tombuch

In the United States it is illegal to jump through a cloud, so it shouldn't happen. However, sometimes we are exiting at a legal distance but on the edge, and there is a possibility of cloud entry. Plus, a skydiver continuing in the sport will probably inadvertently (I hope) jump through a cloud at some point, so it's worth briefing while still a student. I usually just mention that the cloud is stationary, and it will give a very dramatic impression of freefall speed. I note that could be frightening to a student who isn't expecting it, but if anticipated that rush of speed can be wicked fun. I don't change the students part of the dive flow at all, but if we are about to enter a cloud I may choose not to release or to delay the release. I'll also note that others will probably come up with cracks about "industrial haze" and suggest that it's really alright to jump through a cloud. I don't hold with that at all, and try very hard to keep my student clear of clouds. If we do hit one (of course it has happened), I silently curse myself and pledge to do better in the future. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Call USPA. It sounds like a terrific question and issue for the Group Member program.

Airplanes are the obvious concern, but you hit the nail on the head when you asked about wind. The runway will usually heat up much faster than the surrounding dirt or grass, and that will create a column of rising air. Where air rises, cooler air from the surrounding ground will sink and fill the void. That creates rapidly rising air over the runway, and equally strong downdrafts over the surrounding grass/dirt, with sideways movement near the surface. There may also often be a defined shear between the two moving air masses, and a sheer or transition zone between the grass along the runway and the rest of the landing zone. Those downdrafts can be nasty, and may have been the cause of the collapse you wrote about. On a hot and still day the patterns of rising and falling air will be in obvious locations, but if there is a cross wind those air masses will be offset, so you need to think about any wind, no matter how slight. As somebody else noted, there may also be dust devils formed by the conflicting air masses, and those can spin quite a distance away from the source, especially if there is a very slight breeze. In any case, the lifting air can move quite high. I've held in breaks for a good 20 minutes alongside a concrete runway, 1,000 feet above the surface, with a pretty heavily loaded canopy. I've also used that rising air column to get back from a long spot, then moved aggressively to the side, high enough to avoid the strongest downdraft. Micro-meteorology is pretty fun stuff. If you understand how the surface of the planet heats, and how air current moves, you can fly your parachute like a glider and gain tremendous performance, while also avoiding potential trouble spots, and having a blast of a good time doing it. I'm also an FAA certificated glider pilot, so I sometimes really groove on those hot and sunny days. If this is stuff that interests you, there are some good meteorology books written for glider and hang glider pilots. And heck, your skydiving experience may even take you into those other forms of recreational aviation. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

You have received a few good answers so far. I'd say just be honest and show your love for the sport. There will be inaccuracies...that's just the nature of dealing with a general assignment reporter. Most of them try hard and don't want to inject an anti-skydiving bias, but what we do is so far out of their experience set that they do make honest mistakes. Your attitude, understanding of risk management, and love of the sport should come through. Go for that, and don't sweat the tech-head details. One of the things I always do at the end of an interview is offer the reporter my home phone number and say that I'll be happy to answer any additional questions or confirm technical detail or quotes. I let them know I am available as a continuing resource to help them make the story as accurate as possible. If it's not a local paper I also ask if they can send me a copy, or where I can pick it up or see it on-line. That way they know I'll be looking, and will hopefully make an extra effort to represent me accurately. Have fun with it! Oh yeah, the S&TA is a Safety and Training Advisor, and I too would eliminate the last sentence. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I agree with your interpretation, and agree that we shouldn't use the phrase "Cleared off student status." A student IS a student, and the phrase does add confusion. Plus, it devalues the acquisition of a license. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I'm not aware of any major lingering conflict between skydivers and BASE jumpers, other than at a very few drop zones. I made more than 50 BASE jumps back in the day, and have been teaching skydiving in one form or another for 25 years. It's all good. As a skydiving instructor, I do like to know about my students and their motivations. By all means tell your instructor you are interested in BASE. Then seek his advice about accuracy. At first you will need to fly a large student parachute, but eventually you should be able to do some regular skydives on a BASE canopy. Be cautious about that and wait. Then wait some more. When you have accuracy nailed on your skydiving parachutes and feel like you are ready to do some BASE jumps, take a BASE specific training course. My preference is a program that runs as part of the annual October Bridge Day event in West Virginia, but there are some outstanding stand alone BASE training programs too. As for jumping a BASE specific parachute...be careful. Deployments and packing are different, and not all BASE parachutes should be jumped from an airplane. Seek the advice of the manufacturer of the specific BASE parachute you wish to jump, and the assistance of a rigger with BASE experience. Go slow. Skydiving and BASE are both different sports, and both are fun. As you build your skydiving experience, please don't forget to have fun and enjoy the journey. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Interesting questions. I have earned USPA ratings as an instructor in AFF, SL, IAD, and Tandem, and was one of the first Coach Course Directors. I’m also certified as a snowboard instructor (level 2) by AASI (PSIA). The benefits of teaching to personal participation can be equivalent in both sports. You may find you flying getting better once you start teaching, but not to the same degree as in the PSIA/AASI model. Unfortunately, USPA does not provide much advanced flight training, so instructors often stagnate (and sometimes even get worse) unless they make a real effort improve their own flight skills by adding team training or a different kind of skydiving. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you build your own improvement training program that includes teaching as well as non-teaching jumps. As for your “wish” that skiers couldn’t get on a lift without lessons, that may have once been true, an really old timer can probably shed some light on that. Certainly it was once true for snowboarding. I teach at Stratton, which is the home of the very first snowboard school, started in 1983 by Jake Burton to help issue “licenses” for riders. Those licenses were required to get on a lift with a board. That licensing program was abandoned several years later. Interestingly, just a few years ago Stratton began a new park pass program that requires a short video training session prior to use of any of our parks, followed by the issue of a special park access pass. When instituted it reduced injury rates by as much as 50% in our big park, and was subsequently rolled out to all the parks. It also makes the parks more fun because everybody in them knows about Smart Style. You are probably correct that discussion of injury issues will never get traction in the ski industry. The business interests want guests to feel like the sport is “safe,” and they work hard to keep the actual injury rate of roughly 1 reportable injury for every 400 skier days out of the public’s eye. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Several years ago I wrote a feature for the S&TA section of The Ranch web site. It deals with making decisions about the wind. Some of the information is specific to The Ranch, but most will help you no matter where you jump. The material specific to The Ranch will even help you design a wind monitoring program for your own DZ. See "Article 6, Evaluating Wind and Turbulence" at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

