michaelmullins

go here: https://www.uspa.org/dzlocator?pagesize=8

I agree!

USPA has requirements that are written in our BSRs that we expect our members to follow, and these are our "basic standards", and I do follow them. We also have recommendations, these recommendations do not fit everyone, or every situation, and we allow our members to use their own best judgment. Please feel free, obviously, to use those recommendations as your personal "basic standards". If you also feel that a USPA recommendation should become a BSR then please feel free to put it on the Safety & Training agenda for the next meeting by sending an email to Michael Wadkins, Chair of the S&T Committee, and it will be discussed at the next meeting. You can find his address on the USPA website. I know of no case where a member has not been allowed to put an item on the agenda. You can even come to the meeting and address the Committee, and you can address the full Board of Directors if you choose. If you wish to put forth a minimum number of jumps, or other requirements, for a tandem videographer BSR, then I would suggest that you provide statistics to show that the current system is flawed and is causing problems, such as injuries, fatalities, or any incidents. In my 22 years on the board and on the Safety & Training Committee, I cannot recall any significant problems with the status quo in regards to tandem videographers.

Not trying to prove anything, I am saying that "guidelines" are just that, and by definition cannot be too restrictive as they are not compulsory, and they are not compulsory for a reason, and that reason is that is some situations a comparable level of safety can be accomplished by good judgment and experience in training and qualifying cameramen. Such good judgment is not geo-located, has nothing to do with being "odd, small, underfunded", and I believe you are showing disdain, or at the least being patronizing, to the "odd, small, underfunded" and such characteristics, even if true, have nothing to do with good judgment on who is qualified to video a Tandem. Again, tandem videos seem to be going well and whether it be from heeding strictly the guidelines from USPA, or using your own judgment on who is qualified to video tandems, it makes no difference as long as the result is acceptable, which it clearly is on any statistical level.

I have never put "100 jump wonders" in the air to film tandems. I have put qualified individuals in the air to film tandems, regardless of the number of jumps that they have, period, and without incident. As far as problems with cameramen and tandems, I have not seen a real problem, it seems to be going fairly well, and I can recall only one incident that there was a problem and that was with a cameraman with many hundreds of jumps filming his mother on a tandem. He decided he would go head down to film the opening, flew into the TI, knocked him unconscious and left him with lingering brain issues, Tandem landed and passenger broke both legs, threw a blow clot, and died on the way to the hospital. I am not sure what a "182 DZ in the middle of nowhere" has to do with anything, but if they have good judgment in selecting who they have do their video I would agree that they should do what I do, that is, have good judgment. Any reading of your post would infer that I, and others, were "putting newbies in front of a camera to keep the doors open". You could have said "I would not put anyone in front of a tandem with a camera with less experience than I thought was necessary for safety", and, that is exactly my position, and it has been a very successful position ever since there have been tandem cameramen. I am not sure why you think you should be able to comment on my personality and that I "demand control". I thought this forum discussion was on tandem cameraman, unsure of why you choose to make personal comments, other than to detract from the issue.

I am a fan of USPA recommendations, and that is just what they are, recommendations. Not sure how you slipped a BSR in here as there are no camera BSRs. Love how you know my business and how I evidently "need to put a newbie with a camera in front of a Tandem to keep the doors open", nothing could be farther from the truth, I do not need my skydiving business, I could close the doors tomorrow and be doing just fine, I do it because I like it , I like to see the results of our team at work, and I like seeing skydivers growi from students to licensed to rated.

We base it on their individual ability, not on a fixed number of jumps. Some cannot do it adequately or safely with 500 jumps, others can do it well at 100 jumps. We have been doing it this way for 40 years and have never had an incident caused by a videographer.

We have done quite a few of these, only one static line. Instead of static line, it could also be done IAD just as well. We don't do handycam at my DZ, only outside video. We grow our own staff, video is where they start, if we did handycam there would be no pathway forward for those that did not have the money to readily get the required jumps in for TI or AFFI. All our TI were video at one point, some are still multi-discipline doing video, tandem, and AFF. We pay a $2.00 per jump override for every rating that you have in addition to the first rating.

