Tandem Questions re weight of student and cost...

[BravestDog 0]

1. Why does it cost $1 more per pound of body weight if you weigh more than 200lbs on a tandem?

Is it because it cost more for airplane fuel to get your body to altitude or more wear on the equipment...?

2. Why do you only go to 6,000' if you weigh more than 215lbs?

Why can't you go to 13,000' like most tandems? Why the low altitude? What's the reason?

I'm including the link to the Parachute Center in Lodi, CA as a reference for your reading.

http://parachutecenter.com/tandem.htm

here is a quote from there site

"Maximum weight for this program is 200 pounds. If you weigh between 201 and 250 pounds, the cost for the introductory jump is an additional $1.00 per pound. If you are 215 pounds and under, you will still go to the top altitude, if you are over 215 pounds, the jump is from 6,000 feet with a shorter freefall time, but you will still have a five minute descent under the parachute. "


Thanks

[JohnnyD 0]

Depends on the DZ.

[tinfoil 0]

Talk to the DZ.

“- - Sumo is the greatest of sports. It has power, grace, speed and cluture. And most importantly, two fat bastards smacking the shit out of each other. ”

[AndyMan 7]

Some dz's charge more for hevier people because it requires a special kind of TM to jump - someone who's strong enough to flare the heavier jumper AND light enough to fit under weight guidelines established by the gear manufacturers. Those TM's are rare.

They may choose to only take a heavier passenger to 6,0000 because the heavier jumper is straining the gear, so they lessen the wear on the gear by having slower-speed deployments right out of the plane - ie, you don't get any freefall.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[PhreeZone 15]

Bigger jumpers take a bigger wear on the JM's. When a JM is expected to make 10-15 jumps a day every little bit of wear is felt. By taking the people that are going to be the most abusive to the JM for a shorter ride I can only guess they think it will balence out the wear and tear....

Personally... I think its stupid.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[aneblett 0]

I have heard the philosophy of that particular DZ explained to me recently. please note this is all hearsay but it made sense at the time.

1. The extra money goes directly to the TM for agreeing to take the heavier student.

The TM needs to be more alert. Able to flare on his own if it is a "weak heavy person" and any other inherent risk involved.

2. for this part this comes down to economics. The Dz that you speak of does a lot of Tandems. Most (first time) students won't really know the difference between the high load and the lower one due to the fact that they are already overwhelmed with what is going on. Now that that has been established it isn't worth the wear and tear on the canopy during the terminal opening with your "heavy" people. That increased wear and tear could cause the DZO have to ground a rig prematurely while fixing whatever and in the meantime he would have to turn away tandems that he could have put up had he not let "heavies" go to 13000..

not necessarily fair but it makes sense to me.

age

S.E.X. party #2

..It is far worse to live with fear, than to die confronting it.

[bclark 0]

My DZ charges $2.00 per pound over 200. 220 is max weight. The DZ gets $1.00 and the tandem pilot gets $1.00. I think it is good for a couple of reasons. First, it is harder on the tandem pilot. I weigh 160 and will take em up to 220. Once in freefall it is not a big deal but getting them out of the plane is harder. Also many people over 200 pounds are not in the greatest shape and have a hard time getting their knees and feet up to land. So, maybe having to pay extra money might discourage people who are not in the proper physical condition from jumping.

[crutch 0]

You need to check out some other DZs. There are many economic and safety related issues with heavier people, so shop around, but be careful. By the way, I have taken a passenger who tip the scales at 318, but he was a very good friend of mine. My limit is 260 and in decent physical condition.

blue skies,

art

[AggieDave 6]

TMing is hard work.

Now, factor in a "big boy" and that work just got much harder. Depending on the plane, hooking up is harder to do, the plane is harder to get out of safely...Now, take in to account the weight limit of the gear (which is 500lbs max, and you must include the weight of the gear in that, which is usually around 50lbs).

For instance, I can only take passengers that weigh 210lbs or less, since I weight 240. And at that point, we're at the limit of the gear, so if there's no wind, you're not going (atleast with me), since the landing will be faster and much more dangerous to the passenger and the TM.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[John4455 0]

Greater work load on the instructor. At my dz the TM gets an extra $10 if the student weights over 190 lbs. Think about having a 50 lb rig on your back, a 225 lb man strapped to your front. They beat you to death in the airplane, the opening shock is usually greater, and it is harder to get a good landing. You should try to flair a 400 sq ft canopy with 500 lbs of weight hanging below it.

