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learning to fly
This page needs some work, I'll update it soon.
UPDATE - In the next few days I'll update these pages- In the last few days I've recived my licence, passed 50 jumps, tried sit-flying, and bought a rig! Quite a good week so far. 28/July/97.
There's a bit of info about my new rig here.
Nouvel Air have updated their web page to show this year's graduates. :-) I'm proud to be part of that list.
While I'm in here in Montreal, I've taken the oppurtunity to learn to freefall at a nearby drop zone called Parachutisme Nouvel Air. I enrolled before the start of the season (6th May this year, to allow the long Quebec winter to finish) and took my first jump course followed immediately (first freefall the same day as my first jump) by the Progressive Free Fall (PFF) programme.
PFF jump one was amazing, but I had to wait two weeks for the winds to ease off enough to allow me to jump again. When I finally could, I spent a day completing my next five training jumps, and my first solo freefall. The feeling of control was incredible- throughout the previous six freefalls I had learned to become calm and stable, and on my own I was able to just relax, look around, monitor my altitude, and feel the reassuring strong upsurge from my chute as I deployed it at 4,000 feet.
For my 5th solo jump, Daniel Paquette from Nouvel Air flew with me, to take some photos and a video, which are a great record for me of this unforgettable experience.
3rd July '97:
I now have 32 jumps, 24 minutes of accumulated freefall time. I'm waiting for the
CSPA to give me my
'A' licence and
number, and for Air Look to make my
custom jumpsuit (red, black and purple, by the way). I'm half-way through the Nouvel
Air Post-PFF program with
Rene,
where I'm learning to fly with someone else, turn, track, take
grips, etc. I'll soon accumulate enough experience for my
'B' Licence, for which I'll
also have to demonstrate an International Cross Series of 360 degree Left and Right
Turns and Back loops (LT, RT, BL, RT, LT, BL) in 16 seconds or less. Better get practicing.
21st July '97:
I've completed my Post-PFF, flown with my new jumpsuit a few times (with turbo-charged booties),
and tried my first 3 and 4-way jumps, which have been great fun, if not entirely succesfull.
I won't say exactly what the next stage I'm considering is, but it costs a lot of money, and it's called
a
Daniel let me test-fly it a couple of times, with it's Sabre 150 canopy- really fast
for me, but still feels nice and safe. Unfair selling tactics if you ask me, I want it really
badly now- it's just a shame it'll cost me several months wages..... [I bought it- of course! What's
a little poverty, when you can own your OWN RIG!?]
