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Once I have determined that there is a safe canopy over our head I disconnect the laterals with out loosening them. I tell the student while shaking the laterals what I am going to do and why before I disconnect them because the student feels the release. I know what the students feel, I have ridden up front on currency jumps and phase 2 jumps and it is unnerving feeling to have the hips released with out warning. I remember not to long ago a tandem went in, from a student standing on the tops of the instructor’s feet and while stepping up reached back for something to hold onto and accidentally pulled the cutaway handle. Never loose awareness of what your student hands are doing. Memento Mori

Mark is right as far as understand it. The requirement for a jump pilot to wear a parachute are placed in the STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) when the modifier of the aircraft applied for STC. From what I understand the owner of the aircraft that has a STC has to keep a copy on record. You can check out the FAA web page about STC, but I have not found full documents regarding a particular STC. http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSTC.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet I believe 14 CFR 91.307 refers to aircraft performing aerobatics, I think. Memento Mori

I got my AFF/I ticket in August of 2000 and have had it since. Memento Mori

I had my main pin pulled and have seen other skydivers main pin get pulled just before the door was called, both times caused a go around. I have not been on a load where the PC was found un-cocked. I agree with Bill that an un-cocked PC should be caught on the ground before the rig was even put on. Its kind of spooky skydiving knowing your main was freshly closed moments before you jumped, and you had no chance to check it your self. Memento Mori

Yep. Sinking a canopy is the same as breaking approach. They are terms that basically mean controlling speed and descent in a stable state of flight, sacrificing some forward glide across the ground to increase vertical decent. Memento Mori

After we land: You now have more takeoffs than landings in an airplane, for the rest of your life. Memento Mori

No never. However this does not mean I do not teach stability recovery. Intentional instability is performed by the student only during the AFF level 6 and 7 with out assistance. I do have students who become unstable by them selves on level 5 doing their first unassisted exits. Again no, the students can get them selves unstable all by there lonesome so there is no need. I have read on this thread, that there are some instructors on level 7 who induce instability during the skydive, and I disagree with this practice. As an instructor on level 7’s I am only an observer that’s there just in case. The student on the other hand has to demonstrate that they can skydive with out assistance proving that they can self jumpmaster. There are seven things my attention is on; gear up, spotting, exit, stability recovery maneuvers, Alt awareness, heading awareness and control, on time opening, and canopy control. If I have to assist them in the air or by radio during canopy flight they fail. Memento Mori

Ok you have the built up excitement to jump during the week that turns into extreme nervousness when the weekend comes. I would guess that this is nothing new to you and yet you went to the DZ and jumped before. My question is when you make jumped and you just exited the plane what happens to your extreme nervousness? Memento Mori

Right there isn't, any identifiable spot on the ground will do just fine. Memento Mori

Your right, it can slow the landing pattern down if one is following directly behind, but when following a sinking canopy that is fly straight it is a more predictable approach. The person that is following can see that they are overtaking the sinking canopy, check air space, left right and below, and change their flight path. Imagine for a moment four canopies flying a straight in final and the LZ is wide enough to land four canopies abreast with out disturbing each other. Now lets say one of those four canopies makes is turn from base to final ahead of the other three and imagine them S-turning on final. What will happen to the other three? Memento Mori

Bummer must have hurt. I am not going to bash anyone only the skill so this is my opinion. I don’t encourage, condone, or teach the S-turn skill, there is nothing safe about it in achieving accuracy for competition or landing in a tight spot. I have witnessed the exact scenario played in the video at every DZ I have called home or visited in the past ten years with some bad and fortunate results. S-truns make no sense at all, and I don’t understand why people do it or why it is condoned by many others. I have been behind people doing the dance of the S-turn and three things happen. First, the jumper is not flying a predictable landing pattern confusing others, second they are slowing the landing pattern down, everyone behind them, forcing action to be taken in avoid collection, and third they run the risk of injury from a low turn. Sure it bleeds some alt but so does sinking the canopy with better results. People learn and teach sinking a canopies effective, it is a life saving skill. S-tunes won’t help you if forced to land in a tight spot. Memento Mori

I step into my legs straps first to get the rig on to begin with then I thread and adjust the chest strap before I tighten the leg straps. Memento Mori

If I was a Supreme Court Justice I would not hear this case seeing there is lack of new evidence presented. This argument was settled mid 2004 by undisputable evidence provided by the application of science. Not only the application of technology was used, computers, but the careful explanation of the events of two objects dropped from an aircraft in flight in two simulation, one being time base which equals distance, and the 45 degree rule. For those of you needing or wanting to learn about this subject, may I suggest you search the Form Archives and read the past posts. Memento Mori

Loose enough and no more so that the student can take a deep breath while standing up straight. Memento Mori

