I’ll start by saying that I personally really enjoy solo jumps☺️
It’s a great opportunity to practice new things or improve something I don’t yet feel comfortable doing in a group, ensuring I don’t endanger others!
Reference point
Whether it’s barrel rolls, flips, or trying to sit fly, You always need a reference point in space. One of the reasons we skydive with others is to understand how much and in what direction we’re moving in relation to someone else.
In solo jumps, this is much harder to grasp. I likely won’t notice if I’m consistently drifting backward unless I’m very aware of my body position and can feel the wind pressure more on one of my sides.
The bare minimum is understanding my orientation and ensuring I’m not constantly spinning.
Jump Run
Another crucial safety point is the jump run. Even if I move around, I definitely don’t want to drift on the jum prun. That’s why my reference point will usually involve facing the jump run or orienting myself relative to it. This way, any movement I make will be at a 90-degree angle to it.
Solo Skydives I My Recommendations:
Break-off Sequence One of the first exercises I bring to solo jumps is practicing and improving track exits. It’s also a great exercise for more advanced levels!
After exiting and stabilizing from the plane, I look toward the drop zone line (at Skydive Kfar Yehoshua and the Dead Sea, this usually means facing the runway). You can confirm the direction by glancing at the plane after the exit.
Here are the steps for a track exit:
Separation signal
180-degree turn
Select a reference point for the track
Straighten your legs with the pressure release
Extend your arms into a tracking position
Count at least 4 seconds (21, 22, 23, 24...)
Perform an efficient stop (bend legs, straighten arms, and lift the upper body)
Opening signal with a look upward and around
Perform the deployment sequence
Afterward, I turn back toward the drop zone line and repeat the exercise.
It’s important to remain very aware of the drop zone line direction because we can move a lot in freefall. Therefore, awareness of other skydivers is critical. During the jump briefing, we’ll agree to track in 90-degree segments relative to the drop zone line.
Belly Drills
Our flying abilities on our bellies can always improve, regardless of whether we’re beginners or advanced jumpers. There’s always room to invent a sequence of drills while maintaining a reference point on the horizon to evaluate how fast, smooth, and precise we are.
For example, if my sequence is:
Turn right
Turn left Float
Barrel roll
Am I stopping precisely at the reference point after each turn? Am I stable immediately after the barrel roll? These are the types of things we should evaluate and debrief ourselves on.
With progress, this can include back flying, spinning on our backs, and returning to belly flying. Note: Back flying falls under the freefly category, so make sure your equipment is suitable.
Emergency Procedures At some point, it’s worth practicing this (once we feel comfortable and stable belly flying). Something that isn’t practiced enough is touching our emergency handles during freefall.
Of course, we’ll want to do this gently and without actually pulling the handles, focusing on flying stably while maintaining body position.
Remember, every procedure starts with looking at the emergency handles. This is something worth practicing several times.
And speaking of emergency procedures, don’t forget to touch the handles under the canopy (since their placement differs from freefall) and touch the reserve handle at 1000 feet (why?).
Freefly - Sit Fly At first, just sitting for an entire skydive is challenging because, let’s face it, it’s one of the least aerodynamic body positions!
That’s why it’s likely we’ll start practicing this alone or with a personal coach until we’re stable.
As always, safety emphasis will be on the drop zone line! Usually, what happens is that we initially lean slightly toward the belly, as we’re used to feeling the wind on our stomachs. It can also be challenging to feel the wind on our backs due to the rig.
This means there’s a good chance we’ll unintentionally drift backward without realizing it. That’s why it’s important to face the drop zone line initially and position ourselves at a 90-degree angle to it.
Exercises:
Always fall onto your back if you feel unstable and practice recovering from back flying to sitting.
Turns while maintaining a reference point.
Exit separation starting from a sitting position.
Freestyle
Any unconventional drill, such as flips or transitions with significant speed changes, is something worth practicing alone at first.
A Note on Solo Head Down
This is generally a type of skydive I don’t recommend. It’s very easy to unintentionally enter a steep and fast track from a head-down position if we’re not precise—and it’s hard to be precise without a reference point.
Usually, when starting to practice head down, it’s recommended to already be proficient in sit flying.
If we can’t hold the head-down position, we revert to sitting and attempt to transition back to head down. All of this with the intention of maintaining our fall rate throughout the jump. This prepares us to skydive safely in groups.
For all the reasons mentioned above, I’d recommend learning head down either with a personal coach or with someone who can remain stable in head down or sitting positions. This provides a better reference point to assess whether we’re truly vertical or unintentionally tracking.
If you still decide to attempt solo head down, the emphasis should be on ensuring you position yourself 90 degrees to the drop zone line. The faster we fall, the more critical it becomes to maintain accurate direction!
Of course, there are endless things you can do on solo jumps! Always consult a relevant coach before trying something new (to get all the feedback in terms of flying and safety). Always think about the drop zone line and other skydivers, and don’t forget the fundamental priorities in freefall, regardless of your skill level:
Open your parachute!
Open at the correct altitude!
Open in a stable body position!
This ensures that even if something goes wrong, we respond in the safest way possible!
Blue Skies!
Kommentarer