bosco

You simply cant beat the A2 as a great all rounder. Good luck.

My money is on the A2. It is the best all round tandem main on the market today (in my opinion). Easy flare, a nice balance of speed, performance and dependable openings. Each of the canopies detailed here have their excellent points (especially the HOP which is great fun to fly and does flare like the home sick angel) however if your looking for a tandem main which has a good balance of all things we look for then the A2 is my choice.

Its all good lads!!! Keep it going

Brilliant stuff those last few posts. :-)

Id like to see that same girl grip onto your legs!! Are not our legs our most valuable flying asset?? If the student is causing problems is this not mostly due to the lower end of their body and not their arms? I have nevr had a great deal of success messing with thstudents arms and when I have its usually aquick in and out to amend the position slightly in the cse of the students arms being far back enough to Like the comment re bootie suit earlier in this forum.. Yes I do use student control techniques pre drogue but this is usually a reflex action. 99% of the work is done post drogue. Comon guys this is tandem mastery in the year 2000 when we know a little more about flying. As an examiner I get to watch all the old footage of tandem masters riding their students and not flying the skydive. Just check out the free flyers that do tandems... Those guys can do the job...

Good comments Rhys... However, if you can control the student at the top end and fix up any issues they may have, chances are that you will have a happier FF. On exit the student is very likely to de- arch, wave about etc but you as the TM can use your own body to re work the pasenger into a better position by using your legs to lock or pull in that wayward arm or leg etc. Yes, of course, fly the skydive, this is a given, but why fight an unsteady freefall when it takes only seconds to fix a passenger who has legs out straight or knees to their chest. I find that if I fix a student at the top end than more often than not the student maintains that position. It makes for a better DVD for the passenger and a happier day for you. I cant believe comments from an earlier post when an IE would not allow the candidate to not leg lock the passenger and trim up the skydive with their own body!! They are robbing the candidate of vital Tandem Master skills.. This isn’t a trim control contest but a tandem mastery essential skill. Use whatever techniques we have available to make the jump flow as smooth as possible.. It’s all about the passenger after all. There is so much miss information out there!!!! Arggggg

I've asked for repeat levels before but so far no full fails and no scary rides either. I remember back to my first on the back and how calm my examiner felt and how much that had an effect on me. I try and do the same. If the Examiner is ampt up and or frightened, then that will rub off on the candidate. Trust the equipment, trust what you teach and trust the guy on your back and you will have heaps of fun on the front... Good luck

I just wanted to support the previous replies. The info on the leg lift strap is bang on. I had a rigger build a similar design for me when taking folk who have no ability to move their lower limbs. It is a little involved under canopy but it lifts the legs up high for the canopy ride and landing. The duct tape around the legs works great too but the freefall can be as tricky as hell (tendency to try and spin). Choose your aircraft well and pick your day carefully. Ive taken many movement impaired folk and Im not afraid to can the day if conditions are not perfect. Every time I plan for one of these special jumps I tell myself never again but once on the ground with my ecstatic passenger I know exactly why Ive done it. Those jumps can be the most rewarding of your career. The ones I have done have certainly been mine. Take extra time with planning, have heaps of catchers all briefed carefully on their responsibilities and pick your day. I think Relative Workshop have a booklet from a symposium long gone with heaps of tips on doing this kind of jump (also has detailed plans of the leg strap/support descried). Enjoy Apologies, I just spotted that your not a tandem I yourself but looking for advice. My post was directed to an I doing that actual jump. In that case, I hope your uUncle has a crackin jump!!

Yes agreed, I think he is missing the point completely and will continue to do so.. READ THE DAM REPLIES PROPERLY!!!! No one is complaining about making the student comfy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just about the harness!!! If you dont have an issue with it then you havent come across this particular design. Jezzzzzzz

Quote i never thought of it as a pain in the ass. i always thought of it as just doing my job. I think you got the wrong end of the stick, Im sure they were not referring to the "making of the student comfortable" as being the "pain in the ass" but the harness constantly ending up around the students neck as being the pain. Im sure that with all the feedback re this particular harness type this issue is not just a case of a lazy tandem I or bad harnessing. There has been a change in the design and Im not the only one to notice. Other competent TIs who before had no issue with the harness when changing to the design with the ususually long main lift web have all had problems.

I recently bought a 2 new Strong systems (Oct last year) and the harness that came with it are driving me nuts. At the DZ I previously worked they used the newer Strong harness (articulated and purchased a year earlier) and Ive noticed a definite difference between that model and the new ones I just bought. The main lift web length is far longer and they are an absolute pain when it comes to having the chest strap rise up around the students neck. I asked the dealer about this and they had no knowledge of a change in design but it is evident that this has happened. Why? I spend allot of time on the front and even when I do the things up myself I end up spending half the flight choking. The earlier model (of the newer type) did not do this!!!!

Im a DZO and an active tandem I and there is no comparison. I bought two A2 canopys about a year ago (both sizes) and myself and the other Tandem I's love them to bits. I absolutely recommend the A2 as the best all round tandem canopy Ive ever jumped (and Ive jumed them all). Openings, performance in turbs, quick flying, good to swoop n glide, easy toggle pressure and flares like a home sick angel. I took a chance in buying them as Id only test jumped them once but after a few jumps I knew Id made a good decision. I recon I sound like a company rep but I promise Im far from it. Id put my name to the canopy and Ive worked hard enough for that..

After all that I took a 10 year old girl on Saturday. She fitted the harness (just) and her Dad went with her too. It went just fine with smiles all round. My previous comments re minors jumping still stand.