ripcords

Don't be pissed off. Either ask for one or buy one if it makes you feel more comfortable. If you are sticking with the sport, it is definitely a piece of equipment that you would want to have.

We also have our main side jumpmasters in front of the student which is definitely easier for the reserve side jumpmaster to have both grips right from the start. Using predominantly a C-185 and C-180, the climbout is easier on the main side jumpmaster if he/she is facing forward rather than toward the rear of the aircraft.

Unfortunately, wind tunnels are few and far between. I think a wind tunnel in the U.K. would be very successful so I hope it does come to be. And I sincerely believe that it would make you feel comfortable with the total freefall environment. The threads are correct. The short delay is one of the most difficult, that is why it is the last jump in our training program, after our students have practiced a simulated clear and pull exit it on several high jumps.

By having the IAD student in front of you, facing forward, the jumpmaster has 1) easy access to the pilot chute without any need for a modification to the rig. 2) Communication with the student is very easy because you are right by their ears. 3) The student does not have to turn to get out or climb past the jm, thus reducing the risk of them snagging anything on the pilots seat. 4) The jumpmaster can have their left hand on the student's left shoulder of the rig and their right hand on the student's pilot chute. 5) Getting the student up on their knees prior to exit allows them to see out of the airplane early and be more comfortable with the flight plan. They also get involved in the spotting process earlier then when situated the other way. Here is my question. So why do most Cessna jump planes have all of that wonderful space under the dash board on the copilot's side blocked off and have the person sitting backwards anyhow? Don't tell me weight and balance, because with my feet under the dash, my rear is pretty much the same place as it would be if I was sitting backwards. Are those pilots afraid that we will play with their pedals?

Actually, since we switched to BOC hand deploy pilot chutes at our dz, we saw a reduction in loss of control or stability at pull time. We believe that this is because of the elimination of the look portion of the sequence. Which students often accompany with a dearch despite training otherwise. Also, the less transition a student has to go through the better. Let them learn it properly from the beginning. We would not go back to ripcords on students if you paid us. But since you are stuck with a ripcord for right now, do whatever is quicker, so that you can concentrate on the task at hand... canopy control.

The slot plus the coaches pack job is what our dz charges for coached jumps. As far as having non-rated jumpers skydiving with "students", that may raise liability issues. Jumping with students is a blast and the coach rating is the initial rating and should not be too difficult for your experienced jumpers. It is a great goal and doing coached jumps is a great way to get the experienced jumpers at the dz to know the new jumpers. Best wishes setting up your program. The sport needs people like you who are willing to help those just getting into it.

Any chance of getting to the Skyventure wind tunnel. A few minutes of tunnel time would sort out all of your freefall anxieties in a low stress environment. At this point it does not seem like you have any canopy issues. A word of encouragement. The best skydiving instructors that I have known, were not natural born skydivers. Stick with it, but don't beat a dead horse. Either get some tunnel time or do some AFF style training.

I started skydiving in college. The way that I helped finance my love of the sport was by bringing first time jumpers to the dropzone. Most skydiving centers will give you some jump credit for bringing first time jumpers to them. I worked through the colleges outing club and did not try to get a skydiving club started for fear that those awful school lawyers would put a nix to the trips. With the outing club I was able to get funding for transportation and the school would put together lunches for a day trip for all of the students that had a meal plan. I also worked at the dz doing manifest, packing, etc. as I worked towards my ratings. Stick with it and best wishes!

Don Kellner is verified as having over 33,000 jumps and each jump is logged in the aircraft manifest and his log book. (Yes, he has a big box of log books and has been jumping for over 40 years.) He is the only one that has registered with the US Parachute Association as having over 33,000 skydives. The next closest person is registered at 27,000 skydives. As far as women skydivers, Cheryl Stearns is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the greatest career total for women. Last I read, she has over 15000 skydives. http://www.uspa.org/Gennov.htm#mostjumps