AFFI

The policy of the DZ where I was is to bring the newly rated instructors slowly, to learn the system. After doing abut 20 jumps under the supervision of a seasoned instructor, I then found myself jumping with all levels and acquiring all kinds of memorable (to say the least) experiences… Have fun… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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

Instructors do compete, only not against other skydivers but rather the competition is against the uneducated (apathy and mediocrity), the elements, the ground - judgment calls are extremely important. There is nothing more challenging/exciting than properly training, then releasing someone for the first time – anything can happen so you better be ready, lives are at stake… The first release dive, it’s my favorite… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

After being asked what my favorite discipline in skydiving was I replied that it was Instruction. The respond was “I'm sorry... I have never heard of that (Instruction) as a discipline. It may be a type of jump but I don't agree that it is a discipline. Why don't you ask in the forums and see what others say.“ So the question is in the forums… Is Instruction a discipline? dis•ci•pline [ d s -pl n ] 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. 2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control. 3. a. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order. b. A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline. c. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom. 4. Punishment intended to correct or train. 5. A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order. 6. A branch of knowledge or teaching. tr.v. dis•ci•plined, dis•ci•plin•ing, dis•ci•plines 1. To train by instruction and practice, especially to teach self-control to. 2. To teach to obey rules or accept authority. See Synonyms at teach. 3. To punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience. 4. To impose order on: needed to discipline their study habits. [Middle English, from Old French descepline, from Latin discipl na, from discipulus, pupil ; see disciple.] dis ci•pli•nal [ -pl -n l ] adj. dis ci•plin er n. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

My wife just did recurrencey ground training yesterday (A License holder); I had another instructor that I trust to be through train her for emergency procedures. She did not require an AFF instructor jump with her, if she had I would have had another instructor (that I trust to be through) do the instructional jump with her. There seems to be hindrances I have witnessed when a husband trains his wife – as an instructor I must be totally in charge of the training, as a husband I treat my wife as an equal as much as my egocentric, macho and testosterone drenched personality is able. There have been times while training a student that I have had to stop and tell a student with control issues “I’ll be the instructor and you be the student”. If that hint dosent work I will tell them to shut the hell up, leave their control issues at home or go find another instructor. This level of control that I must have over skydive training sessions may transfer to the tranquility my wife and I share. There are other competent instructors at our DZ that can train her (if none I trust are available, I will work with her if needed). I’ll prefer to just go down with her for fun… Of course, that is just us, others may have different situations... Not one packing method applies for all - ya know??? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I only have around 500 instructional jumps, so I am still just getting started and haven’t learned as much about skydive instruction as some of my respected mentors have forgotten. So I will humbly give my opinion on this topic. For me, amongst the most difficult things to learn as a USPA skydiving instructor is to READ each individual student. Each one learns differently and at varying rates, each student needs to be treated differently, in a variety of manners. Some need to be leaned on tough or treated with “kid gloves” and some soak it all up and are on their “A” game. Although rapport and trust is important, I believe that if an instructor instills in a student the idea that if anything goes wrong they will “save” them no matter what, that instructor is doing an injustice to that student. Even Superman has some weaknesses and we are supposed to be building competent self sufficient skydivers… As for the second hand report of how the situation took place on the plane, everyone sometimes make comments that may be a little off timed every now and then, no need to rush into a state of self righteous indignation and opinionated “arm chair quarterbacking” (the easiest thing to do as a USPA instructor). Preparation before first release dive should be complete. By this time the student should be quite familiar with emergency procedures and gear. The student must EARN the release based on previous preformance and freefall preformance to the point of release. 1) Roll out of bed technique 2) AIR rule (Altitude Aware, In control and Relaxed) 3) 5 Second rule (if not AIR for 5 seconds, deploy main) At this point MOST of my students know that they are responsible for their survival, and if they see my parachute coming out (which happens no lower that 2K) that means they have around 12 seconds left, better make something happen soon… We are skydiving, no time to sugarcoat things because gravity inst going to give us any breaks. A short story: A middle aged woman full of fear, clingy, would not jump with any other instructor and having nothing but problems, especially at exit – terrified of the Cessna (we are an Otter DZ). Around jump 6 (through her 20 jump student progression) we had an opportunity to get Cessna load (a novelty at the DZ I work at). I told her, if she was not willing to make a Cessna jump, then she could just find another instructor. She reluctantly consented, cried almost all the way to altitude. Did I treat her with “kid gloves”? Hell no… She was well trained and prepared to take care of her business irregardless of how she was acting on the way to altitude, she was prepared. When the Cessna door opened, her face SCREAMED reluctance, her first SOLO exit - from the Cessna, tears streaming down her face she made her way out on the step with extreme trepidation. Hanging on to the strut, she let go, tumbled and corrected straight away (stability from an unstable body position) then proceeded to have her best in air performance to that point in her training. She never had another issue on exits nor in freefall – all she needed was confidence, she was fixed. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[I'd rather have an Instructor out there that tells people that they are responsable to save themselves and that the Instructor should not be trusted to save them anymore than an AAD will, than an Instructor that placates the student by telling them that they are there to "save them"....Cause that is BS.] AMEN Brother!!! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Good words from Liemberg! I’ve encountered similar situations and have even had to recommend to some that if they really wanted to skydive, perhaps tandems would be a better outlet for them. I have had students full of fear, after a few (or 10) tandems some were finally ready to take on solo skydive instruction. Knowing when to say when – making judgment calls are difficult decisions we must make as USPA instructors. Safety is primary and besides, if you are as scared as I am to land whilst still “inside” an airplane, ride downs can be quite invigorating (I.E. fun)… Totally understand feelings of failure. Feeling that you have “failed” may mean that you are endeavoring to become better, how you progress afterward is up to you. Do your students a favor and decide to keep getting better. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I do not understand the philosophy. Is this what you teach your students? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

1) Stay Calm (in lieu of don’t panic?) I only have around 500 actual student skydives as a USPA instructor and ground train for anyone who might be busy (ground training is the most important part), so still a work in progress as an instructor. I was fortunate enough to be taught by some very experienced and very good instructors - I stood beneath them and caught their drippings. There is no way I expect an early jump student to know all the information, some can take in more than others, have yet to see a student “get it all” right away. I DO expect them to know the difference between a Total and a Partial, and the difference between a “Good” and “Bad” parachute and what to do about it. Sadly, most A licensed skydivers are not proficient in emergency procedures either (I know I wasn’t). So far in my experience most students get their A license and continued training goes out the window so to speak and the freefall and social aspect becomes what skydiving is all about. Fortunately I work at a very busy DZ with a 20 jump program, students who graduate our program should be able to TEACH malfunctions once they complete our program. I have seen people die and become seriously injured (potentially) as a result of a lack of continued training. The vast majority of injuries and deaths occur at landing, perhaps landing is overlooked as a safety aspect? I know instructors who are afraid to stall their parachute at a safe altitude, isn’t much scarier to do it at 30 feet AGL? I have seen many instructors take students out before they were thoroughly and/or properly trained and in poor weather conditions. The law of averages dictates that the student will be alright irregardless on that jump, but what about tomorrow, next week or next year? I do not train a student (human being) because I want to make jumps but rather I want to teach people how to engage in skydiving activities safely. To plant seeds of safe, sound fundamental practices that they will use throughout their careers. Teaching people how to jump out of an airplane and land safely is serious business; at least I take it seriously. That is why I make these postings, so ideas and conversation can take place – the collective genius makes those of us who are open-minded better. So I thank all who participate for making me a better USPA instructor. Any USPA instructor who teaches there is no such thing as a partial malfunction is doing an injustice to their students… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Learned a lot from the feedback of other instructors concerning totals, lets see how much stimulating communication this posting generates. Students learn at varying rates, but we must know the fundamentals at some point, perhaps before acquisition of the A license? Horseshoe Malfunction This is a High Speed Partial Malfunction. The definition of a Horseshoe malfunction is that your container is open and the parachute is connected to your body somewhere other than the risers. Out of Sequence Deployment:(Throw Hackey, if necessary-cut away, deploy reserve) 1. Don’t panic. 2. Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3. Take immediate and appropriate action. A Normal Deployment sequence is: Step 1) Throw your pilot chute. Step 2) Container opens and parachute comes out. Step 3) Parachute opens and inflates. In an Out of Sequence situation the container has opened but pilot chute is still in the pouch – essentially, Step 2 has happened (container is open) but Step 1 has not. Attempt to locate and deploy your pilot chute. The main container tray is opened and the parachute is potentially out so the bottom flap (where the BOC hackey handle is located) may not be where it normally is. Place you right hand on the back of your thigh and feel your way up your leg to the bottom of the container in an attempt to locate the hackey handle. Keep in mind to maintain an arched body position and your hand kept facing skyward to prevent a potential entanglement with the pilot chute bridal. Remember, this is a high speed situation, you are loosing altitude fast. The USPA SIM 2005 states: Premature container opening in freefall (hand deployment only): I. Attempt to locate and deploy the pilot chute first (no more than two attempts or two seconds, whichever comes first). II. If the pilot chute can’t be located after two tries or if deploying the pilot chute results in a partial malfunction, cut away and deploy the reserve. a) Pilot chute bridle wrapped around arm/leg, the parachute is out. Two attempts to clear the entanglement by presenting the extremity with the bridle caught on it skyward, away from your body and into the wind. If you cannot clear the pilot chute, now you have to find out if the pin has been pulled or not to determine the type of malfunction you have. Total or Horseshoe (partial)? Remember, you are loosing altitude fast. 1. Don’t panic. 2. Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3. Take immediate and appropriate action. If your pin has been extracted and the container is open you have a partial (Horseshoe) malfunction, Initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction, cutaway (making sure the 3 rings have released thus clearing a path for reserve deployment) and deploy your reserve. > This is a totally preventable situation by maintaining good body position and keeping your hand skyward during the deployment of a throw-out pilot chute BOC system. 3) Partial Malfunctions (Cut away, pull reserve handle) 1. Don’t panic. 2. Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3. Take immediate and appropriate action. There are two types of parachutes, GOOD and BAD. A GOOD canopy can be landed safely, a BAD one cannot. Some BAD canopies can be fixed and made GOOD, some cannot – learn the difference! In an unfixable partial malfunction situation, you must fully release the main parachute before deploying your reserve to avoid a potential entanglement. Whenever you initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction it is important to look at your emergency handles as you take corrective action Take your eyes off of the problem (the malfunctioning parachute) and put them on the solution, (your emergency handles). The proper way to initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction: I. RELEASE anything that may be in your hands (like your toggles). II. LOOK at your red cutaway pillow and firmly grasp it with your right hand (your right hand is the “push” hand) wrapping your fingers around it, place your left hand over your right and firmly grasp the red cutaway pillow using both hands. This will decrease the chance of an out of sequence procedure and in the event of a difficult extraction (hard pull). Maintain an arched body position by pushing your hips forward. III. PEEL the Velcro from the bottom of the red cutaway pillow toward your sternum. The reason you peel from the bottom is because there are two yellow cables leaving the top of the pillow and going into the hard housings. At this point your eyes should already be fixed on your silver reserve handle. Maintain an arched body position by pushing your hips forward. IV. PUSH the red cutaway pillow straight toward your groin until you are at full arm extension, your triceps muscles should be flexed and your hands should be close to your bodies groin area. After both risers are released simply let go of the red cutaway pillow (no need to throw it). The reason you PUSH straight down towards your groin is because there are two yellow cables leaving the top of the pillow and going into the hard housings. Think of the mechanics involved, if you punch away from your body (perpendicular) you may create a bend in your yellow cable potentially resulting in a hard extraction. Maintain an arched body position by pushing your hips forward. V. Looking at your silver reserve handle (located over your heart) insert your left thumb through the ring of the handle and grasp it firmly (thumb through to prevent the handle slipping from your hand, now your left hand is the “push” hand). Place your right hand over your left and firmly grasp the silver reserve handle using both hands. This will decrease the chance of an out of sequence procedure and in the event of a difficult extraction (hard pull). Maintain an arched body position by pushing your hips forward. VI. PUSH the Silver Reserve Handle straight toward your groin until you are at full arm extension, your tricep muscles should be flexed and your hands should be close to your bodies groin area. The reason you PUSH straight down towards your groin is because there is a silver cable leaving the top of the reserve handle and going into a hard housing. Think of the mechanics involved, if you punch away from your body (perpendicular) you may create a bend in your silver cable potentially resulting in a hard extraction. Maintain an arched body position by pushing your hips forward. VII. ARCH, take your silver handle and stow in your jumpsuit, grasp the red steering toggles and land your reserve canopy in an area free of obstacles. 1. Don’t panic. 2. Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3. Take immediate and appropriate action. a) Streamer This is a high speed partial malfunction. When your parachute comes out of the deployment bag it looks a lot like a streamer malfunction and can be very deceptive because it looks like the beginning of a typical opening, but it is stuck. The slider is stuck high on the suspension lines, not allowing the parachute to inflate fully with air. This is a high speed situation so it is important to recognize promptly and take corrective action. Right when you throw your pilot chute, start counting: One Thousand, Two Thousand, Three Thousand, Four Thousand, Five Thousand – Six. You should definitely have a recognizable parachute over your head (image of a streamer compared to a mostly opened parachute) by the time the word “Six” comes out of your mouth. If you have a Streamer malfunction, Initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction promptly as this is a high speed situation. b) Line over This is a medium to low speed partial malfunction. The line(s) will come over the top, pinching and distorting the canopy and dividing it into two separate lobes. Careful to not saw lines back and forth across the canopy during any malfunction correction attempt as the friction heat could cause severe damage to the canopy. Initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction. c) Bag lock This is a high speed partial malfunction. The bag lock will typically stand you up vertical, reducing the drag of your body to the relative wind and you may even go faster than a stable belly to earth terminal velocity, a bag lock is a high speed partial malfunction. 1. Don’t panic. 2. Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3. Take immediate and appropriate action. Initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction immediately. d) Structural failure that you cannot steer or land There are varying ideas as to how to handle structural damage to your main canopy. The key in this description is that your canopy is not controllable. Q: How many parachutes do you have? A: Two. Q: How many lives do you have? A: One. This is simple mathematics. Trust your reserve… 4) Unusual Openings that may require you to initiate emergency procedures (cut away, deploy reserve) a) Broken line(s) After deploying your main canopy, something isn’t right. Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter and establish your priorities based on your altitude. Ask yourself, can I safely land this canopy? Perform a control check, if you can safely land it remain traffic aware and proceed to your holding area. During the visual assessment you notice that your canopy has a broken line. If you are above your hard deck and your canopy passed the control check, fly your canopy gently with no performance maneuvers, navigate toward your holding area whilst remaining altitude aware; continue to test the controllability of your canopy. This way when you reach your decision altitude you will be making the best informed decision you can. If you have multiple broken lines or you are in doubt, trust your reserve. Remember, if you have your toggles in your hands; RELEASE them before you initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction. What if the line that is broken is a control line? First off, what would be happening to the flight characteristics of your canopy? It would be turning and diving much like a premature brake release. Remember that when you turn and dive there is a pendulum effect and you may no longer have the canopy above your head. So you grab both toggles and flare, one of the toggles is not connected to the canopy as a result of the broken control line. Remain ALTITUDE aware! You may be able to control your canopy using your rear risers but your practice time is altitude dependent, remember your decision altitude. If you are in doubt, trust your reserve. Remember, if you have your toggles in your hands; RELEASE them before you initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction. Learn how to control your canopy using rear riser input because one day you might be faced with such a scenario. b) Severe line twists with canopy spinning Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! Pull risers apart, twist body and scissor kick in the opposite direction of the twists. When grasping your risers do not grab high on the risers near the suspension lines because the canopy may not be finished spinning and you do not want to get the risers wrapped around your hand or forearm (have seen videos of this happening). Grasp your risers around forehead level with your palms facing outwardly; this will keep your altimeter in view so you can monitor your altitude continually whilst you deal with this situation. DO NOT un-stow your toggles until you are out of the line twists because this can worsen the situation. If you begin to spin and become horizontal, you look out beyond your canopy and see the horizon zooming by; it is very unlikely that you will be able to recover. The more time passes, the more altitude you loose, the faster you spin! Trust your reserve. 5) Common Openings that need to corrected before 2500ft. or initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction. Altitude Awareness whilst dealing with a potentially fixable partial malfunction is absolutely essential. It is easy to loose track of altitude when adrenalin levels are high (clearly indicated by the poop in your pants) and temporal distortion can take place. Altitude Awareness is a top priority! If you cannot correct the situation before reaching your decision altitude - initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction. a) Line twists with canopy flying straight Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! Pull risers apart, twist body and scissor kick in the opposite direction of the twists. When grasping your risers do not grab high on the risers near the suspension lines because the canopy may not be finished spinning and you do not want to get the risers wrapped around your hand or forearm (have seen videos of this happening). Grasp your risers around forehead level with your palms facing outwardly; this will keep your altimeter in view so you can monitor your altitude continually whilst you deal with this situation. DO NOT un-stow your toggles until you are out of the line twists because this can worsen the situation. b) Slider hang-up (needs to be near the risers with full control of the canopy) Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! Flare twice to bring slider down; the slider should come at least halfway down the suspensions for the canopy to be controllable. Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter and establish your priorities based on your altitude. Ask yourself, can I safely land this canopy? Perform a control check, if you can safely land it remain traffic aware and proceed to your holding area. c) End Cell Closure – Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! Flare twice to open, perform a control check. By the time you are finished with your control check the problem will likely be corrected (Pascal’s Principle). d) Pre-mature brake release (turning with no line twists) – Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! What if one of the toggles (brakes) release and become un-stowed during deployment? First off, what would be happening to the flight characteristics of your canopy? It would be turning and diving because you have asymmetrical drag along of the trailing edge of your canopy. Remember that when you turn and dive your canopy there is a pendulum effect and you may no longer have the canopy above your head. Release both toggles and flare twice; you have just correct your problem, you should now be flying straight when at full flight. If you are not flying straight, remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter and establish your priorities based on your altitude. Ask yourself, can I safely land this canopy? Perform a control check, if you can safely land it remain traffic aware and proceed to your holding area. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Will other instructors please email any thoughts on how I am teaching the total malfunction to students? [email protected] Three easy steps in dealing with a malfunction: 1.Stay Calm - Don’t Panic 2.Visual Assessment 3.Immediate and Appropriate Action Total Malfunctions (Deploy the Reserve) A) Cannot find hackey handle or extract the pilot chute Two vigorous attempts: I.After the first attempt let go and arch, you may be inadvertently grasping part of your jumpsuit or gear. II.On the second attempt, stay calm, place you right hand on the back of your thigh and feel your way up your leg to the bottom of the container in a last effort to find your hackey. III.In the event that you have extracted part of the pilot chute and it is flapping in the wind, don’t chase the hackey, on your second attempt, follow your hand up the back of your thigh, grasp the fabric of the pilot chute nearer to the BOC pouch and throw it. Keep in mind to maintain an arched body position and your hand kept facing skyward to prevent a potential entanglement with the pilot chute bridal. Remember, this is a high speed situation, you are loosing altitude fast. The USPA SIM 2005 states: “If altitude permits, the jumper should make no more than two attempts to solve the problem (or a total of no more than two additional seconds). B) Pilot chute in tow (a Pilot Chute hesitation might be occurring) Right when you throw your pilot chute, start counting: One Thousand, Two Thousand, Three Thousand – “Shouldn’t I be feeling something by now? In the event you are experiencing a pilot chute hesitation, look over your left shoulder to recognize, this will spill air across your back and disrupt your burble. Train yourself to look over your left shoulder, because it keeps your altimeter and reserve deployment handle close in your view. If you observe that you have a pilot chute in tow you should be able to recognize it easily trailing behind you. The USPA SIM 2005 states: For a pilot-chute-in-tow malfunction, there are currently two common and acceptable procedures, both of which have pros and cons. An instructor should be consulted prior to gearing up, and each skydiver should have a pre-determined course of action. Pilot chute in tow procedure 1: (what I teach students) Pull the reserve immediately. A pilot chute- in-tow malfunction is associated with a high descent rate and requires immediate action. The chance of a main-reserve entanglement is slim, and valuable time and altitude could be lost by initiating a cutaway prior to deploying the reserve. Be prepared to cutaway. Pilot chute in tow procedure 2: (It was suggested by a very experienced instructor that this response for students requires less for them to think about, “if the pilot chute come out, cutaway) Cut away, then immediately deploy the reserve. Because there is a chance the main parachute could deploy during or as a result of the reserve activation, a cutaway might be the best response in some situations. C) Pilot chute bridle wrapped around arm/leg, the parachute is not out. Two attempts to clear the entanglement by presenting the extremity with the bridle caught on it skyward, away from your body and into the wind. If you cannot clear the pilot chute, now you have to find out if the pin has been pulled or not to determine the type of malfunction you have by looking over your shoulder (visual assessment). Total or Horseshoe (partial)? Remember, this is a high speed situation, you are loosing altitude fast. 1.Don’t panic. 2.Do a rapid assessment of the situation. 3.Take immediate and appropriate action. If your pin has not been extracted and the container is closed you have a total malfunction, deploy your reserve. This is a preventable situation by maintaining good body position and keeping your hand skyward during the deployment of a throw-out pilot chute BOC system. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Go into your course prepared. Train train train!!! Go on jumps with current instructors that have been down that path and have them challenge you more than you will be at the AFFCC. If you go in prepared it will be easy… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

This one really gets em sometimes: There was a solar flare this morning (looking really serious) and gravity may have been affected up to 15%! Make sure you expose your gravity vents (touching my hard housings) to ensure a stable fall rate. They say REALLY? And I simply say… No… If they are uptight on the plane I tell them if they fart it will make them more comfortable… If you hit a cloud at the right angle they will skip off of it like skipping a rock across the surface of a pond. I am surprised how many takers of this line want to try it… I work at an upscale DZ near a large city with 3 otters – we do not make jokes about being intoxicated, sexual innuendo, getting injured or killed. It is okay to joke around BUT very important to instill in your students mind that they are safe and will be taken care of. It is not political correctness but rather this: The idea of tandem training is to introduce newcomers to the sport safely and to get them to come back and eventually go solo. It is of paramount importance that they understand that their safety is first. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Think Wing Loading - is pointless to discuss canopy sizes without mentioning Wing Loadings. Combine that with your experience and currency level and add a pinch of reckless abandon and walla! You have what you get based on your decisions – might be a great swoop, an exposed femur or worse. Remember, there is a fine line between prodigy and statistic in our sport. Let’s spend the rest of our lives skydiving and not in a wheelchair or coffin. TAKE YOUR TIME! What is the hurry to get “badass”? AFF-I

Braked approach and Landing requirement: an interpretation, for that's all that it is, would lead me to conclude that the degree of control input by the student would absolutely be equipment/wing loading dependent, as well factoring in the wind conditions existing (down to the deck) when the canopy flight in question is planned. The definition of what is "braked" will vary a bit from DZ to DZ and Instructor to Instructor. After all, isn't every landing aside from full flight a 'braked landing" at some point prior to, or perhaps after, ground impact??? Good, bad or indifferent. I'm sure that the spirit and intent of this requirement is to ensure that the student understands and can discern between the various modes of flight of their canopy, which on their final student canopy flights should include approaches to and execution of a stall and demonstrating the ability to recover to full flight at an extravagant altitude, ergo, way up there, probably immediately following the determination of a good canopy, subsequent to the controllability check. This is directly paralleled in aviation flight instruction. How many folks have been killed over the years due partly or wholly to an imperfect understanding and feel for the safe envelope of flight for the canopy that they were using when they frapped? So a clear understanding of how to avoid a stall when the chips are down (new DZ, last load, running late, bad spot, tiny field, perhaps unfamiliar equipment, etc., or even a reserve ride) is essential. How many skydivers (including Instructors) out there these days have never truly stalled their canopy?????? "Oh, that's too scary." And their point is? The alternative is even scarier for most normal folks. In all cases common sense should be exercised by each Instructor, therefore in essence tailoring the requirement to each student, not simply blindly adhering to a requirement in the program, applying what I would term 'collision avoidance of a cookie-cutter approach to canopy flight instruction'. The spirit and intent of the accuracy requirement is to have the student demonstrate proper expertise in landing their parachute where they plan to, without guidance. This is not a contest for Instructors in directing radio-controlled student skydivers to a spot landing. One consideration is that the "A" License requirement went up to 25 jumps in September 2003 - that's five more opportunities to work with "problem children" on their canopy skills. Experienced jumpers out there who did not have the luxury of going through an instructional program with emphasis placed on canopy piloting skills, it might be a prudent choice to participate in your survival by further education. Become proficient in slow flight and flat turns, braked approaches, rear riser control (steering and flaring, what if you loose a control line at 200 feet?), and learn how to use your front risers and how your canopy flight is affected by a plethora of control inputs. Run every conceivable scenario through your preparations and practices and be prepared fur the unexpected. Remember, if it can go wrong it will eventually. We are jumping out of airplanes! Train yourselves, be safety conscious and have the greatest fun humans have ever had! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

When boarding an airplane with the intent of jumping out be ready to jump mentally, physically and make sure your gear is ready too. How many times have you gotten on the plane, gotten wrapped up in the social activities and before you knew it jump run was the current event? Be ready to get out before getting in. Giving a cheststrap a "tug" is not sufficient, look at the buckle and visually inspect it, touch it with your finger and make sure it is correctly routed. When I am on the airplane for the ride to altitude I am scanning the gear of those around me, looking for problems. When performing a gear check start from the top to bottom - don’t look for something that is wrong - look for everything to be RIGHT. Then if something is incorrect it will stick out like a sore thumb. The one thing I find most often is a misrouted RSL. I see 100 jump wonders all the time getting out without pin and gear checks! It is ridiculous! Regardless of how we may feel about someone off the DZ, we need to trust one another and look out for one another. Get pin checks! Make sure your gear is properly maintained and that your cutaway cable is clean and the 3 rings are maintained. These components make up our escape mechanism and it absolutely must work. Our survival depends on it. If you are not ready and are rushed the possibility you may miss something increases so remember the old cliché: It is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air rather than in the air wishing you were on the ground. AFFI Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…