tombuch

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Everything posted by tombuch

  1. In the days BC (Before Cypres), lots of dz's put students out on rigs equipped with only an FXC or Sentinel on the main and no AAD on the reserve. The rigs were equipped with RSL's. Quote Sentinel on the main? Didn't that AAD require a new cartridge every time it fired? Must have been expensive, eh? Tom Buchanan Old Instructor (SL, IAD, AFF, Tandem)
  2. AFF instructors hated the idea of being in freefall with a student who was using a hand deploy pilot chute that could only be deployed from one side. It was a very valid fear. Once the BOC system with a two sided releaseable pocket was developed it became a reasonable system to use. But of course it needed to be proved for a bit with documentation (thanks Skydive Chicago) before we were willing to use it with real students. The concern of AFF instructors was reasonable given the kind of equipment and pocket configuration that was available. Tom Buchanan Sr. Rigger Instructor (AFF, SL, IAD, Tandem) etc. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  3. Why would someone want to do this? hook an AAD up to a main, I mean. How would you even hook it up? Wouldn't the PC have to be some type of spring loading or something? Umm, yes, you would need a spring loaded pilot chute. In the olden days (like about 5 years ago) all student mains had spring loaded pilot chutes and ripcords. Hand deploy pilot chutes for students are a "new" concept. If you travel a bit you will probably find many dropzones still using ripcords and springs for students. Very few experienced jumpers use spring loaded pilot chutes with ripcords these days, but again, if you travel a bit, you will find a couple of old timers around the country who stick to the classic gear. Using an AAD on a main has become very rare. I think the military does it in some cases, and I have heard of one or two regular DZ's that put an AAD on the main, mostly as a marketing tool, I suspect. So, it can happen, and I imagine there may be a few special cases where you might want to add an AAD to the main ( a blind student, perhaps), but it is rare. Your question is interesting and shows some thought. As I was reading the FXC technical papers I smiled when I saw the reference to a main parachute installation 'cause it is such an odd concept in the civilian world in 2002. -tom buchanan Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  4. they only require a 2 year inspection done by the factory. I just checked my books and got off the phone with FXC. The Mark 12000 with revisions of J and above require a two year factory check. Revisions A-G require an annual factory check, but will be upgraded to the current revision as part of the process. So, all units in the field should be J and above, and they require a factory check every two years. However, all FXC 12000 units require a functional chamber test at every repack cycle if used on a reserve, and every six months if used on a main. Talk with your DZ manager and confirm they are doing a chamber test on every unit at every repack cycle. Heck, see if your rigger even has a working chamber. Questions? Call FXC in California at 714-557-8032 -Tom Buchanan Sr, Rigger, etc. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  5. Great idea! It is super awesome that you will have that opportunity. Tell the tunnel instructors what your problems are (bring your video, if you have it), and prepare to learn. Good luck. -tom b.
  6. I hate to give simple answers to complex questions, but here goes...talk with your instructor. He's the expert. With that said... Any body movement will cause a turn or some other motion. Experienced skydivers can turn using a knee, foot, arm, shoulder, hip, or whatever. Mostly, we combine many different things to create very precise turns. At this stage in your training the objective is to isolate variables and feel the effect of simple changes in body presentation. Some schools teach arm turns initially, some teach leg turns. Whatever, they can all work. A few schools teach combinations, or alternate responses to spins or uncommanded turns. So, speak with your instructor again. Move those body parts he wants you to move, and leave the rest in a stable position as best you can. Keep it simple. If you have a chance to get video, do that. Video rules, especially at this stage of your training. Another suggestion...asking questions here isn't a bad idea, but you should carefully evaluate who is responding. Use the feature on the left of the post (full profile) to check a writers credentials, then filter everything you read back through your instructor. Other instructors may have some great thoughts, as may other students, but you should know who is making the suggestions and what their experience is. Keep in mind that the most important instructor in the world is YOUR instructor. Blue Skies, -tom buchanan
  7. Does your DZ follow the required maintenance schedule for the FXC 12000? I believe that includes an annual inspection by the factory, and a chamber test at EACH repack. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  8. One of the key reasons students are told to use the reserve rather than the main when getting out low is that every student rig has an AAD. Using the reserve when close to AAD firing range prevents a two canopy situation. Speed of opening is another reason, and there are a few more, but they have already been discussed on this thread. Tom Buchanan Instructor, etc. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  9. There is no A license exam anymore... Incorrect answer. There is an "A" license exam, but it is now an oral exam conducted by an instructor along with a "check dive." Perhaps your school has stopped giving the exam, but it IS still a USPA requirment and is noted in the SIM. Tom Buchanan USPA Instructor (etc.)
