rmarshall234

We've had Ralph (the bus) packed for more than 24 hours but haven't yet been told to evacuate. Or, felt the need. We could see flames yesterday on the hillside to the S/E but the firefighters knocked those down. Just a ton of smoke, the air quality is really bad in Northern Escondido. The wind died down about 3 hours ago and it's pretty calm now.

The same program Scott Miller teaches is offered at Skydive Elsinore in So Cal. Next class is Mar 31st.

A student is any unlicensed skydiver. I see no reason to deny students the most glorious jump opportunity of the day - sunset. I can see the concern of putting a level I student out on a sunset load since they have not yet demonstrated the ability to find the dropzone and fly their canopy back towards it. Here in So Cal we do not have forested areas to loose a student in, so I can also understand the concern of those that do. As for myself - if I'm taking a level one student up for the sunset load I know I've got some additional concerns I need to manage and I'm expected to manage them well. I make sure the student has a clear recognition of the dropzone and that the radios are absolutely reliable. I don't take any marginal spots, and if the dive goes to shit I'm doing everything possible to not dump him out until a reasonable altitude. (I can't imagine two Instructors loosing control of a student at 14,000 ft). Plus, I've got a bullriders grip on my student before we get anywhere near the door. Everything we do out there is a risk, I feel I can manage the additional risk of taking students up on the sunset load.

Sure, why not. Just follow the BSR's and get them down before official sunset.

I am a (newbie) rigger, but I speak more from > 20 years of experience in the sport. I think a reserve should be a solid color. Preferably white, but maybe yellow. The reason being - you should have _instant_ recognition you are under your reserve. And therefore, have no other options. Besides, white is the color of angels.. Just my 2 cents.

If you're in the So Cal area, Jonathan Tagle just scheduled a Flight-1 class at Skydive Elsinore on the 24th of Feb. You can check it out on their website.

That sounds like the good ol' Yolo DZ I remember. Although, we had a jump pilot recently (I won't say where) that was seen geeking - out of the big door - the last tandem video as they exited. Glad to say...the more things change the more they stay the same. I'll contact you offline so we can reminence about Yolo.

It happened after I moved back to So Cal, but what I heard is that he was putting a static line student out of the Cessna and had a premature opening of his own gear. He cleared the aircraft and cutaway what he thought was his open/damaged main canopy, but it turned out he was under his reserve. If anyone remembers this differently, please respond. I remember his daughter too - Lori. She started jumping for sure but I don't know what became of her. Mel was a young guy (not the older guy that also flew the D-18) but I don't remember him being an A&P. My two sisters and I had a lot of fun jumping at Yolo and I personally liked George. His gruff attitude didn't bother me and he used to let me borrow his Racer with a Pegasus in it.

Were you there when the Twin Beech from Yolo almost crashed? Here's how I remember it: After a great weekend of jumping we loaded up the Beech to return to George Morar's dz in Yolo and Mel (the pilot) decided to buzz the dz on the way out. We were pretty heavy and this was pre-seat belt days too. After a nice low pass, wing rock with one of the chicks flashing everyone her tits, Mel pulled up sharply and we all slid aft. I remember seeing the horizontal stab shaking violently from the pre-stall buffet just before the stall and the drop of the left wing. My logbook says he pulled us out of the dive at 25 feet but I suspect that was an adrenaline induced recollection. I do know that was the quietest flight with a bunch of skydivers I've ever been on. And (even still) the closest I've come to cashing-it-in in this sport. Robert Marshall C-14927

I can relate to much of what Deuce has posted here. Especially, the part about minimizing the signals on a Level I. And I would add, the most important signal (I think) we have is the thumbs up. Students are dealing with two types of fear; fear for their safety and performance anxiety. If we can let them know that "they are not doing that bad" it can reap huge benefits in getting them to relax and all the positive stuff that follows. If their hips are down, legs in a reasonable position and somewhat aware, I'm looking for every opportunity to give that lev I student a thumbs up.

I usually approach a situation like that by simply saying something like ..."can you do me a favor and give me some eye contact before dumping the student out? I almost got kicked that last time". If you say it kindly and in the spirit of cooperation and safety there is usually a good response and it opens up the dialogue. From your comments it sounds like she is (likely) pretty inexperienced and will soon be learning from you anyway. In the meantime, you will be perceived as the FNG until you prove yourself (again). Good luck and be safe.

It sounds like that JM needs to be reminded we are a _Team_ up there. (Never a problem when Bonnie and I worked together in SD.) I would never consider dumping a student out at an unexpected time without first making BIGEYE contact with the reserve side JM.

Having graduated from Rick Horn's AFF Cert Course several years ago, my initial thought when they changed the format was that they had made it easier. The way I see it now, is that they have (intentionally or not) simply changed the point at which people "wash out". Whereas in the past, ~ 40-50% of the candidates washed out in the course, now I believe those same people simply discontinue their pursuit of an AFF career/rating when they enter the real world of AFF and run smack-up against the sober reality of the responsibility they've undertaken. In other words, it has become more self regulating. Until things change dramatically, I believe it always has, and will continue to be, a responsibility very few are willing or able to endure. Especially for $35 a pop.

Stacy, We are offering an Essential Skills canopy course at Elsinore on the 24th of this month. Call for the price. As was mentioned in one of the other post, you'd be amazed at what you haven't learned about flying and landing your canopy. Check out the canopy course on the Elsinore website if your interested. Robert I edited your ad. Please refrain from advertising in the forum. Instead, post a link to your own site if you want people to know the particulars. -Chuck

The Essential Skills Course is a five-jump program with a video debrief and ground training session between each jump. The course can normally be completed in one day. You’ll learn about… • Basic aerodynamics • Effective flaring techniques • Vertical separation • Dealing with wind and turbulence • Aerodynamic stalls and stall recovery • Achieving the best glide • The “Accuracy Trick” • And more… This course is limited to 5 students to maximize your learning. Slots are going quickly, so don’t delay! Call 1-877-THE-JUMP to reserve your slot today. For more information: http://www.skydiveelsinore.com/.../Flight-1/index.html 5 Jumps with video debrief Come join the FUN!

The Essential Skills Course is a five-jump program with a video debrief and ground training session between each jump. The course can normally be completed in one day. You’ll learn about… • Basic aerodynamics • Effective flaring techniques • Vertical separation • Dealing with wind and turbulence • Aerodynamic stalls and stall recovery • Achieving the best glide • The “Accuracy Trick” • And more… This course is limited to 4 students per day to maximize your learning. Slots are going quickly, so don’t delay! Call 1-877-THE-JUMP to reserve your slot today. For more information: http://www.skydiveelsinore.com/.../Flight-1/index.html 5 Jumps with video debrief Come join the FUN!

Yep, Tim's got it right.....$185. That includes everything; groundschool, jumps, video, and debriefs. It's a full day and usually ends after the sunset load. One of the cool things, is the instructor will tailor each jump to your experience level. Tim and I are both aff instructors at Elsinore and when we went through the course with Scott Miller, he had us doing things slightly different than the other students. All in the interest of making it more challenging. One of the girls in the course was just finishing up her A license prep work, and seemed to progress faster than the rest of the class.

For those that might be interested....this course rocks! I attended the Essential Skills Course 3 months ago and learned a ton about canopy flight and landings (even after a couple thousand jumps and several years in the sport). As an AFF Instructor for the past 7 years, I'm completely convinced of the need for detailed canopy instruction like this and am working to become an Instructor so I can share what I've learned. If you are relatively new to the sport, getting quality instruction like this sooner rather than later, will make you a much better and safer canopy pilot. This course and it's curriculum were created by Scott Miller, who is a former PD test jumper with thousands of jumps, and the Instructor - Jonathan Tagle - is the newest member of the PD team and one of the best canopy pilots in the world. It doesn't get much better than this... Robert Marshall