Tandem training, one DZO's perspective

[peek 20]

The following is an excerpt from an email send to me by the very experienced DZO of a very small tandem only DZ.

"I have a real high return rate - maybe 40 to 50% of my skydives are from returning people and their friends. I spend a good hour with people with paperwork, the 15 minute video, and a 30 minute training 'show' that I put on that includes jokes, amazing statistics, cool information and a sense of adrenaline that builds slowly from the time I start talking until it it peaks as we are about to gear up.

You know, the way the tandem instructor culture has evolved in our country it has really become a 'male' type of experience - 'Give me the gear and let's just jump' attitude. Many guys don't need a lot of prep to enjoy this experience. But most women and many men benefit hugely from this 'foreplay' before the dive.

Students frequently ask me if I still get the same great rush after so many dives. They ask me if the excitement that I exhibit is real. One professional actor said he watched me closely and that I looked 'real' to him. They often comment on how my excitement is contagious and they simply forget about many of their fears. The number of tips I get has shot up, and the amount of the tips. So what is the truth - do I fake this?

I only start off acting, and then I allow the experience and the people elevate me into real pleasure.

My grandma knew this as did my parents. But we had to wait for 'scientists' to prove that acting HAPPY creates happy! Brain chemistry CHANGES almost instantly when one does this. Different parts of the BRAIN shut down when you do the big phony smile. Other parts LIGHT UP! The chemistry change/mood change can be FELT! It is virtually IMMEDIATE.

I remember in basic AFF and jumpmaster training we were taught to introduce ourselves to the student and give them a quick background on ourselves. This area is much more important than I have given it credit before.

I think instructors need to learn to do more foreplay with their students, to prep them emotionally for the dive. I am experiencing continuing benefits of this approach with very low advertising costs and a lot of excited people."

My comments:

That last part is of particular interest to me. This seems to have gotten lost. The first steps when meeting a student should be to put the student at ease and find out what they already know. I remember this from USPA AFF certification courses of the past.

A relaxed and confident student is a safer student and will perform better, and if they are a tandem student, will be more predictable and safer for the instructor.

[feuergnom 22]

my guess: this will be totally lost by the meathauler-crowd after all it's just passengers, neh?

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[skydived19006 4]

"There's iron in your words." I love quoting The Outlaw Josy Wales.

Anyway, sure a lot of this may be lost on those who are burnt out doing 1500 tandems a year. What may stick is that this stuff will get you more money!!! Tack on an extra $100 a day in tips, and it just may be worth your time to "entertain" your students a little. I've seen the difference in tip money depending on how much fun I have with my tandem students. It's not hard, it's not rocket surgery, if you have an ounce of personality, and the majority of us do (though I've seen a few who don't, or who would be better off keeping their mouths shut!). Just treat them respectively, as a friend, show interest in them, maybe think about using a few less of the extremely repetitive and often stupid jokes and lines. The majority of your students already admire you for what you do, how many times have you heard "You have the coolest job!"

Granted, it may be all but impossible if you're working a DZ set up with a production line. As TI you're handed a student, and a rig with the airplane waiting. Land, shake hands, and introduce yourself to your next student. Hell, your student more than likely will not even have the opportunity to hand you a $20. You do have the ride up to spend talking with your students. I do not envy those who are a cog in an assembly line, though I'm sure Henry Ford would be impressed

Martin ACDZ.

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[skydog 2]

Why is it a sin to be a busy fulltime TI? I do a lot of tandems (3000 so far) and "entertain" as much as I can. Not all passengers are wanna be skydivers, some do only want the fairground ride and some will want to learn more.

Let's not be evangelical about this. You won't convert everyone and shouldn't try if that's what the student/passenger wants.

Important thing is to give the person what "they" want and not force your ideals for their skydiving future on them. Be safe, be entertaining and respectful.......its not about getting a tip (rarely happens in the UK)

So give us a break if we happen to do more tandems than a few on weekend every now and then.......

Journey not destination.....

[popsjumper 2]

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it's not rocket surgery

I LOVE mixed metaphors!


Good one!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[feuergnom 22]

sorry i pissed in your cornflakes - but usually its the good guys that get it wrong when i said the bad word i meant those who don't give a damn and not those who try to make a difference - ok?

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[HUSHPUPPY 0]

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it's not rocket surgery

I LOVE mixed metaphors!


Good one!

Your my favorite brain scientist!

"You made my panties wet!" Skymama (Fitz 09)
"Never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."

[skydog 2]

Not pissed at all, just hacked off that busy TI's always seem to be getting a bad press.

If we think about what the customer wants rather than what we want them to have then maybe that is a good place to start. Not every passenger wants an altimeter, practice body position, be altitude aware and open the parachute, and we shouldn't force them.

So let's stop all this general TI bashing and if there is an issue with an individual then tell them or name and shame rather than denegrating us as a whole.........

Journey not destination.....

[peek 20]

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If we think about what the customer wants rather than what we want them to have then maybe that is a good place to start. Not every passenger wants an altimeter, practice body position, be altitude aware and open the parachute, and we shouldn't force them.

I think it is safe to assume that the tandem student wants "safety". All of the things you mentioned increase the safety of your jump if used.

Another way to look at it is that the tandem student does not know what they need, and it is the responsibility of the instructor to give them what they need to be as safe as possible.

[skydog 2]

Agreed, but if you read my earlier post you would see I put safety as pre-requisite for any tandem.

That's where the conversation between the TI and passenger/student is vital and probably the most overlooked!!

Treat people with respect, let them enjoy the experience and give them what they "want" and you really can't go wrong!

Journey not destination.....

[feuergnom 22]

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Not pissed at all, just hacked off that busy TI's always seem to be getting a bad press.

If we think about what the customer wants rather than what we want them to have then maybe that is a good place to start. Not every passenger wants an altimeter, practice body position, be altitude aware and open the parachute, and we shouldn't force them.

So let's stop all this general TI bashing and if there is an issue with an individual then tell them or name and shame rather than denegrating us as a whole.........

ok - as far as i have experienced it customers want to have a good time -and that is what they get for sure. I try to provide a little bit more and give them opportunities to get involved a little deeper like wearing an alti, pulling, all the stearing and landing the canopy - if they want it - fine, if they don't - well thats ok too.
sometimes they come along sometimes they don't. I guess it all boils down to having the choice
edit: and I have to admit that i have the luxury not to "work" in a place where things are running rather slow so I can take my time

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[johnny1488 1]

I know they might not all want it, but I am not a carnival ride operator. If they way they dont want to open the parachute, I tell them I'll make it easy, I grab their hand, put it on the ball, and pull their hand. They are always super stoked.

It's the litte things that you can do to give them a better experience and maybe that makes them bring more friends, and its no more work for you.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[tuffyjensen 0]

Is 14 in a day, 34 in 2 1/2 days being on every other otter load, helping do part of the pack job busy? Still laid every student on the ground and did a practice arch, went over the whole skydive including the use of an altimeter and the wave and pull, flying the canopy together including the landing (repeat on the climb to altitude). Over 1000 tandems and have yet to not be able to convince a student to pull (some forget or can't find it), fly and land the parachute. I tell the student that it is their skydive and I am there to assist them through it. I am not making a dig towards anyone, just saying I know first hand that it can be done. It keeps you more involved and not as much of a burnt out Ti as well.

Be Safe and Have Fun, in that order!
Tuffy

[skydog 2]

You missed the point. If the passenger/student wants all that then fine. If they want the fairground ride that's fine as well. I get hacked off at athese evangilical posts about "having" toteach them everytime when in some cases they clearly have no wish or desire to persue skydiving post jump.

It's not about the number o jumps you can do in a day/week/month, is more about the quality of the instructor!!!

Journey not destination.....

[tombuch 0]

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You missed the point. If the passenger/student wants all that then fine. If they want the fairground ride that's fine as well. I get hacked off at athese evangilical posts about "having" toteach them everytime when in some cases they clearly have no wish or desire to persue skydiving post jump.

I had no interest in skydiving beyond the first jump when I went in 1979. That was more than 4,800 jumps ago. I'm super stoked that instructor George Woods encouraged me to be an active participant, and that he offered positive feedback and let me know how much more fun a second jump would be.

I teach because the sport is so much fun, and has been such an important part of my life. I want to share that with others so they can enjoy it too, and so I will have more people to play with in the sky.

I have always assumed every student will return, although of course most do not. Sometimes that extra bit of attention, and their success in doing something they thought was difficult and beyond their capability, is all it takes to bring them back. Retention is the name of the game.

Heck, even at Six Flags they work toward retention of their guests. Can't we do that too?

