tandemphil

We call those women "two fisters" because you can fit two fists between thier shoulders and the harness after the chute opens. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

A UNION????? wouldn't that be nice? new thread??? to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

30$ plus pack job not too bad. I too love AFF. It's a nice break from tandems every once in a while. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

here's a pretty good one. .......... " If everything goes horribly wrong and the parachute doesn't open, you'll see a big white flash. I want you to go towards the light,.... don't follow me and the camera man, we'll be going the wrong way." to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

My personal preference is not to wear a handycam at all. I have a little over 1000 tandems and I don't like the video that the handycams get. If the video from a handycam were to be edited together with video from an outside camera flyer I could see the point. We could actually produce some interesting videos that way. But, I have never seen that done at any dropzone. Right now, it seems to me that handycams are just another way to scam a few $$'s out of the customers without providing a high quality end product. Hey, instead of strapping an altimeter on the students hand, why don't we give them the handicam? The end result won't be much worse than the footage I have seen those things produce so far. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

Contact either Matt Gries or Chris Owens at eloy. I've seen both of them with para and quadrapelegics. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I agree with brian on this one. I've had my hands grabbed afew times but have always gotten them free pretty easily. I hate it when students get thier hands anywhere near the emergency handles. I tell them that if they want to hold on to something, hold on to the harness like you did when we left the plane. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I'd have to say that I use all of those techniques. My favorite by far is a 90 deg + - turn onto final. But there are too many variables to be able to use that approach every time. I'd say my standup % is about 75-80. There are always the people who are so much bigger or just unable to follow instructions that 100% stand ups are not likely. There is only one TI I know of that pretty much stands up every passenger. If you want to see a skilled tandem landing, come to Eloy and watch Tim Straus land. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I had a compression fracture at my t-12 (lost a toggle landing) and was able to make my next jump 10 weeks to the day after I did it. The answer really depends on the severity of your injury. I waited until my doc told my it was ok to jump again. He isn't a jumper, but he did ask a lot of questions on the types of forces we experience while skydiving. hope you're feeling good and jumping soon. -phil to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

With about 850 tandems, I still have a lot to learn, Hopefully I'l ALWAYS have a lot to learn. The dangerous time in this sport is when you think you know it all. That being said,.... like the others said, don't try to fix a students body position, just outfly them. At the begining of your tandem career, wearing lots of drag will help you fly the exits, though it might cause you to chip a bit in drougefall untill you learn to realy relax. One things tandems do have in common with any other skydive is that you will not be truly smooth untill you are truly relaxed. hope that helps. . to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

from what I've read so far in this post, your skydiving skills are up to the task of lurking a tandem, so I won't address that issue. One alternative regarding break-off and opening that I have used when accompanied by both a lurker and vidiot is this: At approx. 6500' I'll wave off the lurker who then tracks in a straight line behind me and dumps at about 5700 or 5500. this allows the vidiot to capture your track and opening for the video. once the vidiot has seen your deployment, he gives me a thumbs up and I'll deploy the tandom canopy somwhere between 5000 and 4500. leaving the video man pleanty of time to film the tandem opening and still open at a reasonable altitude, (assuming a good spot). I've done this several times and never encountered a problem. That is not to say that there are no problems to be encountered, just that this has worked for me so far. I'd only do this with people whos abilities and decision making I trust. there you go, one more option to consider. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

Chuck, You are lucky that the video flyers at your dz are capable and allowed to go head down. Here at Eloy, the owner of the video concession does not allow his camera flyers to freefly. Granted, a slight ammount of head down time may be required for some of the exits, but we tandem instructors are expected to get the drogue out fast to insure the longest possible "flat" time for the videots. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

----------------------------------------------------------- "as a matter of fact, I used to be quite good looking before all those tandem terminals" ----------------------------------------------------------- LMFHO Thanks for your input Bill. And also thank you for the sigma system. I've done 750 tandems on the sigma system and don't plan on using any other system out there. Now, how about some smaller main canopies like maybe a 350 or a 330? to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

Just curious if TI's out there take students to terminal intentionally. Under what conditons you do it, and for what reasons. I do it occasionally, usually with second or third time jumpers whose body positions and awareness level I trust. I'll do it for someone who wants an even wilder ride than the first one or, sometimes, just because it is fun. I wont do it if there is video or with a first time jumper. How do you all feel about this? Is it ok to continue to do this, should I stop doing this? thanks for your input. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

Average week for me is anywhere from 10 to 30 jumps. about 80 / month, 1000/ year. at 30$/tandem It's enough to live on but not much else. buy a little new gear every one in a while and keep up with car payments, barely. But, the lifestyle is worth it at least for now. Like the others say, no benifits. I don't know about them, but I get drug tested at least once a month, so no partying either. generally the good months make up for the slow ones and it evens out over the course of a year. hope that was helpful -phil to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I reccomend that boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife not coach each other. bad for the relationship. tell girl to get coaching elswhere and just fun jump with boyfriend. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I made a little over 700 tandems in my first year at skydive az. seems that an average week is about 20 tandems per instructor. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

30$ for a regular tandem 35$ for a tandem progression free jumps for full time (5 days a week, firt load to last load) instructors. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

100% agree with aggiedave. at 1000' I take over. On tandem progression jumps students help with the flare, but only after lots of practise flares up high, and only if I'm confident that they'll follow my instructions. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I do either front or backflips on exit. as far as flips are concerned, I find that the easiest to do is a gainer. All you need to do is a left turn out the door (Otter) and your back is presented to the relative wind. Then, all you have to do is arch with your legs extended. The flip pretty much takes care of itself. Once your head has come around past vertical you can throw the drogue head low but with your belly in the relative wind. This exit also works great for the vidiots. they get a clear view of your exit count as well as great shots of the students face during the exit. This exit also lets you get the drogue out fast, usually within the first 1 to 3 seconds. I've got a bit over 700 tandems and didn't start doing this exit untill I had about 100 under my belt, but now I would have to say that it is probably my favorite exit. P.S. this exit also lets you geek the door on your way around and flip off the TM behind you! to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I've got a couple here. In the plane tell another TI's passenger that if your instructor tries to hand you some yellow handles after the chute opens,... don't grab them, they are the student release handles. after the jump. i've got good news for you,....your skydive today was free! But you have to buy this T-shirt and it costs 160.00$ here's some info 'bout our program and a bumper sticker for your car,....If you don,t put it on your car, put it on someone elses,....just not in our parking lot 'k? to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do

I just celebrated my one year anniversary as a TI. Did 720 tandems in that year, so i feel I am current though still green after only one year I know I have yet to see even a fraction of what can happen on a tandem jump. As far as currency is concerned, 100 a year seems to be a decent number of tandems. I personally feel that your level of awareness is much more important than the number of jumps you have done or are doing. Never forget that tandems are not your average skydive. Try not to get complacent. to do is to be to be is to do do be do be do