gimpboogie

grimmie

Dan was an instructor with a lot of experience. He was injured doing "blade running", the original speed flying down mountains with skydiving canopies.
I haven't seen him in about two years.
He's a great guy that stays pretty active with all sorts of projects. He is paralyzed waist down.
Madjohn here may have contact info for him.

Thanks for the info grimmie.

Yesterday I received a message from another skydiver who jumped with Dan before and after his accident. We shared some info and I received Dan's contact info.

This new info changes the history of paralyzed skydivers.

Unless we can find anyone else
(like the possible other 2 paralyzed skydivers mentioned in the article),

Daniel Fairchild is the worlds 1st paralyzed skydiver as early as 1999.

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there were some concessions made for an instructor who wanted to carry on doing ground schooling and needed to maintain his licence.

that's Daniel Fairchild - see the second link I posted from USPA meeting.


I had never heard of him prior to posting the other day.
The article I found titled:

It's all about attitude and altitude ... and love of skydiving

(at the link posted in my 1st post http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000903/A_NEWS/309039994 )

from the article:

"There are no handicaps at 13,000 feet, jumpers say


LODI -- A skydiving accident in April 1997 took away Daniel Fairchild's use of his legs.


But that didn't stop the 40-year-old Stockton resident from jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet and heading to Earth at 120 mph.


"I got up and did it when my bones got strong enough," said Fairchild, who said he is one of only three paralyzed skydivers in the world who jump unassisted. Pointing to his head and crediting a positive attitude, he said he never thought the injury would stop him from skydiving.


Fairchild was one of about 100 skydivers at the Parachute Center near Lodi taking part Saturday in Distant Thunder, an annual skydiving fund-raiser he organizes."


" Rick Draeger, an instructor at the Parachute Center, said those with missing limbs or paralysis have a harder time controlling air flow than nondisabled parachutists. He said he is impressed whenever he sees Fairchild jump.


"He's gone through a lot of work to get to where he is now," Draeger said. "Every time I skydive with him, I'm amazed."


I just had a quick look around and see Daniel T Fairchild was born in 1960. He currently lives in Medford, Oregon. Before that, Daniel lived in Lodi, CA in 1994. Before that, Daniel lived in Stockton, CA from 1995 to 2001.

The article from September 03, 2000 seems to verify he was in Stockton in 2000.


I've also found several mentions of him skydiving after paralysis in rec.skydiving google groups. These were posted in July and Sept 2000.

There was also a reference of him in SkyXtreme magazine, I'm just searching the archives to find exactly what was said about him.

I just found these 4 separate references to Daniel Fairchild skydiving while paralyzed.

I will log onto my work computer with other software and see what else I can find. As nothing is deleted from the internet, even if you think its deleted.

I just learned that as early as 1998 there were 3 paralyzed skydivers jumping unassisted.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000903/A_NEWS/309039994

Daniel Fairchild is 1, does anyone know who the other two are?

Anyone know if these people still jump?



Found this waiver from USPA re Daniel Fairchild

U.S.P.A. Board of Directors Meeting, Alexandria, Virginia, July 14
-16, 2000
-
Waiver for currency requirements 3
-
3.19F.1
In 1998 the committee granted a waiver for Daniel Fairchild, who is paralyzed and is unable to perform the jumpmasters requirement to renew his Instructor rating. He requests renewal of the waiver allowing him to maintain his USPA Instructor rating and continue to be involved in training.

http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Min_BOD_2000_07.pdf

Welcome to group of us para-spydivers,
Great to see you've taken to the skies and adapted quickly to new ways of flying

Welcome to the skies!

Like Lonnie said, we all do things a little differently, so take your time to see what works for you.
Read this forum, back several pages you will see posts from Dale Elliott, Pookie, myself and others.

The tunnel is a great starting place especially for those of us who had never been skydiving prior to paralysis.

Cherish your dreams, and turn your vision into reality

Best wishes, and may the pursuit of the blue skies bring you on a wonderful journey of discovery.

Awesome mate!! I'm super happy for you! this journey's been long time coming, your dedication is un-ending.
Keep the dream alive Pookie for all of us!

