0
tattoojeff

stupidest student ever?

Recommended Posts

As for the Lutz (Sparky) thing I was there and working with another student at the time.

Moley is the main/side JM and Rocky is reserve/side JM. Both are excellent AFF Instructors and good friends of mine but neither are internet types. We had a "murder session" after this incident and if they posted here they would each say the following.

To be fair to Lutz many FJC students try to pull the wrong handle and JMs can usually correct that mistake. The rigs are student Talons and the main ripcord and cutaway pud can be fairly close together. In the hanging harness' Perris used at the time they weren't close together at all.

A lot of things went wrong on this jump.

The first of course was the student skipping the "look" part of the pull sequence, the second was his first jump instructor (I won't name him as he's no longer among the living) not teaching how different a soft pud feels from a hard knob. The third is Lutz fighting Moley from repositioning his hand.

After Lutz pulled the cutaway handle Moley correctly deployed the student's main. That's SOP. The idea is the RSL will now deploy the reserve.

Now two more out of the ordinary things happened.

Perris is using snap shackles to attach the RSL and the shackle somehow came open before pulling up on the reserve cable. (They use connector links now.) The next thing is Rocky on reserve side didn't notice Moley stayed in position after the main deployment bag lifted off, something mainside isn't supposed to do. This might have been a tip off something wasn't right. Rocky let go and turned to track as Lutz is pulled from his grasp, but before the Three rings released. And technically reserve sides responsibility ends at line stretch.

If Moley had left after deploying the main, and then Rocky did what he did, Lutz would have probably gone in. At the time Perris had a single AAD (they were FXCs) attached to the mains and they are set for 3500-feet. That idea in itself is another whole can of worms . . .

Moley then dropped down into Lutz's sight line, with Koji, the cameraman in hot pursuit. Moley began making pulling motions on his own reserve handle. That's the only thing that saved Lutz as he was totally freaked at that point, had no ADD, and no clue what to do next. He finally pulled the reserve handle at Moley's urging and the rest is how you see it in the video. He paid no attention to the radio or the instruction he had about canopy control earlier in the day . . .

NickD :)BASE 194

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Not a great story but someone I know was setting up a sit exit from a porter ready to do a dummy pull and instead of jumping to face the slip stream tried to jump in order to face the tail of the plane. God knows why. I imagine he must have given the instructor who was holding onto him a shock as well as he was way bigger and probably could have pulled him out lol. No problems though just about a million line twists!

Nowhere near as good as the guy that chopped coz he was goin to hit trees. haha thats classic.

J

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I have this on tape - it happened a year or so(?) before I started jumping - 93 or 94, I think. It goes something like this near as I can remember - I haven't looked at it in several years:

Video shows large student canopy, going from right to left and soon a MetLife blimp comes into view on the left, parked on the field at Beaumont Municipal.

The student drifts closer towards the blimp.

Camera-guy: Turn left...TURN LEFT!!!

(softly to himself)

get the f**K away from that blimp...

The student drifts closer...

Cameraguy: NO!!!

Student flies into the side of the blimp - probably about 30' up in the air.

Blimp: WHANG!

Canopy collapses, student slides/falls down side of the blimp, canopy starts to reinflate, surges forward a little, student actually does a decent PLF.

(there's a pregnant pause...then...)

Cameraguy: COOL DEAL BUDDY!!!

Student picks himself up and starts gathering up his main.

Student: (kinda laughing) She flew me into a blimp!

Cameraguy: (also laughing) You're not supposed to hit the blimp!

Student: I hope they don't mind...

Cameraguy: Well, they'll have to get over it!

Two other people run into frame from the right, hurriedly, craning their necks upwards and checking out where the student pasted the blimp - no apparent damage.

True story.

Also - I remember someone out there saying the cameraguy later tried to send it to RealTV but they turned it down - said it was clearly staged.