  10. That is realy funny! -Tom Buchanan
  11. Contact lenses can easily fall out in freefall. If you have really bad eyesight, you should be sure to wear your goggles. Pretty simple. It should take about 1/2 second to throw them on. If that is a problem while wearing your helmet, you might think about a different helmet, or simple deal with the potential of being blind. Perhaps your emergency exit procedure without goggles might include closing ONE eye and opening your parachute immediately. Most aircraft emergencies that require an early exit offer either a few seconds of warning, or a bunch of altitude. Likewise, most emergency exits will take a moment to actually organize and confirm with the pilot, so you will have a few brief seconds to get your goggles on. The exception might be a power loss at about 1,500 feet, but if you choose to get out, I doubt you will have enough freefall time or speed for goggles to be much of a worry. Another exception might be when another jumper gets out early and has his parachute open over the tail. It's always a great idea to be primed and ready to go when another jumper is leaving early...that is more likely to cause a true emergency than a standard engine problem. The typical emergency exit follows a power loss on the climb, or a rough engine that prevents a climb. Most of these problems happen above a few thousand feet, and you will probably hear the engine noise change in advance or see the pilot start to act unusually busy or anxious. Thus, you will have some time to deal with it and get ready. Be alert on every flight, and be prepared to get out quickly. It can happen fast, but is rarely an ohmygodtheworldisabouttoendsoI'vegottogetoutNOW,NOW,NOW!!! As for how much freefall you will have, it depends. If the plane is low, you may do a fast hop and pop, throwing your pilot chute as soon as you clear the tail. In that case you will have a bunch of forward speed, but no vertical speed, so the parachute will open behind you, not overhead. It's a different feeling, but not a big deal. IAD and static line jumpers face this kind of opening all the time, as do some CRW jumpers, and a few skydivers who just like to do quick openings. If your exits are super stable, you might try dumping when you clear the tail on a future fun jump. That is a real "clear and pull and is actually fun. If the emergency exit is from a higher altitude, like 7,000 feet, you may choose to open at your planned altitude, or you may open a bit higher than normal if the spot is way off, as it very well might be. If you do open higher than normal, keep in mind there will probably be people getting out behind you, and the separation may be less than normal, so do an extra great job of waving and looking above you prior to opening. You and the pilot may also choose to give up some altitude and glide back to the DZ, making your exit lower, but the spot better. Decisions, decisions. Whatever happens, you will probably deal with it easily. I've been on more than a few "problem flights", the lowest at about 2,000 feet, and the highest at 10,000 feet, but that one was more than 4 miles from the DZ with an AFF level 1 student. They are really a breeze. The key is to know where you are and what your options are. Do what the pilot tells you, or if he is really busy, make the decision yourself and tell him what you are going to do before doing it. Wait for a quick OK, an abrupt NO, or a head nod, and move along. Emergency exits are a great discussion topic around the DZ on a bad weather day, especially if you can get your pilot involved, and perhaps even add a few people who have handled the emergency in the past. In the student program we train them as a big deal and super time sensitive, and while that can be the case, it usually isn't. Anyway, good questions. Sorry about the long winded answer.
