dthames

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Article Comments posted by dthames


  1. I was one of the noobs that started so I could fly a WS. As a student, I saw a WS size race between three guys and none of them did well. I knew I wanted no part of that. Soon after I started WSing, I moved to a medium suit in order to get in the flock at the DZ, and never thought that was a mistake. But it was a long time before I moved to something larger and even then it was often a solo jump once in a while. Even today, my medium suit is my favorite suit to fly with others.
    Today, I see many getting too big too soon. You are right, most won't listen.
    Thanks for the article. I don't think this issue can be reviewed often enough, as so many just want to go big and wonder why they are not doing all that well.

  2. Many of the larger DZs with large aircraft do a great job of putting the jumpers out on a good spot and green means, "go if it looks safe".
    Anyone that fails to do their homework on the ground to predict a good spot should not be the person stopping in the door because the spot looks a little off.

  3. Corey, I did a few student jumps at Pegasus and I really liked the way Bob had students walk out the pattern over his little model turning points that he would lay out in front of the hanger. Walking it out helps the student demonstrate they understand the pattern concept. They can shake their head yes, but if they can’t walk it out and pull imaginary toggle for the turns, they have not “got it”.
    I agree with some of the comments about the radio being a training obstacle. It might be good as a fall back if things are going to pot, but as a student, I didn’t want someone to tell me what to do in the air, after they had taught me what to do before the jump. Just let me do it, please. I was lucky that most instructors that I had were very willing to let me fly the pattern on my own. I have seen a few students do dumb stuff because they were waiting for the radio to tell them to avoid the concrete and steer to stay over the grass. No one wants to tell the guy at 100 feet on final that he/she needs to steer away from less desirable landing spots, but once you train the student to listen to the radio, it is like their “life line” and they sometimes stop making their own decisions. I am not an instructor but you can just watch and see those things happen to students when no one tells them, “You do what you think best for you, because it is you will get hurt otherwise”.
    Thanks for the article.