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faulknerwn

Double Amputee AFF

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We have a guy coming out to do AFF who is a double amputee above the knee. He's done several tandems with no problems, but we're going to need to figure out AFF. We have a tunnel at the dz now so we're definitely going to do some tunnel time figuring things out. We've also got emails into some Pieces of 8 skydivers for their suggestions.

Things we're trying to figure out -

harness fit - i.e. make sure he doesn't accidently fall out of the harness..

Balance - legs versus arms and body position and such in freefall. He can't really move the lower legs - they'll be locked in place.

Landing - we don't want a bad landing causing further injury. PLFing may be hard and/or sliding landings since he can't pick up his legs.

Any ideas and or suggestions on how to help him fulfill his dream of learning to skydive would be greatly appreciated.

FYI He is miitary who was injured serving his country.. We want to help him...

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This manual posted on here by Rod Mack iirc(page 4 of the threads in this forum iirc)
may offer some insight into the solutions needed

http://www.jagworksdesign.com/html/Para%20Manul%20opening%20page.htm

and

http://www.jagworksdesign.com/html/Para%20skydive%20manual.htm

hth

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Will he wear his prosthetics during the jump? I think that factor may make a big difference in how he is able to safely land.

BTW, make sure you show him the Closing In picture in next month's Parachutist. He, and everyone else, may find it rather inspirational.

- Dan G

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Hi,
That's great-more of us flying the better :)

There's lots of info answering all your questions in my thread -gimpboogie_

You may wish to share-are his legs amputated @ the hip level or just above te knees.

It makes a difference.
If he has some leg bone left below the hip-then pants like mine (except the straps attached @ above the knee instead of @ the knee like mine are) will work for the landing part quite well.

Giving him the opportunity to slide in on his but like the rest of us paralyzed folks with no "leg input/movement" just like him-except we got limp useless legs hanging in the way-so in a sense his landing is easier to manage with these pants because really our worst fear is having one of my useless legs get caught under me-touching down on the ground 1st before my butt- and with my knee locked into position @ a 90 degree angle I will end up with a tib fib landing at worst or a broken ankle at the best of times-when it happens-that my leg will touch down first before the butt does.

Have a look at the pictured I posted in the thread of gear for people with lower limb paralysis.
Study the pants-thats perhaps the key piece of equiptment for him to have a safe landing.

Pulling up what he has left for limbs below the hips up into a crouching/sitting position and that will keep those legs he has-up higher then his butt and sliding in on his butt will be possible-providing there is some bit of limbs left below the hips-from what you write it sounds like he does.


Now for the other udea-yes mack straps is the key but if I was re thinking that, and if its for a person who is going to take up this sport as a hobby instead of a one time tandem situation-

The pants could have a strap sewn by a rigger with 800lb dacron or other strong material that is sort of like a "loop" into which the leg straps of the container goes through so thus the leg straps will be secured doule-with a 'strap' between the leg straps like we paralyzed ones use but also a strap in the pants through which each leg strap fits one at a time-really only needing to be kept an eye on for his butt slide landings that will wear out these straps-eventually making them less & less secure on his pants.

Hope that helps.
To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

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We have a guy coming out to do AFF who is a double amputee above the knee. He's done several tandems with no problems, but we're going to need to figure out AFF. We have a tunnel at the dz now so we're definitely going to do some tunnel time figuring things out. We've also got emails into some Pieces of 8 skydivers for their suggestions.

Things we're trying to figure out -

harness fit - i.e. make sure he doesn't accidently fall out of the harness..



If he's wearing his prosthetic legs, this will be less of an issue, but it does depend also on the length of his stumps. I wear supplemental suspension for my leg, I strongly advise he consider the same. Running belts work perfectly. Stump length obviously affects the length of his sockets. The harness shouldn't fit too differently. Though snap-on leg straps are going to be a huge help.

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Balance - legs versus arms and body position and such in freefall. He can't really move the lower legs - they'll be locked in place.



I strongly advise against locking his legs in any position. If they are mechanical knees, a hard landing can pop the CaTech cylinders which are a pain to replace. If he uses Otto Bock C-Legs, then my recommendation is to either keep them in normal mode or free-swing. Locking the legs risks creating unwanted forward movement in freefall.

Body position in freefall will have to be assessed during AFF, but you're probably going to see some issues with arching, since the thigh muscles atrophy post-recovery and the stumps will have a tendency to orient themselves forward (or downward from a freefall perspective).

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Landing - we don't want a bad landing causing further injury. PLFing may be hard and/or sliding landings since he can't pick up his legs.



This will depend on his development in the sport too. A little wind will help, but he will need to figure out how to slide some landings in for those inevitable cross-wind, down-wind landings, etc. His prosthetics are a consideration too. If his knees are kept in a "regular" mode where the pistons are providing resistance, then an improper landing will pop them in a heart beat. If he's using C-Legs, those repairs take a while, and cost a shit-ton of money (covered by the VA and the Army), but he won't be able to get an endless supply of legs.

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Any ideas and or suggestions on how to help him fulfill his dream of learning to skydive would be greatly appreciated.

FYI He is miitary who was injured serving his country.. We want to help him...



I'll touch base with you directly.
So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

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I would make sure there is no possible way he could come out of the harness and that is going to take some serious custom work.



A friend of mine took a blind man on a paraglide tandem last year. The guy asked his instructor if he could fly on his own some day. The instructor initially said ok. The blind guy kept following up with him, but the instructor didn't know how the guy could acutally do it. We think we can do things, but sometimes it's too difficult, especially when it involves the life of another person.

A guy who could neither talk nor hear went on a tandem and wanted to take the AFF course. But he wasn't allowed to take the course. A year later, I was BASE jumping at Twin Falls. The guy had 70 BASE Jumps. Sometimes we think they can't do it, but then they surprise us.

Good luck with this

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After about 10 minutes in the wind tunnel, Matt did level 1 today. He did awesoome! Video here:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=385475402245&saved



Nice work Wendy. I got to talk to Matt yesterday for a bit. He's pretty stoked and I hope he'll stick with it. Please keep sharing his progress.;)
So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

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exceptional!


as was said... they may think we cant, and then you show up to twin falls and find us there-kus its the only place left where we belong :ph34r:

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

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