Tandems - What do you do up there behind your student?

[Fast 0]

I will start by saying I don't do tandems and don't really have a desire to do them. I do on the other hand love taking pictures and video. I have to this point found endless joy in taking pictures of other people.

What I am wondering is, what do you do up there? What's too much? Most of the people I shoot video of just smile and do a normal seeming tandem with a Exit, freefall, few 360s, more freefall, wave off, pull. Some are full of crazy antics for the camera.

I like the videos better when there isn't so much going on but what about the student? What do they think of the videos?


Is this question just stupid? I don't know, lemme know what you guys think.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[Kimblair13 0]

I've always felt like a TI doing TOO much is only taking away from the student. Smile, couple turns, thumbs up or piece sign, pull.

[matthewcline 0]

I try to so the same basic thing each time and allow the video to focus on the Student, it is after their jump they payed for.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[superstu 0]

i put my hands in front of the students face so their pictures turn out to be crap.

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[Kimblair13 0]

HAHAHAHAAA
I guess sometimes I just pick my nose the whole time.

[superstu 0]

you eat your boogers too don't you?

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[Kimblair13 0]

sssshhhhh!

*they're quite delicious. however, i don't eat students boogies that fling back on me.

[bch7773 0]

MB 3528, RB 1182

[idoru99 0]

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i put my hands in front of the students face so their pictures turn out to be crap.

Funny you should mention this...I've seen TIs actually do this. They didn't cover the student's the entire jump, but they did cover the student's eyes. This TI had a routine of doing the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" routine on the student during the jump. We had a few students more than a little upset after the jump, especially after they saw the video.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

The greatest risk you take in life is the risk you don't take.

[slotperfect 7]

With friends and family I get a little more animated in the air because the connection is more personal.

With paying customers, I go to great lengths to make the skydive all about them, and not about me. I just throw thumns up or peace signs and smile. I also wear mirrored goggles; I feel that taking my eyes out of the pictures removes my personality from the photos and focuses more on the student. It looks cool to boot (I need all the help I can get), and Arvel can shoot his reflection in my goggles.

The attached photo is 81 year old Frank Pelaiz; Arvel Shults is the Camera Flyer, visible in my goggles. (What a hambone ).

Arrive Safely

John

[steveorino 7]

Personally, I like a little banter from the TM. Not to much but at least act like they're enjoying the jump.

Attached are somecrops of TM I videoed. The last one (mug 5) is me. I'm such a newbie. I'm too concerned about checking handles to mug for the camera.

steveOrino

[LawnDart21 0]

We had a "not-so-merry travelling tandem master", ie he got kicked out of or rotated out of a few DZs before he ended up with us mid season one year for a few weeks.

I did one video jump with him. Before the jump we briefed each other on exit counts, wave off altitudes, ect, and my last comment was (politely) if possible just to try and face towards the sun in freefall as much as possible for the best lighting." He said "Okay".

After an unstable exit and unstable drogue toss, he began screaming at the top of his lungs "Yahoo!" (I think was the word) over and over again, while swinging his arm wildly as if to "rodeo ride" his student, the whole time shaking his head back and forth, and spinning them in dizzying circles again and again, finally coming to rest with his ass to the sun just before pull time, there by casting a big shadow over his students panicked face.

The result? Quite possibly the shittiest skydive I have ever witnessed.

I'll never forget walking off the field with him, as he turned to me all proud of himself and smiling, and asked? "So, how'd you like my 'show'?" My reply: "That was without doubt the shittiest skydive I have ever seen, you looked absolutely ridiculous." (I started laughing and walked away).

I went in to manifest and asked them to add my name to the list of videographers that refused to jump with him. Turns out I was the last one....lol After that there was no videographers willing to jump with him and he left shortly there after. (edit to add, he was asked numerous times to not do his 'show' by other staff and DZO, but refused to accept the fact he wasn't "adding value' to his students skydive......and kept doing them anyway, our only recourse was to not put him on video jumps)

Our loss.............but I assume "The Show" is going on somewhere else in the country as we speak.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[bentonu2 0]

This guy looks Cool, relaxed and totally in control TOP SHOT :-)

[nicknitro71 0]

I'm so busy trying to get stable that by the time I throw the drogue is time to deploy

I am the cameraman worst nightmare

Memento Audere Semper

903

[skydiverek 55]

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This guy looks Cool, relaxed and totally in control TOP SHOT :-)

Is it an Eclipse rig?

