Double Amputee Tandem

[deadwood 0]

Anybody out there done a tandem with a passenger who is a double, just above the knee amputee?

I would appreciate hearing about how it went from anyone who has actually done one

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

[Rover 9]

I know it has been done in NZ with a guy whose legs were off way above the knee. I believe that his leg straps were tied together. I'll endeavor to find out more

2 wrongs don't make a right - but 3 lefts do.

[DSE 3]

I was present at Greensburg when they did a double amputee above the knee. Contact the folks there, they should be able to provide info?

[utahsteve1 0]

As long as everything else physiologically is normal, the harnessing and dive with a sliding landing should be nominal. Just make sure you design the exit facing the wind (no back to wind tailgate exits, for example) to insure the wind doesn't catch the passenger leg straps and move them down. You could, depending on the length of the legs, bind the legs together with tape (at the crotch and the ends) I have done it both ways with good results.

Utah

[nbblood 0]

Skydive Spaceland did quite a few a couple weeks ago when we hosted the Wounded Warriors and Limbs of Love groups.

Some were a little trickier than others but all went fine. Some used prosthetics. We had a velcro strap that held each prosthetic in place. Others went without prosthetic. It was fine both ways. It does take some planning and consideration though.

One thing that worked well with double amputee with prosthetic is to get the prosthetics arranged in the door with knees bent, so on exit the arch position is easier to achieve.

What I found was that each case was a little bit unique and you need to see exactly what you're dealing with. We didn't have any problems with harness slippage. We did exits into the relative wind.

It was a great time and a very humbling experience. Have fun and be safe!

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[bclark 0]

At the limbs of love event i did a double amp (just below the knees), and my friend Ivan did one above the knees with no prosthetics. As Nathan Blood mentioned, they went surprisingly well. With mine, I carried her to the door, and had camera people help me sweep her legs back into a bent and behind her position. Poised exit and nice solid freefall.

Ivan did the double amp above knees with no prosthetics. He didn't really have to do anything different. Just made sure the harness was properly adjusted.

This kid was SCARED, but you should have seen the look on his face when we landed.
That day we did close to a hundred amputees of various degrees.

[DanG 1]

Just curious if any of those amputees have expressed an interest in continuing to jump, and if so do you think you could safely accommodate them?

- Dan G

[jimjumper 25]

Jim Wallace did one on Saturday. He's the man when it comes to handicapped tandems! You can contact him at his website www.jimwallaceskydiving .com.

[bclark 0]

Case by case. Many no, some yes.

[DanG 1]

I'm asking for two reasons:

1. I'm an amputee skydiver and want more company. I had about 1400 jumps when I lost my arm, so it wasn't the same as someone showing up looking for primary instruction. Pieces of Eight is a great group, but I believe most of those guys were also licensed jumpers when they lost their limb(s).

2. We had a request from a double leg amputee last year to take AFF, but there was alot of concern from our instructional staff that we might be getting in over our heads. I believe he ended up going to another DZ, but I never heard how it went.

I'd be interested in hearing stories about amputees taking the first jump course and what precautions people take to ensure safety.

- Dan G

[baronn 111]

I've got a few w/ amputees, paraplegics and quads. Some present some unique challenges, but nothing that can't be overcome. Of course,harness adjustment is important. A little help in the plane is appreciated. The roll outta' bed exit is usually the easiest for everyone. Be sure the legs if they are there are out of the plane.Nice thing about the double amputee is, you don't have to ask them to pickup their feet. Have fun!

[baronn 111]

Double amputee wants to learn how to skydive? Bring it on! Give them an opportunity to be like they were, right on. I'll be @ Spaceland this summer. Anyone interested can come there and we'll take care of them.

[riggerrob 558]

Also talk with Jay Stokes.
He gave an excellent presentation at PIA 2009 about "challenged" tandem students.
He sewed up a specialized pair of pants to help wheelchair-bound students control their legs.

[riggerrob 558]

Strong's Y-strap makes it easy to keep leg straps high in their crotch, even with amputees.
Last year I jumped with a student who had on edge amputated above the knee. He also suffered form spinal curvature and a weak arm.
His harness was a long way from symmetrical - by the time I finished adjusting it - but the skydive went great!

Rod Mack - from Victoria, BC, Canada - has also been developing specialized tandem student harnesses after he hook turned himself into the hospital a few years ago.

[bclark 0]

If you are Facebook, become friends with Skydive Spaceland and check out the pictures from the "Limbs of Love" event.

[tsalnukt 1]

We did a lady with no arm and no legs.........or not much of anything to call arms and legs.......stumps reallly. Kind of like jumping a sack of potatoes. She loved it.

[deadwood 0]

So I did this tandem today. A healthy young lady with both legs amputated just above the knees. Some details of how we did it in case someone else is faced with the same situation.

Strong Tandem Rig/Set 400 and a narrow body C182. Field elevation is 5200 MSL. She weighed about 125 lbs. (I'm 225).
After fitting the harness on the ground, a little tighter than I normally would, we lifted her up and hooked the top snaps of the passenger harness to the 3 rigs of our hanging harness system. This allowed us to look at the fit with her weight in the harness.
Made a few more adjustments, concentrating on making the y-strap and the horizontal back strap tighter than normal. Also made sure the leg straps were far up into the crotch area.

We practiced the hook up and exit in the plane and then went for it. Did the hookup with her sitting in my lap. Then we rolled on our left side and got into position with me on my knees and her on the ends of her legs. She is somewhat weight bearing on the bottom of her legs, and her arms are strong so it was easy for us to maneuver to the door together. Video climbed out and I just put my right foot out on the step with my leg left leg still in the plane. She was bearing some of her weight by still sitting in the door. We leaned out far so we would be sure to clear the step and did a rear quartering diving exit. Swooped out face to earth and had an uneventful jump. She pulled promptly at 5500 ft AGL. As I felt the bag come off my back I reached around and pressed her thighs tight against mine. This was just to make sure her legs stayed tight against mine and did not fly forward and up.

Lots of fun under canopy and a good slide in landing.

Actually a sweet easy jump. She helped a lot also and did great in freefall.

Many thanks to all of you who offered advice.

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division