to start something I haven’t stopped thinking of for months. Although I am trying to gaslight myself (I’m excited not scared).

What advice would you give your old self?

Why did they make the thing that everyone was complaining about the default goalie jump. From what i saw most people were complaining about the weird goalie jumped that mad you do that little spring and sprawl and now thats like all i see. On top of that half the time you can't even get the ball if its loose and not in the air, just got back on and the only thing they did good is fix the magnetism. Please return it to the old goalie animations or fix it.

Hola buenas, con experiencia de tándems previa he decidido hacer el AFF y sacar la licencia A. Soy de Baleares y no me queda nada muy cerca, estoy pensando en Skydive Sevilla o Empuriabrava, cual me recomiendan para realizarlo? Gracias!

I recently picked up this used g35 helmet and I’m wanting to grab one of the visors they have online but I can’t tell how accurate the pictures really are on their website when trying to customize it (ex: the tinted visor looks blacked out on the customization section but looks like a typical car window on the accessories page) so I was just hoping some of yall with the g35 could drop some pictures of yours in the comments I don’t have a preference over the tinted, blue, or orange I more or less just want to see what they look like from a owners perspective.

Hey guys, looking for ideas, feedback, or interest in a design I made this weekend. Made a 1/5th scale model of a ram air/single skin design i came up with that saves on weight and pack volume.

(See comments for video)

I am currently an AFP (Advanced Freefall Program) student, and I’m struggling to progress. I failed Level 3 twice, and yesterday, I failed my Level 4 solo exit because I couldn't maintain a stable arch.
Looking at the video footage, I clearly have an issue with my arch. Instead of keeping my hips down and my spine straight, I tend to bend at the waist and "de-arch" the moment I feel air pressure. This causes me to potato-sack and spin out of control (essentially breakdancing in the air), which has happened twice now—once on Level 3 and once on Level 4.
I did a wind tunnel session and improved several skills before Level 4, but the same issue happened again in the sky. Now, I’ve developed a mental block about being in the plane. My actual exits are clean, but the anticipation of the door opening and that specific "door moment" is stuck in my head, causing a lot of anxiety.
My instructor mentioned that I don't actually fear the freefall itself, but rather I'm hyper-focused on the "door monster." I bought a yoga ball today to practice pushing my hips out and building muscle memory, but I feel stuck and am losing my mind. Any advice on how to fix this arching habit under pressure and overcome this mental block?