dthames 0 #26 November 6, 2013 ItsThatGuySeason is over here in Michigan, but next year I hope to be packing at a DZ. My dad who is an FAA senior rigger has been teaching me about packing and rigging for a few months now and iby next summer I hope to be packing at his friends DZ. Would this be possible for me to do or would there be some kind of limitation (Aside from skill)? When I was a student a 14 year old was packing the rigs. I didn't have a problem with it. Later when a female teen was also packing, I thought, "Is this a good thing?". I would encourage you be very aware of potential distractions.Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #27 November 6, 2013 skyjumpenfool ***Season is over here in Michigan, but next year I hope to be packing at a DZ. My dad who is an FAA senior rigger has been teaching me about packing and rigging for a few months now and iby next summer I hope to be packing at his friends DZ. Would this be possible for me to do or would there be some kind of limitation (Aside from skill)? It's not up to me. As I understand it, you have to be packing under the direct supervision of a qualified rigger. (too lazy to look it up in the SIM) If you met that standard and have a rigger that ok's it, I'd be ok with it if I wasn't planning on packing for myself. Which, I usually do.It's actually in the FARs... Believe it or not, that is VERY loosely enforced if at all. "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #28 November 6, 2013 Sure, I used to let a couple teens pack for me at Skydive Kapowsin. They were both sons of longtime jumpers, and both have grown into awesome adults and skydivers. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alexg3265 0 #29 November 7, 2013 Attention to detail is a must. I taught my 9 year old daughter to pack and I've let her pack for me unassisted but closely watched several times. I'm honestly surprised at how quickly she picked it up. She can pro and psychopack my Safire2 159 with 50 jumps on it into an icon i5. I'd watch you pack something else and then, yes, I'd let you pack for me. Just pay attention and develop a systematic approach that works for you. (I've never seen anyone do it exactly the same, but I always have the exact same routine.)I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,382 #30 November 7, 2013 theonlyski ******Season is over here in Michigan, but next year I hope to be packing at a DZ. My dad who is an FAA senior rigger has been teaching me about packing and rigging for a few months now and iby next summer I hope to be packing at his friends DZ. Would this be possible for me to do or would there be some kind of limitation (Aside from skill)? It's not up to me. As I understand it, you have to be packing under the direct supervision of a qualified rigger. (too lazy to look it up in the SIM) If you met that standard and have a rigger that ok's it, I'd be ok with it if I wasn't planning on packing for myself. Which, I usually do.It's actually in the FARs... Believe it or not, that is VERY loosely enforced if at all. Generally interpreted as: A rigger may have walked through the packing area in the past hour."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #31 November 7, 2013 Some people say that they can call a rigger, so they're available. "I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyH 0 #32 November 7, 2013 ItsThatGuy Season is over here in Michigan, but next year I hope to be packing at a DZ. My dad who is an FAA senior rigger has been teaching me about packing and rigging for a few months now and iby next summer I hope to be packing at his friends DZ. Would this be possible for me to do or would there be some kind of limitation (Aside from skill)? The biggest thing is attention to detail. Make sure youre doing everything right and if youre not sure, repack it. If youre packing for somebody as a job, make it quick whils still doing it right. I have been packing since I was 8 and really nobody had an issue with it. I proved i knew what i was doing. Take it seriously. Edited to add: I have thousands of packjobs now and I have only ever packed one malfunction. I was 10 and I left the slider on a velo 96 collapsed .... The good thing is, I couldn't remember if i had opened the slider or not so I REPACKED IT. And sure enough. it was still collapsed. The video guy missed the load and was slightly pissed, but he also didn't break his back.Carpe Diem, even if it kills me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,340 #33 November 7, 2013 Probably. You are under the supervision of a rigger (your dad) and meet the legal requirements. The arguments about what "Supervision" and "Direct Supervision" mean grow into very long threads. I'd probably want to watch you pack a couple of rigs before I'd hand you mine, and I'd probably watch you do mine the first couple of times. I had a kid who was probably 15 or 16 packing for me a couple years ago at Summerfest. One of the regulars vouched for him, and he did fine."