I wear braces on my knees under the pants. The crotch panel helps with some lift, the braces are locked in at optimum freefly angle for me. (I'm a woman by the way )

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Now THAT is an awesome video!

I agree!!!! I'm certainly nothing but a novice tunnel flyer (if that LOL 3 hrs in a tunnel is just like having a dozen skydives- just enough to realize you know nothing yet!)

but I do know enough about paralysis and how difficult it was for me to fly levels etc with merely my hands, arms, head and torso- Chris has less then half of what I have when it comes to use of muscles- yet in his 3rd tunnel flight he is flying better then anyone would believe if they didnt see it themselves!


certainly a testament to how determined he is.
I'm excited to see his next tunnel video

I plan to post a link to this thread in the skydivers with disabilities forum so if that is a big 'no-no' for cross posting-thanks for deleting one of these in that case.

I just felt this video is important enough for the tunnel coaches to see- as I firmly believe this is a 1st ever accomplishment.

Chris contacted me this summer asking how my legs were fixed into position for my tunnel sessions, after seeing my videos.

Clearly Chris, his friend Omar and others devised some exceptionally unique adaptation using pool noodles to help keep Chris' paralyzed arms and legs stable in the tunnel.

Please remember, Chris is paralyzed from the chest down, and elbows down as well- thus the levels you see him flying are completely accomplished by his upper chest, head and shoulders= the only parts of his body he is able to control.

Final note- prior to this session, Chris had flown a couple of times (if you check his channel you'll find the other videos and see how out of control he was- needing to be constantly held by the tunnel coach).
During one of his previous flights his intestines got twisted causing a medical emergency requiring hospitalization/surgery.

This is why you see him wearing the white 'band' (stomach binder) in this most recent video.

This would be very important consideration if anyone was thinking of taking a quadriplegic into the tunnel.
Without any ab muscles to hold those inner organs in place apparently the force of the wind can literally turn your stomach!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieeZ5mV8V8A&feature=channel_video_title


(this was his 2nd tunnel flight in Dubai-the one that landed him in the ER with twisted intestines. It's a lengthy video but if you start watching at 5 min. mark you get to see the tunnel flight only- but comparing it to the video posted here the improvement with these new modifications is astounding: -not to leave out his friends who carried that 300lb wheelchair upstairs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLAxdOxaWw&feature=relmfu it was after that tunnel flight Chris contacted me to get some direction as to what worked for me.

Flying In The Mist will be shown for the 1st time Dec 10th 2011 in Toronto, ON CAN.

"On Human Rights Day, December 10th 2011, ALS Ontario will proudly screen the documentary Flying in the Mist, produced by Article19 Films, which documents the life of ALS Ontario client Minna Mettinen. The screening will take place at noon at the Royal Theatre, 608 College Street in Toronto."

"ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of a select group of nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord."

If you are interested in purchasing a ticket for the event or finding out more information please see:

http://www.alsont.ca/events/documentary/

(wishing my favorite assholes could come )

This was almost 2 yrs ago soon- but thought I'd post it up for those who either work with paralyzed folks wanting to skydive- or are someone with paralysis looking to try wind tunnels and see what is possible to learn there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZAPuP676E

This was one of my 2 one hour sessions in the tunnel that winter- preceeding the coached jumps required for RW endorsement with CSPA, and to move on from there to participate in other RW jumps

This was a session combining levels, with forward & backward flying, along with docking.

Other sessions included the rest- and are posted on my channel.

What I found most interesting is that the 'fun and games' part of my sessions were actually sometimes most difficult tasks to achieve.


Fortunately I had this tunnel to train in, before the jumps of the subsequent summer and winter.


Wind tunnels are certainly worth every opportunity,
if you have any differences in how you need to fly, in comparison to the typical skydiving population.

Its where I test all my new gear when I can-was what I used to say, until I just test pilot myself into a tib/fib. with 2 new gear combinations at once- each of which I had flown with previously separately with success.
While a 3rd piece of my gear- I've flown with hundreds of times- impaled itself into my leg this summer due to the combination of several things being tested at once.

live and learn, tunnels going to be my best friend for freefall gear changes, the titanium and carbon fiber additions will remind me of this.

Thanks,
yes I know Dale (not personally, due to distance).
He began skydiving the year after I did, from what I recall, almost to the month.

