livendive

Pete, you are SUCH a dick! Blues, Dave

I bolded a potential third lesson. Just out of curiousity, how much experience do you have with first freefall students (S/L or IAD progression)? The arch is certainly important and should by no means be disregarded, but the real key to a successful clear and pull is, well, clearing and pulling. Body position on exit that is similar to a first jump student isn't terribly uncommon (although the reserve pull is), and while improving it is important, it shouldn't disrupt the normal order of priorities. I take my students a little higher for the first C&P, and assess them favorably if, after kicking for a second, they regain their senses and take an extra second or two (not five+) to arch before pulling. Blues, Dave

Blues, Dave

Personally, I'd try harder for a stable exit & drogue deployment. Blues, Dave

Are you talking about the attachment rings for a detachable slider? Blues, Dave

I do indeed remember him, one of several Mike's who regularly posted there (O'Mara, Spurgeon, Fedak, and DeadMike among the others). I'm sure RL can either confirm or deny, but I think Masterov was RM#1. Bummer. Blues, Dave

I've spent a couple hundred bucks on copies so far this season to ensure every student gets a handout of the SIM section for each category of the ISP. I also bought several SIMs and put them in manifest along with a sign-out sheet. I encourage all post-AFF students to take them home for a week at a time and read up. It also makes them handy for when the students are sitting around on a weather hold. Blues, Dave

I'm a proponent of telling them the truth, but I don't work at a big dz where fatalities are relatively common. Blues, Dave

Mine are Telesis student rigs, with small, medium, and large settings rather than a traditional friction adaptor, so I set the MLWs before donning the rig, based on my "educated guess". If it doesn't fit properly, I take it off them and re-adjust as necessary. Blues, Dave

In no particular order, relative work, no contact slot flying, teaching skills, listening skills, general awareness & observation skills,. Blues, Dave

I quit doing that at around 30 tandem jumps when we went head-low during the trapdoor, the bag bounced off the back of my legs, and we got slammed. If I have a special needs student of some sort (be it a physical disability or just a bad case of the stupids), I'll sometimes pull their forehead back with one hand during opening, but for the most part I prefer to pull the drogue release and just keep flying. Blues, Dave

My daughter. I'm hoping to take her again this Sunday. Blues, Dave

Absolutely close it. Messing with a pilot chute while positioning a student next to an open door or having a student get next to that open door so you can hook up his S/L both seem patently unsafe. Granted, the latter could be worked around (hook up S/L first, while blocking access to the door, then reposition), but I'd much prefer there be something besides just me between him and a guaranteed reserve ride. Blues, Dave

What other dz.commers are gonna be there? Let's fly it as much as we can. Below are the folks I know of. aironscott D_22359 freeflyman livendive odendan (tentative) TheStepchild Blues, Dave

I'm not even sure how one would go about doing that...barrel rolling through the bridle during the throw while head high? Gah!