Tracking Dive with Chad and Mark

I can’t believe we jumped today. and I can’t believe I convinced Mark to jump with me today :)It was freakin cold. I was armed with a pair of nylon surgical gloves+skydiving gloves, two layers of thermal tops, a layer of thermal bottoms, pair of jeans, my brand new jumpsuit with booties and full face helmet, and it still was quiet cold.

But it was so worth it. We made two EPIC dives.

Dive #1

This was my first dive with my new jumpsuit. I can now do side movements without rotating and I can track F4sT3r3r3r. I docked with mark 3 times then we started a tracking dive, and I think I out tracked him quiet a bit thanks to my Majik bev suit booties.

Shitty landing though due to  turbulence.

Dive #2

This was possibly the most fun dive I’ve had since AFF dives.

Chad offered to video/photograph us while doing a track dive.

I can’t even describe how good of a dive it was.

Flight #1

Flight #1

Duration: 0.6Hrs

So I was finally able to schedule a flying instruction session with my CFI, Scott Smith this Friday. It’s kind of amazing how I was able to make time for this, as I just began my research at GSI Group. I was swamped with meetings, clean room training sessions and other administrative things that made my Google Calender like a 7 columned newspaper. Well I’m glad i made time for it because it was awesome… and freakin scary.

So I met Scott at Fulton County Airport Brown Field located on Fulton Industrial Bld at 10am. We talked a little bit about ourselves and we dove straight into the first flying lesson. We spent ~30min doing a pre-flight check involving airframe check, fuel check, oil check and various other checks that made sure we didn’t just fall out of the sky. Since I didn’t have my parachute with me, that would’ve been a quiet a disaster.

Then we started the plane. First, I learned about rudder pedals and how they were also connected to rear wheel brakes. Basically, it allowed you to steer the plane on the ground. I kept pressing the rudder instead of the brakes though. Scott had to keep putting the plane back on the road.

Then the take-off. Scott assured me that all I had to do was pull the steering column. Well, I did that and the plane did fly. But I also noticed that he was doing like 5 things at that time  - all the things I’d need to learn in the future it looked complicated.

The plane was shaking so much once we were in the air. Scary as hell. I was suppose to just lightly touch the steering column but of course, I was holding it like my life depended on it. We did few turns, climes, decents. Then finally we landed the plane….. Well, Scott landed the plane

Damn, I’m excited about the next session but my google calendar says I can’t have a session next week