gravity7

Hi, I'm completely new to these forums also. Boy, all this new stuff to learn, extra rules, what if my computer fails, can I just switch to my laptop? Luckily skydiving is already my life. I've been jumping 23 years, and our sport has been the centre of my life ever since (outside of family, which came along 14 years later - they happily co-exist). If you're about to do your first jump, I envy you. I still remember that day, and will carry the pictures in my head forever - and I still smile when I think about that one jump (having done 8500 more since). Enjoy your jump, and I hope we'll see more of you at dropzone.com. Blue skies - Peter (gravity7) Carpe Jugularem (seize the throat)

Mykel - thanks for the response re: E-license. In Australia sporting licences are issued up to F (500 jumps for E, 1000 for F). I should probably have said "all the experience" not "all the training". The main purpose of E and F is as a pre-req for various ratings (including proven accuracy), rather than detailing all those standards for each rating or endorsement. Thus, a Tandem Master candidate would normally be expected to already hold an E license. I also left out one of the primary design features of the SOS - it is IMPOSSIBLE in normal use to do an out-of-sequence EP. With normal two-action, it is possible to pull the reserve before (or without) cutting away. SOS or DOS prevents this. It also eliminates the need to decide whether or not to chop before pulling reserve. Remember that SOS/DOS were designed to save STUDENTS! Once these people have more experience, and less sensory overload, normal TAS is fine. Carpe Jugularem (seize the throat)