matthewcline

As a Black Hat it was kind of fun when we saw that GK patch on the right sleeve. We didn't screw with them to much though. After all they are all fellow skydivers. Plus we leaned on them to help our Team "The Silver Wings" a bunch. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

osuskydiver (in here some where) was reserve or guard, but when I saw him in 'Burg, NC. Adam was on active duty and was waiting to head to Airborne School, as a new member of the Golden Knights. It can be done. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

What you mean is my time is faster than the record shows since my computer could be slow? Yeah thats it! An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

37 Male AVG-.2134999999 This thing can make you pretty damned competitive! An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

A CSM once told me this (paraphrased) Is your desire not to leave your soldiers because of gilt you won't be with them or you didn't teach them all you know? If you have taught them all you know, then it is OK to move on to your next job. The Army will not fall apart if SFC Cline is not at his current job tomorrow. I think he was pretty smart there, you may have heard of Him, SMA Preston? The Army as an Instatution (no Pun intended but boy could we have fun with it!) can run with out you or I in our duty position tomorrow. Some one will always step up and that is good for us and the person stepping up. It will allow us to try to reach a personnal goal and I bet allow the subordinate the chance to move up once they step up. So I am way off the subject line but I am only trying to tell ya to go for it and at least you can say you tried, there are so many who haven't even done that yet. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

We the taxpayer put the idiots in office that make this policy happen. Some time a while back some "constiuant" (sp) wanted access to jeeps, guns, uniforms, etc. So they put presure on thier Representative and wam bam now we have to put this stuff on the DRMO market. The none-servicable stuff is sold in bulk to be recycled in some other manner (nylon jackets from parachutes etc) but every now and then a worker/buyer finds a "good" parachute, or helmet or vest etc and re-sells it. Now we make the canopy so un-servicable you couldn't fix it for cheap, it may cost as much as new by the time it is repaired. But a few got out before this started taking affect and some one will get hurt as a student or on a demo or a boogie and it all could be avoided. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

DO NOT GIVE UP! Get the experience and put in your packet. Do not wait long get the numbers before next years try outs and put your packet in by July '06 (I think that is the new cut off). And if you see a 38 year old SFC sucking wind in the back of the run formation, don't worry I will be at the finish, in front of ya. (provided Branch lets me go) Branch will usually say no till they get a request foryou to try out from the GK Command. Use the GK Command talks to them then the "bartering" begins. You and I will rarley be in a position to get branch to "give" us some thing. The GK is not a re-enlistment option. But BOY HOWDY if it was it would be the largest unit in the Army! An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Not true. The GK SGM has to get the various branches to cooperate. I have had a packet approved by the GK Command several times and each time the Branch manager has had a "better" idea. The process as explained to me by the GK Command is this; Once a packet is received it is then "boarded" by the Command and its TL's. If a packet is selected then the CDR and or SGM go to DA and make their pitch for each individual potential GK Tryout. Some times they get who they want and some times they don't. But ultimatly the DA hasthe final say. When you do put a packet in find some of the GK members and what they are looking for that year. Knowing what is required of you makes it easier to obtain your goal. Good luck and don't wait to long. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

MWR Korea had one but it folded due to a lack of customers. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Instructor with 509th Pathfinders That was a while ago An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Active Army 19 Years this month. Ft. Benning, GA HHC 75th Jan 87 to mar 87 (busted ankle caused PCS) Ft. Bragg, NC HHC (Recon) and Aco 2/504 PIR 82nd ABN Apr 87 to Nov 91. Ft. Richardson then Ft. Wainwright, AK Bco 1/501 ABN Nov 91 to Dec 91 (re-organization of the 6th Infantry Division caused PCS) Bco 5/9 IN Dec 91 to Mar 93 (?) Re-flagging caused unit change but no PCS 1/17 IN Mar 93 to Dec 94 Ft. Benning, GA Aco 1/507 Jan 95 to Apr 97 (yes a Black Hat) HHC 1/507 May 97 to Feb 99 (Master Trainer for Jump Branch) Ft. Campbell, KY 101st Para Demo Team Feb 99 to Dec 99 Aco 1/327 Jan 2000 to Sept 2001 101st Paar Demo Team Sept 2001 to Feb 2003 Dco 1/327 (Iraq) Feb 2003 to May 2004 101st Para Demo Team May 2004 to July 2005 Branch Chief Of Instruction, U.S. Army Pathfinder School Ft. Campbell KY (and 101st Para Demo Team Chief) July 2005 till present (as of now till retirement in 12 to 18 months) Oodles of deployemnst and oodles of fun as well as tons of tough work. But it has allowed me to meet a ton of good people, lots of which I see posting here. MOS: 11B4PF7/5W/2B/B2/C2/H English translation; Infantry E-7 who is Airborne, Pathfinder, Jujmpmaster, Sniper, Air Assault, Anti Armor and Instructor Qualified An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

I was kind of vague (accept for the avatar).