-Jerry

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As this is not the most common sport, I think students can do stupid things due to stress... they don't think clear and some radio guided instructions... they hear it, but can't understand them as they are... blocked in their minds. Afterwards they talk or try to talk themselves out... I think the message s heard, but not listenend to in many cases... due to stress or even a form of panic. Maybe what those students experience is kind of a brainlock... I don't know... however... those mistakes are dangerous.
-------------------------------------------------

No dive, like skydive... wanna bet on it?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
A foreign military send a soldier to be trained at our DZ back in '93 or '94. He was being trained at our DZ so that he could go back to his country and train his country's soldiers. He was jumping all military gear that they had purchased from Paraflite. I'm sure that I may not have the story perfect but here is my recollection. In his first couple of jumps, every time he got to 10,500 to do a circle of awareness (or was it PRCPs), he would pull and immediately be open and alone at 10,000 while his AFF instructor would deploy at 2,500. Actually, I think the instructor deployed shortly after him the first time to try to help guide him back to the DZ and after that left him alone. Also, in his first couple of jumps, he had a few tree landings. This has to be the worst student that I can remember and he was being trained so that he could train his soldiers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As I recall, he deployed at 10,500 3 or 4 times and had 2 or 3 tree landings. This student was actually amused by his mistakes. We would ask him why he pulled so high and he would say "I don't know. Every time I reached 10.5, I would repeat the words 10,500 Pull and then I would pull.".

You'd have to see it in person to appreciate it because he'd be telling the story in his third world country accent.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I hear ya. I was a stupid student. Was set up on finnal, going great, instructor on radio tells me to give him a 90 right, I did that, then 90 left then more right I was thinking on where and why I was changing landing pattern and I was speeding up, the next thing I remember is OH SHIT I am landing HERE!!! FLARE!!! :o ( at about 4ft from ground) Thinking was too late, stress, or the brain lock thing. I smacked the ground and broke my Femur in half. It could have been way worse. I live to skydive another day. Thanks to every one at my DZ. So much care, love and support!!!:)
Quote

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On my first AFF jump I was pretty nervous and maybe a bit scared. On the flight up my instructor had me going through my dive flow over and over again. I had done a tandem before, but this was the first time with a rig on my back.

I checked my alti (student loaner) and it was stuck on 1.5. I tapped it but it didn't move. Without thinking about what I was seeing first, I leaned back to my instrutor and said "Hey, this thing's stuck on 1,500!"

You probably guessed it...she looked at me strangly, then pointed in succession to the "11", the "0", and the "1" on my alti while saying "11,000, 12,000.....13,500". :$

Later on she told me it was one of the funnier things she's heard a student say, but at the time she was thinking "oh s*&^, what am I getting into?"

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
How about the student who drifted into the swamp, doing exactly what had been taught in ground school?
In ground school, they had practiced walking around, pulling their left hand down to turn the canopy left, etc.
So when she found herself under canopy and the radio instructor said "turn left" she lowered her left hand, but was surprised when her canopy did not turn!
That "blonde" never touched a toggle the whole way down!
ROFLMAO!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

As for the Lutz (Sparky) thing I was there and working with another student at the time.

Moley is the main/side JM and Rocky is reserve/side JM. Both are excellent AFF Instructors and good friends of mine but neither are internet types. We had a "murder session" after this incident and if they posted here they would each say the following.

To be fair to Lutz many FJC students try to pull the wrong handle and JMs can usually correct that mistake. The rigs are student Talons and the main ripcord and cutaway pud can be fairly close together. In the hanging harness' Perris used at the time they weren't close together at all.

A lot of things went wrong on this jump.

The first of course was the student skipping the "look" part of the pull sequence, the second was his first jump instructor (I won't name him as he's no longer among the living) not teaching how different a soft pud feels from a hard knob. The third is Lutz fighting Moley from repositioning his hand.

After Lutz pulled the cutaway handle Moley correctly deployed the student's main. That's SOP. The idea is the RSL will now deploy the reserve.

Now two more out of the ordinary things happened.

Perris is using snap shackles to attach the RSL and the shackle somehow came open before pulling up on the reserve cable. (They use connector links now.) The next thing is Rocky on reserve side didn't notice Moley stayed in position after the main deployment bag lifted off, something mainside isn't supposed to do. This might have been a tip off something wasn't right. Rocky let go and turned to track as Lutz is pulled from his grasp, but before the Three rings released. And technically reserve sides responsibility ends at line stretch.

If Moley had left after deploying the main, and then Rocky did what he did, Lutz would have probably gone in. At the time Perris had a single AAD (they were FXCs) attached to the mains and they are set for 3500-feet. That idea in itself is another whole can of worms . . .

Moley then dropped down into Lutz's sight line, with Koji, the cameraman in hot pursuit. Moley began making pulling motions on his own reserve handle. That's the only thing that saved Lutz as he was totally freaked at that point, had no ADD, and no clue what to do next. He finally pulled the reserve handle at Moley's urging and the rest is how you see it in the video. He paid no attention to the radio or the instruction he had about canopy control earlier in the day . . .

NickD :)BASE 194



I have heard this story from a group of instructros there including koji and Moley..
I came in as a student and started to talk about this vid I saw on the internet..They laughed and told me the story..
the most amazing part and Im sure this has been said is.. The student never took any responsibilty in the interview..
so to a normie.. (non skydiver).. it looked like a gear mal...
I showed it to my fiance as a test.. she was horrified and went on how dangerous it is.. I told her what the student didnt do and how they pound that info for 4-6 hrs just before your jump..
She understood.. and then jumped with me the next weekend;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The bottom line is not that there are "stupid" students. The point is good Instructors have been saving "stupid" students since day one in this sport and good Instructors never truly get the credit they deserve.

If you organize skydives, or even sell hot dogs on the DZ, there will always be jumpers around to sing your praises. The majority of people Instructors interact with, especially the ones they do the most for, will generally make one jump, or just a few, and then they are gone. Being a good Instructor means starting all over again and doing it day in and day out . . .

Most skydivers, once they reach a thousand jumps, forget how goofy footed they were as students. They forget the Instructor who let them grab onto them, even after being told not to, while they walked petrified towards the door. They forget the Instructor who quietly listens to their problems like they never heard them before. They forget the day they graduated AFF and an Instructor shakes their hand and says," Man, I'm so proud of you."

Most Instructors I know are satisfied with that, they know glamour is not an Instructor's lot and a job well done is its own reward. But, come on, the next time you see an Instructor heading out for that sixth AFF jump of the day give them a high five, or a pat on the back, and offer to buy them a cold one later. None of us would be here without them . . .

NickD :)BASE 194

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

The bottom line is not that there are "stupid" students. The point is good Instructors have been saving "stupid" students since day one in this sport and good Instructors never truly get the credit they deserve.

If you organize skydives, or even sell hot dogs on the DZ, there will always be jumpers around to sing your praises. The majority of people Instructors interact with, especially the ones they do the most for, will generally make one jump, or just a few, and then they are gone. Being a good Instructor means starting all over again and doing it day in and day out . . .

Most skydivers, once they reach a thousand jumps, forget how goofy footed they were as students. They forget the Instructor who let them grab onto them, even after being told not to, while they walked petrified towards the door. They forget the Instructor who quietly listens to their problems like they never heard them before. They forget the day they graduated AFF and an Instructor shakes their hand and says," Man, I'm so proud of you."

Most Instructors I know are satisfied with that, they know glamour is not an Instructor's lot and a job well done is its own reward. But, come on, the next time you see an Instructor heading out for that sixth AFF jump of the day give them a high five, or a pat on the back, and offer to buy them a cold one later. None of us would be here without them . . .

NickD :)BASE 194



It was a pleasure to read your post. Even I only made few jumps (and not thousands!), I'd like to tell a short story:

I was one of those idiots in AFF: Trying so hard to follow instructions and failing several times, then injury at landing, which cost me about a year. After that, there was the day my new (:$) instructor who asked me after 1st jump together: Could it be you do not really SEE the alti??? We checked on the ground. It was exactly like that. I never was mentally overloaded, I was half blind. And never noticed that.

I arranged for the necessary w/in shortest time: Since then, I wear my glasses and am one happy jumper now! I was coming back to this AFF-I with my glasses sitting on the nose, doing AFF and following jumps within few holydays and beeing lucky that he never lost his faith in me. He simply was great, always convinced me that I can do it.. I will never forget his kindness and endless patience. Hats off to Felix. This had to be said.
:)

dudeist skydiver # 3105

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Another one..

Student was supposed to do static line dummy ripcord pull - out of Pilatus porter - went like this GO , 1 thousand , reach thousand , chop thousand , what da f*ck thousand ?
pulled his cutaway handle instaed of dummy

> last seen running fast ...:D

- This next one is quite funny though not really student related ...

I recently finished my JM course with a few other people
we had to brief each other on a hop and pop jump as if one is student and instructor in turn..
So the guy briefed me but left out what you do if you can't find the ripcord as a student doing the jump....so i asked him

His response as the "instructor" -

He paused for a while "you really need to find the ripcord it is essential to your survival" i replied - ok but just say i just can't find or pull it ?
him- " if you really can't find it , all our student gear are equiped with aad's so just try and get stable and wait for it ":(:(:(:(:(:(:S[:/]

what he actually should have stuttered " Do your reserve drill "

our JMCouse instructor has ressigned to the weekend barman to get to the root of this problem..:P

-
If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
No offense to the blondes but can they really not tell their left from right in the air!

My worse was the one that just kept walking back when attemtping to jump. Its not easier on the pilot either when they're taking their sweet time. Sometimes you just gotta run and push!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Swoosh1 is gonna get it...


Ah, but only when he least expects it>:(

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I checked my alti (student loaner) and it was stuck on 1.5. I tapped it but it didn't move. Without thinking about what I was seeing first, I leaned back to my instrutor and said "Hey, this thing's stuck on 1,500!"

You probably guessed it...she looked at me strangly, then pointed in succession to the "11", the "0", and the "1" on my alti while saying "11,000, 12,000.....13,500". :$



I still often do a double take at the start of exit run when I'm at a place like Elsinore and a 12,5 target altitude. Alti reads 0. I'm used to 14-15.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I've been staying out of this thread because I'm still technically a student and want to give myself the best opportunity to come up with a stupidity story, but I don't think I'm going to be able to top the time I opened the door of the Porter on the two-minute warning :$

Fortunately an entire plane full of people simultaneously turning and yelling at me got the message across pretty quick and I closed it again.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Fortunately an entire plane full of people simultaneously turning and yelling at me got the message across pretty quick and I closed it again.



I think that's a better example of how up-jumpers can be amped up idiots and lose their cool.
"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Fortunately an entire plane full of people simultaneously turning and yelling at me got the message across pretty quick and I closed it again.



I think that's a better example of how up-jumpers can be amped up idiots and lose their cool.



Depends, if they thought the guy was going to jump out too. One time I saw a JM physically restrain a guy from jumping, the guy was really mad and complained later that he'd been hit. Well I saw what happened, the guy was told to WAIT after the CRW formation got out, but he didn't because one of our TM's smiled at him and nodded him to go. I presume that was a joke, because the jumper should've known better IMO. But he tried to get out past a JM's arm (he didn't need a JM anymore, however apperantly he DID since we were over the city, 1.5 miles before the DZ, and he must've had 150 or more jumps), then he tried again more forcibly to get past the JM who was half blocking the door, then got knocked back a bit for his troubles because he tried AGAIN, the JM telling him to STAY PUT. And then he complained about violence. Riiiight :S

ciel bleu,
Saskia

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

One time I saw a JM physically restrain a guy from jumping...



Geez. Maybe it's just my personality (world's most non-confrontational lawyer), or maybe it's my student status talking, but if I were in a lift and someone -- pretty much anyone -- else said, "no, don't jump!", I'd pretty much stop, sit down, and ride the plane down. I'd just assume there is some good reason for it. Never mind the fact that a jumpmaster was saying that; I'd sit down if another student said it... I mean, who knows what they know that you don't, and absent an aircraft emergency, there's always another load...

People are odd.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0