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mattb

Jumpmaster gear check?

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Skreamer -
You said in a post that the jumpmaster almost didn't let you jump and thought about making you ride the plane down. I was wondering - how many dz's have somebody in the plane performing such a role and how does it work? Put 21 bodies in an Otter and how does this jumpmaster check everyone's gear without being in the way? Where I jump we give each other gear checks in the plane and are very careful but I can't picture the logistics of everyone getting an inspection from one person at altitude.
-mob

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Hi mattb,
In the UK there is always a jumpmaster who is responsible for the jumpers in the plane. Equipment checks happen before everyone gets into the plane, but if the jumpmaster notices something which could be a problem they are able to stop you jumping. The jumpmaster is usually the most experienced jumper on the lift and is responsible for load organising, spotting and co-ordinating people in the case of an aircraft emergency.
Joolee

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I wish there were Jumpmasters on every lift, not just in the UK. It doesn't take longer to get lifts up because the JM is just responsible for checking that everyone has been checked. He doesn't carry out every check himself, instead, everyone checks each other and signs against their surname on the manifest list.
In Spain they don't have JMs and it can cause problems. While I was there, a mate on a dive with me nearly went through a skysurfer's canopy because he deployed at 4,500 and didn't think to mention this to the 4-way that went out after him. A JM would have modified the exit order to prevent this happening. Similarly, while we were there at Xmas, there was an incident where the Otter stalled due to too many jumpers moving from one end of the aircraft to the other at once. No-one had told the pilot there was a big-way going, so when they got out he didn't compensate for it and the plane took a nose-dive. The last guy out missed getting smacked by the plane by centimeters. A JM could have probably prevented that sort of thing happening.
I think the problem can sometimes be that everyone gets on the plane without checking what everyone else is doing, so the exit order can be a bit random, especially on boogies. No-one takes responsibility. But a JM can.
However, I have heard the argument that more rules and regs like compulsory JMs will end up making the sport more and more controlled, and turning skydivers into mongs who aren't capable of taking responsibility for themselves(yes, like the age-old CYPRES debate). Personally I'm all for safety procedures; it's just a question of where you draw the line.
Emma

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Hi Matt
It is not as if the JM has to check everybody's pins or anything. But he will give you a quick once over. Things like chest-straps not being routed properly have been spotted and lives have been saved. It is not like they get paid to do it either (I'm not sure if their slot is free). If that JM had told me to ride the plane down, I would not have regarded it as a wasted jump ticket, but more that he might have saved my life. I am only on 55 jumps now, and for people in my position (off student status, but not very experienced) it is re-assuring to have a JM on the load.
/s

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Skreamer - JMs don't get their slots paid for - at least not a my DZ. I had to be the JM for the first time a couple of weekends ago because I was the most experienced on that load. I have to say I was shitting myself, I'm so used to letting someone else take the responsibility.
However, it was a good thing in the end, I really enjoyed it (after I found out everyone made it back to the DZ!). It did make me realise how lazy I'd been up till then, I mean, I have my IC1 and Cat 10 but I never really used half of what I supposedly knew because 'Someone else knows more than I do'. It's worth making sure you would know how to JM a lift just in case you get called on to do it - and if you're at a DZ where they don't use JMs, I still think it's worth being aware of JM responsibilities because at the end of the day, you need to be able to take responsibility for your own safety.
Emma

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Back in the good old days, before GPs and turbine engines, the aircraft owner often assigned a "spotter" to decide exit order, glance at gear and oh! yes! "spot" the airplane.
Now that machines have taken over the spotter's duties, responsibility for gear checks has shifted to individual jumpers. It is in everybody's best interests to glance at their buddy's gear during the ride to altitude.
And remember that spotting machines are built by men and therefore less than perfect. The first jumper and at least one person in each formation after that should glance at the spot before climbing out. Even if the spotting machine did its job, there is no way to predict if some Sunday driver is wandering around the sky placing total faith in his GPS and ignoring his map.
Come on folks, lets be mature and take some responsibility for our own lives.

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This thread brings up a point that might be of some note, both to UK and other jumpers, and to US jumpers. In the May issue of "Parachutist," USPA Executive Director Chris Needels outlined a reform of the instructional ratings in 'Capital Commentary.' Among the *proposed* changes is the deletion of the the rating "jumpmaster" and its replacement with "instructor." To clarify for anyone not familiar with the USPA, a jumpmaster is currently a rated position - the main privilege of the rating being that a jumpmaster is qualified to instruct and jump with a student skydiver. A jumpmaster is not considered qualified to teach a first jump course, and is only qualified to work with students in the method they are qualified in (i.e., a static-line JM couldn't jump with an AFF student). It was essentially the entry level rating until the "coach" rating was established recently.
In the article, Mr. Needels implies that the term "jumpmaster" be removed from the rating hierachy and that DZOs be allowed to appoint JM's more or less in the same capacity as they serve in the BPA system - as a senior jumper, spotter, and safety inspector for the load.
So my question to the DZ.com community: What do you all think about this proposed shift in the way the term "jumpmaster" is used by the USPA?
blue skies, green bottles -Patkat

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