  12. ***"I sympathize with your budget issues, but if you really want good photos and you plan on selling the book for a profit, then you should expect to pay and pay well for the photos." I've been a professional photographer for 20 years and clearly understand your point. Unfortunately, McGraw-Hill just isn't paying for photos at all. Period. Yes that sucks, but that is the way of the publishing world at the low end of the scale. This is the very first time a major publisher has shown any interest in the skydiving market, and they do not anticipate much of a profit potential, thus there is no budget for photos. Sorry. That isn't my decision...it is McGraw-Hill. I'm shooting most of the original images myself and really don't want the whole book to focus on just my DZ, thus the request for images from other places. Ideally, dropzones would have images to provide, but most don't own any photos, so the image need to come directly from photographers. Actually, there are a few DZ's that have deals with their local photographers that produce some images for promotional use, but those are pretty rare. In any event, this is a great way to promote the sport, and that should bring us all more jumpers and more money. The primary benefit is to dropzones, and there is a secondary benefit to photographers who want to be published but do not otherwise have an outlet. This project is a great way for shooters to support the skydiving industry, and a great way for DZ's to get some ink in a book targeted at beginners. I wish McGraw-Hill was willing to pay real dollars, but they aren't. Providing free photos to a project like this isn't a super great thing, but it isn't that bad either. On the other hand, the cover is a paying project, so the right tandem photo could bring an interested photographer a reasonable payment. I'm sorry I can't offer more. If anybody is interested in sharing images I'll be happy to use them, and I do think the book will have a positive effect on the skydiving industry overall. If a photographer doesn't want to participate, I understand that too. -Tom Buchanan
  13. Hey Folks: I’m writing a book for McGraw-Hill called ‘Jump! Make Your First Skydive Fun and Easy.’ It is targeted at whuffos who are interested in making a skydive, but don’t know anything about our sport. I’m looking for some photographs to use inside, and also looking for a cover shot. I’ll describe my needs, and if you have appropriate photos I would sure appreciate receiving copies for publication. There is a small budget for the right cover photo, but sadly, no budget for inside art. The cover should be color. The inside photos will all be printed in black and white, but they can be provided as color originals or high resolution scans. All photos will be credited in the back of the book, and it may be possible to mention a specific drop zone in some of the captions. This is a great way for a beginning photographer to get in print, and also a great way to promote a local drop zone. The ideal cover photo will be a vertical image of a tandem skydive showing the airplane, and it will be gender neutral. It should have great lighting, and the student should look happy. It should be well composed with room for the title and type. Other shots will be considered for the cover if they are related to student training, or otherwise show the sport in a way that will attract a whuffo. The book is very supportive of USPA, so photos should be from USPA dropzones. The text covers both large and small dropzones, and favors large DZs by just a little bit. I would like the photography to show both big and small DZs where possible, and photos should feature Cessnas in a positive way. Most of the photos will be from The Ranch, where I am S&TA, but I would like to feature other dropzones too, and am especially interested in including dropzones from other regions of the country. I already have a bunch of great contributions from some outstanding photographers, but can always use more. The cover is needed ASAP, and the inside art is deadlined within about a week. I need some very specific inside shots as follows: 1) Two good general tandem freefall photos, one showing a drogue. 2) One good tandem exit photo. 3) Two good freefly photos. 4) Two photos of skydivers jumping near, but not in clouds. 5) A Skyvan or CASA exit showing the airplane and jumper(s). 6) A camera person shooting a tandem opening, or a tandem in freefall. 7) A cameraperson in freefall with a helmet loaded with cameras. 8) A Cessna exit or Cessna interior shot with jumpers on the floor. 9) Other cool instructional shots, including ground photography. If you have any of these images and would like to share them, please drop me a line along with a thumbnail. Again, there is no budget for inside art, but the cover will be paid at a reasonable rate. Thanks, Tom Buchanan Instructor (AFF, SL, IAD, Tandem) Commercial Pilot, Rigger, etc. [email protected] (203) 431-9748 Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  14. Been there, done that. And yes, the Family Channel blimp was at the WFFC a few years ago. I actually had a chance to jump from the Family Channel blimp before that when it was flying as the Virgin Airship in Florida. Jack Gregory joined me on that skydive and even shot some cool video and stills. Several years later I jumped from another blimp owned by the same company when it was on lease to the World Wrestling Federation. Blimps are really cool! It is difficult to get an blimp operator to allow you to make the jump, but with a bit of effort it can be done. One of the big problems you will have is altitude. Blimps are designed to fly at low altitudes (like 1,000 feet or less), and have trouble climbing to higher altitudes with a load. Generally, they leak helium over several weeks, and as I recall, the best time to jump a blimp is at the low point on the helium load. So, you need to wait for the gas level to get low, then make the jump. Even with the low helium load, the best we could do in terms of altitude was about 2,500. The first time I jumped a blimp it was tough timing the skydive to meet the helium load and weather. The other problem is that the blimp needs to be well balanced for take off and landing. The only way to make a jump work from the pilot perspective is to take off heavy, lose the jumper, then land light. It is a bit of a chore for the flight crew. At one point I had a tandem scheduled from the WWF blimp for a radio station in Pittsburgh. The jump would have required taking off super light, venting about 4,000 dollars worth of helium on the climb to 6,000 feet, then getting the pilot to land super heavy. We did the full flight plan, and it could have worked, but the radio station backed out because of the cost to vent all that gas. Oh well. So, hey, keep trying and you may find a company willing to let you make a skydive from their blimp. -Tom Buchanan Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
  15. I always wanted to call a pet dog "Kitty", so it would come when you said "here kitty, kitty, kitty." -tom buchanan Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy