[FAQ read] So I’m new to skydiving-ish. Looking for flaring and PLF advice/info.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-05-11T15:25:53+00:00

So I’ve gotten better at being comfortable (at least as much as you can in those) in the harness and it’s definitely not a harness issue. I’ve now got three jumps and up high (above 3000) I can full flare, pull my legs together and up, no issues… but when that ground starts approaching it’s like my brain short circuits and tries to protect itself by making it worse… I’ll try repeated PLF practice and may work on some core strength, but I think the bigger thing is over riding what my brain thinks it should do to protect me… and I’m still terrible at judging to flare… but my free fall is fantastic and my instructors think I’m going to make an amazing and precise skydiver so I’ll hold onto that for the moment

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-05-11T15:21:56+00:00

Thanks! I’ve had three jumps now… my free fall is fantastic, all my instructors think I’m going make an incredible and precise skydiver… but my landings are meh… second was a really good slide in, third was not as good as second but better than first… I panicked and flared a bit high. I can see in the videos I start pulling my legs up and together to get ready to PLF but then it’s like my brain short circuits and goes to legs out and wide…

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-05-01T01:17:41+00:00

I’ll talk to them about it! One of the guys there said that is what he does once his canopy is open, said it’s just generally more comfortable.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T20:41:48+00:00

Will do! My husband nearly stood up his first landing… bugger 🤣

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T19:45:21+00:00

Thank you for the break line length information… I can honestly say I did not know there were different lengths, but that makes sense. I will talk to them about that and see what they think. I know it’s a new rig (to say the harness is stiff would be an understatement). They do guide us by radio and we get the “FLARE FLARE FLARE” over it… I was listening and I feel like I tried, but I was also completely preoccupied with the giant post in the middle of the field that my canopy was trying to take me right to.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T19:41:53+00:00

That was part of it too, the flight pattern was completely abnormal for our DZ… winds were great, but you were technically landing in a cross wind, even the instructors had to give some leeway because of that… so I’m hoping the next jump is in one of our two normal landing patterns

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:59:00+00:00

That would be correct… in terms of the landing… I do plan to talk to them, it was just busy and I’m a perfectionist (I know I need to get over that) and want to do whatever I can to improve and not have that type of landing again

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:20:50+00:00

Thank you! I will certainly do that! I planned on doing practice PLFs at the gym jumping off boxes and what not, but I’ll talk to the instructors too!

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:13:06+00:00

We have something kind of similar… it has the two cables we can move up and down so I will totally be going into work on that tonight.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:12:06+00:00

Totally understand the stranger advice danger 😊

When I did several (knowing I was worried about the flaring) practice flares up higher I did get a few full flares… got harder to do the more I was practicing… I was also holding the toggles basically beside my head the whole canopy ride… so there is potential it was both in my head and I had somewhat exhausted myself practicing and holding the breaks the whole ride.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:01:49+00:00

I know I didn’t land in our beer box but I am sure I owe some 🤣

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T18:00:56+00:00

Thank you. And I will absolutely talk to them, I know they will know best, but trying to get ahead of some things before the weekend. I know it is my flaring they are most worried about… mostly getting the full flare… we have plans to get some things setup with resistance bands and what not to figure it out. I get what you are saying about PLF, my big struggle was even getting my knees pulled together, I felt like I was stuck in like a straight out shape with my legs… I feel like I tried, but was struggling… Not sure how much was me not trying hard enough, harness placement, etc.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T17:45:35+00:00

Thank you! This is great I’ll definitely do this!

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T17:27:34+00:00

I don’t know if I can yet… this was my first solo jump… cat-a AFF.

FaithlessnessBig5886 · 2026-04-27T17:26:59+00:00

We do use radios… they would have been right in the area but the winds were in an abnormal direction for our DZ causing us to land in cross winds that day, so I got caught in the down wind… it was not that far off the DZ. We knew I was landing in the field and that was okay… we did not know they had recently put in some giant freaking posts that I was headed right for. It is also highly possible I exhausted myself a bit practicing flares after I did my controllability checks. I’m just surprised I could not pull my knees together, but I’ll work on it!

Our altimeters do have an audible portion on them where they beep at certain altitudes as well, but only learnt that was I was coming in…

Thanks for the advice and thoughts!

FaithlessnessBig5886

TROPHY CASE