Interesting to see now 4 or 5 paraplegics skydiving solo.
(skydivers with disabilities forum is where we mostly hang out )

I`ve been an `incident` this summer -tib./fib. so the RW has been on hold and seems perhaps a winter tunnel trip is in order if possible.

Hi,

Thought I`d share these videos, in case they come of any use in the future for anyone.

This was my 2nd time at Skyventure Montreal, where I`d completed an hour 2 months prior to these videos.

Went back to the same coach, Olga- very comfortable flying with me and working with the tunnel staff around any gear issues we faced.

Basically it involved ensuring there were NO possible ways for any of my knee braces and other `gear`to damage the tunnel.

The 1st 5 min. in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pSI3KceCQ
(lots of backsliding and problems with levels)

Then I learned a little by the next session:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZAPuP676E
(better with levels and proximity)

Finally, fun & games using skills learned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzqwBpUOvvA
( Basically this was the toughest exercise for me- yet was merely a game )

It was these sessions that taught me enough to start coached RW jumps towards my RW endorsement.
Further learning to eventually fly with others in 5,8, & up to a 14 way formation.

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My favorite part is during the dive, the jumper taps the pilot on the shoulder to ask a question.

"Are we gonna die?" is a perfectly reasonable question.

jumping out asap without questions is a perfectly reasonable action.... and answers the question

Is this for pilots as described in the original post, or for canopy pilots as well?
Is there a DZ to jump at for us, or are we ground launching?

This sounds very interesting, with relatives in Switzerland, I'd hope it's at the same place next yr. I'd love to fly my canopies there.

Thanks for sharing the post here.

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Looks like a great movie. When will it be available in the states?

As a nurse, I work with several kids that are in chairs from traumatic injuries and I would love to be able to show this to them.

At this time I do not know.
That was just the 1st trailer of several
(and not my favorite one by all means- because to me- asides from the beginning and the end- it wasn't very hopeful in the beginning- but I suppose for a health care or `patient`audience it was fine)

Yet I thought to toss it up, as its going to have a very positive view of a DZ
*sure its my DZ but those scenes apply everywhere I`d think*
- with some scenes of the camaraderie of jumpers after a jump in the packing area, and shows the fellow jumpers lifting me up into the skyvan-which represents aspects of DZ life
- we give each other a helping hand daily in this sport-and trust each other seriously, from gear checks to diving our plans.

The skydiving scene is there predominantly to show the wuffo audiences that something they think not possible- can be.
As I still have some who work with me, after 4 yrs of me skydiving, last week one saw the trailer and said ``oh gosh! you jump alone, I thought you were always attached to someone``

So it is not a documentary about a skydiver with a disability but rather a documentary of living life as one envisions it, and modifying ways of living to bring the disability along for the ride.
Which I see as the attitude of the skydivers currently whom I know have a disability- so perhaps even this perspective seems represents the attitude of many of us- although I really hate getting into the realm of 'speaking for' anyone else.

The process is 'unpredictable' from here, although we have a proposed timeline of trying to get it out by this fall here in Canada.
It's going to some EU independent film festivals as a documentary currently.
As for the North America its really a matter of how quickly we can spread it across the continent- depending on demand

There are some TV stations currently interested in showing it (it was created with a TV time slot in mind- so its about 45 min long). This could be an option for your clients.

As for showing it in health care settings, that didn't really occur to me- as this film is produced on a very low budget, like most independent films are. As such, the cost of 'advertising' it is a factor....

Certainly anyone who works in a place which may be open to considering that option, PM me and I will give you the producers contact information.

Once I know any dates, places etc. I will update the thread.
Thanks for your interest.

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I look foward to seeing the movie. "Flying in the Mist", awesome title!

Sorry to read about your injury. Im glad you posted it for others to learn from (and for you to learn from too).

An inspiration you are!

Heal up and get up there! Blue skies are a waiting!

Thank you for the encouraging words.. and for supporting me in writing about my injury.

I was discouraged from posting about it, for several reasons mostly because people said as soon as it is learned that a paraplegic skydiver got hurt landing, the 'scare' will be set forth and other DZO's will be reluctant to let others like me start to learn.

