Instructor Poll: "I had a student so good that they ..."

[peek 20]

Instructor Poll: "I had a student so good that they ..."

(Sorry, not actually a poll.)

It seems that when instructors get together, either physically, or in a forum such as this one, that they tend to talk about the negative things that their students do.

Tandem instructors talk about their students grabbing stuff, "trying to kill them", etc.

AFF instructors talking about students that "go fetal", spin away, invert, etc.

S/L instructors talking about how their student pushed off and nearly became a student-in-tow.

I don't know why that is, other than perhaps it makes for a good story. Personally, I would enjoy hearing some stories from instructors about the really interesting things their students have done.

It seems like at least a few times a year, I am really surprised by something a student does, e.g., very good performance, being very relaxed in freefall when I thought they would be nervous, showing above average awareness, etc.

Some of these students really amaze me and they make me think back to my student skydiver days. I was a pretty good student, but nothing like what I see from some of these people. I don't think I could have ever done as well as I have seen some of them do.

I know that we know how to teach skydiving better now than back then, but still...

[flypunk 0]

Lets see....

A week ago I had one who went along for the joyride (she had done two tandems a couple of years ago) she paid attention to everything and was all ready.

So we go to the door, she gets in right position, perfect exit, great arch, during freefal very aware, gave her thumbs up and she gave them back I started screaming and so did she, did a turn to the right and she loved it she signaled for more, did a turn to the left and she went apeshit with excitement so I took her for a couple of 360s, put arms in when signaled and cheered all the way during opening.

After adjusting harness and all did a bunch of spirals on her request and practiced landing with great leg position. Perfect stand up landing, and this time we both walked away like a giddy schoolgirls.

I had a blast with her, kinda like when you nail that perfect routine with your vidiot.

...

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

"I had a student so good that they ..."

....went on to be a jumper who has over 500 skydives now....

.....gave me a nice big hug afterward.....

.....sent me pictures and a thank you letter......

...didn't kill me....

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[mfrese 0]

Just last Saturday, in fact, I had one of the best tandem students ever. She was totally alert, asked a lot of great questions, was totally excited during the ride to altitude. Went to do a backloop on exit (which she asked me to do), and she pushed off hard enough that I barely had to give any input. We rotated right to the relative wind, I threw the drogue after a few seconds, she was totally loving the entire experience. Great freefall, great under canopy, and I let her fly it down to land with me (that makes exactly twice in over 500 tandems). She was so dialed in, I had to make a hard correction at about 15 feet due to a wind change, and she was actually anticipating the control input I made and helped in perfect sync with me. Freakin' AWESOME! Thanks Andrea...you make this TM stuff worthwhile!

Doctor I ain't gonna die,
Just write me an alibi! ---- Lemmy/Slash

[skydiver30960 0]

A couple months ago we had a BIG group of tandems. Three tandem I's were working our ASSES off all weekend. No packers, just three dudes and lotsa riders! It was definitely the kind of weekend a tandem I loves.

Anyhow, there was the one girl who was INCREDIBLY NERVOUS on the ground, INCREDIBLY NERVOUS in the plane, and INCREDIBLY NERVOUS during hookup. Mentally I prepared myself for the worse. There was a little hesitation at the door, but no outright "no" so out we went, my teeth gritted against the worst...

and turned into the smoothest, cleanest, best tandem and video that we had all weekend.

Noice.

Elvisio "the whole book and cover thing" Rodriguez

[peek 20]

Quote

... one of the best tandem students ever. She ... asked a lot of great questions...
... and she was actually anticipating the control input I made and helped in perfect sync with me

Yep, I'm enjoying it. That's the kind of stuff I really like hearing about.

[jdfreefly 1]

I had this student last year who I will never forget.

At 5500 feet, he put his hand on the ripcord, turned his head to the side and shouted, "Should I pull it?"

I shouted, "YES!". He pulled.

I have never seen a student that calm in freefall, and at pull time no less!

He asked what was so funny once the canopy opened because I couldn't stop laughing.

I am still a little bummed I never saw him again.

Methane Freefly - got stink?

[GravityGirl 0]

....went on the win the Nationals Intermediate Freefly...

....became a contender in the Pro Swoop Tour....

.....became a member of the Bomb Squad Freefly Team....

....lived on in the hearts of DZ.commers everywhere (Holly Kish
....became and AFF Instructor....

....became a Tandem Master....

....and the beat goes on....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[diablopilot 2]

It's a nice feeling huh?

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[peek 20]

OK, I'm going to go with one of mine now. Most of you have mentioned Tandem students so far, so I'm going to do something completely different and tell a S/L story.

It's been a while, but I had this guy that I was S/L jumpmastering out of a Cessna 182. They do hanging exits, and we of course always tell them to get as far out on the strut as they can so they don't risk smacking the step.

So this guy get out there, realizes he isn't all that far out, and then walks himself out and up the strut until he is right at the wing. Then he looks at me as if to say, "I'm ready now.", like if he had practiced it.

I'm certainly not that strong, and I couldn't do that. Good reason to keep some slack in the static line.

[Skyflyer1 0]

Quote

"I had a student so good that they ..."

Jump number 2 with out radio assistance landed 1.5 m from me. Jumps #2-7 out of 6 landing 5 were within 5 meter accuracy. In addition passed levels 1-4 in on day, passed levels 5-7 on the following day.

I have had many students that we have succesfully done 3-4 jumps in a day and have really rocked the entire day, plus by being used to doing 3-4 in a day, when they start doing solos they are more prepared to do 4-5 in a day before going home instead of coming in doing 1 maybe 2 then leaving for another month.

I am currently on a 4 way team that is kicking ass in their learning and all 3 of my teammates are students I trained last Fall.

I have been really blessed to have the quality of students from Georgia Tech that have come through the program.

Jonathan

[jlmiracle 7]

Had students soo good that ....

Due to weather we only were able to complete level 1 on Saturday. Sunday we completed 2-7 and they did a solo.

They were young military guys so they had the energy and did exactly what they were told. I miss those guys.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

gave me a nice big hug afterward

But you get a hug from all the GUYS.

-

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[diablopilot 2]

Just you big boy.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[freekflyguy 0]

Quallified BPA FS1, IC1 in 58 jumps over an 8 week period.

Buzz

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

[Unstable 8]

Well, I haven't been an Instructor for very long, But I once had a Student so Good that after his PRCP, pulled me aside and let me know how much he appreciated me taking the time and working with him. It was a very rewarding experience....

=========Shaun ==========

[skydived19006 4]

I have a couple really exceptional students I can think of. One was the son of a skydiver, at the time the DZ was allowing 16 year olds to do the static line course with parental permission. He had grown up at the DZ, I was his jump master and if you had saw him climb out, arch, etc. you would have sworn that he had 100 jumps and was just pretending to be a first jump student.
Another of my favorite stories is about a couple of 18 year old girls we took for a tandem years ago, and not to long after I got the ratting. One of the girls warned me that she would be screaming, and swearing. I told her that she would be going with me! We did have video on her, form the time the door opened she was screaming and you can see what I would describe as the look you see on the face of the girl just before she gets stabbed in a scary movie. Anyway, we leave the airplane, get stable, throw the drogue, and in comes the video for the happiest most excited girl you could imagine. There’s a picture of her on the plane in the rotation here http://www.aircapitaldropzone.com/tandem.htm

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[peek 20]

Thanks everyone, I'm enjoying hearing these stories. I hope eveyone is. Here is another one of mine.

I was visiting the old Spaceland DZ some years ago and doing some Tandem jumps there. A woman went with me whose friend was a novice getting current again or something like that if I recall.

So she knew at least a little bit about skydiving. But she seemed a bit nervous. Well, I trained her to do the normal stuff I always have, like doing turns and pulling, etc.

She continued to have that funny reluctant look on her face the whole climb to altitude, like she wasn't sure she thought this was a good idea.

Well, in freefall she was a wonderful surprise.

I always tell students to go ahead and do some turns on their own after I give them the thumbs up OK signal.

She actually turned her head all the way around, looked at me out of the corner of her eye, put her finger in the air and twirled it (telling me, "I'm doing some turns now, OK?"), and then turned.

The funny thing is, when we got to the ground and I told her how well she did, she still gave me that funny reluctant look. Like it was old hat.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

One weekend last year a group comes in and wanted to do tandems. It may have been a family reunion or something, but man were they all TALL!. Anyway, the sort of "alpha" female of the group finds out she is jumping with me and goes "why do I have to jump with the SHORT man?" Everybody busted out laughing in her group, so I just played off it and started cutting up with them. She was very, very humble when we stepped out the door of the otter and was incredibly happy when I stood her up right in front of the beer line. All her buddies on the load with us got ass-surfed across the DZ. She sent the DZ a very nice thank you letter after they got home.

Also incredibly happy was the great big guy I jumped last weekend. Six four/five and 283 pounds. Nobody else was light enough to jump him, but I didn't even blink an eye. We landed softly in the pea pit and I have to tell you, this guy was incredibly thankful. He said it was the thrill of a lifetime and that he was anxious to lose some more weight so that he could start student progression.

Working at small, country-type DZ's, you get at least ten people per year walking through the door who have not only never jumped, they have never been in an airplane of ANY type. If it's the middle of the week, then guess what they are jumping? Yes, the 1957 C-182. I get great satisfaction out of taking those people up and explaining everything about the operation of the aircraft, showing them the sights, then taking them on their maiden skydive.

Chuck