[freefalle 0]

Quote

Quote

This guy looks Cool, relaxed and totally in control TOP SHOT :-)

Is it an Eclipse rig?

I believe it is

[friday999 0]

It's the first time I EVER saw a TI wearing RW suit, with grippers and all...

Any special reason???

[matthewcline 0]

It is not uncommon, it is a comfort and time issue.

If your comfortable with you experience level and use an RW suit, cool. If your comfortable naked, cool.

Some times an instructor may go from one type of jump to another and in order to save time just use one suit all day.

And then again it may be the only suit a person has too.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[nicknitro71 0]

I used to jump with a FF suit...once I tried my RW one and it was night and day, day being with the RW

I fly mainly with my legs only so to me it's natural to have leg power with the booties and skinny arms to play with the student and camera guy that do not interfere with flying.

Yes the grippers are overkilled but it's the only RW suit I have...one day I get one w/out the grippers and cordura all around for those fun landings...and the biggest booties money can buy

Memento Audere Semper

903

[steveorino 7]

Quote

Quote

This guy looks Cool, relaxed and totally in control TOP SHOT :-)

Is it an Eclipse rig?

Yep, it is.

steveOrino

[Revillusion 0]

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I'm too concerned about checking handles to mug for the camera

Nothing wrong with that Steve, I wish EVERY TI checked handles they way they are supposed to.

For me, pretty much the same every time, I do turn into the sun to help produce a good product, I do a handles check so it can be seen on video, verify distance from DZ to give my video guy a "long" if needed, pull the students head up if they are staring at the ground, chill out at 7K, give my video guy a wave off and pull.

I believe we a a co-star in their movie, not the other way around.

VIRTUS JUNXIT MORS NON SEPARABIT

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Quote

It's the first time I EVER saw a TI wearing RW suit, with grippers and all...

Any special reason???

Really? I almost always do tandems in my RW bootie suit. Reason? LEG POWER. Super-floppy suits for tandems are gay (particularly on tall people), but you do need to make some concessions for control, especially when you are a smaller TI like me. I nail my exit, throw my drogue, then steer with my feet. As small as I am (5'7" and 160 lbs these days) and as slow as the drogue on my Racer is I can't afford to jump anything floppier for fear of totally hosing the vidiots. Bootie suits rock for tandems.

Chuck

[nicknitro71 0]

I agree 100% and then some.

I'm a small guy myself and probably I fall even slower than you (5.11 by 153 LBS).

Before putting the RW suit I had few episodes of potato chipping (gay FF suit) that I could not cure with anything.

Other times I had built-in turns that I could not stop with my legs only, I had to use my arms too.

Ever since I put the RW suit on, no more control problems at all, well besides exits and I exclusively fly with my legs leaving my arms to dick around.

If you are a big guy then going "gay" with the FF suit might be OK.

For all the small TI fucks out there give it a try with the RW suit and booties.

Now the only thing left is for my camera guys to buy a suit with wings because they keep dropping on me

Memento Audere Semper

903

[matthewcline 0]

Eat more donuts.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[cpoxon 0]

I guess I could be accused of geeking too much! I do a few things like covering up my eyes in freefall, opening my mouth so that it inflates, sticking out my tongue, yahooing in the students ear, as well as the normal thumbs up and smiling, although not usually all on the same jump! One video guy, who I really respect, hates me inflating my mouth, so I don't do it if he's videoing but nobody else has said anything.

In my defense I will say that I temper my activities depending on what the student is doing. I have watched the student's family's reactions to a video where the student, instructor and video guy are doing nothing and even though it is only for 30 seconds, that gets boring and you can see it in the reaction of people watching. I (and most of the cameramean I work with) always brief my students to be as active possible in freefall, smiling, waving, thumbs up, blowing kisses, screaming etc as it makes for a more interesting video and it can help prevent the deer-in-the-headlights look, struggling to control arms and breathing in freefall and groping for the frappe hat like it is going to come off, but if they don't, I will add something. Again, watching the reaction of the students, their friends and families, the reaction is nearly always positive.

How far does it go? When working at a dropzone that does tandems from higher altitudes (13K vs. 10k) I tend to do a few turns, in conjunction with the cameraman popping up and flying around the drogue (at a safe distance), which gives a really good, alternative perspective of what is happening and the movement involved. Who's benefit is that for? What is the difference between doing that or flapping your arms in freefall?

Has anyone been doing random viewings on realxstream.com for any comedy routines? ;-)

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live