After debating it for almost a month, I decided that the risk was greater for me NOT to disclose it- because this accident had a lot -mostly- to do with the specific gear that I use. 2 other paraplegics are using the same type of gear (one flies currently, while the other used to, and is going to be getting back into the sport).
Also the gear that I use, (and the other 2), is being displayed as the 'way to do it' in the manual created by Rod Mack- so it is now in a manual as a way to teach others.

So I began to feel that if this happened to me, it can happen to someone else- and possibly worse then my situation... I can not sit back and keep this away from the 'public record' because if someone else gets hurt under the same circumstances I would feel horrid for not having brought this up for discussion.

I appreciate your support in my decision to disclose my injury and circumstances around it.

http://vimeo.com/25950478

The 1st trailer for the movie, a documentary about the last yr of my life (with glimpses to the past, from days when I was not in a chair).
Also below is one of the 2 posters for the movie.

I this is the 1st documentary of a paralyzed female skydiver that I've found out of. Although the movie is not specific about skydiving with disabilities, it naturally comes out in the movie.


It is to be a perspective about disability such as mine, with a perspective of hope, of positive energy... which is why I'm personally not a huge fan of that particular trailer as you may see if you have a look.
I do like the beginning and the ending

The website for the movie is being created now, and premiere showing soon in Toronto, before it begins touring the continent and on to Europe.

Currently it is being submitted to several film festivals abroad as this producer has won international film festival award for his documentary called 'Just One Shot'.

Hope you enjoy a quick skydiving scene, *the full movie has a much better idea of life on a DZ
as it is a documentary of my life after all, and I live at a DZ so naturally skydiving and DZ life in general is portrayed... positively for sure... kept it clean :) except for the pie-ying we have in scene

Beautiful news my friend. Good all around congrats on the accuracy. Glad to hear your back in the skies.

thank you

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...... but I am making my way back to the sport that makes me feel alive.

nice! glad to know your getting back up soon... and the place you feel alive, is still the same place.

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"Now having ALS
*(like him-which is why he is on the vent[while my personal choice is not to 'go there' -on a vent- which is why I have DNR- but thats another issue)"
I'm sorry.


*********No need for 'sorries', LIFE is terminal for everyone, and each of us finds our own way through it somehow.... this just happens to be my adventure.... and seems I need to take ALS along for the tour***********


Continuous oxygen wouldn't work. My guess is they rigged a scuba regulator.


*****Yes! I actually found a video from the Christopher Reeve Foundation
where they interview this guy. *****

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8mx_K2sMDQ&feature=autoplay&list=WL52729D3E01CD3D5F&index=2&playnext=1



"The TM admitted the combination of a similarly weighing customer, who was not arching, & the handicam being used for the 1st time by this TM created enough instability for the pair that it became difficult to gain a safe drogue deployment position until they tumbled for nearly 6,000f."
Hmmmm....... A (qualified?) TI tumbled for several thousand feet? I find that troubling.


***** it was for us all that day... . Needless to say, he's never worn the handicam again. Fortunately it was a very quiet evening, mid week, and this couple were the only tandems we had. As the TM was quite shook up upon landing -fortunately his passenger didn't know a thing about what had happened.*********


"Thank you for the change to engage in this with you, and I hope it did give the hope for others to see that quite a large variety of disabilities can potentially be managed via a tandem sky dive."
Anytime, GB. It was interesting. Have a great season

****likewise

GREAT!!!! very good to read this post today!

Like Lonnie said, you will figure out what works best for him.
Various paraplegics land in different ways. Dale, myself and Peter all use straps to pull up legs, while Lonnie (and maybe also Jarrett? )do not.

Read the forums, check out the things other para's here are doing and talk it over with your AFF instructor, who may wish to contact the instructors who taught Dale and myself, as Peter's coach is in eternal FF (BSBD Tonto Oct 28 2007)

THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY DAY!

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"As long as he doesn't need a ventilator."

I stand corrected

Now having ALS
*(like him-which is why he is on the vent[while my personal choice is not to 'go there' -on a vent- which is why I have DNR- but thats another issue)

the typical progression of the disease is that by the time the person needs a vent, they basically have lost most other functional muscles of their body -including hands- BUT there is a form of ALS (bulbar) which attacks the respiratory system first, and those individuals could be still even walking- while needing a vent- yet that form of ALS usually takes the life of the person VERY quickly, -often within a year to 2 after onset.
(there are 13 variants of this illness discovered to date)

from the little bit I could gather from information on the ALS forums -back in the days when I first saw that video, is this fellow had been affected for a quite a while (which -sort of like here- people around the world go to-as the incidence rate of ALS is 1/100,000 so the 'community' is a fairly 'tight knit' one)


This leads to the rigging of his system
(purely as my speculation since a) I'm not a rigger, and b) I've never actually messaged the person who posted that video to ask)

that PERHAPS they may have used a set up which included a timer of some sorts. That would activate the regulator according to the timing of his vent regulator.

OR somehow were able to utilize the regulators that come with medical O2 portable tanks that have 2 different types of regulators. 1- continuous flow or 2- provides 'spurts' of air every so many seconds
(I haven't really counted what that timing was, when I used those regulators as my current regulators are continuous flow - as I check my O2 levels several times daily and often have actually gotten geared up, realized I'm out of breath just from gearing up= so I step down off my load and do not jump that day- )

The point of this all being, really that

IF someone on a vent, who finds a DZ willing to go through the extra work involved in helping that person to jump= like this fellow- then clearly there is some possibility.
So the link is there, with the hope that if ever it was needed- contacting the person who posted the video, and perhaps learning which DZ it happened, it would be possible to contact that DZ to learn HOW they managed to deal with the rigging issue.

I do think it's remarkable this type of jump was undertaken (perhaps the only one of its kind).

I understand this discussion is going somewhat off from the original topic and I apologize for this, while still remaining within the bounds of the purpose of this forum.

Just hoping that what I've shared has
a) given some hope for paraplegics & quadriplegics who wish to try a tandem.

b) shown that with some cooperative effort between the DZ staff & the potential jumper putting their minds together, even something so exceptional as a customer on a vent, can potentially do a tandem,.

While clearly there may be some exceptions, if the rigging system did require some input from the guy on the vent, then customers such as the late Christopher Reeve would not be able to jump.

Which is why I said, -perhaps not anything is possible- while also thinking, IF this person had no hand control, then clearly the DZ along with him & his support system were able to somehow utilize the typical medical O2 regulators in conjunction with the scuba tank.

I also do assume that he was on a typical smallest possible portable vent on the climb to altitude.

As we know the sky dive itself takes merely a few minutes, & a person regardless of their breathing ability, could withstand potentially lower oxygen levels provided by this type of rigging, then the vent.

Especially if they exited @9,500 for example- (watching the video and counting his FF time would give a fairly good indicator),
the customer will still have an enjoyable sky dive, while taking his safety seriously.

As often 1st time tandem's do not know if they were let out at 13.500f or at 9,500f.

Two examples are:
my son- after his tandem said 'Holy f*ck! 60 seconds felt like 4!" & one situation where the TM was not able to get stable, & tumbled in flips down to what he admitted was around 7,000f before he could get the drogue out,
Asked the customer
"how did you enjoy the backflips?"
she replied:
"Oh did we do back flips?"


(I was there to witness that 'situation' listened to the TM as he came with a white face and said 'holy sh*t !". I was also there to watch the video.

They left with the videographer as typical, then the tandem quickly disappeared to finally see a tiny dot of the white drogue & the canopy opening very quickly soon after they had slowed down enough to safely do so.)

-Yes there is an explanation for what happened- a very thin small TM using a handicam for the 1st time, with a similarly sized customer. The TM admitted the combination of a similarly weighing customer, who was not arching, & the handicam being used for the 1st time by this TM created enough instability for the pair that it became difficult to gain a safe drogue deployment position until they tumbled for nearly 6,000f.

Thus the point being,
that most 1st time customers often truly do not know if they had a shorter FF then the typical 60 sec.'s

a) the customer had no idea they were flipping, (nor the reality of their situation), and
b) the she truly enjoyed her sky dive tremendously and said it ([i]without prompting) that this experience WAS better then s*x
(1st time I've actually heard a customer say that of their own admission without asked the question)

Thanks PiLFy, I certainly am not 'debating' your initial comment, as I don't think your initial comment to my video reply was to discount my comment that a guy on a vent did a tandem sky dive.

while had you NOT made the comment, the additional discussion we engaged in, would not have resulted, and the revelation that even a customer on a vent could potentially be rigged up for a sky dive.

