fencebuster

I think streaming would be a good thing. Chuck makes good points and I am solidly in favor of it. I attended the Board meeting in March last year and was privileged to see the discussion on the Wingsuit Instructor rating. My opposition notwithstanding, I thought the Board did a good job of giving everyone the opportunity to be heard. Streaming, if the membership actually chooses to follow it and watch, is a good thing, IMO. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

get colors bright and visible. you don't want to the stealth canopy no one sees until just before the collision. i like orange, yellow, lime green,etc. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

+1 Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Chuck: I think the answer is that flight schools can get liability insurance for the risk of teaching minors to fly airplanes and sailplanes. There is no viable liability insurance for skydiving to manage the risk for adults, much less minors. In a lawsuit where an adult signed the waiver, at least the jury gets instructed on assumption of risk, contract law, etc. In the case of a minor, the jury would be instructed that a minor cannot effectively assume risk nor waive liability because they have not reached the legal age of majority. And without insurance to cover the loss, the business and owner are left to pay the judgment (as well as attorney's fees). I am licensed to practice law in DC and VA and my DZ is in VA, so I am speaking only of the effects of VA law. The law and jury instructions in other venues may be different, but nonetheless relevant to the discussion. As I said previously; this BSR does nothing to change my business. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I don't know exactly how many US DZs and DZOs there are, but I am one of them (yeah, I know I could probably get out my Parachutist and my fingers and toes and count em). I would love to let 16 YOs jump, but I am a lawyer, and have been accused in the past of knowing what I am doing as a lawyer. Taking a 16 year old Tandem student on a jump, or a 16 year old solo student on a jump, for which their waiver would be legally a nullity in the event of an accident, is just plain stupid. You don't have to be a lawyer to know "stupid" from "not stupid." The new BSR will not affect me because i have been turning down 16 year old jumpers for 2 years. For those DZOs willing to accept that liability, good on ya, but one law suit, win or lose, will probably end your business as a going concern. You can win a case and be bankrupted by attorneys fees, coasts and bad publicity. And in doing so, it will damage the rest of the sport's DZs. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I love fun jumpers. We are a 2 Cessna DZ right now, but being able to mix Tandems, AFF/Coach students and fun jumpers will make us a successful DZ. You need to have a good Manifest manager to make it work. Fortunately, I have a great Manifest Manager who understands and implements my vision. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

+1 Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

+1 Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Skydive Orange's waiver has that very provision. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

COME ON DOWN, DOC! Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

One important distinction in both flying, gliders and automobiles: the ability to obtain insurance . . . for the FBO, the owner of the aircraft used in flight training and automobiles. If we could get insurance for skydiving injuries incurred by student skydivers, I'd probably consider training a mature 16 year old that seemed on the ball. Without the ability to insure against the risk, no way. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

We jump every weekend at Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures, weather permitting. www.skydivenewmarket.com. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Manifest should have all jumpers registered and manifested for each jump. The waiver should have a place to identify who to contact in the event of an emergency. ANd, if there are two jumpers who are married, for example, who could be on the same load, their emergency contact should not be each other but a third person or family member. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Contour is out of business. By the time you have enough experience to jump a camera, there will be a new, much more advanced camera and Cookie will surely create a mount for it. Buy the helmet, worry about buying the camera and mount when you have the experience to safely jump a camera. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures will be open on New Year's day starting at 9 AM. With enough jumpers we'll fly both the C-182 and C-U206. We have students and tandems scheduled and the weather looks like it will be nice (if chilly) for skydiving. Come out and jump at the most scenic DZ in Virginia. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

+1 Love this . . . . Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

King Air 350 is >12,500 pounds, so a pilot muct have a type rating to fly as PIC. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

What a load of shit that Complaint is. Of course, it does cost money to get even a frivolous complaint dismissed. ANd yes, I play a lawyer on TV. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

+1 Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I had my first cutaway on CAT C1. Unstable deployment; hard opening; broken brake line on right side; blown out (torn) cells on the canopy like swiss cheese. There, square, NOT landable or controllable on the primary controls. Cutaway at 3000 feet. Best landing to date. What the first cutaway gives you is CONFIDENCE in the equipment. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

You may ask, but stupid transcends territorial boundaries. If it was in Eastern Europe, it was stupid. If it was in West Africa, it was stupid. If it was in Egypt it was stupid. If the TI was rated by USPA, it should not matter where it occurred. Period. If you are a TI and don't see that, you should turn in your rating card because you have a serious judgment issue. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

A good question. Big smiling face that clearly identifies the TI. Standing by to see what USPA action is taken. If this doesn't qualify for revocation of the rating, what does? DOes it qualify for revocation if it results in a fatality? If so, what is the difference-- same danger, just different outcome? Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I have done two Groupon promotions -- "2 tandems and two t-shirts for $260." One stated that the jumps needed to be scheduled in advance. The other was scheduled for "Weekends only." Our first Groupon sold out in 2 days (scheduled to run for 5). It remains to be seen how we'll do on the next one. We lost a little on the first one, but it drove business and was like low cost advertising. We also scored some AFF students as a result of the Groupons. A significant number brought a full paying customer along. Some bought video. We'll see how many don't redeem, but as the weather gets colder, I suspect we'll have a number that don't. For a DZ just starting out, it was a good marketing tool and kept us busy, making the staff happy. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

I crashed pretty hard over memorial day weekend 2011. Broke my back (L1, L2, L5) and tibia fracture, and knew it was going to be a hard landing and prepared for it for the 1-2 seconds I had to react. I PLF'd for all I was worth but I still bounced pretty good. I heard the back break, felt it "pop" and once I stopped flopping around like a rag doll, had no sensation of pain, except when I tried to get up -- that wasn't happening. I did a system check to make sure all the extremities were operating and waited for the ambulance to arrive. Friends got me out of the rig, but the jump suit was cut off. The most painful part of the aftermath was the back board. That shit is uncomfortable. But all was right once I got my first dose of morphine. 6 days in the hospital, Six week in bed and I was not as good as new. But I am back jumping. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures

It was tach time. Perfectly valid question. My bad for not specifying. Charlie Gittins, 540-327-2208 AFF-I, Sigma TI, IAD-I MEI, CFI-I, Senior Rigger Former DZO, Blue Ridge Skydiving Adventures