Deisel

Never. I spoke to my rigger about that and he figure that I could get at least anothe 100 or so jumps out of what I have. Do linesets have that much effect on openings? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

I jump a Silhouette 190 that is about 5 years old with almost 400 jumps on it. I've noticed in the last 50 or so jumps that it has begun to snivel quite a bit more than it used to. It's to the point now that I'm actually upright in the saddle while it's still deciding if it's going to open. It doesn't bother me any but I'm wondering if this is typical wear now that it's broken it fairly well? BUt I also don't want to end up ignoring signs of something potentially unsafe. Anyone know of any reason to be concerned here? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

C'mon, man!!! I was about 4 rum & cokes deep when I posted this! This is interesting stuff - I wonder how many B-schoolers have done no shit studies on good and bad DZ models. I'd be quite interested in reading the data. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

It seems that there are always plenty of DZs opening and closing all over the place. Now that I've been around this sport for more than a couple of weeks, I've seen and heard of quite a few DZs that have failed terribly and some that have done great. Of course there's a story behind each case so please spare me the drop zone drama. So what are the main causes of DZs that are forced to close up shop? What have been the reasons for the ones that have done well? Opinions & facts are solicited and welcomed. The "I got screwed" stories, not so much. Thanks in advance. Oh yeah, I already know that to make a million dollars skydiving that you have to start with two million! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Good DZ with good folks. It's a Cessna DZ so you 2 won't be able to be on the plane together if you get video. I don't recommend them for AFF but tandems are fine. And it's a hell of an experience to exit over the ocean. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Anyone traveling to Z-Hills around 6-12 March (flexible dates)? I'm looking to do Bram's AFFI course during that time and maybe hang out for the Expo in Deland. I'll be driving from NC to Fla so anyone interested in sharing costs - Holla! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Uuummm, where? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

I've heard this topic come up here and there. Does anyone have anything to say about why there would be a difference in canopy choice due to the size of the jump? Only thing that makes sense to me is not wanting to fly a fast canopy in all that traffic. Anything else out there? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Yes, I saw that post and wondered why we no longer have that type of system in place. IMO, it would be desirable to be a co-pilot of for a while before being completly responsible for a student's safety. But I can also see where this would be tough for a smaller DZ to do. Not impossible, just tough. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Paying S&TAs would 1 - allow them to be held accountable (fired) and 2 - they would work for USPA and not the DZ. Kind of how doctors in the NFL now work for the league and not the team. They have the final say on someone playing with a concussion and suppossedly have no interest in the outcome of the game. Seems about the fairest way to address it, given how so many skydivers are anti-establishment types. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

What can be required of a candidate to prove that they are mature enough to hold a rating that is not subjective? This is exactly my point. Anyone can be on their best behavior and get through a course. Maturity can not be determined in a short period of time. Just like one bad judgement call can not be used to say that someone is immature. Para - seems to me that currently, there is no one ultimately responsible. You say that the I/Es are dropping the ball. Well, who picks it up? Our sport is built on multiple redundancies and I don't see any here. And I think this is what this entire discussion is based on - who is ultimately responsible for the quality of instruction on a DZ? Maybe S&TAs should be paid by USPA to be the impartial decision makers. The buck has to stop somewhere. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Where's the S&TA in all of this? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't there a requirement for the S&TA to "recommend" approval or disapproval of candidates? In the military, before I can teach someone the five finger death punch I have to have a command recommendation. It attests to the individual's maturity and ability to handle responsibility. It's considered valid since the endorsement comes from the people that work with the individual on a daily basis and know if they are a tool. Once a person gains some type of advanced skill or rating their command is responsible for their use of it. Shouldn't the S&TA loosely function in the same type of role? D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Not sure that I agree. There are many people out there that do tandems with no intention of ever taking up the sport or making a second jump. Sure there are some that end up catching the bug and doing AFF, but I would bet that the percentage is pretty low. There are also folks that only do tandems for the sole purpose of making money (hard to believe, I know) and servicing tourists. If these folks don't want anything to do with teaching (which is how I feel about tandem instruction), why would anyone want to force them into it? What kind of students would/do they turn out? To me it makes about as much sense as forcing someone to be a TI in order to be a AFFI. Personally I don't see a problem with the whole tandems for money side of it. I say let the AFFIs teach and the TIs give rides. D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

ROTC and active duty have different rules (I was a ROTC instructor also). The university/command can impose many more restrictions on students that simply dont apply to active duty folks. And for the record - no one on active duty can sign away any 'rights' at any time. As long as you are following the rules you are covered no matter what happens. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

I would be in complete agreement with a time requirement. The issue with the TI situation is the requirement to already have an instructor rating before taking the course. Not the guys that already know that they ant to be TIs and not coaches. I would also be in favor of a more structured route to AFFI. Currently I'm going to friends to 'hook me up' with training dives in order to prep for the course. There should be a better way. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Aren't those the USPA minimums that you're talking about? If it's good enough for USPA then ... The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Well from the perspective of a school trained USMC safety officer the answer is yes. There are no rules or regulations that prohibit skydiving by armed forces personnel. Some commands may have a diierent view but the bottom line is that the DOD allows it. But keep in mind that there are requirements above what USPA requires. Things like hard shell helmets and closed toe shoes are on the menu. D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

If there is no sex then it's a deal breaker. I've broken up with a couple of women that did not do oral. But if she's willing to give it the good old college try - then we have something to work with. But I also believe that sex is an extention of a good relantionship anyway. So if the first is good then the other will be as well. If not, then there is something else going on (mental stuff?). The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

It's actually Geaux Saints!! Oh my, does the future look bright! It's taking everything I have to refrain from talking playoffs this early - oops, I slipped. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

After seeing all of the different views of the AFFI course, I'm left with several questions. If a young, good looking, studly guy (like me ) was considering taking an AFFI course in a few months what would be the best way to spend the time prior to the course? I anticipate doing another 100-150 jumps between now and then. Thoughts, anyone? Lou The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Dave, All of your points speak to what appear to be a weakness of the current system. Especially the part about not having to do any supervised instructor time before getting a student all to yourself. To steal someone's analogy from another post - you have to be a co-pilot before you get to actually fly the plane (or something like that). Why aren't AFFIs required to ride reserve side for a while? Lou The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

So let me get this straight; you don't go to the AFFI course to learn to be an AFFI? That math does not add up to me. Why is it wrong to learn/teach everything needed to be an AFFI at the AFFI course? And anyone that says 'because that's not how we used to do it' needs to understand just how wrong headed that position truly is. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

There is also the window between having all of your Coach jumps done and then still needing 8-9 more to get your liscense. Only someone with a D or instructor rating can jump with you. Typically, guys and gals in that position are fired up about jumping and I love jumping with them. Thats not a coach jump, I pay my slot, and it keeps them from having to do solos and getting bored. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

In most professions there is a logical progression through several stages of profeciency. All that I can think of go from initial education to practical experience to instructing others. This eventually leads to one becoming some type of master, instructor, professor, examiner, etc. There are many, many disciplines associated with skydiving to get involved in (belly RW, FF, CRW, tunnel, etc). And since it takes a minimum of 500 jumps to be an instructor (and 3 years for tandem masters), I pose the following question: How would you recommend that someone invest those 500 jumps and 3 years before being eligible to become an instructor? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Agreed. That's the ideal way to learn. But I'd rather have someone hang on and stay in the dive. Much preferred to chasing them all over the sky. If youre about to sink out - grab hold, stay with the dive, then try again once stable. Of course I'm only talking about doing a fun jump, not anything serious. Just my $0.02 The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.