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[tsalnukt 1]

It is up to the tandem instructors to try and get them to come out again and again. It's in your/the DZ's best interest. Many times the ones that don't seem interested are just "too cool" to act interested or even ask questions. I agree that some are there strictly for the ride and could care less about what you have to say, but you can even interest them into practicing an exit from the mock-up, or how to open the parachute, or even how to fly the canopy. They cam out to do one skydive....it's up to us to get them to come back and do more. I bet that everyone reading this is in this sport because of a love for thrills and a really cool instructor/s that showed you a good time and kept you coming back for more. Tandems are our way of introducing someone to ALL of skydiving not just the "feeling" you get when you jump out of an airplane.

In most cases it's the instructor that could care less about the student.....from what I've seen around.

[mnskydiver688 0]

Nope, my first tandem I had was the grumpy old tandem instructor that I learned couldn't care less if students ever came back after their first jump. I asked how I could become a skydiver, I was not "sold" on it. I will tell my students about what is out there as far as the sport is concerned, but I am in no means going to "sell" them on the sport. With a sport that requires such a large personal commitment it is a very personal decision and therefore no one should feel as though they are at a used car lot being sold a bill of goods. I bet if you told them the whole truth about the sport, (tons of money, lost friends, etc.) they would very seriously reconsider. If they are truly interested then they will make it happen.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[Skypilot 0]

I did not have an altimeter given to me on my first skydive. I was shown a picture on the wall of the body position that I had to try to make and shown at the mockup how I was going to exit. From when I arrived at the dropzone to when I left was just over an hour and I had a blast. I was back again a week later to start my student course. I did not want an altimeter and felt safe in the fact I had someone on my back who I trusted to be capable of looking after me through my first skydive. Without having that I would not have done a skydive or the almost 9000 since then...Just another thing to consider. Do they all really want to have to remember things they have to do or just get out there on their first experience and have nothing to do but enjoy it??

Go big!

[peek 20]

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Do they all really want to have to remember things they have to do or just get out there on their first experience and have nothing to do but enjoy it??

My thoughts are that if they are taught well, they will not feel like they are required to remember something, but that they will feel like it is an opportunity to participate, which will increase their enjoyment. At least it has been like this on all but maybe one of my tandem students, and I think she was just talked into skydiving by her friends. I ask my students after the jump if they enjoyed these activities and they always tell me they did.

[tsalnukt 1]

You don't have to give them the song and dance and tell them how absolutely wonderful it all is because hat would be a complete lie. You can however INCLUDE them and make them feel like a participant rather than an inanimate object that is going to make it so you can buy beer and pay rent. All you have to do is show them a good time for 30 - 45mins. You don't have to blow sunshine up their ass and be their best friend, but you should at least give them the opportunity to learn more about what it is that they are doing, and yes, the only way that they will come back is if they WANT to. But you can always make it interesting for them

[feuergnom 22]

i guess you are in the same boat, basically speaking

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[inextremis 0]

Getting onto this thread a little late, but I think I have something to add. I've never been a commercial tandem instructor, but I have my own Sigma and do about 100 tandems per year. I spend a minimum of 30 min with every student. Typically, I drive the hour to the DZ with my students, and on the drive up talk through every step of the jump in detail. Then, when we get to the DZ, I physically walk them through every step of the jump, from geting into the airplane, into the hanging harness for canopy control and landing practice, to walking off the DZ looking for traffic. As a result, my students are VERY heads up--they enjoy the experience, are VERY confident, and several have transitioned to the commercial DZ to go on to make other tandems and/or AFF. I would never say that commercial centers "should" spend an hour or more with students, but I will say that it changes their experience, mostly for the better, and it's the only way I operate as a private tandem owner. And it makes them better in the air, which is something I like a lot. It's exciting to hear about a robust training program for tandem students, thanks for sharing the note Gary.

[mnskydiver688 0]

So your saying that if first jump students such as AFF or S/L are taught well they won't feel like they are required to remember anything? Also, I am fairly certain that if you asked a tandem student what they enjoyed from the jump they will tell you everything no matter if they ended up puking at the end of it. But what do I know.

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[peek 20]

That's a really nice situation you are in. Very interesting to hear about it.

[peek 20]

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So your saying that if first jump students such as AFF or S/L are taught well they won't feel like they are required to remember anything?

No, I was talking about tandem students only. The other types of instruction require training on emergency procedures, which ought to make anyone think they have to remember a lot!

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Also, I am fairly certain that if you asked a tandem student what they enjoyed from the jump they will tell you everything no matter if they ended up puking at the end of it.

I don't disagree with that at all. My point was that some people think tandem students should not be trained much, thinking that they will not enjoy the jump if they are. I was just saying that I (as well as others) have not found that to be the case.