Which resulted in additional information that I think fits with the purpose of this forum:
-skydivers with disabilities-

I would consider this particular jump to have been one of the most difficult ones to manage the logistics of.

Thank you for the change to engage in this with you, and I hope it did give the hope for others to see that quite a large variety of disabilities can potentially be managed via a tandem sky dive.

While maintaining the position that every DZ should NOT be expected to put forth this type extensive planning to accommodate a customer.

Blue skies, PiLFy

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That's awesome, but he didn't jump w/a vent. He rigged scuba equipment (a regulator & a tank) to force feed oxygen through his trach. It evidently worked well enough for the brief time he depended on it. I'm guessing he rode to altitude on a regular vent. Then, switched over just before jumping.

corrected I am.
My apologies for the misleading semantics of saying "with" a vent, instead of saying a guy "on" a vent.

My intentions were merely to try to agree with what was previously stated, "anything is possible" (although perhaps it's not the case, that anything is possible).

While encouraging this fellow who wanted to know if it was possible for his paralyzed friend to jump.

Having said that, since were on the topic of whether its possible for paralyzed people to go for a jump
-I am speaking most specifically here about tandems, as its already shown quite well here on the forums that several paralyzed people are now jumping solo,
(Dale, Peter, Jarrett, Lonnie and myself included)

Here is a the YouTube video of my friend John (a C4/5 quad)
doing his 1st tandem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm0TsCVkxV8&feature=player_embedded

Subsequently this Dz has agreed to promote John's adrenalin thirst, by giving him sponsorship for severely discounted tandems for the rest of his life!

I won't disclose the value of this discount merely because it is an agreement between the DZ & John, & I would not want to see a ton of paraplegics and quads going up to every DZ in USA asking the same discount just because this DZ has chosen to do so.

His general site http://www.extremechairing.com/sports.html
is a site he has created which is specifically dedicated to a variety of paralyzed people doing what he calls "extreme" sports.
(I would personally say some of them are sports that are not "typical" for many paralyzed people to be involved in)

The purpose for showing the link to the John's "general" site to the athletes he has posted
-although clearly only 1 of them being skydiving, the others closely related
-through being involved with parachutes in some way:
the para-gliding and BASE jumping,
is because some of the sports show (such as motocross specifically)
are ones that are typically not associated with paralyzed individuals.
My only hope is that by having shown that link, others with similar injuries, who have come to this forum because they want to try skydiving and either can not find a DZ they can access, may find something else to try, while they continue to seek a DZ to be able to sky dive.

As John's YouTube video description states,
' Over the past 5 years he has wanted to go sky diving, but each year's plans to go would fall threw for various reasons"
Knowing him, I can say that most of these reasons were:

1- he did not know where & how to start looking for a DZ until him and I became friends and I directed him to THIS SITE to come seeking a DZ who can accommodate him. Thus, DZ dot COM is the site which helped him to find a DZ that was able to provide him with the tandem he has been looking to do, for 5 yrs.

2-It still took him the other 2 yrs to find the DZ which was able to accommodate his needs.

So that only proves that PERSISTENCE does pay off, and giving up hope for a sky dive does not need to end with the 1st DZ that tells someone that they are not able to accommodate a similar request.


So I merely hope to provide the same for others, a place to see some activities they can do
(just as john went and did many of those activities while continuing to seek the DZ which he can finally go skydiving),
while they look for the DZ that will be able to accommodate their needs.

As we all know, not every DZ has TM's that can help in paraplegic or quadriplegic sky dives, while many d & many more are becoming more interested and able to do these sky dives as the years go on.

I would hope that some day, every DZ with TM's would be able to accommodate such a sky dive, but realistically this will take much time, education, and most importantly the comfort level of the TM's.

As ultimately it is their lives that are at stake in every tandem, regardless of who they are jumping with, which is why each TM should never be chastized for refusing someone from a tandem.

As skydiving is not a 'walk in the park' (despite some BASE jumper's describing it as so for them)