Another Student Harness Post (pic)

[skydived19006 4]

I would edit, or at a minimum remove the attachment from the original post in this thread if I were allowed. Many may see the first post, and not drill down far enough to find the "retraction".

Maybe a moderator would so obliged as to remove the attachment on the opening post?

Martin

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

AC DZ

[douwanto 22]

bull shit. You do not stop putting a harness on for pictures or anything else and if you do you are placing your students in undue danger.
That student is on her way to the airplane with her instructor. If that is his routine he is acting dangerously with his students lives.

Uncle/GrandPapa Whit
Unico Rodriguez # 245
Muff Brother # 2421

[gowlerk 1,903]

Give it up. These people did nothing wrong. There is no rule on the order the harness must be tightened. Get off your high horse, your way is not the only way. (except at your DZ, there your way rules)

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[JohnMitchell 14]

Nice job going the extra mile and finding the truth. Not many people would bother. I have even more respect for you.

With all that said and done, and the flamethrowers put away, I think we can all agree that:

(1)- That harness certainly had the chest strap too low in the picture.

(2)- It was not jumped that way.

For people who want to flame that "we're all rushing to judgement", do you all remember the tandem fatality caused by a poorly adjusted harness? It's not a harmless thing. I'm glad people watch my back, and I try to keep a watch on them.

[skydived19006 4]

JohnMitchell

Nice job going the extra mile and finding the truth. Not many people would bother. I have even more respect for you.

With all that said and done, and the flamethrowers put away, I think we can all agree that:

(1)- That harness certainly had the chest strap too low in the picture.

(2)- It was not jumped that way.

For people who want to flame that "we're all rushing to judgement", do you all remember the tandem fatality caused by a poorly adjusted harness? It's not a harmless thing. I'm glad people watch my back, and I try to keep a watch on them.

Exactly, and thank you John.
It is still a germane subject. I've witnessed harnesses go out of the airplane at boogies that I thought were not appropriately adjusted. Not necessarily dangerously so, but the chest strap way lower than anyone would think appropriate on their sport rig.

Possibly the harness in that picture was put on the student by someone other than the tandem instructor. He totally changed it before they boarded the airplane. However it happened, it didn't go out of the airplane as depicted in as they were walking to the loading area.

Martin

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

AC DZ

[riggerrob 558]

I disagree with Gowlerk because tandems are all about routines.

Anytime you disrupt a routine, you risk never completing that portion of the skydive. To that end, I always dress students using the same routine and doing it completely. If I am only dressing the student and handing him/her off to another instructor, I still dress students according to the same routine and snug their harnesses before handing them to their instructor.

Finally, horizontal leg straps are a recipe for bruised thighs! Because they can easily slip below the student's crotch. At opening time, those loose legs straps rapidly slide up thighs, chaffing and bruising thighs along the way.
Far wiser to pre-tension leg straps (between crotch and iliac crest) before boarding the airplane. Even better, snug all the straps before leaving the dressing room.

[douwanto 22]

Tell that to the woman who fell out in Ohio. attitudes like that get people killed..

Uncle/GrandPapa Whit
Unico Rodriguez # 245
Muff Brother # 2421

[JohnMitchell 14]

riggerrob

Anytime you disrupt a routine, you risk never completing that portion of the skydive.

Very important point there. I've had disrupted routines cause small problems. Repeated checks are the protection against this, but it's better to avoid problems in the first place.

[fencebuster 7]

Concur. Interrupting the normal sequence of events can lead to mistakes. I had an AFF student interrupt me to ask me a question while I was adjusting my own leg straps and I took the time to answer and didn't finish tightening my leg straps. My rig was all over the place in freefall and I had an opening that left me with bruises inside my thighs. If you have a system, don't let yourself be interrupted and if you are, start over again.

Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208
AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I
MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger
Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures