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DroptheMan04

AAD for newbie?

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While I think NEEDING an AAD is a bad thing, or if you let having an ADD let you do dumber things.....It is really cheap insurance and worth getting one.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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is it ok for newbie skydivers to not use or buy AAD such as who got license A? (For on their own risk)



Depends... what country are you in? Some countries require AAD on some or all of their jumpers.

See this report from 2003

http://www.velocidadvertical.com/attachs/AADReport2003.pdf
"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

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Although it is legal for you to not jump with an AAD, please get a Cypres. Then forget that its there (except for when you turn it on in the morning - remember that much).

It's such a relatively cheap insurance policy. I know that you want to jump jump jump but its much smarter to save your jump ticket money, or pack some rigs for money and get that Cypres on your back. Cuz you just never know.......

Aaron
“God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

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is it ok for newbie skydivers to not use or buy AAD such as who got license A? (For on their own risk)



Depends... what country are you in? Some countries require AAD on some or all of their jumpers.

See this report from 2003

http://www.velocidadvertical.com/attachs/AADReport2003.pdf



saved by AAD in 2003 "62", that's out of millions. I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintence or on fire.

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saved by AAD in 2003 "62", that's out of millions. I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintence or on fire.



looks like a significant number and high percentage to me considering average of 60 fatalities in the world a year. lack of cypress would increase it by 100%
please get a cypress - it may save your life one day, you dont want to risk being one of those 62

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saved by AAD in 2003 "62", that's out of millions. I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintence or on fire.



millions of jumps, but the skydiver community may not be 100k in size.

They are reliable devices (perhaps an exception for any model in its first year). But $$.

A growing number of US dropzones are mandating them, some just for ABC lic holders.

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I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintenance or on fire.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Some one is pulling your leg.

No professional parachute rigger will install an AAD that needs fresh batteries.
No professional rigger will install an AAD that is overdue for maintenance at the factory.
As for "fire" ...
Hee!
Hee!
In 22 years of rigging, I have never seen an AAD catch fire.

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Legally, nobody can make you get an AAD, unless your dropzone or national parachuting association requires one. But please do the smart thing and get one.

Deaths caused from low pulls or no pull have been drastically cut since AADs became widely accepted in the nineties. Low/no pull used to be the leading cause of death in the sport. Nowadays it is considered more fashionable to kill oneself with a perfectly opened and functioning canopy, so you need to keep in step with the times (drumroll, cymbal crash...).

No, but seriously folks. All talk of "depending" on AADs aside - and of course the only thing you should ever depend on is your hand pulling the reserve handle - AADs are simply too reliable and have saved too many lives. It's almost (?) criminal to suggest to a newbie that they don't need one.

I set mine in the morning and forget all about it the rest of the day. I don't EVER want to have to depend on my reserve p/c popping off my back at 750 ft - look out the plane window at 750 ft on your next ride up - that's Cypres popping altitude and it's terrifying to even think about. But they save lives every year. There is NO GOOD reason not to have an AAD installed in your rig, especially if you're a newbie. Arguments to the contrary are pure macho bullshit - I mean you could also save bucks, weight and pack volume if you don't wear a reserve.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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Hey,

Ok, think about what you are doing. This is a sport where you can die very easily. It is a very serious sport and you need to think about what you're doing long and hard. Talk to your family as well, see what they think of you avoiding buying an insurance policy because you don't want to. Now, that being said, it is your choice, and I hope you make the right one. If you can't afford an AAD, rethink your situation and maybe wait.

Please read this post, it'll make you rethink what you're contemplating:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=650224

I wouldn't dare jump withouot one, but I'm still the primary activator. I just had a reserve ride today actually, nothing to do with my cypres or anything but still. There are things you can't control and will never be able to, so again, have fun and be safe!

Chris
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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is it ok for newbie skydivers to not use or buy AAD such as who got license A? (For on their own risk)



If you're okay with not using one...

I'll never jump without one for the same reason I won't ride in a car without my seatbelt. There could be an accident. It could be my fault, it could be someone else's fault. I'd rather have the extra measure of safety. Plus, I promised my dad.

I know someone who is alive today because of an AAD. I also know someone who, if they'd used their AAD properly, would be alive today. [:/]

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Talk to your family as well, see what they think of you avoiding buying an insurance policy because you don't want to.



Another way of putting it is this. I "depend" on my Cypres so that my wife will let me skydive. To her, it's a "magic box" that will save my ass every time. I understand how it works - and how it can be fooled (low cutaway from low speed mals, etc.). But last year when I sent it in for its 4 year service, "the boss" informed me that I was grounded until it was back inside my rig. End of story. Try it with your family and see what they think.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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saved by AAD in 2003 "62", that's out of millions. I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintence or on fire.

and if you have one you can be the next one on the AAD-save list...
I am one of the latest reported saves I believe.I much prefer to be on the AAD Save list than on the fatality list.
Without my Cypres, I might have been on the other list.
scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

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I have been told, AAD is hard to trust, because of battery or out of maintence or on fire.



As stated earlier, a rigger would be risking his ticket if he repacked a reserve on a rig with an AAD out of date.

I personally know 2 jumpers who would be dead if they did not have an AAD - there is no question in either case. I don't personally know of anyone who has been injured/killed due to an AAD malfunction.
There are battered women? I've been eating 'em plain all of these years...

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