AFFI

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Due to money/time constraints, and trying to find a job in my field, I can't spend too much money on jumping, which equates to one or two weekends (one day each weekend) per month, in a best case scenario.

You have made more jumps than I did my first year, and you have the rest of your life to skydive.

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> You are concerned that if you tell someone to cutaway the main, the wrong student will respond and die because of it, right?>
Yes, that is a very big risk when there is more than one student in the air.

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+1
Be leery to say “cutaway” on the radio when multiple students are in the air on a single channel. You may be overlooking a student who is below 1,000 feet and they follow the command of “cutaway” that you have intended for a different student.
I have seen this happen and luckily the student had just enough altitude to make it uninjured – just barely.
If you have spent any time working on a one frequency set-up you will know that often times when it makes no sense, students will follow commands intended for other students. And besides, if you have preformed a quality service in ground training then you should be confident that the person you trained knows what to do in the event of a malfunction.
We never put a student into the air are until they are completely ready to safely make a jump right?

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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And of course, if a student panics and has brain-lock under a high-speed mal you should tell them to cutaway the main! Liability and confusion with other students be damned, if you can save a life you must. Those under a good canopy should be smart enough not to cutaway anyway.

What if trying to "save a life" utilizing these methods actually costs a life? This is a good example of well intentioned advice from [edited for political correctness].

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What is the best thing to do when you are low?

Discuss it with your fellow jumpers, and not with the 'we know whats best for you' crowd here at dz.com.
Yeah, especially those with less than 100 jumps that tell you to barrel roll
I represent that statement! Although I'm a 100 jump wonder, I will present my comments based on my brief experience in the sport and if I'm wrong, I will learn from the comments of those who are more enlightened!If I may borrow a quote form a good friend in a recent email, perhaps you might learn more from those who have forgotten more about skydiving than you have yet learned. There is a wealth of knowledge here in these forums, and a wealth of well intentioned advice from those less knowledgeable, I would trust advice from a poster with thousands of jumps and a decade(s) + of current skydiving experience then from a lesser experienced individual.

There is no substitute for experience.

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So just to confirm, the consensus would be SkydiveU if at all possible? I was thinking more about it, and I would be able to stay with friends there, so the cost of the course would probably actually be less than doing it locally and having to pay for a hotel..

Spaceland has an incredible facility, the bunk room is brand new (and cheap), the facilities are complete with a laundrymats and more, best of all is the airplanes are maintained to the highest extent, and DJ is, lets put it this way, if an instructor were to train my own mother, I would hope that DJ was the trainers trainer. He has my full admiration from a first hand perspective.
But Skydive U or an alternate training course is less than your ability to seek the best and to put forth your best to improve yourself above the rest.
So which ever path you choose, be the best in every aspect of instructing.

Good travels my friend, and make your own luck…

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If you are in Texas anytime soon, DJ Marvin is one of the best I have seen in training the trainers, he is a Skydive Spaceland.

Even if you're not in Texas, its worth the vacation time and travel to go work with DJ to get your ratings!

+1

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Have about 150 jumps or so, and am a flight instructor / pilot examiner turned corporate pilot. I love the corporate flying but really miss the instructional aspect of flight instructing.

With your background, it will be a breeze, and it is a lot of fun if you like instructing.
For me, from my first jump I wanted to be an AFF instructor because I love instructing.
I believe the most important aspect is the ground training, preparing students not for only the next student jump, but to build a solid foundation of safe practices that will be with them for years. And of course, when shit goes bad in the air, you gotta be able to take care of business and a good debrief often times includes more ground training.
If you are in Texas anytime soon, DJ Marvin is one of the best I have seen in training the trainers, he is a Skydive Spaceland.

There is no substitute for experience, so get started – you will love it…

There is a 2009 USPA Nationals DVD available online at the USPA store.

It Rocks!

http://www.uspa.org/USPAShop/tabid/353/pid/314/2009-USPA-Nationals-DVD.aspx

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But, if you have the ALTITUDE, experience, and mental stability to recognize a simple fix, then fix it.

I suspect that is what you meant.

+1
Altitude awareness may be considered as something that "goes without saying", but it is not.
Altitude awareness should be continually trained and practiced over and over again. When I train students and challenge them with say, a line twist scenario - they must check altitude prior to dealing with the situation and every 5 seconds during. “Roll to Recover” training prior to release dives, before attempting to roll belly to earth, check altitude first.
Seems like many jumpers progress in the sport and it is practiced less and less. Becoming an instructor revealed deficiencies in my altitude awareness and it improved only as a byproduct of training specifically for that awareness. I personally lost a friend as a direct result of a lack of altitude awareness after cutting away too low and we read about it in the incident reports all to often, and at times it is an experienced jumper who should have known better, so it can happen to any of us if we overlook it during traiining and during all the excitement of dealing with a situation.
As the OP described, altitude awareness was part of the decision making process.
Great job!


Altitude awareness often times may be a primary factor between living and dying.

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The only thing I could think of would be to check my altitude, then grab a hook knife and cut the strands away.

This is a great topic of discussion.

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Your point is well taken, but I wonder if your perspective would be different if you ever saw a student without a radio fly into power lines.
I learned on squares without radios myself, but radios used properly (to coach, not just command) are a useful tool in the instructional process.

+1
And, if I had to tell a student with a malfunctioning main on the radio to take action, I did not do my job of training adequately.

Here is a hard opening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWj7p8YKnlA

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So if we "look out for each other" people will stop being stupid? Not seeing it.

Wass up-Chuck?

I got your back Chuck

(you will act as my airbag..)

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>As a regular jumper, HOWEVER, I would not presume to tell somebody
>they should not jump because they don't have an AAD, or if they liked to
>pull low.
As an instructor I sometimes say just that. I agree that experienced jumpers should have the option, but before a certain point they simply do not understand the risks.

+1 roger that...

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What I saw the wind do to people today

Was, us four old salts geared up for a lift, after watching the winds for over an hour 1/2 (dying down) standing there about to get in the 182 when a good gust passed by, one was heard to say "did ya feel that gust?" Yep! Checks wind o meter 10mph just did 27, about that time another old salts says, "too old to get hurt in high winds!" I went home and mowed the lawn.

Oh well I'm sitting in my easy chair typing as the skies call, and not the ER or recovery and my gear still looks pretty, call'in for rain tomorrow.

Right on!

Guns dont kill people...

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It's all Greek to me...

It's russian..

Then it's all French to me, but Mike has the right idea - the international language...

Pretty much everything concerning the OP’s YouTube link has been covered and then some in this thread.
Additionally there is a lot of good information on DZ.com concerning the proper (and not so proper) way to deal with a PCIT and all that that implies.
A quick and simple search should land lots of reading – but there is no substitute for personalized training with qualified instructional personnel.

Staying current and highly proficient on malfunction training is paramount in dealing with a true PCIT as is ALTITUDE AWARENESS - but of course, advoiding the situation all together is a good idea, and in the event of a PCIT, a little luck don’t hurt either.
I lost a friend who did not respond to a high speed bag-lock malfunction in time and lost his life as a result, the outcome of which may had been more conducive to not being buried had he reacted properly which may have been a direct result of a lack of proper training and practice.
So this topic, not only as an AFF Instructor but as a friend strikes close to home.

My good friend Don Yharling (R.I.P.) lost a close friend when their deploying main entangled with the bridle and PC during a PCIT, so remaining calm, and in a stable belly to earth body position may be key regardless which side of the cutaway or don’t cutaway line of thought you subscribe to.

I have had to cutaway a high speed situation, also a bag-lock and have self induced a couple of PCIT situations (not recommended) in my own personal training (had thousands of jumps at the time) – this malfunction is easily recognized and with proper training and practice is easily resolved with plenty of altitude to spare if it is recognized in time and dealt with in a manner that results in not becoming corpsed-up.

Did a quick Google search for [email protected]

http://www.mymodeltalk.com/jobs/model-castings-acting-auditions-metro-miami-ft-lauderdale-florida/5087-great-spaces-short-film.html?language=be

It's all Greek to me...

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Please keep the thread on topic, which is what to do when low

That'll learn you, Sparky!

It’s not me we are try’n “learn”. I did my dumb shit years ago and was lucky enough to survive.
Sparky

Don't we all go through that phase Sparky? When we know more than others who have forgotten more about skydiving than we have learned yet?

The OP will probably survive, 1.whatever wing loading talkbacking and all as most of us who were once on the bounce bingo lotto – Oh my god, have I become an old-timer?

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Are you asking because you don't know the answer or is it that after an answer is given, you can tell them how wrong they are and feel superior?

No, its cause I am at home sick with cancer and it is too painful to sit up and type much. When I am feeling better I will try...

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I've heard your suppose to try and roll on your side to clear the burble if that happens.
Can you try once to give the bridle a yank?

Anyone?

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?filter=lf#/album.php?aid=4857&id=100000360219673

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In terms of proficiency cards, my DZ keeps them in a file at the DZ rather than sending them with the student... ...we've had enough lost cards, then try to reconstruct, experiences over the years.

This reasoning is ridiculous.
There is no good reason for the DZ to keep a students proficiency card.

If the instructor’s are doing their job, then getting a proficiency card caught up or, in the case of a lost card, starting a new one will only take a matter of minutes and should not require “reconstruction”.
Every item that was signed off during the student’s progression should be noted in their logbook. It is not rocket science, this is just a case of AFF Instructors crapping out on their duties.

I have worked with students who did not have their card with them and told me that it was “on file” at another DZ, then their logbooks were not filled out properly – talk about a major league frustrating pain in the ass.
AFF Instructors out there, do your jobs. It only takes a few seconds to properly fill out a logbook and keep the proficiency cards current.
Being an AFF Instructor is more than just freefall.

Skydiving students are not children, give them their freaking cards and logbooks.

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only talks to wuffos about wuffo stuff

Coaching? Yes...
Get a parachite over your head - Land Safely - Repeat...

Go jump your ass off! Have fun and as long as you continue to put safety first you will get it sorted out. NEVER put freefall skills before safety.

Have fun! That is what it is all about...