How do ya like it Johnny?

[LawnDart21 0]

I took a 245lb passenger on a tandem last weekend, and I gotta tell you, here is my take on the situation. I saw the guy in the hangar, all 6'1", 245 lbs.... He looked like a linebacker, big, but in good shape. I am 6'0", 190lbs, and spend 6 days a week in the gym, ie, consider myself to be in great shape. Anyways, I saw the guy, and my first instint was to say "no way, this guy is gonna wreck me", but in talking with him, he couldn't have been more excited about the jump, and so we talked at length about the risks, what I needed him to do, etc, explained that our typical cut off was 225lbs, and why it was 225. Explained the 500lb limit on the gear, and then we went and weighed ourselves, with gear and came in at 490lbs. Now I don't necessarily think pushing manufacturer weight limits to the last pound is something I would want to do on a regular basis, but given my confidence in my ability, my confidence in the gear and in my packers, I felt comfortable taking the guy. We were jumping an Otter, so I had plenty of manuever room. When we left the plane at 13,500ft, it was like Wiley Coyote running off a cliff. Out the door, and then POOF!! straight down! We fell stable, he was the best student I had all day, and the opening at 6000ft was soft and smooth. Winds were in the 12-16mph range and we sliced right through it, slid in on our butts in the peas and that was that. I debated having him help me flare, but tehn thought better of it, lest he panick and flare early, I might not be able to out muscle him. So I let him fly us around under canopy, while I rested up for the landing.....lol. When it came time to flare, the last 12 months in the gym all paid off and I put us down like a feather (I was exhausted afterwards though). This student is now coming back for AFF. I think I played a huge part in that decision and it's something I'm proud of. Would I want to take 245lb students all day. Nope. But under the right conditions, I think its A-Okay. I didnt get paid anything more than my usual take....lol. I can see why a dz might charge more for a heavier tandem, but for me, I'm a weekend TM, and work outside the sport, so it's not a big form of income for me, so I can afford to be flexible in terms of $$, but if I were a full time TM, I can see where the extra money would offset the extra risk, and think it is okay for a DZ or TM to charge extra.

-Tom

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Our general rule is "no heavier than 230", but I have made exceptions in instances where the person was clearly in superior shape, like the "linebacker" guy previously discussed. I have never had a bad experience with big, in shape guys and have shown two very big guys the joy of skydiving without over-grossing the rig. Try six foot eight, 275 out of a Cessna. I was initially a bit hesitant, being I am five foot seven, 155, but it was a perfect skydive. We smoked the hell out of the video guy, but the jump was flawless. Nope, I didn't get a penny more for that skydive. Truth be known, my dad didn't pay me at all for that skydive.....Bastard! LOL!

Anyway, these are exceptional cases and ultimately it's the decision of the dropzone and the individual tandem instructors on what they will and will not do. Exceptional cases such as larger-than-average passengers and paraplegics need only be undertaken by those with that exceptional skill-set and supreme confidence in their ability. I have that confidence, but there are plenty of TM's who absolutely do not, thus the posted limits.

Chuck

[slotperfect 7]

I work at Raeford, for SM1 and Raefordite doing Tandems and AFF.

I am 6'2" and 220 lbs, and don't mind hauling larger folks. What I appreciate about the setup at Raeford is that they pass around the heavier students so I don't get all of them just 'cause I'm big. That way I go home at the end of the day without being totally smoked.

Raeford does not have the $ per lb over a certain weight system, and I don't mind not getting paid extra for heavier folks. With as many lightweights as I end up jumping it's all good in the end anyway.

The other thing I like about Raeford is that nobody on the Staff pushes the TMs to exceed their own personal limits. Any requests above and beyond are just that - requests, and if the TM chooses not to honor the request there are no hard feelings.

Can you tell I like working there?

Arrive Safely

John

[jmpnkramer 0]

That is just ridiculous.

All tandems are work.

Even a 100LB girl can get you out of control if you let her.

Things happen very quickly in Skydiving in general. To say that a heavier person should be charged more is just plain discrimination. Either take the person or don't. If a TM agrees then he should not get paid extra.

Next you will be asking extra for Older people & People with handicap's.

These are no different than a heavy person.

Each case should be evaluated individually.

My biggest was 270 @ 6'9. I am 5'8 @ 145. When I worked at Z-Hills I usually agreed to take the bigger guys b/c it balanced out on the chute. It was no big deal.

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