BASE469

Last night I was looking at a jumpers 'new' used rig and noticed that someone had assembled it with an A yoke ripcord in a C yoke rig. Needless to say when he put the rig on it actually tensioned the reserve cable, I am surprised that he did not have a reserve deployment at some point. Just as I was explaining that this was not acceptable, Pat Thomas and Tom Parker walked through the door and I asked Tom to have a look at the rig. While he was also explaining why the rig was grounded, Pat made a phone call to the factory and 20 minutes later I had a new, and free, ripcord to install. Oh, and this was for a '95 Javelin. I think the owner was stunned by the response from the company and I can not thank Pat and Tom enough for putting the safety of this young jumper above everything else. Too often we see posts about customer service being about the negative side of things and I thought it would be nice to see the other side. Thanks Sunpath.

The dropzone, or rather the school, is quite aware of this event. It will be addressed.

You are overthinking this way too much...you did fine on the jump and this is such a minor issue that you need not worry about it. What we talked about in the debrief will fix it...and it's not that much of a problem, we are just trying to turn you into the best flyer possible. Be careful about soliciting advice on the internet...the one guy with 3 jumps really has no business offering skydiving instruction over the internet....think about it, he has exactly the same number of jumps that you do...what's the chance that he has it all dialed in? So relax, you're doin' fine, we moved you to the next jump, that wouldn't have happened if we were concerned with your performance on this skydive.

Louis, I think that a coach jump is exactly what it was always meant to be...a jump with an unlicensed skydiver. To keep your rating current you have to make 15 jumps in a 12 month time frame....that's one jump with a student every 3 weeks or so. If your dance card is so full, your dz so small, or so overpopulated with coaches that you can't manage that, are you really proficient at working with students? I agree with the gentleman that would not make any accommodations for them. When you take the coach course, in the first page or so of the IRM it tells you what the requirements for renewal are. It also has the answer to the question of what you can do if your rating expires: 1. For persons with a current non-USPA Coach rating or equivalent or an expired USPA Coach rating a. make at least one satisfactory USPA Coach Rating Course evaluation jump with a USPA Instructor or IE who has served as a USPA Coach Course Evaluator b. assist in at least one complete first-jump course c. attend a USPA rating renewal seminar d. pass the Coach Course written exam with a score of at least 80 percent Is that really that much to ask of someone wanting to work with some of the least competent skydivers at the dz?

Louis, I'm not sure that separating flying skill and teaching skills, or emphasizing one over the other is a particularly useful notion. Being an AFF/I should be the whole package....you can be the greatest teacher ever, but if you can't fly you're slot on a release dive effortlessly, how can you provide any useful feedback? Conversely, if the greatest flyer in the world couldn't teach a dog to sit with a freezer full of steaks, do you really want to be on the other side of a student that they briefed? As far as the tunnel time replacing freefall, that has to be one of the dumbest things that USPA ever contemplated, at least since the Coach course, so it's sure to be implemented. M.

I made no statement regarding any reaction to be taken in this situation, but simply copied the information from the cypres manual in order to make it clear that the blanket statement about AADs firing is, clearly, wrong, but if you'd like to argue the point, I believe that it is very important to make your decisions based upon the equipment that you've placed in your rig. It certainly does become important to base your reactions upon the firing parameters of the AAD and if you have gone above 1500' with a cypres and are now at 1000' it would be almost foolish to attempt to deploy your main canopy. If the plane has only made it to 1000' it is equally foolish to count on it saving your life.

A Student or Expert CYPRES will not work if the aircraft is exited before it reaches 1500 feet (450m) above the height at which the jumper intends to land. In case of a Tandem CYPRES 3000 feet (900m) has to be reached. Once the aircraft has climbed through that altitude and CYPRES has become fully operational it will work for any exit height Copied from the cypres manual. If you're going to place one of these units in your rig, you should be familiar with the operating parameters.

I just got done patching my suit where fabric pull out of a seam. I hope that it's just one small area that they 'missed' when it was made. Also, they really should invest in a bartack machine, I also had to put 4 bartacks in the legs where the seams were starting to pull apart. I've only put about a hundred jumps, and maybe 2-3 hours in the tunnel, on the suit and in addition to those repairs, the 304 stitch on the distal ends of the sleeves (spandex) broke the first month I had it. The suit flys well but I just hope that I can get a couple seasons out of it.