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #34 November 7, 2013 Age is not a factor, provided you have the physical ability to pack, it's your maturity that I would be more concerned about. Some people take main canopy pack jobs lightly, but let's remember that improper packing can directly lead to injury. Hard openings can (and have) done significant damage to jumpers in the past. These canopies opened 'successfully' in that they were open. straight, and land-able, they just opened hard enough to cause injury, sometimes severe. So it would be your maturity that I would be looking for, your ability to focus and stay on-task, and complete the process 100% with a very high degree of reliability. Otherwise, I think it's fine, and you'll find that most DZs have at least one teenager on the packing mat, so you're not breaking any new ground. Note - my one piece of advice for you is this - there are lots of different rigs, canopies, and riser/toggle configurations. You are going to see new things (to you) from time to time, and the one thing you CANNOT do is 'guess' how they should be packed. Many rigs are designed to be packed one way, and there's not a lot of 'wiggle room' in that, so if you just guess and you're wrong, there's a chance it's not going to work right. It all comes back to maturity, but you need to know what to say 'I don't know how to do this' and just get some help from someone who does. Ask your dad about getting his riggers ticket, there are times during the test phase where the correct answer is 'I don't know for sure, I need to consult the manual or call the manufacturer'. It's not wrong not to know, it's wrong to take a guess. The correct answer is to admit you've reached the limit of your '100% guaranteed correct' knowledge, and that you need to consult someone/something to solve a problem and be '100% guaranteed correct'. In the end, it's way more important that your solution is 100% correct than you just knowing the solution off the top of your head. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
labrys 0 #35 November 7, 2013 QuoteIt all comes back to maturity, but you need to know what [when] to say 'I don't know how to do this' and just get some help from someone who does. This isn't just excellent advice about packing. This is excellent advice in general.Owned by Remi #? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #36 November 7, 2013 Liemberg In a heartbeat - provided your dad lets you pack for him. One year younger than the protagonist of 'Catcher in the Rye' - what could possibly go wrong? LOL I remember your son at all of what, nine? helping us pack for my 2nd tandem ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erdnarob 1 #37 November 14, 2013 YES. 14 years old is enough for you to understand what to do. But you have to realize that you have to gain everybody's confidence. It can take a while. OTOH the acquired confidence can be easily lost really fast. Being young is not a sickness, actually it is an advantage. I am a high school teacher and years ago, I got a ride in an airplane flown by one of my studentLearn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #38 November 15, 2013 ItsThatGuy Season is over here in Michigan, but next year I hope to be packing at a DZ. My dad who is an FAA senior rigger has been teaching me about packing and rigging for a few months now and iby next summer I hope to be packing at his friends DZ. Would this be possible for me to do or would there be some kind of limitation (Aside from skill)? Why notI have had JohnMitchells pack for me and he was GOOOOD and very fast.... although I did see him pack his dad a total on his rig with a PUD once...I had packingjarret pack for me when I would go down there to theSkydiveToledo DZ... and I took two of our DZO's kids, one of them 15 one 16 at the timeto Lost Prairie and set them up in their own tent without any problems at all and yes I did have someone supervise them... Its not rocket science... just good attention to detail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
potatoman 0 #39 November 15, 2013 I started packing age 14. 10-15 rigs per day, even cycled to the DZ. Initially only student big ass canopies, then as time went along, the guys got confidence in me. I sure was one of the richer boys in town, and I paid for my first jump course on my packing moolah two years later. (What was left after beer money ) You have the right to your opinion, and I have the right to tell you how Fu***** stupid it is. Davelepka - "This isn't an x-box, or a Chevy truck forum" Whatever you do, don't listen to ChrisD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
