2009-03-08 Jumps 16-19 at Skydive San Diego

Jump 16.
On Jump 16, I started the day by doing a diving exit. I got stable really quickly and then went into a good front flip and then a back flip. I then added a barrel roll. At that point I really had nothing to do but look around and fall. I wish I had loaded myself with some additional stuff to do. I still had a nice freefall. I was using the 230 square foot canopy which was faster and had better control plus a much smaller pack. The landing was a bit harder than I am capable of, but I at least ran it out. Divya from work joined in on this jump as a tandem.

Jump 17
I was the only fun jumper on the flight. I spotted the location, but wasn't clear that it was time to jump. Got prompted with "get out of the plane" which I promptly obeyed. I did a floating exit which went good. I was stable really quickly and then oriented myself relative to the runway below me. I then did a front flip, a back flip and a barrel roll and stayed on heading. I was feeling pretty good after that. I need to remember to arch a bit more because I started waffling a little bit.  The landing was very good.

Jump 18
After a mountain bike ride at Hollenbeck Canyon, I came back to do a few more jumps. On this jump I did a diving exit, but I was really unstable. I went with it and corrected. It was very cold and windy. The clouds had moved in, and I wasn't able to see make out the dropzone for some time. Once I figured out where I was, I tried a barrel roll, and a 360. I was just too cold, so mostly I just fell. The canopy ride was uneventful; I was back at the 260 because there were no 230's available.The landing was soft and smooth.

Jump 19
Another diving exit. I shouldn't have done this jump because I was so cold and tired. I tried to do some skills, but had neither the energy or ability, so I just fell. Once I pulled, I played with rear riser turns since I was back on the 230. I did a 720 degree carving turn and the G forces on me were quite strong. It was great fun. The landing was picture perfect, but short of where I had wanted to land.