Student verification on radio?

[Beachbum 0]

Did a search and didn't find anything on this, so if it's been covered please point me to the thread! Due to another thread, I got to wondering what is typical ...

1) On your dz, do instructors try to verify that the person they want to be talking to on radio IS the person they are speaking to?

2) If so, what method is used (kicking, turn on command, etc)?

thanks!

As long as you are happy with yourself ... who cares what the rest of the world thinks?

[Dittodogg 0]

YES When I went through my AFF at Raeford Parachute Center.... Tony (DZO) would me verify by kicking legs/ small turns. Not just to make sure it was me he was talking to, but to make sure I was getting his radio calls.

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[monkycndo 0]

I was taught to kick. If two students are on the same frequency, kicking would allow the instructor to know the radio is being heard. But unless they see both students kicking at the same time, the instructor might not realize both students might be following instructions only meant for one of them. To counter this, an instructor from a static line dropzone told me he always called out on radio the color of the canopy that the instruction was being given to. Easy way to keep a mistake from being made. If the canopies shared the same color, describe it by center cell or some other method to differentiate. Eliminates having to remember the students name.

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[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

Eliminates having to remember the students name.

When we had multiple static students on one load, we were assigned as Jumper #1, Jumper #2, and Jumper #3 based on exit order. A turn was usually the verifying move that the radio person would have us do shortly after opening to ensure that they identified us and that we were hearing/responding.

Canopies were all the same color/pattern, so using that as a differentiator wouldn't have worked.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Heatmiser 0]

182 dz, One radio operator with 2 students in air max, turn on command to verify jumper, then each phrase begins with, "jumper number 1 turn..."

What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo

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[R6F4orR1 0]

I went through AFF at West Point. The person with the radio on the ground would have a slip of paper with each students name on it and color of the canopy. Since each canopy was different it was easy to tell people apart. They would call you out by name over the radio and have you do a turn to make sure you could hear and they had eyes on the correct person. We never had any problems with it.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

The place where I am working right now has each and every student leaving the plane under a different color (solid color) canopy. There is no mistaking who is being talked to.

[azureriders 0]

I normally use turns as a radio check. Always do atleast two as I have had one (and witnessed another) with a malfunctioned radio who just happened to turn when asked to do so. A second check lessens the odds of this.

If there was any issue and now the radio check is lower I do not need the student to turn. Perhaps they are already in the pattern, I will use a flare as a check, or kicking legs.

We have two frequencies and rarely more than two students up at a time. If there are three one will normally be a higher level student and only need instruction if he is doing something stupid. In this case I would radio check each by name. Both students on the same frequency are instructed that all commands are meant for x (lower level student) and only for y if following his name (upper level student). Seems to work pretty well.

We also use paddels as a radio back up system. Works great.

[Canadianfella 0]

This weekend at my dz, on at least 2 occasions, students were confused because our dzo thinks it's great fun to ensure all student gear (of all sizes) needs to have exactly the same colour canopies... and instructors got them mixed up...

That being said, it wasn't at any time an issue because we teach students how to fly properly without the radio...

but the first thing I do once on the ground with student in the air is make radio contact... i'll even do it while i'm still under canopy sometimes just to make sure they're able to hear me.. i'll have them flare or do a turn... if there's more than 1 in the air, we have 3 different frequencies for radios... and only 3 aff instructors... so we're good there!

[BobMoore 0]

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The person with the radio on the ground would have a slip of paper with each students name on it ....

Seems painfully obvious. Why can't we spend the couple minutes it would take to write down the names on a piece of paper? A nervous student will be more likely to hear and respond to his name over the radio rather than "jumper #2".

"For you see, an airplane is an airplane. A landing area is a landing area. But a dropzone... a dropzone is the people."

[popsjumper 2]

Yes, yes...how hard could it be?
Jumper #1 etc., same color canopies, multiple students on one frequency....I don't get it. Why create problems?

I expect somebody is going to respond with $$$ replies.
My response is going to be, "$$$ or student safety...what is the priority at your DZ? A little forethought goes a long way to promote safety AND minimize $$$."

If the Instructor doesn't know the color of the student's canopy before the jump, how hard can it be to peek at it as it comes out of the bag....especially for AFF reserve side.

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Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[RoryJ 0]

We often use a list of names with canopy colours if we have more than 2-3 students (sometimes up to about 5 on a load with separate passes; this is AFF, too).

I will call a name, get a flare, call the next name, get a flare. Works like a charm.

Not again!

[Beachbum 0]

Thanks for the info folks. This brings up another aspect to this that I had not thought about. Where I did my AFF, a given student's instructor handled him/her on radio, so if there was more than one student in the air, each had their own radio person. It appears that it's fairly common practice for one person to handle multiple students on radio simultaneously??

As long as you are happy with yourself ... who cares what the rest of the world thinks?

[JohnMitchell 14]

Quote

Where I did my AFF, a given student's instructor handled him/her on radio, so if there was more than one student in the air, each had their own radio person. It appears that it's fairly common practice for one person to handle multiple students on radio simultaneously??

If you have multiple instructors talking down multiple students, there is a chance the instructors will block each other's transmissions. The best way would be to have separate frequencies for each instructor/student pair, but that's pretty sophisticated.

I don't mind talking down 2-3 students at once, esp. if their landings are spaced out and maybe if I have an assistant helping me keep an eye on them all. I agree that the best way is to write their names on a piece of paper, too. That's SOP at our DZ.

[theonlyski 3]

If you have multiple instructors talking down multiple students, there is a chance the instructors will block each other's transmissions. The best way would be to have separate frequencies for each instructor/student pair, but that's pretty sophisticated.