youngest pass on tandem

[Liemberg 0]

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I do have an ethical issue as a parent, i would not allow my daughter to jump (shes 7) , but I was Ok with this one after a long discussion with the parent.

I fail to see your ethical issue.
Then again, taking your own kid up really brings home the FACT that every passenger you take with you on a jump is somebodies kid/spouse/mother/father/sister/brother.

The real ethical issue should be: If you think making a tandemjump with you it is too dangerous for your family, how about somebody else's family?

(But I waited with my son until he was eight, came to me volontarily on his own and then I had him wait for another two weeks... so 7 IS young IMO...)

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[tdog 0]

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Whow,
this question has opened up allot of feedback.
My youngest is 12 and as Im currently working in NZ this is not an uncommon occurrence.

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Taking minors changes the entire tandem thing into a fair-ground type attraction and for me cheapens what I love to do. Once again tandem skydiving is a medium for skydive Instruction even on the most basic level an not a fair-ground ride....

Do you believe a 12 year old cannot be taught and cannot learn?

You might have to rephrase how you teach, but this is a perfect opportunity to engage a young mind into the science of flight.

I am sure there are some kids that don't have the attention span for much... But I know when I was 12 I was doing some things well beyond what you imagine a 12 year old doing.

I often think the older we get more we believe that someone younger than us does not have the ability to be responsible and mature when put into that situation.

I look at so many kids (believing I am still one myself) - and see those who experiment and try new things learn so much - but sometimes parents get in the way and say "no" out of fear or disbelief that the kid can actually handle the responsibility involved.

My friend from Kansas was responsible for an entire crew and millions of dollars of equipment at harvest time when he was 12 because they started teaching him when he was 6, but one of my other city-girl friends will not even let her 12 year old cross the street without holding her hand.

Just my two cents.

[riggerrob 598]

Back in 1987, I did tandem jumps with a couple of 13 year old German girls. The first girl was big for her age, athletic and a good student. It probably helped that she jumped from the same airplane as her uncle and aunt. We both enjoyed the skydive.

The second 13 year old was so tiny (less than 100 pounds) that the harness barely held her even after we cranked all the straps to the stops. Her fat, obnoxious, alcoholic, ex-paratrooper father dragged her to the airport. The scariest part of that tandem jump was the death grip she had on my left thumb at pull time. Remember that this was before Vectors had a right-handed drogue release and long before Cyrpes was invented!
After that scary ride, I vowed to never again do tandems with 13 year olds!

[bosco 0]

After that scary ride, I vowed to never again do tandems with 13 year olds!

[bodypilot1 0]

It isn't the youngest, but I can tell you I took my oldest passenger today, and he did great!

He ventured out to the DZ today with the rest of his roomies from the retirement home.

I hope I'm as fit as this guy is at 90 years old.


Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[skydivadee 0]

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I fail to see your ethical issue.
Then again, taking your own kid up really brings home the FACT that every passenger you take with you on a jump is somebodies kid/spouse/mother/father/sister/brother.

You fail to see his ethical issue? OK ... How about the choice of a parent to protect their child from an concievable danger that may kill or injure their child? NO?, OK, Well howabout the view of alcohol or drugs, oh wait a minute, the kids eight yrs old and his balls have just dropped, lets go and get him to bang a prostitute in the ass?

I dont think 'taking your own kid brings home anything'. If you are happy with jumping your child, thats your issue, if your not then thats your issue. The reality of the bigger picture is, YES Tandem skydiving is dangerous and YES it can kill, and from my POV there are too many what if's to jump the sprog.

[Liemberg 0]

So it is safe enough for someone else's kid yet to dangerous for your own?

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[skydivadee 0]

things may be socially acceptable in ' holland ' but your asking the wrong questions, go pick a argument somewhere else. the guy clearly states his issues, so respect that.

[Liemberg 0]

Lighten up please.
Now suddenly, since I'm from Holland which is "as everybody knows" the modern day Sodom and Gomorra I'm OK with any form of sex, drugs and alcohol without (age) limitations?