Military HALO jumpers have most certainly been through a course similar to and easily the equivalent of a USPA FJC. You understand that upon completing their HALO school, they are considered capable of jumping....from high altitudes....with oxygen....at night....with an equipment bundle....and weapon....into combat? If you encounter a jumper from a civilian DZ that still uses r/c, would they need to attend a FJC? At Raeford, we have the privilege of working with these gentlemen frequently, there were at least 4 there this weekend that jumped, without incident, after being given transition training regarding the use and problems associated with hand deployed systems, granted there is more training that just that as they need to be integrated into a civilian DZ, but they are neither unskilled nor uneducated. Many, perhaps most, show up with a nearly complete A license card. This has nothing to do with recurrency jumps but I believe you are grossly misrepresenting their level of competency.

I agree with most of what you're saying, but one thing to think about with the HALO guys....they probably don't have an A license so therefore would need to jump with an instructor, and that would be any appropriately rated instructor, not just an AFF/I as so many seem to think, but then they certainly can go with coaches.

I am not disagreeing with this statement, the coach rating is not, and has never been, a rating where they operate in a vacuum. It would seem that the disagreement is about the level of oversight needed. I feel comfortable with a coach providing recurrency training without me standing beside him as long as we have spoke about the proposed plan of training, I remain available to answer questions, and I assure myself that they did an adequate job when the retraining session is complete. This pertains to the licensed jumper.

It comes down to USPA definition of supervision. Supervision The general oversight of an activity taking place where the supervisor is readily available for counsel and direction and who is responsible that the activity is satisfactorily completed. They also have a higher standard known as direct supervision. All coaching duties essentially fall under the 'supervision' category. Direct supervision 1: The attentive oversight of an activity taking place in the immediate presence of the supervisor, who is personally responsible for the proper conduct of the activity. (USPA definition)

If you look at the begining of the coach course syllabus you will see: 2. A USPA Coach may–– e. supervise recurrency jumps with licensed skydivers 3. All student training and recurrency jumps with a USPA Coach are conducted under the supervision of a current and appropriately rated USPA Instructor So, it's not particularly ambiguous. You need to be working with the instructors at your DZ and not formulating your own plan.

Imagining that this were indeed a coach performing this skydive....it appears to be a jump in the G category, either the first or third dive flow. Isn't the role of the coach, in this category, to observe the student tracking from the two way? I believe that the student is supposed to track, or should be capable of tracking 50' at this stage. The coach is to observe the track, or, within 500' of the assigned breakoff altitude attempt to gain the attention of the student to breakoff by waving him/her off. Should the student fail leave the coach is to gain adequate separation and deploy. Are you suggesting that coaches chase tracking student just in case one of them fails to deploy and then deploy them? That's a pretty bold position to take given the average flying skills of most coaches. This isn't to slam the coaches, but to be honest, relatively few of them have, or should need, those skills. We need to keep a consisent and simple bottom end for them. How many plans should they have for a breakoff routine? I agree with others above that believe the student needs refreshed in missing handle procedures....and that was a horrible PC launch....

Yes, I, unfortunately, only have 3100 jumps, it's not a very impressive total...somehow when you teach AFF for a living, it really cuts into the time you have to pound out a lot of jumps. However it does demonstrate a certain level of survivability and currency. If I don't jump every couple days I don't feel like I'm at the top of my game and you've been away from a rapidly evolving sport for 20 years??? I don't think you will ever have to worry about jumping with me. On those rare occassions when I take time off from working with my students to make a jump, it is always a well planned and organized event with people that I know to be safe and competent. Yes, I am one of those assholes at the dropzone that curtail everyone's fun by insisting we be safe, because I've got this weird thing about going home to my wife at the end of the day.

