Chris Stamey, "Insomnia." Again.
Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1100
WX at 1100: 64(18), DP 51 (11), winds ENE 4 at surface, RH 63%
Today marked the first jump after the new year. It was eventful.
Mean effective winds this morning were almost zero. The wind drift indicator (a.k.a. "streamer" for the first pass) was completely vertical.
Today's JM duty was a tad controversial. I ended up taking a second pass over the DZ because I couldn't identify the panels marking the release point for the drop. I felt bad for two of my jumpers who were jumping combat equipment rather than Hollywood. I am so glad I don't have to jump combat equipment lines any more...at least not for the next advanced rating.
My second spot entailed seeing only one panel clearly. I was in the correct position, released at the right time, and more importantly, had not received "no drop" from the aircrew or safety.
There was one notable injury, and it happened on the same pass I jumped. A deployment bag and its static line brushed one jumper's head, burned the side of his neck, and pulled his ballistic helmet off. To add insult to injury, the adjusting buckle on his long continuous portion chin strap hooked onto his ear and gashed out a divot good enough to warrant a few stitches at the emergency room.
My jump itself was relatively clean. Good exit, although I need to be more diligent in verbally counting until opening shock. No riser burns, as I was jumping a size 4 parachute. However, the leg straps compressed two particularly sensitive pieces of anatomy. That's the hazard with a size 4, but testicular discomfort isn't anywhere as lasting as red scabs along the side of my face because I'm too big (nominally) for a size 3.
My landing was routine in spite of shifting winds. I'm getting enough experience where I think I can comfortably experiment with certain techniques that are considered advanced static line parachuting, at least with the MC1-1 series parachute. I've already used dumping air as a technique (a few months ago). The other thing I should try is flaring, but I need to do some homework before I do anything with that.
Five more to go. Schedule permitting, I might be able to knock those out as early as the end of February. I also received my orders authorizing me the Polish Parachutist Badge today. The next challenge is trying to find a place that actually has them.
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