AFF Program - Stage 7/Jump 7 - 12,500ft

It’s a big day today.  With any luck I will complete stages 7 and 8 of the AFF program today and take my first solo plunge.  Compared to # 6 numbers 7 and 8 appear pretty straightforward. To quickly summarize the goal of 7 is to learn a new exit (diving) and adjust your fall rate. 

For #7 I will be jumping with Gail Wallace (Jim’s wife) for the first time.  I get my safety check and am all kitted up so let’s go jump.  On this jump I’m only nervous about two things #1. the new exit and #2. it’s been almost a month since my last jump, so I’m asking myself, have I forgotten what to do. 

We’re at the door now so let’s go.  With this exit I get a little inverted (looking straight down), which is normal and have a bit of a spin, not normal, but I’m able to get stable in about 5 seconds so all is good.  I see Gail swing around in front of me and she gives me the signal to make a 360 to the left.  When I come back around she is a bit lower than me so I just arch a bit more and just like that we are level again.  I then get the signal to make a 360 to the right.  This time when I come back around she is a bit higher than me.  I less my arch and bit and slowly but surely make my way up to her.  A point of reference here; I fall fast.  My Altitrack altimeter says my avg. fall speed is around 130MPH.  I’ll need to start working on slowing this down.  So we’re about about 7000 ft now so as required i make a 90 degree turn away and track for about 100ft.  I get back stable and basically wait till 4500Ft, wave and pull.  No issues with my chute deployment an I have a stand up landing right on target.

Everything went really well on this jump so I’m cleared for level 8 and one step closer to 8 stages / 8 jumps.

Blue skys…