I think you need to go back an re-read what is written in the SIM D. Long lay-offs 1. Jumpers should receive refresher training appropriate for their skydiving history and time since their last skydive. a. Jumpers who were very experienced and current but became inactive for a year or more should undergo thorough training upon returning to the sport. b. Skydivers who historically jump infrequently should review training after layoffs of even less than a year. Quite frankly, 500 jumps really isn't jack shit in the big scheme of things,,,,especially after 20 years of inactivity...to blatantly rule out sitting through a first jump course suggests that your ego is out of control. Furthermore, to even imply that instuctors are trying to gouge you for money is inane....I spend my days trying progress the people that pay me to teach them to skydive so that I can move on to next person coming along. Indeed, I think there are more than a few jumpers that can attest to the fact that I spend my time and money trying to make them a better skydiver. I really hope that you decide to jump at DZ other than mine as your mentality suggests that you will be nothing but a danger to me and those that I care about. If you expect me to sign off your alleged skills that 'purdy' much isn't going to happen. edit for spelling mistake

I've thought about this for several days now and I find your post quite troubling. Raeford, like every other DZ at which I've jumped, does indeed like to see your qualifications and have you sign a waiver before you manifest on a load and jump. You, by your own admission, seem aware of this. So, to me, it appears that you deliberately and willfully circumvented this process. Manifest, by and large, is exactly that....a very nice lady who takes your money and places you on a load. As I said every DZ I've jumped at has wanted this information and I've taken it upon myself to find the responsible party and have provided them with my USPA and packing data cards. It never occurred to me to bypass the procedure and just get on a load. Perhaps RPC could take a more hardcore approach to this rather than relying on the honor and integrity of the individual jumper.

Hey Steve, its Susan using Michaels sign-in. You guys ROCK!!!! That was a super job of organizing from the jumps themselves to the cookout Sat evening. I agree we should do it again. Who is up for next weekend!

Although I don't pay much attention to tail numbers, I believe that this was the KA that flew out of Skydive Pennsylvania a few years ago. It suffered a significant failure of the nose gear after it landed one day. After a long and losing battle with the insurance company, I watched them cut it apart for scrap metal.

alright, i'm not interested in getting into a flamefest with you over this....but regarding the rest of your original post.... " I have found that jumpers opinions are swayed to what looks good or what is popular at the DZ they jump. I have noticed that at any given DZ you will see mostly one brand of canopy and one make of container. At my old DZ it was Javelin, When I moved I noticed mostly Mirages." Popular canopies tend to be popular for a reason...they are decent wings and come from reputable manufactuers. Who would ever recommend something about which they have no knowledge or experience? At the DZ where I work, all major manufactuers (except one) are well represented....do I have a preference...you bet, but is that the only thing I recommend...of course not...my students are all individuals with varying degrees of abilities and desires. and I can say with absolute certainty that none of the riggers at my DZ know these students as well as I do. A rigger's ticket does not confer any great insight to the holder on this matter....except in Canada :)

You are right to ask riggers. Unless your instructor is a rigger they are not the ones to ask what to get. I question the value of these statements....you need exactly zero jumps to get your riggers ticket. Few riggers, especially senior riggers, have had any formal training that is specific to main canopy flight characteristics. Also, I find it rather bold to suggest that someone disregard or not seek the advise of the very people that provided them with their instruction and who have actually observed and critiqued their performance. Michael

Sorry, but it's not that interesting...I suppose.... We've begun training a gentleman who unable to hear, and since he doesn't read lips, and none of the instructors know ASL it's been a slow, tedious process for our student. We've had to write down our lessons for him, and the Q&A afterwards has been in written form. It would take a long time to get ready for a single jump. This weekend, Mike, rather unexpectedly, was at the DZ, so I put him to work :). It was amusing because while Mike can read lips, I have a bushy mustache that makes it impossible for him.....so I'd ask my g/f a question, she'd relay it to Mike, who would sign to the student..... My student, Dave, was able to make three jumps on Saturday. He excelled in all aspects, and I believe that Mike can take most of the credit for that. Also, on the last jump, Mike grabbed his camera a tagged along with us. Dave was pretty excited about seeing himself on video. It was a good weekend. Michael

Mike, I can't begin to express my appreciation for the help that you gave us Saturday with Dave. I think most of the great success that he experienced this weekend is solely due to your time and efforts in expanding on our 'written lessons' and providing the translations during the 4 way conversations (next time I'll trim my mustache). If he keeps going the way he is now, give me a couple months and I'll have him ready for your next record attempt :) Mike, I understand your concerns, but I'm still going to encourage you to think about the rating.....think about this....this weekend I found a way to teach someone who is unable to hear..... :) Thanks Again, Michael

hey guy, ya done good today, too bad about the winds, i stayed on the ground myself.....we'll get you up there cya michael

Ed's still around, he jumps at Skydive Pennsylvania on occassions, when he's not traveling the world, flicking himself of some of the more interesting high points on the planet