It was time to start working more with the equipment instead of simply doing the arch, reach, pull.  We went over how to flake the nose of the parachute on the ground before we went up for another great Arizona day of skydiving.  There are a number of ways to pack a parachute; however, it is my understanding that the most important part is to flake the nose of the canopy.  By varying the way the parachute is packed one can change the characteristics as to how the parachute opens.  I was not knowledgeable enough to know the differences.  I just wanted it to work.  As in many sports learning about the equipment is incredibly important.  In many sports the equipment is helpful but does not quite balance the life and death elements as in skydiving.  There is an improved robustness in the quality of equipment and its ability to work reliably when called upon to do so that tends to get better over time.

After packing the parachute we went through the gear checking procedures on the ground and what things are important to look for to ensure a safe flight.  The size of each parachute is somewhat tailored to be appropriate to the fitness of the individual.  The more experienced one gets the smaller the parachute is typically used for agility and reactivity.  Of course if one is going to become a tandem jumping instructor then they must learn how to control a much larger shoot which I was told is quite an experience especially when using it without the added weight of another person.

I was in good health and we were ready for another jump.  We performed another gear check in the air just prior to exiting the aircraft.  My climb out onto the wing was solid and I had a good arch and nice body position up until it was time to pull.  My leg straightened out a bit which caused a little disruption in the steadiness of the jump.  I tried to fly the canopy as they would say instead of simply sight seeing on the way down.  It was a nice approach with s turns to the landing zone.  It is somewhat amazing on how difficult it can be to read the wind direction based on the wind sock.  It is so large on the ground yet so small when the parachute is deployed at altitude.  My girlfriend was waiting for me on the ground with a healthy hug and a water bottle to quench my thirst from the heat.  It was another successful jump in the Arizona sky.

I found myself back at the skydiving drop zone once again and it was time for a ten second delay.  The last time I found myself on my back and I had practice the arch all week so I was all geared up and ready to go.  I went with my picture of health girlfriend once again and this time packed my own shoot on the ground before going up.

There were a number of military guys that were former sports athletes were also there in training.  They had executed a few jumps before we arrived and were all jazzed up from their experiences.  We went up into the air and it was just me, two other students, the instructor and pilot in the Cessna 182.  They were jumping at a higher altitude than I was due to the progression in training.

I climbed out on the wing as before and jumped.  For some reason I reached with my arms down toward the ground and I was immediately flopping all over the place like a leaf in the autumn wind.  I kept the count in my head and was completely out of control.  I then arched and was stable as I had ever been.  The importance of the arch cannot be understated.  It works!  I pulled my shoot and the canopy opened without a hitch.

The wind was rather strong this fine Arizona day.  I was told by the spotter on the ground to face into the wind which left the drop zone well behind me.  The wind was so powerful that I think my decent rate was one tenth of the typical rate.  It was a long ride down.  I could not play much with the canopy and practice turns as a result.  I was supposed to have pulled my shoot by 4000 feet but instead pulled at 4000 feet, which I received a minor scolding for when I got to the ground.  When I finally reached close to the ground I performed very quick “S” turns as any direction change that was not facing the wind caused a major shift away from the landing zone.

I touched down softly and was amazed as to how much I learned in just ten seconds.  I went from out of control to spot on.  My fitness was improving and I was feeling good.  It was an incredible confidence booster in the positioning and the instruction that I had received.

One of the other students that jumped from a slightly higher altitude than I did had a radio malfunction and was not able to hear the spotter on the ground.  As a result of the malfunction he ended up landing on the tarmac.  He was so glad to have gotten to the ground safely that he raised his arms in the air in celebration just as another gust of wind passed by, caught his shoot and yanked him backward causing him to land on his butt.  Be sure to take care of the canopy right after you land, especially in high to moderate wind conditions.  We all laughed as he walked back with a giant grin on his face and the parachute under his arms.  It was a pretty great day.

I was still in training and had gotten past the last jump which was after the skydiving accident on the second day.  One of the skydivers that at the training facility had the same situation happen to him when he was training so he understood the mental aspects of this part of the sport.  He also just happened to be the son of the ground school fitness instructor so I found a surprising comrade in this individual.  The trainers were simply on point when I was around the facility.  No matter how good your physical fitness is if your mental health is not in line then skydiving can be as unforgiving as any other sport if not more so.

I started the Arizona day with my final practice rip cord pull, which I was glad to get past.  The ride down was just fine and I was getting more comfortable with canopy control.  I was cleared to do the clear and pull which involved a small freefall before the canopy opens.  The basic idea is to arch, reach, pull without the static line.  When we were on the ground the instructor asked me what I would do if I ended-up on my back and the answer was to pull anyway.

I had a good climb-out onto the wing and exited well.  I immediately lost my arch and went over onto my back.  I tried to recover for a second and was somewhat disappointed with myself when I pulled while on my back.  It worked.  The spring loaded training shoot shot away and opened just fine.  I had to do a bit more bicycling out of the line tangles yet I was happy for the experience.  I had good canopy control on the way down and landed nearly perfectly.

My girlfriend was on the ground watching and had a bit of a scare from my poor body positioning.  She is a bit of a talker and asks many questions, which I appreciate because she would give me the inside scoop on everything from equipment to how to skydive safely.

Things happen very quickly while skydiving and to do nothing is an active motion.  The big take away from the Arizona day was to follow procedure.  They are there to keep you alive.

When I got to the ground I practiced the arch for quite some time.  I found the position rather unnatural and difficult to maintain while on the ground.  I decided that I would practice the position all week whenever I got a chance.  In all of my sports background I had never had much use for this position so it took effort to get it to start feeling comfortable.

It was another beautiful and sunny Arizona day. When I pulled into the skydiving facility there was a little white cross that was set out by the entrance for the student that had lost his life the last time I was there. It was a bit ominous and I appreciated the sentiment of the family that placed it there however I really did not need any more reminders of the situation. It is a serious sport. You are only good as good as your sports equipment. The days are pretty much binary. Either they are absolutely tremendous or absolutely tragic.

I still had to do a few more static line jumps to do before I was able to progress into freefall. It was a bit difficult since the last time I had done it the other skydiver in my training class died and all I wanted to get to was the freefall portion. It was another practice rip cord pull. I had a bit of a sweaty handshake but my climb-out onto the wing of the airplane was good along with my launch. My positioning was nice and wide but I jumped a bit flat and was looking at the ground. I was trying to plane myself out instead of jumping vertically and ride the relative wind down. I was going for more of a horizontal position from the start. The skydiving fitness instructor’s recommendation was to keep my head up and look at the plane and to stick my hips out a bit more.

The parachute had a few line tangles in it again, which is quite common, so I bicycled out of it again and started my decent to the drop zone. I had good canopy control and had a good stand-up landing. It is amazing how the modern canopies allow you to land with such a light touch, which is very different from what I used to see in movies. It was a bit of a milestone to get past this jump but I simply would not allow my life to be ruled by fear. Fear is natural and healthy, especially in situations like this; however, I have determined that the main purpose of fear is for it to be overcome.

I was able to get through the day in good health. I suppose that there are times when fear should be a factor in decision making but there are also rather high rewards for overcoming fear.