We were discussing age limitations and I do respect the different positions. However, if your position is not to take kids it differs from 'OK with someone elses kids but not my own...'

(which again differs from 'OK with kids, nothing principally against my own kid except that since I know my kid I don't feel he or she is ready yet...')

After all, everybody takes his kid with him in the car, regardless wether the destination is the school, the zoo or the beach.
Never heard someone say:
"I'm OK with driving drunk and irresponsible with someone elses kid in my car; with my own kid however..."

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go pick a argument somewhere else

IMO that's what these forums are ment for...

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[skydiverton 0]

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things may be socially acceptable in ' holland ' but your asking the wrong questions, go pick a argument somewhere else. the guy clearly states his issues, so respect that.

Please clarify your statement please. I do not understand "socially acceptable in holland"
Which things do you refer to?

By the way have you ever been in holland?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Using your droque to gain stability is a bad habit,
Especially when you are jumping a sport rig

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

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I fail to see your ethical issue.
Then again, taking your own kid up really brings home the FACT that every passenger you take with you on a jump is somebodies kid/spouse/mother/father/sister/brother.

You fail to see his ethical issue? OK ... How about the choice of a parent to protect their child from an concievable danger that may kill or injure their child? NO?, OK, Well howabout the view of alcohol or drugs, oh wait a minute, the kids eight yrs old and his balls have just dropped, lets go and get him to bang a prostitute in the ass?

I dont think 'taking your own kid brings home anything'. If you are happy with jumping your child, thats your issue, if your not then thats your issue. The reality of the bigger picture is, YES Tandem skydiving is dangerous and YES it can kill, and from my POV there are too many what if's to jump the sprog.

When I was a child in the '60s it was perfectly acceptable for parents to drive around without seatbelts in their cars with a full load of kids, all unbelted and some standing up on the front seat so they could see over the dashboard. It was also fine for kids to ride in the back of pickups and stand up to see over the cab, happilly cruising along. It was also perfectly acceptable for mothers to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, at least it must have been everywhere I ever seeing as a kid. My dad taught me to siphon gas, with my mouth and a hose pipe, at age five. I got my first motorcycle at age six, which was the same age I became able to fly a Cessna. All that was cool, but there was no way in the world that my Dad, who owned then and still owns a dropzone, was going to let me start jumping before age 16 as that was the regulation; odd. If tandem had existed back then and there had been a small enough harness to fit younger/smaller passengers, though, I bet people wouldn't have thought twice about letting their kids jump.

Some people are simply going to over-protect their young while others, like my parents and all of their friends back in the day, are more than happy to let their offspring test their limits and expand their horizons. I thank God that I was not a sheltered child.

Chuck

[skydivadee 0]

hey cloggies dont get all innocent and start " eh whats up dude ? "...

I aint gonna justify anything, work it out, and im not talking about tulip picking or windmills... why dont you get all your dutch bros to post and have a go ! im already banned from speakers for one more week, so if you wait til i get back in we can discuss the age difference and ethical issues between New Yorkers and NL ?

If someone has an issue with his child jumping thats his way, dont question or critisise, just as someone who dont, thats ok. However if you wanna IMO me feel free, be liberal. other peoples kids are different ! thats coz that aint your own flesh and B ! This is called LOVE !

Hey chuck you rock dude, i used to sell dope for my pops in Pelham manor NY, by 15 i was clearing 1000 bucks a week!!!! Wish i had parents like yours dude, RESPECT BRO !! when you next in deland?

[kansasskydiver 0]

I'm not a TM but my sister is now 11, she's been dying to skydive since I started almost 5 years ago. She still lives in Brazil and as soon as she turns 15 we'll be going. Now granted I know this wasn't the question, but I would feel comfortable with letting her jump at 15 because I know what's going on etc.

At my DZ here in KS our age limit is 18 and I wouldn't allow anything less.

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[bosco 0]

After all that I took a 10 year old girl on Saturday.

She fitted the harness (just) and her Dad went with her too. It went just fine with smiles all round.
My previous comments re minors jumping still stand.