I did my AFF at Dropzone Thailand in 2023, and on the third C1 jump I used my reserve. Everything after that jump was easier than everything before it.
I booked the course on my 30th birthday, after about thirty minutes of searching, mostly to get over a fear of heights. I paid for the package without much thought. The provider planned everything and I only had to show up and jump.
The first jump
The first jump is a tandem. It is sensory overload. I gave it no thought until the door opened, I looked down and saw a Google Earth view, and before I knew it I was out of the plane.
The time and money I spent at iFly, about $2,000 SGD, felt wasted up there. I forgot everything I had learned. Then the canopy was open, I felt the jerk, and the world went quiet. I landed with jelly feet.
The spin
On my third C1 jump I was blown backwards the moment I left the plane. After a few backflips I started to spin, fast enough that my instructor could not hold on.
I still checked my altimeter while spinning. I was at about 4,800 feet and I was supposed to pull at 5,500. My instructor had not pulled for me by that altitude, and I was spinning too fast to be grabbed, so I went straight for the reserve. I had never pulled my main before.
That was the decision, and it was the right one. Going for the main first would have cost me altitude I did not have, on a handle I had no practice with, while still spinning.
There was no life flashing before my eyes. I was entirely on the reserve handle.
The reserve opened with a line twist. I untwisted it and landed. The white reserve looked like a white flag coming in, which I found embarrassing.
I was not sure I would finish the course. I was inclined to drop out, because I am not ready to die for this, and I had been having nightmares for two days while my course mates progressed. Another instructor talked me into continuing. The mantra was AALR - altitude, arch, legs, relax (USPA).
After
The rest of the jumps were smooth. Things get easier once you have been through the worst of it, and I had peace of mind knowing the reserve works. I could finally appreciate the jumps.
Across the course I collected five things: an uncontrolled spin, a reserve pull, a line twist, a landing in a car park and a landing on the runway.
What I got out of it was confidence, and practice at relaxing, which I am bad at. I also learned to stop fighting. My mind thought it could beat gravity and a strong wind. My body disagreed, and I was blown around like dust for as long as I tried.