Our students get Star Traks. We are a Military Demo Team

Hear Hear! Seriously he was taken far to early. Happy Birthday Mr. Lennon An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Diablo, Good for you. Some are not as concerned as you are. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Our Team and FJC use the Star Trak series. we aren't the only DZ as far as I know. We do it since the Star Trak's doen't have the huge glide a hybred 9 cell would have. but will land just fine even with a botched flare. This keeps the students closer to the landing area. Some times the radio dies or if they are on thier own they may need to be "limited" in how far they can get away. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Diablo, That is probably the biggest thing. You KNEW what your into with it. Some people buying these thing (even the first hand purchaser) has no clue, but more importantly the second hand buyer is not being told. I too have jumped a $50 GK Stil. 150 and a $100 GK Star Trak 1. But then again I KNEW they happened to be well "used". hopefully this well help some one who may be looking at one of these old canopies. Yep these things can be gotten cheap, is that all your life is worth? (Not a question directed at you Diablo) An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Exactly. Said faster than I could type. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

Diablo, The canopies are out there, not just 101st canopies but other teams too, and they are well ragged out when we ship them off to DRMO. Most recently the canopies are cut in half from nose to tail right in the center so no one will hurt them selves. Some one is sewing them back together and selling them. So far the no fault agrement a purchaser signs has not been challenged as all the legal folks (on both sides) see it as pretty much bullet proof. But agrrement only applies to the military from the first hand purchaser. A second hand purchaser could clean the assets out of the first hand purchaser if there was to be an incident. And what if a purchaser used one of these canopies for a Demo as a Vet of the Army, 101st, 82nd ABN, etc etc ... then biffed a member of the audience? So again a Word of Caution! None of the canopies are air worthy. I am not the only one saying this. FCI (Flight Conepts International) is saying it too! And they makethe canopies. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

To those who by used canoies from the DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office) facility at the local Military instalation. If you buy a used 101st canopy it is not air worthy. When we send them to DRMO they have 1500 plus jumps. 300 jumps will be with smoke damage from freefall deployments. The remaining jumps are are a mixture of CRW, smoke started under conpy, student use (we put the students under the less than "white" looking canopies for a year, then they get a new one at thier "D" License and PRO rating) and 2 or 3 dunkings in the pool as the water rig canopy. Please folks these canopies will be good wall hangers but not good for flying use. They are typically 5 years old and suffer the "slag" damage from smoke, clorine from the pool and the 3rd set of lines are out of trim. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

True. I was going off the "I'm in the Military ..." comment. If it is the Army and part of MWR or a MWR sponsored event it has to be by USPA BSR's (at least until they replace/rewrite AR95- something or other). Plus any command sponsored freefall demonstration team has to follow AR 360-1, which goes back to USPA BSR's again. It is the Army's way of avoiding having to write a whole new regulation or bunch of regulations for Skydiving and Demonstrations. On one hand it makes sence on the other it can be limiting (an yes there are exceptions to all these rules). An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

The 173rd (when it was SETAF and called the 3rd of the 325th) had its own Demo Team. I think it was closed down by the CG a few years back do to the GWOT. But the DZ locator in the USPA's Parachutist Magazine does list European DZ's. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

A couple of fellows with national and international gold medals gave me the following advice; As a young inexperienced team go middle out. After many jumps together begin working the piece partners together more and soon you will build as "one" with the keys closing last to make the key for the next point, no matter where the point goes or who the keys are. Just passing along the info I got, Istill do not get t oput it into the best practice though, damn GWOT. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

True, but for a Cessna jumperthat plane would be awesome! Not all of us are spoiled by the Otter Fleet. But I don't think I could jump from the plane described, I use the ride to altitude in the C-182 to catch up on my sleep from the night before, the Tandem Passengers deserve me to be well rested (just kidden') Mike Mullins web page says 7 minutes to 14K. On a side Bar I have been to 18K in 6 minutes before. We went wheels up, pin checks, helmets on, ramp open, team cheer, pick up grips look out below and out on the light! Damn those C-17's are fast! An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!

USPA has never donethat with our team. Wecan havea guy go ftom the FJC to C License in 2 months so we waite and send the paperwork in at onetime and only pay for the C license. An Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!!