Sunday, October 02, 2005

Jump 68, Luzon DZ, J/A/NT

mewithoutyou, "January 1979"
Cruiserweight, "Permanent Things"

Drop altitude 1250 feet AGL, time of drop 1110

KPOB 011655Z VRB03KT 7SM FEW030 SCT050 26/17 A3028 RMK SLP254
Conditions at: KPOB observed 1655 UTC 01 October 2005
Temperature: 26.0°C (79°F)
Dewpoint: 17.0°C (63°F) [RH = 58%]
Pressure (altimeter): 30.28 inches Hg (1025.5 mb)
[Sea-level pressure: 1025.4 mb]
Winds: variable direction winds at 3 MPH (3 knots; 1.6 m/s)
Visibility: 7 miles (11 km)
Ceiling: at least 12,000 feet AGL
Clouds: few clouds at 3000 feet AGL
scattered clouds at 5000 feet AGL
Weather: no significant weather observed at this time

First C-17 duty in over three years! I needed a jump and a duty to get current and jumped ahead, and got one with my unit's static line jumpmaster course. It's good to know the course officer in charge!

Smooth duty in general. The C-17 is a great ride, but can punish a jumper if you go out weak. I had a good exit, and more importantly, no issues during the jump. I had good control over the jumpers, had no problems identifying the 1-minute and 30-second reference marks, and most importantly, set a good example for the jumpmaster students.

Upon exiting, I immediately turned for the turn-in point and started running with the wind. Normally, this isn't too smart, but being an experienced enough jumper, I felt comfortable with steering, then lining up for landing. Once again, I managed to snag my chute on a scrub brush, which is the norm for my jumping Luzon, as it seems. My last jump at Luzon was during jumpmaster refresher last year, and I did just that.

I'm glad I keep current - and all my lessons learned from my time pulling duties in the 82d Imperial a few years ago haven't completely evaporated.

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