inextremis

Go look at a Sigma passenger harness and container. On the passenger harness, the attachment webbing and hardware that attaches the passenger to the Sigma rig is about six inches long, meaning that the passenger's clavicle is roughly six to eight inches below the D ring on the container. The cutaway handle is five inches BELOW the D ring, behind the passenger's shoulder. It's good geometry in the majority of circumstances, but can be defeated if the TM lets the student reach up and back.

Not interested in the 10 fingers of death being above my student's shoulders and near cutaway handle while under canopy--good harness fit and bringing knees up to the "sitting in a swing" position helps. Leg grippers on student jumpsuits (or just excess fabric) can be grabbed as an assist.

I bought a very nice Sigma with a 370 main 4 years ago. I enjoy having it and doing maybe 75 tandems per year. I have never worked in a commercial context. I seldom ask for money beyond slots plus (usually $50 per jump). I can't defend it economically, but I like being able to take friends and acquaintances on tandems and I like owning and maintaining the rig and knowing exactly what's on my back. I skydive for enjoyment--that includes my tandems.

N/A

Yes, it was a top hook.

Had an unfortunate minor mishap--one of our instructors released an exuberant tandem passenger after an uneventful standup landing. She was excited to see her friends and started jumping up an down in the harness. When she turned her head to the side, one of the harness hooks (Sigma) flipped upwards and knocked a piece out of one of her front teeth. I've always warned my passengers to stay with me an watch for other jumpers after landing. Now I have one other thing to warn them about.

Getting onto this thread a little late, but I think I have something to add. I've never been a commercial tandem instructor, but I have my own Sigma and do about 100 tandems per year. I spend a minimum of 30 min with every student. Typically, I drive the hour to the DZ with my students, and on the drive up talk through every step of the jump in detail. Then, when we get to the DZ, I physically walk them through every step of the jump, from geting into the airplane, into the hanging harness for canopy control and landing practice, to walking off the DZ looking for traffic. As a result, my students are VERY heads up--they enjoy the experience, are VERY confident, and several have transitioned to the commercial DZ to go on to make other tandems and/or AFF. I would never say that commercial centers "should" spend an hour or more with students, but I will say that it changes their experience, mostly for the better, and it's the only way I operate as a private tandem owner. And it makes them better in the air, which is something I like a lot. It's exciting to hear about a robust training program for tandem students, thanks for sharing the note Gary.

Seat belts only until survivable reserve altitude (2K+) then left upper hook only until 8k, then all hooks until 11K when the laterals are tightened and the excess stowed.

Just called this DZ and talked to an absolute jerk. Annoying know it all with a heavy accent, kept interrupting me. I'm in no hurry to jump at this DZ.

I once saw a Canadian jumper at my home drop zone with a really small flotation device attached to her rig--smaller than a beer can. I can only find the Stearns style on the web. Any good links for compact flotation devices that could be affixed to a rig? thx

Same with UPT and Sigma, manufacturer recommends soft helmets for both instructor and student. I wear one mostly to maximize my chances of getting my student (and me) out of an airplane that has crashlanded.

Educate, train, and inspire--the first and second make them safer and the third makes them want to stay.

You might ask your rigger how he opened the rig to swap out the CYPRES. Sometimes there is an attempt to get a spectra pull up cord through the loop under the pin so that the loop is not lost into the reserve when the rig is opened (making it necessary to gently put a rod through the pack job or completely repack the reserve). Usually if you try to get a cord through the loop under the pin, the pin is bent slightly in the process. I did it once a few years ago on my own rig and discovered how dumb it was (and bought a new Mirage ripcord in the process). If your rigger bent your pin, he should replace the ripcord.

I do tandems with my own rig for people who I WANT to take on tandems. I really enjoy it (I've held various instructor ratings and enjoy teaching and developing students). I am also pretty much a weekender. The greatest challenge to part time tandem jumping is that it really gets in the way of developing skills in other disciplines. I feel very good about the quality of my tandem work, but my RW and freefall photography skills have definitely diminished somewhat. But no hint of burn out--I love the challenge and excitement of the sport more than ever. But if you do a lot of things for variety, it's tough to do all of those things well.

I think we're in agreement on most points. I'd love to bring you to West Point at some point to do some coaching for our demonstrators. Thanks, TAK

I don't know--I have some experience with students on both Mantas and Navigators. They're great parachutes, especially the latter, but they're designed not to stall, and so almost always have a little forward movement, as opposed to a large sized demo canopy (like a Star Trac II), which can be stopped (and therefore stalled). Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but if I didn't want to take any steps after a soft, on target landing, I'd jump a demo canopy (also Flight Concepts International) at a less than 1:1 wing loading. Just a thought.

I think a Spectre 190 would fit in your current rig, and you can stop most if not all of your forward speed with that canopy at your wing loading if you flare high to plane off airspeed and then use a full stroke at the bottom end--on my 170, to get that landing I feel like I'm pulling the tail down behind me. If you look closely in the attached photo, the brakes are on so hard that the rear risers are actually developing a little slack in them. You may have to shorten the toggles just a bit from factory setting--not much, maybe two inches. It will of course be tougher to pull off no-step stand ups on no-wind days. Lot of Spectre 190s around as rentals, you could try before you buy.

I think (based on the caption that says hop n pop with your new canopy) that you just didn't put the cable into the channel when you attached the canopy. If the cable is too short (ie, keeps coming out), there are lots of bad scenarios--I once reached across a three way early in the skydive, barely off the hill, and held a disconnected cable housing in front of the jumper's face so that he knew his main was disconnected, then watched him fall to 4K when he opened his reserve. I'm embarrased to say that we gutlessly stopped turning points, wasting 6K of otherwise good training time, but then again he was fairly contemplative during the remaining freefall, keeping a close eye on the silver handle he eventually pulled. In that case it was because his cable was dislodged on exit--somewhat easier to have happen if the cable is too short or the end of the cable isn't stowed.

