foreverfree

snowbirds flying and jumping between florida and new jersey and jumping in some of the best dropzones in the vicinity of the two states.
This dream can be possible through communication between us jumpers who I feel are perhaps on the highest plane when it comes to comradeship and brotherhood.
Between transportation costs and living expenses which are on an uproar and escalating by the very minute every day in our lives, the dream of jumping nonchalantly with respect to financial worries becomes virtually non existent unless one not only plans events well beforehand and saves every cent or penny sacrificing so many requisites in our daily lives including family and friends and health.
Somehow we must find a way to beat the odds.
Through good faith and trust and strong determination we can make this a win - win situation.
I wish to create a thread or column someplace where one can easily plunge in and network our way around to find a reasonable and safe solution to achieve this dream of travellling to different places and and to be able to experience skydiving at different dropzones.
I would like to focuss on the travel aspect totally with respect to air fares or bus fares or helping one other through sharing rides in personal cars or trucks or vans or any other way possible to achieve this not so impossible dream.
Please write or call if any of you have any ideas.
Or if any one of you is interested in forming a partnership or franchise.

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Can anyone of you who have been around the block advise me of where the options would be to get regular work as full time packer this coming season?

What about you as the jumper or owner of the rig who accepts a non-rigger to pack your chute and then you agree to jump it?

What about the legality of the situation in case of a malfunction and you happen to live through it?

Are you not equally responsible as owner/jumper of that rig which you have chosen to use for yourself but have accepted a non-rigger to pack for you?

As a licensed jumper , where do you stand?

Can anyone(those who have personally travelled across several DZs) please share experiences or advice or suggestions about various DZs along the length and breadth of this country (USA) when it comes to finding suitable gainfull employment whether it be as :

1. packer
2. rigger
3. coach
4. tandem Instructor
5. AFF instructor
6. Jump Pilot

Any information as to Boarding and Lodging arrangements, living costs, facilities, etc...would be well appreciated...
Rates of Payment or Compensation as to the Services offered/rendered....timely or untimely payments....hours of flight time actually flown to that advertised...number of jumps actually done as instructor to that promised...etc...etc

Any particular issues that one has encountered as a professional would serve well for those of us who have to travel from season to season from DZ to DZ.

This is just to research the actual personal experience that one gets when one actually travels to work in a DZ as compared to what most DZs advertize on thier web pages.

Thanking you.

Congratulations!

I need some help with what to expect during the interview and selection process.

Please advise.

Please narrate your experience at the interview when applying for a job as flight instructor at the Wind tunnel.

What are the requirements to work at the wind tunnel as flight instructor ?

What is the solution for such a situation when one does freelancing instruction as skydiving instructor from state to state.

Is skydiving instruction business a personal service corporation or a professional service corporation?

Yes I do plan on having people work for me .

Examples of such people would be :

1. a rigger
2. a packer
3. a videographer
4. a AFF instructor
5. a tandem master

thanks for your prompt reply and a wealth of information that you submitted.

According to www.legalzoom.com any practice that requires a professional license must be started as a Professional corporation or " P.C"

Can a Tandem Master or a Jump Pilot qualifiy as a licensed professional in order to start a Professional Corporation?

Your comment does make sense.
But what then are the options available if one wishes to pursue Skydiving Instruction full time and one is forced to travel due to change of season?

Thanks for your prompt reply and clarification about the safety procedures used in your assembly process.

With your experience in this industry has the thought ever occured to you as to the possibility of having a STEP THROUGH...whilst packing your main tandem parachute canopy?

or...

the slim chance of connecting the left main riser to the right side of your harness/container assembly and the right main riser to the left side of the harness/container assembly whilst assembling a rig in a hurry?

Any Riggers care to comment on the chances of connecting the skyhook facing in the wrong direction?

Wish to obtain information as to how to form your own LLC or S-corporation as Independent Contractor when working as Tandem or AFF Instructor or Jump Pilot in a DZ.
Any preferences as to which state is has certain advantages over others when registering your corporation in that particular state?
Also the residency requirements when selecting a Registered Agent for your own corporation in your home state or primary place of residence?
Those of us who frequently roam the various DZs in the country depending on seasonal requirements -any advice or suggestions would be well appreciated.

Which is the busiest DZ on the East Coast for Xmas?

Where are Packers most needed for xmas season from say Dec 20-31st?

Thanks for the prompt feedback

The drogue release handle can get snagged during this time between the drogue escaping the pair and flying out and trailing besides the aircraft's fuselage with lots of pressure and the time the pair finally exits out of the airplane.

C-182: fuel selector switch, seatbelts, static line attachment points, mechanical flap adjustment levers, are some examples that can cause it to snag.

Firstly, unless one is the Rigger who packed that reserve parachute , there is no way of checking or verifying what if it is indeed facing the wrong way?

Secondly, the yellow tab which releases the RSL can only be pulled in one direction giving no room for error if pulled in any other direction ?

Third, your manual has extensive coverage and illustrations when it comes to packing the reserve parachute from the view point of a Rigger but has little or no coverage as in the form of flowcharts or sequential deployment scenarios in case of a malfunction like this looking from an operator's point of view.

And last but not the least , neither the USPA nor RWS requires the operator to be a certified FAA Senior or Master Rigger.

Would certainly appreciate any feedback.

"If the skyhook is sewn the wrong way with the pointed end of the hook facing towards the pilot chute and not towards the bag it can result in a Reserve pilot chute in tow which can be cleared by pulling the yellow tab to release the RSL"

Can anyone please illustrate or elaborate this fact in greater details?

Excess text edited from the subject line by slotperfect and pasted here:

if drogue is out before exit can it not pull the curved safety pin out and cause premature container opening whilst in aircraft or outside aircraft on exit ?

If the drogue escapes the pair before exit and catches air and the TI is unable to pull it back in , can it not pull the curved locking pin (safety pin feature of the sigma tandem rig) out of the eyed hole of the main container closing loop pin ?

In this event , will it not be possible to have a premature container opening between the time the pair is struggling to get to the door to follow the drogue or subsequently after exit if the bridle gets entangled with the pair due to unstable body position on exit?

Would it not be possible to get the bridle snagged somewhere in the aircraft once this curved pin is out of its location?

Good thinking!

thanks for interpreting the math.

Thanks !
This seems like the best price indeed.

Any idea on where to look for the cheapest tickets for plain and simple HOP n POP jumps?