Hi Everyone,

I've done five jumps since my last mail! One yesterday (Saturday) and four today.

After my last mail we had some dodgy weather. Then it turns out that Damon has injured his shoulder worse than was first thought and won't be able to jump for at least a month, possibly two. Keith's cold is still too bad for him to jump, so that only left Brendan to do the tandems. There was one day where the Drop Zone wasn't working at all as Brendan felt too bad to jump.

Keith has brought in another instructor. He is called Sol and he's helping out with the tandems and is also qualified to teach AFF. So yesterday I went out to the DZ in the morning. Keith told me that the priority for that day was to get Tobi to the point where he only needs one instructor. That way, between Sol and Brendan, we should both be able to get more jumps. I did get one jump at lunch time. I jumped with Sol. It was great. I told him what I'd been doing for the last few jumps and he said that would be fine. He showed me another way to get onto my front if I should end up on my back - push my hips up (which puts my centre of gravity above the rest of my body) and then twist sharply over. We did a practice exit while the plane was on the ground. He also suggested that I could do a dive exit which is where you sit square in the door, legs out on the step and grip the door frame on either side of you at about head height with your hands and then lean forward, back and then push yourself out and just dive out onto your front. After I stopped laughing hysterically I told him I thought that would freak me out and I'll stick with the "poised exit" that I'm used to!

We went up and did a linked exit (i.e. Sol was holding me). Once we were out and belly down he was still on my left holding me. I couldn't stop spinning to the right. He let go and as soon as he did that I was able to stop the spin. He told me afterwards that he thought it might have been him causing me to spin and he could see me thinking about it and trying to stop it so he let go and was very pleased to see me able to sort myself out. We just spent the rest of the dive maintaining a heading and I deployed my chute at 4,500 feet. My exit had been awful - I did the UP, DOWN and then kind of just slid off the step! Never mind, in my log book he wrote "Cool fun mate". That was the only jump I got yesterday but it was fun.

This morning Keith said that I'd get at least three jumps today - it would be my day. I went up with Sol again. We were going to do an un linked exit - only my second one. I get to the door and do the UP, DOWN, ARCH and I'm out. It feels better and then I flip onto my back. This time it only takes me two attempts to get onto my front using the technique Sol suggested. He flies in front of me and I try to keep a heading on him. He gives me the sign to do a 360 turn to the left, which I do really well. I stop when I'm facing him again but then I seem to loose my position and wobble a bit. I don't panic and he helps me by grabbing my hand and then it's time to deploy my chute which I do without a problem.

Thirty minutes later I'm going up again. This time I'm going with Brendan. Un-linked exit again. Now, I can't remember if I've explained the exits before so I'm sorry if you know this. You get the signal to go to the door and you put your feet outside on the step. You have your right foot in front of the left, in line on the step and you sit so that you're facing the front of the plane with the left side of your bottom outisde the plane and the right side on the edge of the floor. Then you look forward (you can see the propeller at the front of the plane) and push yourself UP with your right leg, sink DOWN and then step out sideways into the ARCH- pushing your hips forward and spreading your arms and legs wide like a star. The idea is that as you go out the wind is coming from in front of you and you sort of fall back while you're standing up in the air and then tip forward onto your front a bit like the way a leaf might fall.

Anyway, what I did this time (although I had no idea what had happened at the time) was that when I jumped out I had my legs straight and together and my arms straight out from the shoulders in a crucifix position. Then I span round and round and round along a line through my head to my feet like a spinning top! Like I said, I didn't know this was what was happening - I was too busy taking deep breaths. The good thing was that I eventually did spread out a bit and I settled into a stable position - my first un-linked exit where I didn't end up on my back! Hooray! Then Brendan is in front and gives me a signal to go left. So I do a pretty good 360 turn left (don't seem to have a problem with that). Then I find myself turning to the right. I try to correct and turn left but I can't (it's probably my legs out of position again), so I think "sod it" and lean into the right turn to go right round to face Brendan again. He told me later that as he watched me he thought that that was what I was thinking.

Back on the ground he goes through the jump with me and explains what happened on the exit. We talk a bit about it and then he looks at me and says. "OK, go for a solo dive this afternoon and have a practice."