I have had students who cinched their harnesses ridiculously tight--to the point where the chest and leg straps were tough to loosen. Something like that aside--your student needs to see a physician before he or she gets out of an airplane again. Could be a dozen or more medical issues completely unrelated to jumping.

On Friday, August 1 at 0815, a UH-1H helicopter landed on the North Dock heliport at West Point, and seven skydivers boarded, two of Nick's former parachute team coaches at West Point, a videographer, and four cadets--seniors who remember Nick as the team Captain in 2005. They lifted off the helipad that sat with the Hudson River on three sides, and flew low and fast up the river with the sun coming over the mountains to the east. In 15 min. they were at 10K over West Point, and the two coaches carried off a two way with a small black bag gripped between them. In a few seconds the four cadets, each with a double boot bracket of military red smoke, formed a no grips diamond formation next to the two way. At 6000 ft, the bag opened and a small puff of white disappeared into the air somewhere over the Hudson Valley. Black and gold parachutes spiralled down toward the historic parade ground on West Point known simply as The Plain. Seven standup landings in front of the general's review stand were greeted with applause. Each skydiver shook hands with Nick's father and hugged his mom, and then formally presented a baton passed on this, Nick's last skydive. The baton was crafted from the oak bedposts taken when the Army razed the old Airborne barracks at Ft. Bragg. As they finished the presentation, the UH-1H executed a farewell flyby. About an hour later in the West Point cemetery, a crowd gathered by the burial site, and the ground trembled slightly as about 40 motorcyle mounted Patriot Guards idled through the cemetery, leading the hearse. Nick's family, having just received his posthumous medals in a private ceremony, walked with the Commandant to chairs at grave side, less than 100 yards from Custer's grave. The Patriot Guards stood at respectful attention with full size American flags on staffs, while a military funeral detail in Army Dress Blue executed a flawless ceremony with full military honors, including the rifle salute and taps. More than a dozen Lieutenants and Captains from the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions, most former West Point skydivers and all friends of Nick, stood by in solemn respect. There was not a dry eye among the 200 plus attendees, who listened to the colors flap on a perfect August morning. Thanks for the jump, Nick. God speed, and blue skies.

I have a privately owned Sigma with a Sigma 370 main and the PD 360 reserve, Vigil. I could envision changing out the main for something else, but I'm not interested iin jumping anything but the Sigma harness and container. Got great service from UPT when they put in my Skyhook and magnets over the winter. I'm in the process of moving the Vigil to my little rig and replacing with a Cypres 2 Tandem (sent my C2 in for a four year last week and having it converted to Tandem).

I think the hard part initially would be getting ear plugs in (they don't like things touching their ears) then it would take about 3 times of screaming and thrashing and the 4th they would be all into it. That's how everything is...it's very hard to get them 'used to' something in public. People think we're torturing them. We can't explain anything to the boys, as they have no verbal communication (well, very VERY limited) so we have to drag them down the big slides kicking and screaming until they 'get it'. Then you can't keep 'em off of 'em. Sounds like the OP's passenger was high functioning, but getting a low functioning autistic into a wind tunnel might be so freeing to them...they love the water. He was, in fact, high functioning. His mother walked him through the waiver, but he signed it himself, she signed as witness. I was also able to ask him, as with all passengers before exit, "Do you want to skydive?" His ability to handle those two things got us to the legal and ethical place where we could do the jump.

Mine are the Micro Saviks and don't completely block the ear canal, so I could get more damage. They let all the sound in, and amplify only the higher frequencies where I have my loss, and only enough to compensate for the exact amount of loss. I'm fortunate to have normal hearing at lowerr frequencies, 4000hz and below. She suggested that I take them out and use hearing protection in and around the aircraft--I don't even take them to the DZ. Same when shooting weapons. If yours block your whole ear canal, I'm sure it works great to leave them in. Break Break--none of us managed to completely respond to Toastie's first post, YES you can also damage your ears if nasal congestion or other problems prevent the equalization of pressure across your eardrum, either on the way up or the way down. I have seen skydivers with stuffy heads in a lot of pain from that. I have personally never seen anyone have ear problems due to pressure if they were not nursing a cold or otherwise stopped up.

According to the FAA, the hearing standards for the Class 3 physical can be measured a number of different ways, to include simple tests like the physician turning away and speaking in a normal voice, etc. In terms of decibels of loss, the flight duty medical exam checklist (military) lists different standards for different frequencies, e.g. at 4000hz, less than or equal to 55 dB loss for Class 2/3/4 and less than or equal to 45 dB loss for Class 1/1a. I am over that at 4000hz and 6000hz (like 70 dB), but my flight surgeon cleared me, with no requirement to wear my aids (in fact, my audiologist told me not to wear them jumping). Hearing standards for these physicals can also be waived--and I would have applied for a waiver if he had been hesitant to clear me for flight status. I suspect that most physicians would have no trouble passing someone with reasonably functional hearing, aided or unaided, especially when the physical is for tandem jumping. Not sure about those who are completely deaf. Here is the link to the FAA standards: http://flightphysical.com/Exam-Guide/HEENT/Hearing-49.htm

Thanks, I was really happy for him. The real lesson is that when you're doing something unfamiliar, "homework" and especially the physical walk-through rehearsal will uncover a lot of issues that you then don't have to deal with unexpectedly. When you think about it, knowing the student and then training by walking through the process is really fundamental to all student training in the ISP. We just take a lot of short cuts with average Joes and Janes, which is fine for them, but for someone who needs some extra help, the more realism in the training, the better for everyone.