AFFI

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

It depends on what type of gear you are using. You will get briefed on the type of gear you are being trained on when you decide to get involved again. Your instructors will train you on the gear you will be using before your jump, so no worries... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Take a break and maybe when you comback it will be fun again, or find a different crowd...

I used to have a lot of different camera suit choices for different types of jumps but in the past several years it is all pretty much working jumps but more importantly I found a versatile suit I can utilize for a lot of different action. So if I am not instructing in an RW suit then I am in a Firefly Camera Suits, it is basically their free fly suit with wings and I use that for tandems, small students, shooting RW, Hybrids and when I free-fly with tiny people. It is pretty much all I need. I love the brass RSL attachments to my leg hardware so I know it is secure, it gives me the ability to fly with 100 lb solo students comfortable and confident, not worrying about what’s on my skin… The Firefly Camera suit is the best quality and designed camera suit I have ever used. http://www.fireflysuits.com/designs/pdfs/camerafreefly03.pdf Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What part of the world are you in?

What type of canopy were you learning on? Great point, but if there was no such thing as the internet you would have learned the two stage flare at your DZ. We learn to crawl before we walk or run. First you learned the basic fundamental of making a stand up, more importantly how to do a PLF - good place to start... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Good idea, lets see if anyone votes... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

This poll is targeted at skydivers who made Tandem Skydives and got video of their tandem. If your tandem instructor made silly gestures during your skydive did you

I feel the same way (especially the napping thing), but how do we know if the students like it or not? Are there any former tandem students who had a video made who LIKED or DISLIKED the TM's antics? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hell yeah! That is worth repeating! Rock on!!! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hearing about a friend whos friends second cousins girlfriends ex-mother in law was even worse than that!

300 would be really hard to match fallrates with! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Ummmmm, beer?

We always try to use names, but sometimes when the names don't get posted (it happens sometimes) we use the color of the canopy and out of the 7 years I have been working there it has never been an issue. Similar sounding names has though (like Bill and Will or one time there was Aaron and Erin on the same load, that was fun)... As long as the radio operator does what it takes to establish and maintain communication. Learning to use the radio properly is one of the more difficult aspects of learning to be a good instructor. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Total agreement with skybytch, again... Contact the school you will be jumping at and see what they will allow you to use and start with that. My first gear purchases were a pro tech helmet, altimeter goggles and gloves. I got that after my first jump cause I did not want to, as bytch so delicately put it wear someone else’s sweat. Another option is to take a week off and fly down south to take the course. At Skydive Spaceland (http://www.skydivespaceland.com/stp.html) they have a program for people who do exactly that and can graduate you in a week. People come from all over Canada and Europe to train there and many get graduated in a week, plus there are few DZ’s with a better or even equal program/student gear/LZ/airplanes. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Really? No radio at all? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

In general, I agree - but when it comes to students I do not believe this applies. When I am training a student in the particular method with the particular gear I am training them on and they get "advice" from another source (online, the packing room) then I must erase any information that may be counterproductive to the training being put forth in the system I am training in. There is only one place for a solo freefall student to receive advice, and that is in person, one on one between the student and their instructor. I believed this when I was an experienced jumper before I began training students and I believe it even more now. Like what specifically? It is mind numbing to consider the experience that someone with decades of current jumping and many thousands of jump has acquired. It would be more accurate to say that someone with that amount of experience has forgotten many times over more about skydiving then a newbie with 100 jumps has even learned yet. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Is this what is know as thread hijacking? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Grey hair! When a student is sinking below the tree line a mile and a half away on their first solo - it is not a good feeling... Been there... This is where ground training can make a difference, along with a little luck... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Goodness… I sat and read most of the posts in this thread and it is a noodle scratcher, no doubt about that… I still do not think I could sit down and explain to someone who has been using this “rule” (myth, whatever you wanna call it) why it does not work. Can anyone dumb it down into simple to understand 6th grade level terms? Without equations or quantum smartness? Just in plain and simple easy to understand, easy to explain and easy to remember terms? I’ll admit it, I ain’t too bright, but I suppose ya’ll didn’t need me to tell you that eh? Post #9 seems to explain what to use right? Do we all agree on that? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

If you can get out of the door in time

I have gone through it, and will again in all likelihood. It is just a part of being human. Fr all the times I was on the plane having doubts, there is an equal number of times I have been completely astonished how reliable the gear is after openings, especially those pack jobs that were done in a hurry. Whenever my brain try’s to protect me I can always VETO it and jump anyway, or ride the plane down and risk the chance of perishing in a landing accident. I think I am more fearful of landing in a jump plane that my own canopy. Control issues? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

So it is apparent that skydiving instructors do not have all the answers, it has been suggested many times before that as in any profession, there are some that are better able to teach and some more knowledgeable than others. So we can assume that there are some issues that we can take to instructors and some that are best learned from other sources? Question is how do we ascertain which is which? How can a student determine of they have a capable instructor? Perhaps instruction in skydiving is just a means to keep students alive and minimize the occurrence of injuries while they climb the learning curve? Here is a link to a great discussion on the "45 degree rule": http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1971076#1971076 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

"Talk to your instructors" is a piece of advice that is often given and often misunderstood. It may sometimes seem that this advice is given because someone does not want to take the time to give through advice or perhaps does not care enough about newcomers to the sport enough to give through explanations. It may seem sometimes difficult to understand why it is important to get advice or guidance from an individual qualified to give it in person where performance can be seen directly, and why it may sometimes be counterproductive to share ones “experiences” concerning a subject that may put ideas into the mind of the person seeking guidance online. For instance, advice given on how to land. Landing is one of the more difficult skills to become proficient at, and is often overlooked by many skydivers as one of the most important skills we learn. There are many variables that can alter the outcome of landing safely from types of canopies being piloted, various conditions that nature can produce, long spots, landing off and hazards not to mention the various methods that can be incorporated in the teaching of this skill. I do not believe that it is a lack of concern or a desire to teach, I for one most certainly love to teach but receiving input online can be counterproductive to the method being taught not to mention all the other aforementioned variables. It would be interesting to hear why others may give the advice: “Talk to your instructors”… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Wow, you really put me in my place. I apologize for being of so little assistance to others and especially for not living up to your expectations. I will try harder, please, just give me a chance, I’ll be better, I promise I will… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…