Yes and No (Yes) If an instructor who has repeatedly lost a student for what ever the reason I feel it’s the instructors responsibility take a break and practice their weaker skills OR give up their instructor rating. (No) I have not lost a student yet but it will and when it does I hope I am on a two-instructor jump. I say this because a lot of questionable and scary stuff will happen to an individual if they’re in the sport long enough. Murphy’s Law Memento Mori

Yes, I have seen exactly what you are describing, and I agree with Bill’s observation I too have see it in both free and belly fliers. You are not hallucinating. Memento Mori

Are you agreeing with me or trying to start an argument? Are you paraphrasing me or again are you trying to start and argument? Memento Mori

When I took the AFF Certification Course I was jumping a FX 99 what had the breaks set a little deeper. On this canopy the openings slowed to 800-900 feet. Heck with a 800 – 900 foot snivel, I was golden, dumping at 2K and saddling out at 1200 –1100 after a track. But this was not case I was pegged, just like every one else is during the course and naturally I wanted to be higher when saddled out. During the course the evaluators wanted to see that the pin is pulled, container open, no lower than 2K and of course if I could do this higher with adequate separation I did. If I busted the BSR’s minimum container-opening altitude for C or D licensed skydiver it was an automatic un-sat for the skydive. The way I see it there are four ways to fix this: 1) Practice your track until you reach adequate separation in least amount altitude) 2) Pack your canopy to open faster (This is what I did) 3) Jump a faster opening canopy for example maybe a saber one wing loaded more toward expert 4) Don’t take the course if your canopy opening freaks you out to the point where it is interfering with your ability to work with a student in the air. Memento Mori

Tandem work: Caravan with straddle benches AFF work: Twin Otter but the Caravan is a close second Fun jumps: Any thing with a tailgate, Twin Otter, West Wind with cargo door, Caravan, Porter, utility C-206, and C-182 I don’t care much for the king air, or the Pac 750 Memento Mori

I fallow the BSR. My license is "D" so the container need to be open at minimum of 2000' I don't care who the student is. If I am not altitude aware and I bust 2K, my bad, so again if I am altitude aware I am pulling the pin at 2k. Train you students will. Memento Mori

’80 Subaru Brat, my first car, (Bought new totaled with in one year) ’79 Subaru Station wagon (Best mileage car I have owned 32 Hwy, wreck it twice, totaled) ’83 S-10 (bought new after station wagon and drove it into the ground and sold for the S-15) ‘66 Pontiac GTO, hdt., my first hot rod (389, 3x2 bbl. manual transmission) Sold for the Firbird ’69 Pontiac Firebird Espit, hdt (250, 4bbl., manual transmission, rare) sold for the T/A ’89 S-15 (bought new and drove it into the ground and sold for the Dakota) ’70 Trans Am (RA III, Manual transmission) Sold two years ago ’98 Dodge Dakota (bought new driving it to its grave) ’65 S Type Jag (Bought in '98 from Dad who bought it from grandma, just keeping it in the family) Motorcycles '74 Suzuki TM 250 '77 Suzuki RM 125 '84 Honda FT 500 (Great city, shitty highway bike, sold and applied moneys for the S-15) Looking at a new bike

I took my RSL off about 1500 jumps ago when I was jumping a Stiletto. I still have the RSL and when I sell the rig it goes with it. Memento Mori

I agree with Shark, in that there needs to be consistency in techniques trained. We use what sounds like the same exit setup that you are doing in both our Otter and Caravan. Our school wants to see the right foot no more then shoulder width apart and slightly staggered so the right toes are inline with the left heal. The left hand is up against the forward door post with the elbow bent to about 90 degrees. This keeps the student forward in the door. The right hand is holding onto the inside bar monkey griped. The students left shoulder to the middle of their right shoulder is outside the airplane, this helps bringing the squat higher in the door. The exit count is loud with a slight rock out, in, arch the student basically side steps off the plane leading with the left foot and pushing off with the right keeping their shoulders parallel to the wing with the chin up. A problem I see in all poised exits is the student is wrong footed at the door and they lead off with the wrong foot, a cross over step, and of course they are looking down. Memento Mori

I stand by what I have said. Memento Mori

It doesn’t matter if they have 100 or 1000 jumps, get off the idea that number of jumps means something. I have jumped with people who have less than 100 jumps and fly vary will with a high level of awareness, yes, even greater then some with 1000s of jumps. I call those young jumpers’ naturals, and if they are horny to teach, all the power to them, all they need to do is pass a LEGITIMATE coach’s course. The coaches course is my beef, I have noticed some new coaches get their rating who can not regularly stand up their landings, they can barely fly in their own column of air or stay relative with someone else who can. They are sloppy with their ground preps; they see a low percentage of what a coach should see in the air, and they are ineffective in post jump review and in corrective training. They are an embarrassment. Its the evaluators, just a few bad apples, who pass out the coaches rating like free condoms at planned parenthood, that ticks my off. The preceded message is not intended as an attack on any one person it’s just a complaint I had to let out. Memento Mori