Who's call is it?

[Cacophony 0]

When you are the first out of the plane on a cloudy day with higher winds, who makes the call if you jump and about the spot? Is it you, the jumper, or is it an S&TA, I.E., Master Rigger with 8,000 jumps? What about if the jump light is not on? Do you still jump if the S&TA tells you, or do you have the right to wait a few extra seconds until you think it is OK to go? I would love to hear from Bill Von or some other really experienced jumpers on this one. Thanks.
Safe landings,
Alex D-23912

[riggerrob 558]

Ultimately each jumper is responsible for his/her own safety. If you feel the spot is bad because of clouds or strong winds, ride the plane down.
If the jump light is not on then it is illegal to exit the airplane because the pilot has not given you permission to jump. He risks losing his license if he allows you to exit the airplane anywhere you might create a hazard to other airplanes or people on the ground. The pilot may have deliberately left the jump light off because air traffic controllers warned him about an airplane flying underneath.
Finally, if you are in a big airplane with multiple groups/formations, it is bad manners to wait until you have the "perfect spot" before exiting. In that situation, waiting for the perfect spot might put the last formation out over the swamp!

[RemiAndKaren 0]

I'm not really experienced in the grand scheme of things, but I wouldn't think you'd need to be to answer this one: like every thing else in this sport, you, as a jumper, have the final word on what you do... I personnaly dont care who tells me to jump: if I dont want to go for whatever reason, I'm not going to!

[Kris 0]

Well, if the green light isn't on, you're not going anywhere. The S&TA may think he's God but he has nothing on the Pilot In Command (PIC).
Look in the incident reports, people with thousands of jumps still screw up just like us low-timers do. You are responsible for your own safety.
I have only about a hundred jumps but I have gotten into a screaming match with more experienced jumpers about whether I was taking the spot offered or not. On that jump, I was right. I had checked the winds report before going up and it had just changed, majorly. I told them and they blew me off. Was I right, yes. Did I land on the airport with my new spot, yes.
Then, last weekend, I completely hosed Pam, Merrick, myself and another jumper because I didn't anticipate how long our climb-out was going to be. Was I right, hell no. Did I learn from it, hell yes.
We all have to make personal decisions when it comes to the safety of ourselves and the friends we jump with, and what it boils down to is that you just have to look inwards at your experience, knowledge and personal level of common sense. Don't be afraid to raise hell but don't be too cocky to listen to another's perspective.
Kris

[slotperfect 7]

Food for thought for high winds:
-Your margin for error while spotting is significantly decreased.
-The "wind cone" on high wind days is very narrow. Get outside of it, and you won't make your intended landing area.
-Turbulence is a factor. Land away from tree lines, hangars, etc. out in the open. At our DZ (Raeford, NC) we have a huge rotor when it's windy (The Raeford Dragon). When it's windy, I land way out in the student landing area.
-Watch that gust spread. If the winds are a nice 8 knots, but now and again they spike up to 19 knots, you may want to call it a day. My rule of thumb is that when the gust spread hits 10 knots, I stay on the ground.
-If you are lightly wing loading a canopy, you may be affected more by high winds, gusts, and turbulence.
-Fly your canopy at 25% brakes in turbulence to keep it pressurized.
-Set personal limits. Only jump in what your experience level can handle. If you are highly experienced, don't get complacent, and be carefuly how you influence those who are inexperienced around you.
-And remember that Murphy lurks . . . the time he chooses to lay a malfunction on you is when it's really windy and the spot is not so good. Then you may have to land in a parking ot between cars with your reserve.
-Who's call is it? First, it's YOUR call. Don't be influenced by others to jump in conditions you are uncomfortable dealing with. And, if the pilot, S&TA, organizer, or other DZ authority figure says "no-go" then respect his decision. He has EVERYONE's best interest in mind.
Respectfully,
SP

[wildblue 4]

Quote

-Fly your canopy at 25% brakes in turbulence to keep it pressurized

I've heard that before, I've also heard "front riser through it!"
I'd like your opinion on this, I've seen/heard it other places, but this was all I could find right now
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From http://www.ranchskydive.com/safety/article5.htm
Another common mistake is to respond to fears of impacting in turbulence by flying in slower flight, in partial flight with the toggles somewhat depressed. This will tend to alter the rigidity of the canopy (which needs to be much like a fixed wing, not a bed sheet over your head) by changing the angle of attack into the wind and slowing your canopy down making it more susceptible to the turbulence rather than less so. You need speed in order to slice through the turbulence and therefore spend less time there, making your way either to cleaner air if there is any, or to the ground and completion of the flight. Full canopy flight and a rigid wing are the best ways to get back safely. It requires trust and a bit of faith to simply let the canopy fly.
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[SkymonkeyONE 3]

It is both your, the S&TA and the pilot's call. If the pilot gives you the green light, then you have his permission to exit. Whether or not you choose to accept the spot or not is up to you. The pilot is legally bound by FAA regulations not to put you out in clouds or any other "unsafe" conditions such as crowded airspace, etc. On the ground, it is the S&TA's responsibility to call up to the plane if conditions on the ground deteriorate to the point that parachute landings become unsafe. In the airplane, after recieving the green light (or pilot's permission in a 182), it is up to you to guide the aircraft to a spot you are happy with. That is why big planes have buttons to make corrections and you have vocal chords so that you can make verbal corrections to a C-182 driver.
Now, that being said, if the first jumper in a turbine aircraft pass decides he is good to go, then most people will trust that spot and follow. I personally will never climbout if I know for a fact that the spot is terribly off. The last thing I want to do is have to track for the DZ right after exit, thus blowing my $18 skydive. If I have a bunch of other monkeys behind me that just MUST get out, then I will let them pass and laugh as they land on the other side of the trees and search for a ride. Can't say I didn't warn them, can I?
Some dropzones will only make one pass accross the DZ in a turbine..period. They do this as a money saving measure. Hell, at The Ranch it keeps jump tickets down to a measly $15! At places like CrossKeys for example, there are quite a bit of off-dropzone landings. The DZ anticipates this and always has someone ready to go fetch these guys from the golf course or wherever. On those flights it becomes very important that the jumper picks up the DZ prior to exit so as to get a good idea how high he or she needs to breakoff in order to make the DZ. It is not very wise to burn your 8-way down to 2,500 feet and expect to make it back. This is ESPECIALLY critical when you are acting as a freefall instructor or tandem master. The LAST thing I want to do is land in the top of a 200 foot tall Carolina pine tree while I am hauling meat!
Hope that helps.
Chuck
D-12501

[quade 3]

YOU are the ONLY person that should decide if YOU jump.
I don't care if the green light is on, the pilot is screaming at you, the S&TA is screaming at you, the group following you is screaming at you, if everyone and his mother is screaming at you.
It's YOUR life.
If you don't like something, then DON'T jump.
However, that said, be prepared to step back and allow other people to jump. THEY might not have a problem with the conditions.
I know I have personal minimums that are a bit different than other people. I'm willing to jump in conditions that other people aren't willing to. I'm also NOT willing to jump under certain conditions that some other people find perfectly acceptable.
For instance, I know people that fly a bit too agressivly on landings. For them, an off field landing is probably a bit bigger of a deal than it is for me. I know that I can land my canopy in a short distance and walk away from just about ANY landing on any surface.
So, what I'm saying is that you'll have to take a lot of different factors into consideration if the spot is iffy.
If you are jumping "near" clouds, then you should take into consideration what the base of the clouds are as well. You want to be clear of the clouds at break off time at least.
Paul