hallux

people that arent active jumpers shouldnt be on the board. They are disconnected from the sport. People that are DZO's shouldnt be allowed on the board. It is a conflict of interest (this is part of how the USPA got mixed up with skyride) When a board member buys votes by giving away free jumps and then refuses to join his DZ in the GM program, it pretty much made a mockery of the USPA board.

I cant believe you people. are you saying that everyone with a family should quit skydiving? Some of you are the same ones that will complain about retention. But yet this guy makes a common mistake with his experience level and everyone is telling him to quit. Thats bullshit! Thanks Johnmitchell for speaking with some common sense here. You seem to be the only one with good relevant advice. to the OP, Learn from your mistake. Stay off big ways when you are uncurrent. Dont pull at 2500ft. this event will do nothing but make you a safer skydiver. Lessons learned the hard way are the most influential.

what do you mean by troll???? are you saying that he isnt a skydiver? because whether its his first post or not its still his opinion. As long as he is a skydiver he has a right to voice an opinion about the USPA. Post numbers on this site dont make a person wrong or right. If you base the validity of someones opinion off of the number of post they have on this site then you are greatly mistaken.

yea it sucks. It seems once one gets in there they just stay because nobody knows anything about the people that are running against them. If joe blow normal skydiver wants to run he will get little votes becuse nobody knows him and the status quo seems safer to voters than the unknown. Of course very few people vote. Also a problem. Incumbents that are DZO's have their entire dropzones client base voting for them. Someties by force feeding ballots on them or offering incentives in order to gain a vote. Its a fucking JOke! DZO's should not be allowed to hold office period! Saharaclown, troll or not, is right. a bunch of old self serving non skydiving hypocrits, that are more worried about going after members for trivial things or personal vendettas than they are about helping the sport. Maybe the owner of the skyride DZ's should fly a airplane around the country and give away free jumps in exchange for votes. That would stir up some shit for sure. But it wouldnt be the first time its happened.

it explains it. I feel like most people that are going to skydive are going to skydive whether their first jump was a carnival ride or an instructional jump. If it appeals to them they will come back. Mine was a carnival ride but I knew before we got out of the plane that I was coming back to learn more. To tell the truth I think alot of people come back because they see the social interaction we have with each other and want to become a part of that fun and unique environment.

No need to scream for mom cspence. I will pass the message on to her. Afterall shes lying right next to me as I type this. HAHA ROCK ON cspence

you have every right as a citizen to speak your mind. Your ratings should have nothing to do your opinion of FAA policy. "Conduct unbecoming of a skydiver" ? What the hell is this the military? The USPA has become way to comfortable with overstepping thier bounds lately. Its like USPA run amuck. The good old boys club of DZO's that are just looking out for thier buddies and thier own interest. I think to be on the board you shouldnt be allowed to be a DZO. HUge conflict of interest. This is how they burned all of us with that skyride crap. The USPA should stick with lobbying to help its members instead of running around trying to pull ratings and making rules that EVERYONE of those BOD's have broken several times themselves. I say SUE them. YOu have a freedom of speech and have been hugely discriminated against. The USPA is our association. Not the BOD's!!!! It should be here to assist us, not rule over us like Dried up angry nazis

come on john I was tryin to get Cspence to go all nuts on me dont ruin my trap

maybe they did run out of gas maybe they didnt. Maybe it was another fuel related problem. I didnt see indecision whether to land I saw them going toward safest looking place to land. I dont think it was ever a decision to land, they pretty much didnt have a choice. And they didnt have much time to think. Looks like they did perfectly fine. I'm glad they didnt die. Even though it wouldnt effect me one way or the other. I'm sure their families woudnt have been better off. Except financially maybe Also when using the word dumbass you should try to spell it correctly. Otherwise you lose credibility

well put tetra. Dead on correct.

theres a fun ad lib "skydiving is a dangerous sport. You can be injured or killed. To help prevent that, you have to . . . . dance like a chicken and bark like a dog.

oh that was the best! hillarious! I like poking fun. Like I said congrats to the tandem pair. I like where the guy during the planning said "i know you all have the skill to be there" haha I bet when he saw that video he was like "AAAAHHHHHHH F@ck"

Sure they are, the gear all has neat buckles and snaps and stuff...and if ya run outta air in either-yer screwed! that was good. lol

get used to it.... people on here are going to tell you what they "know" and are most likely going to take anything you say out of context. They arent bad people or stupid. they just want to contribute.

I am a very experienced scuba diver and that point is well known in scuba circles. But thanks for passing it on. I was about to say.......I'm sure she knows that as a certified diver

wow. Some of the crappiest rw ive ever seen. Congrats to the record setters. Im just glad they werent killed by one the monkeys trying to climb on their back. It looked like a swarm of bees around that tandem. I think like one or two of those guys actually had the skill to be there. I counted about 14 people that were suppose to on there. I think I saw about 9 that were there or buzzing in and out of frame. Hillarious!!! thanks for the laugh though

no one said to deceive them. But I dont harp on it. Its skydiving, its dangerous, it says so in the waiver, on the harness, and in everything you've ever heard growing up. If they ask how many people die I tell them. If they ask how many people get hurt i tell them as honestly as i can. They know its dangerous...thats why most of them are there. they want to say they've done it.

