Quality / Content of CC courses...

[Glitch 0]

Supply and demand... with more demand for canopy control courses, there will be if not already, a plethora of folks supplying the course. Good, bad, or indifferent.

My concern is how do folks judge the quality of the course being given before they take it? My feelings are that just because 'Joe Jumper' has 5000 jumps and can carve his name in the swoop pond, doesn't mean that they're qualified to instruct. What general topics do you feel should be covered in a basic course? Advanced course? Size of class (group or individualized setting and/or critique of performance...)? Would you consider drills under supervision, in a group setting, of the CP proficiency card sufficient for a basic course?

The questions could continue. What would you expect out of the courses? Inquiring minds want to know... Not everyone can get access to Brian's or Scott's course. Shouldn't there be some standards to judge where to place your cash?

[denete 2]

Dropzone.com is the source for the best reviews on the currently available canopy piloting courses. Just ask the smart masses.
viewpoint>

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[sartre 0]

Hmmm. Someone wants to gather some opinions from experienced skydivers. You're right, what a stupid place to come and ask....


If you used DZ.com as your SOLE resource, you might have a point. But that's assuming a lot.

Of course, it's always fun to sit back and criticize.

[denete 2]

I searched the forums for information on Scott Miller's Essential Skills Course myself before deciding to attend. After reading how much people got out of the course (essentially, most absolutely loved it), I decided that it would be absolutely worth attending. Later, one of my AFF instructors said that she still uses some of the concepts from his essential skills course on each jump.

- David

ps: I said simplistic viewpoint, not sarcastic viewpoint. I'll PM you about your post, as it appears that you may be mis-reading my posts, or the wrong idea is coming across somehow. You may be able to help me be more clear in my future posts. Thanks.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[daremrc 0]

I took Brian Germains canopy course this past weekend at Skydive Tecumseh...


All I can say is I feel like I got every pennys worth for it and did improve both my landings and landing accuracy. I'm sure I wont be able to do it every time, but the one and only jump I made after the class I stuck in the peas standing up and I feel alot more comfortable with picking a pattern entry point that will put me where I want to be for the last 50 feet of decent.

Brian is very good at explaining the nuances of canopy flight and backs up the explainations with good slides and video. I think it's too bad that other newer jumpers at the DZ elected to fun-jump instead.

As much as I'm against unneccesarry regulations, I don't think it would be a half-bad idea to add a BSR stating that one must sit thru at least 8 hours of canopy-piloting related training in order to get a B or abpve license.


there's my review

Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement.

[phoenixlpr 0]

I took Brian Germain's (advanced) canopy control course last weekend.
It was awesome! He is an exceptional teacher. I was a bit confused before the course about what skills to grow, now I see a clear path in front of me.

He knows both sides of the coin very well: technical and human.
If you have a chance to share some quality time with one of the most experienced skydiver and canopy pilot do not let is slip away.

[jojo69 0]

I took Scott Miller's advanced class yesterday. His has the great teaching skills of taking theory and turns it into skill sets. The class was small and this made it easy to meet the goals of each person taking the course.

To answer the questions on what the criteria should be for the instructors and class, I have to say that the instructor is just as (if not more) important as the content of the course.

The instructor should have to teach several classes under supervision. Many people with great skills are not the best teachers. They should be judged on their abilities to translate the information needed to the students.