JohnMitchell

I've gotten a little queasy riding on the fronts of tandems too. Something about being off axis or not in control of the turns. Makes me very empathetic with my passengers. One of the reasons I let them fly the parachute as much as practical.

Interesting. I go mostly by "feel" but I know that's not the best way. Maybe I'll have to invest in some electronics to really dial in my tracking. I do know that my position relative to the horizon changes as I accelerate forward. But I also knw there's a Vy speed (best angle of glide speed) for my body, and I feel I'm often below that speed, mushing more, flying less.

Too true. I see more people track like that than not. Every flying object has a angle of attack range in which it flies the best. When you first start to track, you have zero forward speed and need to be steep (relative to the horizon) to get at a decent AOA to accelerate forward. As your forward speed increases and your downward speed decreases, holding the proper AOA for a tracking human body will put it more parallel to the horizon, or as you call it, flattening out. You're not really changing your angle of attack much. You're just holding the same AOA through the changes of the relative wind, similar to an airplane pulling out of a steep dive into a glide.

Thanks.

On a 2 lane suburban arterial in Utah I was stuck behind a slow moving pickup truck, it seemed like forever. When the road finally went to 4 lanes (2 each way), the truck stayed in the left lane. I downshifted, floored it, and zoomed past on the right in my Triumph. As I looked in the rear view mirror, I saw the a cop behind me (in my impatience I forgot to "check 6") hitting the lights and siren . . . oops. Then I watched with joy as he pulled over the slow @$$ truck!

GOOD flat tracking IS a skill, and I see too many who don't track very well. I work very hard at tracking as flat as I can on every breakoff. There are many who will agree with you that I'm not a great overall skydiver, though. Tracking jumps are not the place to learn a great, maximum efficiency flat track. You'll soon outpace the rabbit if you do. Very good advice there. I've seen too many tracking dives that were total zoo loads. Never forget that on tracking dives you're building up a fair amount of speed. What would be a minor conflict on a regular belly jump can be a life threatening collision on a tracking dive.

I saw a lot of great pics on FB. Looks like a helluva good time.

Static line is a great and simple way to make that first solo jump. I've had my share of AFF students that I wished were on static line..

This exactly. Hey folks, try to remember that there's not a skydive or base jump you can make that doesn't have a chance to kill you.

Right so you can have a D license, USPA membership, and a UPT tandem rating and be legal, yes? Derek V I'd say "must have". Or an equivalent license from another country.

FAA Part 105.45 is pretty specific that you have to have a "master's parachute license" and have been "certified by the manufacturer or tandem course provider", etc. Without your license and certification, you're violating federal law, not just some USPA rules. The FAA can take you to court and fine the heck out of you.

We used to play that cassette all the time "'Cause I'm blonde, B-L-I-N-D!"

Ha, the one thread I'll never be posting in. . .

Sounds like your attitude is good and you're on the right track.

I figured I'd hear that from one of you wonderful women. Enjoy.

Hey, we're all friends here, right? No worries. . .

A lot of good advice here. One note is that, just like RW, some of the skills can be learned and practiced on the ground, such as rollovers, and on creepers, such as spin stops. Not necessarily the flying part, but the mechanics of it. It's a good way to start and it's free. One difference between AFF and reg. belly flying is the aggressiveness often required in AFF. If you swoop slowly and dock gently, work on speed. If you're on level, it doesn't matter if your dock is a little on the "firm" side. Being there is much more important, esp. when you're approaching pull time and the student is not paying attention. Coach jumping is also excellent experience. Gear checks, watching altitude, observing accurately and then giving good feedback are all parts of the AFF-I's job.

I think it's often just wishful thinking on their part. . . Or that they just don't know what they just don't know. I started in the 70's, when it was still considered dangerous. Seemed to make you keep a sense of focus, for sure.

I enjoyed the info in your post, and hell, I'm not even a pilot.

As someone who worked for the FAA for decades, you're a man after my own heart. There were many rules and regs that I took to the letter. There's no other way to do it.

That is one windy stretch of highway. I don't care much for I-80 west of Cheyenne either. That 4' off the ground counts as a good moment arm for leverage in tipping over the trailer.

So what were THEIR top 8?

Impressive, but, uh, not quite what we were looking for . ..

You would still be at less than 1 to 1 wing loading on the 170. I can't think of too many people with 60 jumps that I would say "no" to on this one. As always, approach each jump with healthy respect and realize that you never quit learning how to fly and land better.