They will only be passengers if you allow them to be, if you are so inclined to treat them like passengers, then that's what you'll get. I've got 5,500+ jumps with tandem students, mainly because I believe it is my responsibility to treat them as such. Considering someone a passenger and calling it a ride is a major disservice, and begins the slide down the slippery slope of careless carnival style tandems. Educating your students as to the full responsibilities and dangers of the activity they choose to participate in is the only responsible thing to do. When you hear your students say something "Time to sign mt life away." as they fill out the waiver, do you educate them as to the real purpose of the waiver? When they ask if they can do "flips" do you educate them of the increased danger? This bullshit attitude that tandems are a ride is totally unacceptable. The manufacturers say so, the USPA says so, the course directors say so, and the PROFESSIONAL Tandem INSTRUCTORS say so. Look at your rating card folks. It says instructor for a reason. If you're unwilling to be one, hand it over. I believe you have a over inflated sense of self. What you are saying is that you force them to be students. WOW sounds fun. NOOOOOTTT!!! I think the better approach is to show them a good time and teach them a little too. A nice mix of carnival and education. Dont overdo it and dont scare the shit out of them with the danger parts. Seems like all you want to do is talk to them about how dangerous it is so that you look like some cool instructor guy. I use the canopy ride to talk to them about the sport and try to sell them on it. A good instructor can read people and can tell who might actually be a candidate for skydiving. Treating 60yr old grandma like a full fledge student is a waste of your time and theirs. She just wants to have fun. If someone is doing IAF then by all means they are a student and should be treated as one. I guess there are varying degress of treating like a student. there is a big difference between letting someone pull a golfball and a full out instructional jump. Why force someone to be a student when all they really want is a ride? Like I said, a good instructor will talk to the student before hand and get a feel for how they should treat the customer. Remember a tandem is more of a introduction to the sport. So try to show them a little of it all. Mostly the fun!!!

from the SIM section 6-2 C. Equipment 1. Gear must be properly secured to prevent premature deployment of either canopy. a. A premature opening at the speeds involved in this type of skydiving could result in severe injury to the body or stressing the equipment beyond limits set by the manufacturers. b. Deployment systems and operation handles should remain secure during inverted and stand-up flight; therefore, equipment for freeflying should include: (1) bottom-of-container mounted throw-out pilot chute pouch, pull-out pilot chute, or ripcord main deployment system (i) Exposed leg-strap-mounted pilot chutes present an extreme hazard. (ii) Any exposed pilot chute bridle presents a hazard. (2) closing loops, pin protection flaps, and riser covers well maintained and properly sized 2. Harness straps a. Leg straps should be connected with a seat strap to keep the leg straps from moving toward the knees while in a sitting freefall position or making transitions. b. Excess leg and chest straps should be tightly stowed. 3. Automatic activation devices are recommended because of the high potential for collisions and loss of altitude awareness associated with freeflying. 4. In the case of skysurfing boards, a board release system that can be activated with either hand without bending at the waist is recommended. 5. Personal accessories for freeflying should include: a. audible altimeter (two are recommended) b. visual altimeter c. hard helmet d. clothing or jumpsuit that will remain in place during inverted and stand-up freefall and will not obscure or obstruct deployment or emergency handles or altimeters

so where do you think is the most likely stage of a skydive to have a premature deployment. Keep in mind we are using modern freefly friendly gear. Meaning that it meets the standards recognized by the USPA

you are right. Its hard to fully explain the risk. Simply telling them that it is slightly more dangerous should be fair enough though. At least then you have explained to them that it is a added risk. However, For a record attempt I dont think its a good idea. Fatigue factor is too high. That guy was dead on about them being passengers though and not students. when I did tandems 9 out of 10 people told me they didnt wont to pull the parachute or keep up with altitude. they just wanted to "enjoy it" No matter how hard we try only certain people are going to be skydivers.

lol tandem cowboy is so badass that his student started off as a horse but landed as a cow. tandem cowboy is so badass that everyone on the same load as him is doing a night jump. Because they are all living in his shadow.

couldnt have said it better myself thanks for that.

trying to break a record with first time jumpers would be unfair to the passenger. However, doing 1 or 2 well organizized night tandems with first timers is not dangerous. Afterall if attached to a tandem instructor there is no wind limit. So why should there be a light limit? Given the proper precautions and arrangements are taken

the one that pays.....the most. like i said do you need money? then easy decision from the way i read it, looks like she is considering the job on a short term basis till she starts the internship. Or is considering doing both. I didnt see where she said she was going to throw away her school to go work at a animal clinic. I think your reading comprehension is rusty. Although the OP might be a little misleading.