I passed stage six!

I've been cleared for solos.

This is totally and utterly AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's very strange going up in the plane. Sol is taking Tobi up. There is one sport jumper as well who is going out first (I can't watch - as usual). After he is out Sol tells me to go to the door. I get into the position and get the OK from Sol. UP, DOWN, ARCH and I'm out on my own and with no instructor jumping out after me. I'm trying to relax into the arch and I feel myself tipping over and back so I push my hips forward and try to spread my arms more and then I fall forward onto my front just like I'm supposed to. Being in free fall on my own is scary and exciting and awesome and all those words I've mentioned before and then some. The airport and the DZ are on the edge of Lake Rotorua and there is a big island a way out into the lake. I decide that I want to find it so I turn until it comes into view. Then I use that as my heading and I keep facing it. I'm tilting my upper body and arms to move left and right and it's working. This is so much fun. I can look around. I can see the ground. I can see the airport and the runway below me. I keep checking my height. I'm going to deploy at 4,500. There is so much time left. This is so much more fun than jumping with an instructor and trying to pass a stage. I decide that I'm heading over the runway towards the lake. It's not windy today but even so I don't want to be out that way when I deploy. I'm going to go the other way. I check my height and turn right 180 degrees and then find another hill to use as a heading. I've still got loads of time, I'm still only at about 7,000 feet. I wobble a few times but just relax and arch and get stable without much trouble. I can look down and suddenly I am aware that the ground is moving up towards me very fast - this is "ground rush" and it's a fantastic feeling. I remeber to look at my altitude and I'm getting to 5,000. I don't have to do hand flashes as there is no one here to let know that I know I'm approaching 5,000 - it's all up to me! It's very odd going to deploy knowing that there is no instructor there to sort it out if it all goes pear-shapped. At 4,500 I move my left hand round in front of my head and my right arm back towards the base of my rig. I grab the handle for the pilot chute and pull it out. I move my right arm forward at the same time as my left goes back to where it was and let go of the pilot chute. It all works! I'm whooping with joy and excitement. Keith doesn't talk to me on the way down. He and Sol are waiting for me on the PLA when I get down. They both shake my hand and Sol says "You're a reall skydiver now mate!". When I'm back in the hangar, Keith tells us that as soon as we pack our rigs we can go up again!

Sol, Brendan, Keith and I discuss my exits. This time I had my arms better but I was kicking my feet (I had no idea). Sol looks at Keith and then me and says "you'd probably do better doing a dive exit - it's almost what you're doing anyway once you're out". Keith goes "OK, come with me and I'll show you how to do one while the plane is being re-fuelled". As we're walking out I say to Keith "Me? Do a dive exit? Are you mad?". Keith just laughs and says "You'll be 'right mate". The way Keith shows me is that you kneel at the door with your knees right on the edge of the step. You grab the edge of the floor on either side of you, rock forward back and then tip over and out head first. I tell him he's mad but he thinks I'll be OK.

Up in the plane I'm very nervous. Brendan is taking a tandem but they are jumping at 9,000. Sol is doing another jump with Tobi. After the tandem has gone and the door closed I move forward and get onto my knees ready for when we get to 12,000. Sol looks at me and says "you going to kneel mate?". "That's what Keith told me to do and how he showed me" I relpy. Sol looks at me and says "Aw, that's a load of bollocks mate. Do it like I showed you.". To be honest I'm relieved. The thought of just tipping over on my knees was doing my head in! Green light and Sol opens the door. I sit at the door, grap the sides rock forward, back and then hurl myself forward and out. I'm supposed to put by arms out in front of me and bend my legs so my feet are right back. Oh, this is an amazing feeling. I'm hurtling down, head first and then I just level out onto my front and I'm stable. Sol watched my exit from the plane and said it was the best one I've done so far. The rest of the dive was almost exactly like my first solo - awesome dude!

What a day. I'm exhausted. Keith thinks I'm ready to try stage seven tomorrow - back flips!!!!!!

I've got to get myself to bed now! Let's hope the weather is good tomorrow.

Bye for now,
Ian.