Ron

Of course, but you made a statement of fact that was not a fact: "Lets get one thing clear, at a minimum he starts with a Cat A jump" and "It is been over a year and he / she is required to repeat a Cat A at this point." It was an opinion and opinions clearly can vary. Of course, but that goes both ways. The "I" making the decision could make them do a tandem, or let them go freeflying. While I would not agree with freeflying, I also would not agree with a Tandem in most cases. There is no doubt 2 AFFI's would be better. But I am/have been involved in plenty of programs where there is only one Instructor starting with jump #1. Even in those programs the single 'I' can add the 2nd 'I' if they feel like it. But to be 100% clear: 1. It is a third party opinion of the student. 2. He said "he got a little freaked out under canopy because of turbulence" Two AFFI's will do nothing for a guy under canopy. Could he or should he will be up to the Instructor. I have zero doubt that I can do single JM AFF (mainly because I have). But I have less fear about taking a guy with 10-12 jumps in a logbook I can read and see what he has done for 10-12 jumps than some tandem student who is going for their first solo. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I see the future and that future is that big ways will have wing loading requirements. I can also see that people will start to take credentials into consideration. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

There are a few of us that Cave dive and skydive. PM me maybe we can plan a really cool trip. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

No he is not. He is required to do refresher training per Section 5.2 of the SIM. "Students who have not jumped within the preceding 30 days should make at least one jump under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor." No problem. Clearly it is debatable. You are not the last word on skydiving neither am I... therefore it clearly is open to debate. What you fail to either know or acknowledge is many programs are single I. The STP program for example starts with a few tandems and then goes to single I. Many military programs I worked were single I. So I would have no problem taking a guy with a logbook showing 10-15 jumps that were decent on a single JM jump like I described above. You are free to not be willing to do that, but please do not confuse your opinion to being equal to the law or even the BSR's. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Some big ways I have been told have required wingloadings. Mainly it was below a certain number. How about flipping that and "Im just thinking from a safety point of view you would not want very FAST canopies in the landing patterns with so many canopies opening and landing at the same time." I'd rather see everyone on .9 WL's on a big way than 2.0. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

This is getting a bit off the point of this thread. It is to express stupid things you have done and not get into specifics. That being said: If you are so good that you can do a 4 or 8way and after all that work remember what the line of flight of the plane was.... You are a better skydiver than me. After 35 or 50 seconds of working time, I have one real mission and that is to get away from them as fast and as safely as possible and get a landable parachute over my head. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Miami / Fort Lauderdale is a weird place when it comes to skydiving and has pretty much always been that way for as long as I can remember (1995 till today). There are three medium sized DZ's near there. My classification for size: Small - Piston Cessna, Medium - one Turbine, Large - Multiple turbines *flying* The lack of large DZ's is most likely a function of airspace and location. You have to get quite a bit away from the cities to have good airspace and with the Ocean to the East and the swamp to the West you have to go pretty far North, South or West to get friendly airspace. Skydive Miami in Homestead. Friendly place, Caravan aircraft. Every time I have been there they have a bunch of student activity but very little fun jumping. They do hold NSL events there and have these mentoring days where they do fun competitions like two ways for the low timers. Can't speak to the freefly scene, but I rarely see any on my trips there. I think they might have some wingsuit restrictions as well. Skydive Spaceland Clewiston. Friendly place Bad ass Super Caravan Aircraft... 900 HP and about 6mins to altitude... Seriously, this is one fast plane. Full disclosure... I half ass work there and my wife does AFF there. But it is a very friendly place and we normally all go out and eat at the end of the day. This weekend, I think we are going to have "movie night" in my hangar where I project a movie on the wall in my hangar and we all hang out and watch it. Movie will not be determined till it starts, but if Smitty brings "Gypsy Moths" that might be it this weekend. The only down side is dry camping. They are working on building a bathroom you can use in the middle of the night, but it has not been completed yet. Sebastian. Better view than the other two DZ's They have some of Chicago's planes during the winter so they most likely have an array of turbines to include Carvans, Otters, and Skyvans. Friendly place. My last trip there there were only freefliers and my wife and I do not freefly. The organizer tried to get us to do a tracking jump (cause he wanted to do a tracking jump). That kinda turned me off. The DZ is home in the winter to Rythm XP a top level 4 way team. I do not know how much they organize while they are there but it would be worth jumping with them if possible. In the end, I made Clewiston my "home" DZ. It is closer to FLL than Sebastian and about the same distance as Homestead. As always, your mileage may vary. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

So you are unable to use another DR? She just can't sign the permission slip? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Well you didn't get seriously hurt... So it was not "bad'. 1. Don't do a bunch of new stuff on any single jump. If you normally get out at 13.5 and pull at 5k. Then either get out at 13.5 and pull at 4k or get out at 15k and pull at 5k. 2. Have a plan, stick to the plan. After you get experience, you can modify the plan a bit, but right now, stick to the plan. If you planned a solo and the guy is not a rating holder.... Stick to the solo. Chute. Adding people adds stress. Go slowly and make sure that the person you are jumping with is similar enough, or skilled enough, to make it work. For example, an AFFI would have had no problem staying with either of the two on your jump. You guys had issues because of inexperience. Small steps. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Promo Video: http://vimeo.com/72112944 "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

1. He could just go to Skydive Spaceland, FL in Clewiston and step right back into the *exact* same program. Both DZ's are owned by the same group and run the same way using the same training program and aircraft. 2. If he has a logbook, any AFFI should be able to look at where he is and create a program on the spot to finish his training. Now, I can't speak without seeing his logbook, but I think if he had 13-15 jumps in an STP program I would make him do a coach jump with me that started out as a level 4 (single JM, linked exit, release when earned, with a list of objectives like heading control (~3 seconds), 2 360's, and then maybe a backflip). If he did all of that, or even just showed control and awareness and was decent under canopy, I'd release him for *almost* self supervision: He would have to work with a coach, or do solo's with a gear check by a staff member till he showed competence. So it is not a big deal. If he liked the STP program, I'd suggest Clewiston. For full disclosure... I sorta, kinda, half-ass work at Clewiston, and my wife does work there as an AFFI on weekends. I am what I like to call "Standby part-time, when I feel like it and then need me status". "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Thats WHY you have drift in freefall. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I am a type two diabetic. I have 6k jumps, three instructor ratings, just got back from the US nationals with two Silver medals in open. Further, I am a private pilot and just placed 2nd in an aerobatic comp. Type 2 diabetes should not be an issue. That being said... I am not a Dr. Seeing that you are in the UK might make it a bit difficult. So my suggestions: Find out if you can get a flight medical in the UK with type two. If you can, done. I don't know the UK rules, but the UK seems a bit more strict than the US. If that does not work... Maybe check on going to Spain or the old USofA to get your license. See if transferring a foreign license is possible (basically see if you can by pass the medical BS by not being a student). I can't help much more than that, but I you think I can help. PM me. If I have to, I'll email my blood work and a copy of my medical to fly to your Dr to show he is being a real knee-biter. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

And the rumor has it that a pretty damn good RW organizer will be there. Plus I can personally attest to the best cutaway spotting aircraft around. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Old trick.... Put a pair of medical gloves on first, then regular numan type gloves. Don't put them on too early. And don't wear them long after you land. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

The problem is that while you debate the issue.... You are losing time. Take a peak at the incident reports at how many people chop too low to survive. Do you think those people made a choice to chop that low, or do you think they were so busy deciding what to do that they ended up low? History has shown that lots of people smarter than me have ridden an issue too low and then chopped. Certainly. If you're out of time, make your decision and go for it. I'm talking about if you still have a few seconds before cutaway altitude. Don't just blindly go for the first instinct cutaway option. Keep evaluating, keep thinking, stay flexible, use your time to determine the BEST course of action, not just the FIRST course of action. Last attempt... Do you know how many people thought they had time and died thinking that? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

The problem is that while you debate the issue.... You are losing time. Take a peak at the incident reports at how many people chop too low to survive. Do you think those people made a choice to chop that low, or do you think they were so busy deciding what to do that they ended up low? History has shown that lots of people smarter than me have ridden an issue too low and then chopped. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Oh how I love that comment.... If you want to "fly your body" then you should jump naked.

I don't think that's an good ironclad rule with no exceptions... Certainly, if you have a malfunction and decide to chop it, and nothing changes, then by all means chop it. But if you decide to chop it, and while reaching for the handles things get better, then you can do a split second re-evaluation of the situation. Of course you don't want to spend too much precious time on this re-evaluation. But we should always be open to new courses of action, if things improve, or get worse, and not abide by one and only one action, no matter what. We should be dynamically aware of what is transpiring, and always flexible in action. A fair comment, but many times a person gets wrapped up in trying to fix the problem and dies before they fix it. One sure way to prevent that it to not change your course of action once you start. I had stupid reasons for not chopping. And while I was not so low that I would not have been in my safety zone, it was easy to see how it could of turned bad.... For example, what would have happened if the canopy right before I had it out of twists decided to start diving again? What if I had not put the handle back on the velcro very well? Then I would be low, spinning, and looking for a handle. In the end, it worked out. But I was lower than most people would be happy about. And I have read enough incident reports where people died having *almost* fixed the problem. Sparky's comment is spot on, IMO... Don't try to do in air rigging. In the end, I am quite happy with my new rule. You will have to make your own. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Funny that this thread came back up... I did something incredibly stupid this weekend. So on a 16 way comp jump I track just a bit further than normal since there seems to be people all over the sky. I throw out and as I sit up, I can see my canopy is already in line twists even before it opens. I try to turn out of it before it opens, but the damn thing opened and started to dive. I grabbed handles and started pealing the Velcro..... And the canopy stopped diving. I looked at the ground and I was high enough, so I started kicking out of it. About 1700 feet I thought, I should really just get rid of this, but went back to kicking. I was clear by 1500 feet and had to land a bit off the DZ. It would be easy to say that since it ended well and I knew where I was that it was a good call. But honestly, it was stupid. I had already made the choice to chop and I should of just gone with it. And while I don't mind chopping at 1500 feet (done much lower) it is this kind of thinking that gets people lower than they can survive. New rule for me: Once I decide to chop - I am just going to do it. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Eh, jumpers at that level are often sponsored.... So I have been told. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Not true. Some manufacturers say that, and some riggers refuse to pack anything over 20 years old. But there are plenty of 20+ year old rigs out there that can be legally jumped. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Uh, I have the exact opposite opinion. ZP will normally open harder than F111 canopies. In fact, the type of material should not really matter that much. The F111 will wear in/out faster. In the old days an F111 would get so worn out that they would take forever to open. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Ok thanks.... Not going to pay a premium for it since I am not a gamer. "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

I don't pay attention to gamers..... I know these are released, but are they available in stores or all sold out? I used to use my PS3 for the occasional game, but mainly for Netflix and Blueray DVD playing. It suffered the blinking yellow light of death so I need to replace it. Are these in stock anywhere, or should I just keep waiting till after Christmas? "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334