See the Incidents forum at http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2396686;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

That's a 26% drop in size in just one jump, when you have just four jumps, which seems steep, plus the wing loading is high for a student at your level. Many instructors have a desire to get students downsized way to early, and others hold them on huge canopies way to long. My feeling is that you should have consistent canopy control under a variety of weather conditions while making the decisions yourself, before such an aggressive downsize. I'd chat with you first instructors and see what they think, and why, and if you are not comfortable with the smaller canopy then stick with what you have been using for a bit longer. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

At our DZ the S&TA would sometimes photocopy the actual ballot and have copies available on the weekend so members could vote easily. That made it simple for a DZ to "stuff" the ballot box by getting the local jumpers to vote their way, but it also encouraged members to vote. I think any participation is a good thing, and support the continued use of paper ballots. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I'm hesitant to answer your question over the Internet, but...Here are a few photos from The Ranch web site. Take them as a broad overview to provide you with advance context, and let your instructor teach when you arrive. http://skydivetheranch.com/body_position.php Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Another way to do it is to go to the USPA "Contacts" page (http://www.uspa.org/contact/bod.htm) and copy/paste each BOD email address into a master list. You still need to do some keyboard work, but your fingers don't need to be quite so fat. Do not, however, expect all the BOD members to respond. In my experience only a few (mostly mentioned earlier in this thread) bother to answer their email. It might be that the USPA listed addresses are old, but each board member should be checking those things and making sure the membership has a current email address. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Oopss. Myy fingerss weree justt aa littlee tooo fastt. It's been corrected. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

OK, The USPA rules in the United States: Basic Safety Regulations require a ridged helmet for all students except tandems. (Skydiver Information manual, Section 2-1(K)(2)(a). Recommendations are included in section 5-3, and are not madatory. Specifically, 5-3(K)(d) says: "(d) A rigid helmet-- (1) should be worn on all skydives (tandem students may wear soft helmets) (2) should be lightweight and not restrict vision or hearing." You can read the entire SIM at: http://www.uspa.org/publications/manuals.htm Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

In the United States a standard Protec plastic helmet has several state and national certifications. There are no other skydiving helmets with these tested approvals. Here, I'd say requiring a specific kind of helmet, other than a certified helmet, would open the organization to liability if a non-certified helmet failed to prevent an injury. Simply requiring a hard helmet and allowing the consumer to make the choice seems like a better approach from a liability standpoint, and from a safety and customer service standpoint. However, when in Rome.... If you think the regulations are foolish, you can try to change them from the outside as a member of the organization, or you can run for office and change them from the inside. In the meantime, ya just gotta do what you are told, and use the requirement as an incentive to get better. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

My sense was that on jumprun with floaters the airplane was out of balance. I wondered by how much, and if limiting the number of floaters or stationing additional jumpers forward would make a difference. I never got an answer. We had both conventional Otters and Super Otters on the line. I had a sense that with a full load on a hot day the regular Otters were probably outside the limits for takeoff on our short (2,800')runway, but that the Super's were probably fine. That's what it looked like to me watching the aircraft take off, but I wanted technical specs to be sure, and to use as limitations. I never got that data. As for your other post about checking general condition, and instruments of the aircraft, that's also a point of concern, and what originally made me suspicious of the paperwork. The panel was a mess, and we regularly flew with half a dozen heavily frayed seatbelts, but didn't have replacement parts (for a whole season). Those issues drove me to question the weight and balance, take off data, and insurance information. It probably shouldn't have surprised me to get non-answers to my questions. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yeah, I asked once, and was told that the airplanes are well maintained, and it just wouldn't be possible to round up all the logs, and I wouldn't understand what they meant unless the mechanics walked me through them, and they didn't have time for that. I also asked several of the pilots if they had looked through the maintenance logs recently, and those that were mechanics said they had, those that were not said they hadn't but that they all trusted the mechanics who managed the maintenance. I also asked to see the insurance paperwork to learn what pilot limitations and training requirements we had, but was told the airplanes were uninsured so there was no paperwork to look at. I'm not sure if I believed that we were uninsured, or if the insurance actually mandated pilot training that we didn't provide. At another point I asked several of the pilots if I could see a weight and balance calculation for the aircraft at takeoff and at exit with a group floating, and take off performance charts at max jumper load on a hot day. I was told no, because "you really don't want to know about that." The pilots said that all jump planes are operated out of weight and balance at some point, and it would just be better if I didn't know anything about those issue. This request followed a stall on jumprun, so it was pretty apparent that the Otters were being operated outside of their limits, at least on jumprun, and possibly at other times. It was also pretty apparent that take off performance for at least one of the Otters was suspect. This was all at a multiple Otter DZ when I was S&TA. There wasn't much I could do about it. It is worth noting that I am no longer S&TA, and now fully support FAA inspections and intervention on behalf of jumper safety. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It is the jumpers responsibility to follow the commands of the pilot, even if they think he is an idiot. It's his airplane, and his decision. If he wants the weight redistributed, then he can command an exit. If he thinks he can't recover, he can command an exit. If he's working like heck to save the airplane and everybody in it, he needs to know the jumpers will stay put and not contribute to the problem. Getting word from the pilot isn't a big deal or a hardship. It just means somebody up near him needs to make eye contact, shout, or otherwise get an instant of his attention. Chances are the pilot is looking for a brief instant in the madness to communicate anyway. From there the jumpers simply communicate with each other. It takes leadership from the front of the airplane, and the back of the airplane. That's tough to deliver, but it is critical. I've been on some loads that turned into real pig fucks because of individual jumpers who thought only about themselves, and I've been in other nasty situations where the load clung together and made it though without risking the flight. Unless the guys in the video were told to get out by the pilot (and we don't know if that is or is not the case), then they were idiots. No amount of "oh shit there I was..." changes that. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It also looks like a really bad response by the jumpers. Obviously there was plenty of altitude when the spin started, but for some reason the folks inside thought it would be appropriate to jump. Just 15 seconds into the event one jumper even yelled "GO GO WE'RE IN A SPIN!" They could easily have slammed into the tail as the pilot was working to save the airplane and killed everybody on board, and a few folks on the ground too. Four jumper got out while the airplane was in an uncontrolled unusual attitude. I'll note that the pilot shouldn't have allowed that situation to develop, but there is still no excuse for jumping or moving about as the poor dumbasss pilot tries to save the airplane. The whole thing took just 23 seconds from initial spin to full recovery. Clearly that was too long, but folks shouldn't have been exiting. I've been in that position in a Beaver, and I know the best thing to do is sit as tight as you can and trust the bastard upfront to make things right, and then never ever trust him again. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Watch the small round canopy without an apex vent oscillate as it opens, then watch the way the dog lands. Obviously a fake. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The program has changed many times, and even folks "in the know" are often working from old information. It may be an accident based on prior knowledge, so don't get too angry about it. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The bigger problem is the airport owners, municipalities, and surrounding property owners. Each is concerned about loss damage, and group membership with an assurance that all jumpers have coverage gives them peace of mind. Drop zone owners are generally not as concerned about that insurance, and are sometimes willing to take the liability on themselves, as long as the airport is privately owned and the municipality doesn't impose restrictions. However, a group policy with assured coverage is generally a much better solution. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

So now I have watched the video, and the flight performance certainly makes it look like a student skydive in another country (Bulgaria). The absence of a helmet is a significant safety concern for several reasons. First, the jumper appears to be a student flying with a camera equipped instructor. If the jumper became unstable the instructor might need to do an aggressive dock, and in that case BOTH participants should have helmets to reduce the injury potential. Plus, if the student (or instructor) do not have helmets, the instructor may well become more tentative on his dock, which could become another problem. Second, and more important, the students freefall ability is somewhat limited, and I would expect the associated canopy control would also be limited. A helmet would absolutely help in the case of a hard landing, which is a more likely result with an inexperienced jumper. It just doesn't make sense to let somebody of this experience level jump without a helmet. When I make those kinds of decisions as an instructor I assume the worst, and then ask myself if I could defend the decision to the injured jumper, family survivors following a fatality, or a jury in a court of law. There is a huge downside here, and simply no upside. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy