AFFI

Nothing happened to fun jumping with any experience level, jumping with newcomers is alive and well here in our corner of the world. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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

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

Don’t know what state you are in but consider Texas, there are tons of nurses that jump at Spaceland and nursing jobs are easy to score in the Houston area… This weekend we are having a “newbie” RW competition that matches newcomers to skydiving on a 4 way team with more experienced skydivers. Just one example of how well we cater to the new jumper. The rEvolution is coming! - 4 Way Challenge Jan. 24 Please join us on Jan 24th for the rEvolution 4 Way Challenge. In this event, participants will be teamed up to compete against each other in a fun/learning environment. For low timers this is a great chance for you to check out the world of 4 way and meet other jumpers. For the more experienced jumper the challenge will be organizing and structuring the dives as they are presented to your team. Participants will be debriefed on all their skydives; this includes debrief of the engineering of the jump, the freefall, and landings. Canopy coaches will be stationed at multiple targets to video landings. Teams will be drawn the morning of the event and paired based on experience. The Challenge will consist of 3 rounds (presented at the participants briefing) with Jan 25 being our rain date. This event is especially for new jumpers and is focused on teaching and learning. This is a great warm-up for the 4 way scrambles in February. Cost is $79 per person; this includes your jumps as well as all video and coaching. Following the 4 Way Challenge we will have organized jumps for all levels; these jumps have standard jump prices. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Then they just call him Sparky...

Kids these days, get their little old 33 years and think they have it all figured out eh? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

It is my understanding that no one does gear checks on each other anymore. Here is a quote from the other thread: I don't know where this guy learned to skydive, but any DZ I have ever been to, skydivers performing checks on one another is the norm and the only ones who don't get them are the idiots setting a bad example for the newer jumpers. Today my student has been giving me complete gear checks before boarding and before exit on every load. How in the hell does a skydiver not trust another skydiver? Kids these days, get their little old 500 jumps and think they have it all figured out eh? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me

Second that. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time and covering your routing at the chest buckle does not allow for a visual inspection by others on the load. I have spotted a misrouted chest-strap from halfway across a full Otter before, but had that person covered up their mistake I would have never seen it. I know there is at least one manufacture that recommends this type of routing but I never understood why they would design their chest buckle in this configuration. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Joe is in demand as well – and BTW, I happen to work with the finest camera flyers (also AFF rated) available. Still, I prefer to work with my student one on one with NO possibility of interference or distraction. In defense of the full time skydiver whose sole vocation is skydiving with no other source of income. We have to earn a living… That being said, me personally, I still spent hours and hours ground training and giving free refresher courses, jump with low timers on my own nickel and shoot videos on my own dime on a regular basis just for the love of the sport. So I can understand both sides of the issue. If you say, built houses for a living and Jimmy Carter started taking bread off your children’s table building his humanity houses in your area for free I can understand some frustration from the working man. A little understanding can go a long way… Reminds me of a little joke: What do you call a fulltime skydiver without a girlfriend??? Homeless... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

License: A Jumps: 25 Years: 1 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I have been watching this thread with interest. Certainly, traffic awareness, control check and all that that implies… One thing to keep in mind, skydivers have been seriously injured and/or died as a result of un-stowing their toggles below an altitude that is safe to cutaway from (recent incident report?) due to a hung up toggle and impacted after a subsequent cutaway before reserve inflation or spiraled into the ground. So no matter what your particular modus operandi just remember that if you do not adhere to safe, FUNDAMENTAL skydiving practices then you may become a “sacrificial lamb” that we use as an example of what not to do. Any practice you decide to employ, remember to adhere to decision altitude recommendations and be in a configuration that is safe to land at or above your hard deck. Keep your priorities in order… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Uncle Don was an awesome experience, but it is kinda hard to get in touch with him these days... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I have a setup with stills on top and a ring-sight and all that jazz for shooting and another just for students - both half-raks.... Definitely… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Wearing a video camera on student jumps is no big deal. I have worn one on virtually every instructional jump in my rather short career (only around 600 instructional jumps) and have made my share of “saves” over the years (spinners, rollovers, tumblers etcetera) and the camera has never once been an issue, hindrance or created any sort of problem whatsoever. In terms of being a fantastic teaching aide it had proven invaluable. I debrief student jumps onto a real time DVD recorder and students are able to take their jumps home to review. It is good for training purposes and promotional purposes as students show their progression to their friends. Not only that, but it has been very helpful in the review of jumps that were with problem students to assist in the development of planning and preparing the best course of action with other instructors. This aspect has benefited my and others instructors I work with in educating and bettering ourselves as solo freefall instructors. I do not wear a cameye or ringsight, just a closed box setup with a PC style camcorder, so no indicator lights or ringsights to create distractions or added snagablilty. I want to have all of my attention on the student in the air, so I just reach back and hit the record button when the red light goes on, if I get the jump fine but I do not concentrate on framing – I fly as if the camera was not there as it is secondary to safety. As for having outside camera or lurkers of any kind in student jumps? I absolutely will not allow lurkers in any circumstance and really prefer not to have outside camera hired either as this has created distractions to the student I am working with in the past and can create added difficulty to an animated combat jump. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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

Skydiving is my life and while recovering from tramatic spinal surgery had to take an entire year off - and believe it or not, gravity worked just fine when I got back in the air. Be patient, you only have one body, one life.... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What's a "rig"? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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

YUP... Sacrificial lamb... But then again, maybe not... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Self induced: Performance maneuvers under canopy can be a lot of fun but it is important that jumpers understand that making such maneuvers can induce a situation that makes a functioning canopy overhead unsafe to land. General rule of thumb is not to make performance maneuvers beneath an altitude you are not willing to cutaway from - I.E. your hard deck/decision altitude as recommended by the U.S.P.A.. Have fun up high, and once beneath your decision altitude, then this is a great time to practice more docile maneuvers like slow flight/flat turns which is an important skill to learn. Altitude awareness: It is critically important that a jumper maintain altitude awareness when dealing with a potentially fixable partial malfunction. The first step in dealing with any such situation should be as part of a jumpers training is an altitude check and constant awareness of. Continued training after student status is critical and often overlooked by "experienced" jumpers. Sacrificial lamb: Seems like every year one or two jumpers make this mistake, they either self induce linetwists at a low altitude or lose altitude awareness when dealing with a low speed partial malfunction they are trying to fix. It is unfortunate that some jumpers are injured or killed making such mistakes, but we can use these instances as examples to learn from and to teach others safe skydiving practices. Your signature line says it all, I like it – Either learn from your mistakes or someone else will. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Don't have to worry about that, I am likely the only skydiver in the history of the sport that ever experienced "issues" during the course of life. Just in the event that they are able to hide their personal issues from me while teaching them to skydive safely, howzubout I have every student provide a detailed report from a qualified and competent psychiatrist to ensure that they never had or are currently experiencing any form of negative emotions or depression of any kind what-so-ever? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…