tombuch

After I survived a nasty wrap jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge, a skydiving friend at the local bar offered this toast: The nasty Grim Reaper Got lost in the haze So welcome my friend To Bonus Days. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

This probably isn't a great place to get medical advice. It could be as simple as a torn muscle, or it could be much more serious with internal bleeding or weaknesses that could be further aggravated by another jump. Visit a doctor. Simply explain you were skydiving and had a hard opening. Explain you were descending at about 120mph and suddenly decelerated to almost zero while being shifted from a flat belly to earth position to a standing position. Deceleration injuries are common, and are often associated with a car crash. A reasonable doctor should be able to understand that. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It's already posted in General. Find it here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3972072;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It is a technical manual, and it shouldn't read like a book. Some of our students may have difficulty with the format of a technical manual, and that's to be expected. It's your job as an instructor to help them understand skydiving, and understand all the resources available. Part of that is helping the student to understand how the information in the SIM is organized, and how to find the information they need. In some cases part of you job may be helping non-technical students learn to read a technical document. A good instructor will encourage students (and non-students) to ask questions and seek help when needed. When jumpers comes to you with a question that is in the SIM, don't just answer the question, pull out the book and show them how to research the topic so they can find the answer themselves. You can also conduct topic specific seminars, or write additional material for students that brings many information sources together. When I was S&TA at The Ranch I used the SIM as the basis for many of my web articles that were published on our web site. Then, those articles became the basis for impromptu clinics or discussion on rainy days. http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I've seen similar things before with students. One of the great failures of the current USPA system is that we move instructors through the ranks too quickly, especially into the tandem program, and they don't get the experience I think they need prior to taking charge of complex systems. An experienced instructor has seen students screw-up, and should know how to simplify and manage tasks based on that added experience. An instructor with a couple of years of teaching ground school and managing students in the SL/AFF programs will be far better able to teach and manage a tandem event, which I still think is the toughest and most complex teaching assignment in the sport. Our instructional programs should be focused on placing our best and most experienced instructors in the tandem program, and in making sure every single instructor is fully trained and adequately experienced before being assigned to teach at an appropriate level. We are not doing that, as an industry institution, or as individuals. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The key thing for you to think about is canopy control. That will help in skydiving, and will be especially helpful in BASE jumping. Don't be in a rush. Target about 200 jumps as your starting point, but discuss that with local jumpers who know your actual skill level, and who ideally have BASE experience. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Nope. Never. Over 25 years of teaching in all programs recognized by USPA, with well over a thousand students and not a single one ever asked to see a certification card. Nor has a DZ ever asked to see my rating card. These days a USPA affiliated DZ can look it up on the web, but before that technology became available every DZO just took my word for it. I was at a DZ once wen we learned an experienced instructor had fabricated his tandem rating. He departed and wasn't seen again, so fake instructors do happen. It's weird (and troubling) that students are so accepting. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Talk it out with your skydiving friends. No need to lay blame, but try to learn from the incident and really express your emotions. Keeping it bottled up inside works for a while, but over time it leaves you with too many fragments of unmanaged emotion. If you stay in the sport for a while you will see more, and the hurt may pile up. If your company has an employee wellness plan available with free counseling, give it a try if the incident is really bothering you. Emergency responders have critical incident stress debriefings available, and that process usually helps. If you know professional responders ask how they deal with the onslaught of emotions, and how they have handled the cumulative effect over time. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

You won't find such a specific regulation, but 105.5 applies: I think Bill probably nailed the issue when he said many airplanes have poor forward visibility on the takeoff roll, and that's especially true when looking into the sun, or when the windscreen is pitted. Parachutes don't always show up very well at the far end of a runway, and at that point the pilot is just entering a high workload phase of flight. That's not an excuse, obviously pilots should be well trained and vigilant for parachutes especially at a dual use airport. I think working with the FBO to identify the pilot in question and then provide better overall training to the broader pilot population is the answer. Also consider that the pilot in question may have been a transient who didn't know about local jumpers. I've also encountered pilots at airports with large jump planes who said they saw the jumpers and turned to avoid them, but then they are surprised to learn there could be as many as 40 jumpers, and seeing a few doesn't mean you have seen them all. Pilots understand that, and if we respect their rights to the airspace and understand they are usually trying to do the right thing, they will usually respect our efforts to coordinate and educate. When I was S&TA at The Ranch I developed a handout that we distributed to all the area FBO's that helped pilots know who and where we were, how active our operation was, and how to locate us. I've put a copy in my Dropbox available at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4033049/Ranch%20Pilot%20Caution%20Updated%202007.pdf. The original had a second page with scans of the sectional and enroute charts with our location clearly marked. I also did some pilot outreach with presentations at pilot seminars and fly-in events. Pilots are really focused on safety, just as skydivers are, and they genuinely appreciate training efforts. DZO's are welcome to steal the handout idea and customize the language for their own operation. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It's pretty easy for each jumper to check the spot most of the time. Almost all of the airplanes we jump from have windows (with a few exceptions). We should be looking out the windows as the airplane is turning to and flying on jumprun. That way we always know where we are, and we know if the jumprun is too long or short before ever getting to the door. Plus it gives us a chance to check for traffic and assure the airspace is clear. So, you don't need to wait until you are at the door to check for traffic or check the spot. When I was S&TA at The Ranch I posted a series of articles about safety topics. One of those was "Article 16, Survival Strategies, Off Airport Landings" It's still available at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. Article 1 is about checking the spot, and it specifically talks about using that time on jumprun to clear the airspace on both sides of the airplane. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

My first three jumps were free, so that helped. I paid for a few jumps (static line was the only way to learn back in the late 70's and early 80's), and then started packing student rigs for jump credits. When I had enough jumps I earned my SL jumpmaster rating, and that paid a bit more plus I got to jump free. Then I added the SL Instructor rating, a couple of tandem ratings, the AFF-I rating, and finally a third tandem rating. From there, the dollars I earned teaching paid for my flight training. I bought my first rig (used) with a student loan that I paid off within a couple of years. Where there is a will, there is a way. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

You've probably just opened the hornets nest again. This issue has been hashed out so many times here, and it always becomes clear that time is the way, and angles ruin the day. Do a search for the topic and you will be impressed by how much bandwidth has been used to say the same thing over and over and over and over again. It's become repetitively redundant. In answer to that always lingering question, I wrote about exit separation when I was S&TA at The Ranch a few years ago. The article is still on the Ranch web site, listed as Article 15 at: http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yes, most drop zones will let you start right off in AFF. If you are an accomplished pilot, I'd give it a go, but if you have just "been around" aviation, I'd suggest a single learning tandem. Make sure the DZ knows you are serious, and spend time on body position and especially canopy control/navigation. It can really help, but it's not essential. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I originally heard that from the oft references Scott Miller. Not for his canopy piloting, but what others blamed for their actions. I think Lance "Swoop" Kerwin gets the original credit for uttering the phrase at the Ranch just after an amazing tandem surf 'back in the day. It was caught on tape and then quickly shared the world over. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

First, the single engine airplane isn't a "lesser class" than a multi-engine. It's a different class. Consider a military pilot who has been flying C-5's and then tries to fly a Cessna 152. It's a very different animal, and requires a different certificate for good reason. The FAA requires the commercial check ride to be taken in category and class (airplane, single engine, land) to exercise the privileges of that certificate. See 61.5 as follows: As an example, I have a commercial with instruments in single and multi-engine airplanes (two check rides, both with instrument performance examined), and a private in gliders (I tested to the private standards without instruments, and then didn't upgrade with a second check ride when I got my commercial in single-engine airplanes). The front of my certificate says "Commercial Pilot." The back says: Commercial Pilot Airplane Single & Multiengine Land; Instrument Airplane Private Privileges Glider Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

As others have said, you are incorrect. I wrote a feature about jumper responsibilities for the Ranch web site when I was S&TA. It's Article 13, "FAA Regulations Applied" available at: http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I don't think of it as a touchy one at all. We already brief the student on emergency procedures as required by (105.45(a)(2), so they should know about the back-up plan in advance. Then, when it happens they almost always know something wasn't right. It's not hard to spend a few minutes back on the ground and explain what actually went wrong, how it was handled, and how we learn from the experience to make our sport safer. It only takes a couple of minutes to pull out another rig and show the components that failed, and then show the emergency handles and how we responded. For many students, that stuff can be fascinating, and they will have questions. We should embrace that moment as another opportunity to teach. Beginners often think skydiving is a crazy sport that they could never master. It's important on every training jump to help our students understand the sport is accessible, and that they too can master it. That's a big part of our job as instructors. Most people who think about malfunctions and emergencies wonder if they have the ability (skill and psychological focus) to handle a problem, so when there is a problem we should use it as a "teachable moment" to show the application of those skills. Even if a tandem instructor doesn't care about teaching, we need to recognize that every student is going to leave the drop zone with a story that will be repeated over and over for many years to come. It's essential that we help frame that story so it helps our sport. When a student has a malfunction he can leave with a narrative that says skydivers are crazy and he almost died, or a narrative that says skydivers really have their act together and focus on safety and personal responsibility. We are in control of that narrative and the story that will be repeated...lets help the student to get it right, every time. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

My vote is in favor of the proxy to allow on-line elections. I don't have time or energy to track every issue and cause, so I elect people I trust to do that for me. I have no trouble offering this proxy to the secretary to vote as she chooses on this issue. Yes, I know the specifics aren't listed, but if I really cared about that I'd attend the meeting myself. Let's make the change to the by-laws and then give the Board the power to implement as they see fit. And then let's shut-up and jump. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I think you got your original question answered, but I'll add a bit. Check out an article I wrote for The Ranch web site a while back when I was S&TA. A couple of points are specific to conditions at the DZ, and most of it relates to FAA regulations in the United States. The article is called "Article 19-Jumping Near Clouds" and is available at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Reserve packing requirements for jumpers visiting the United States were explained in an article here on dropzone.com in 2003. The regulation hasn't changed since then, but you will find very different levels of enforcement. It's best to call the DZ you want to visit in advance and seek their guidance. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=96 Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Welcome to the United States... As others have said, you are basically at the mercy of whatever security person happens to be inspecting you stuff, but you can call for a supervisor. That might make things worse, or it might help. There is really no way to tell what the real objective of an inspection is, or whether you are dealing with an honest law enforcement officer (most are), or an individual/agency simply on a power trip. The United States has more police agencies than I can possibly list (or even know about), from tiny small town constables, to secret teams buried in obscure parts of obscure federal agencies. They can all jack you up. It sucks, and it ain't freedom. Back in 2006 there were some unique threats and the New York City police department was conducting random inspections of bags on subways, buses, and trains. I was the Safety and Training Adviser at The Ranch in nearby Gardiner New York. Several of our jumpers asked me to liaison with NYPD and find a way to protect their rigs from invasive inspections. I spoke with the NYPD training division, and they were interested in how to handle a rig, mostly because it presented a challenge to balance security inspections with respect for the public. They said they would incorporate inspection guidelines into their training, but probably never followed though on that. NYPD acknowledged that most officers wouldn't know what a rig is, but that most would be interested just 'cause police are by nature curious people. They suggested our club members carry a membership card of some kind and just be willing to help the officers understand what was in the pack, and why it shouldn't be opened. They also acknowledged they do have some power trippers on the force as any large organization does. With the support of NYPD I wrote a briefing paper about the regulations under which parachutes are packed and used. Club members were provided with a copy and I posted it here. One guy even put it on mock USPA letterhead and reposted it (which I didn't approve, but what was done, was done). I heard back from several people that it was an effective aid with customs and with TSA airports screeners. I never heard of an NYPD officer actually asking to inspect a rig. In any event, I have attached the original data sheet to this post. It might help somebody else. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Friggin awesomely sweet! Send a big "Thank You" to USPA for working through the system to make that happen. When I first identified the issue back in 2003 drop zone data wasn't stored digitally, and there wasn't any standard for how that data could be shared between or within systems/computers. Nobody was even thinking in those terms. I was a lone wolf for a while, but eventually Ed Scott at USPA joined the fight, and when Randy Ottinger focused on the issue in early 2008 things really picked up. Our first major milestone was securing an international data protocol approved for the ARINC standard in May of 2005. Data conversion for inclusion in the National Airspace System Resource came in July of 2007. There is an ongoing effort to get data update approvals within ATC, which will improve the integrity and distribution of the existing (new) database. Garmin took notice of our plight in May 2008. At that point they had already recognized the international ARINC data standard, and a private database developer provided data for DZ depiction on the Garmin 496 in Europe. Garmin was willing to look at the new FAA digital database to accomplish the same thing in the United States. I'm glad to hear they got it done. There is still a great deal of work to do to update the database and cull ancient DZ's, and more manufacturers need to be brought on board. Plus, we need to get DZ's included in flight planning software. But, in spite of the long journey still ahead on the issue, there has been enormous progress. When folks wonder what USPA does for the membership, we should all remember the inclusion of drop zones in navigation databases as one of those small things that can make a huge safety difference. It takes a ton of time and effort, and efforts like these are rarely recognized, but without the staff and support of USPA, these changes couldn't happen. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

We each have the power to make that happen, but as a group we consistently vote for DZO's. Part of that is they tend to have the time to run, access to a pool of supportive voters, and the inclination to make an electoral effort. My sense is that there should be a few DZO's on the BOD, but it shouldn't be dominated by full time industry professionals. When I cast my USPA ballot I select a mix of candidates with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. They don't all win, but at least I know I'm making an effort to better balance the industry structure. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I have two cards. One has all my pilot ratings, and the other has only my Senior Rigger certificate. When I check my record on the FAA web site it lists the two sets of ratings on two separate pages, with one for the pilot certificates, and one for the rigger rating. The pilot ratings were earned from 1993 through 1998, and the rigger certificate was earned in 1999. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Back in 2003 I wrote a book about skydiving that was designed to answer questions such as yours. The book JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy has since been taken out of print after two printings, but it is available as a digital file on the Google Books web site. Keep in mind the data and pricing apply to the United States, and were current in 2003. Go to the link, then at the top of the graphic you will see a drop down menu marked "Contents." Click on the statistics chapter for the answers to your questions about risk. Click on other chapters for even more answers. http://books.google.com/books?id=1VXVMR3OVF0C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy