It had been a year since my last visit to DeLand.  When I arrived, Scott was expecting me.  I was one of two students enrolled in the course. At first, I thought he might offer to refund the cost of the class and suggest we come another time. However, the other student, Michael, had traveled all the way from England to take the course.  

After I completed the waivers and received a drop zone briefing, I went to rent gear.  They didn't have many rigs with large canopies and the only one that I could use was a Vector 2 container with a Spectre 230.  One problem - it didn't have an RSL (Reserve Static Line).  Attached to your left riser, an RSL connects your main parachute riser with the reserve ripcord.  When you cut away your main, the risers detach and the reserve static line assists with the deployment  of a reserve canopy.  Students are taught NOT to rely on this device.  Even if you have an RSL, you are supposed to pull your reserve handle after you've cutaway the main.

Scott asked me if I was confident in my emergency procedures.  If I had said no, I wouldn't have been able to participate in the class.  Of cousre, I said yes.  I told him that I'd been trained to pull both handles and in the event of an emergency, I would do anything possible to save my own life.  I rented the rig without an RSL.

The first jump was an evaluation "Hop & Pop".  I was supposed to leave the plane and deploy immediately.  The aircraft was a Skyvan - an aircraft with a tailgate.  Leaving from the tail of the plane made the exit much easier.  I didn't have to worry about presentation.  I was instructed to just step backwards and arch.  The relative wind would do the rest.

One thing was VERY strange on the climb to altitude.  The plane was silent.  Not one person was talking.  Everyone looked very serious.  I leaned over and asked Michael if we were aloud to talk.  He looked around and then shrugged.  He was new to DeLand too!  Later, we found out that the other jumpers on the plane were training for Nationals - they had no interest in socializing with us.  They were concentrating on their jumps.