I do think it is a good idea to practice a cutaway as a cutaway can be disorienting due to the zero G involved as skydivers do not routinely experience zero g on normal skydives from an aircraft moving horizontal in flight at over about 40 mph. To experience the actual zero g of a cutaway, I have designed, and it has been used many times, an interface that allows a solo jumper to attach themselves, with complete rig, to a tandem. The tandem pair can exit the aircraft, open, and the solo jumper can cutaway from the tandem with a pull of a handle, thus simulating the feeling of a cutaway. Or, if you wish to do something unusual, the solo jumper can cutaway from the tandem in freefall and then make a 2 way with the tandem pilot. On one occasion, we had a static line student come to our DZ, we don't do static line, so we attached them, with rig, to a tandem pilot, they exited at 14,500', tandem pilot opened at 6,000', then cutaway the student, with static line attached to the tandem. Student had a perfect opening, fell about 200' below the tandem. Before releasing the student, TI was able to point out where they were, where the DZ was, the landing pattern, and have the student get in an arch with feet tucked up. Worked great.

I have advised numerous people to not buy a King Air unless you have a very experienced pilot to fly it, a very knowledgable mechanic on staff that can maintain it, and that you are very knowledgeable about all aspects of flying and maintaining one. Otherwise, the costs of maintenance will eat you alive and an inexperienced pilot will have a good chance of crashing it or landing it gear up. I have told them that "you don't know what you don't know" but this advice has fallen on deaf ears on occasion. I have had very good service from my King Air B90 with -34 engines, have flown it over 45,000 loads. I recently had an engine failure when a $0.25 "C" clip fell out of the oil pressure regulating valve. We had never touched that clip, whatever defect it had was from the last overhaul, engine shop said they had never seen one do that. So, we sold the other engine, parting out the rest, and bought a C90 with -10, 1000 hp engines to replace it.

Geez, I never said I could do twice as many loads, I said I could put out more jumpers per day, I have flown over 50 loads per day on many days.

As I have made over 45,000 loads in my original King Air, 9HW, I would say that a bunch of jumpers seem to be very happy with a fast King Air, and now we have a faster King Air. The additional speed means that we can put out more loads/more jumpers per day, with either King Air, than any Caravan or Otter, burning less fuel, with a much less expensive aircraft. But I am sure that some can find a negative in anything. Mike Mullins

Yes

As I have said on numerous occasions we use a diluter/demand/pressure regulator, A-14, which is good to at least 45,000'. We never set them on diluter, they are always on 100%, and they have pressure breathing settings for 41K, 43K, 45K, and above 45K. They will automatically start pressure breathing if you do not select the pressure breathing. At around 30K, we put them on 45K and they put out a lot of oxygen, in excess of 12 LPM, which is far more than you can use. The system does not technically set flow rates, the flow rates are the result of how much pressure is coming out the diameter of the hose. The pressure is way more than sufficient, it is uncomfortable until you get used to it, it is akin to being waterboarded with oxygen.

Actually there is no cost for FAA paperwork to do the actual jumps. The procedure for a specific jump approval is just tedious and time consuming but, other than the time invested, there is no cost. There was a large, one-time, cost for the approval for flight with door removed, flight testing, and the interior configuration. The term for the airspace involved is actually RVSM, which is Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums, which requires very special digital altimeters, special auto-pilot, and other equipment for flights above 28,000'. As the aircraft is used for nothing but these jumps, and would not be practical for normal jump operations, the cost of operation must be absorbed by a limited number of customers who can afford such jumps. There are many things that are not available to the average person, or skydiver, due to cost and that is why everyone does not own a Ferrari, go to the ISS, and live in mansions. But, there are some that can and do. A private citizen went to the ISS, cost him 28.5 million. An 18 year old went up in Bezos rocket for the 15 minute flight, cost 2.8 million. Virgin Galactic ride to the edge of space sold out 800 slots for $250,000 each, now the ride costs $450,000. Very special things take very special money. Michael Mullins

We have recorded data on oxygen saturation on actual jumps from 41,000' and 15,000', both in the aircraft and in freefall. The jumpers from 41K have a higher oxygen saturation with their supplemental oxygen than the jumpers from 15K without supplemental oxygen. To my knowledge, we are the only ones to record such data. Actual data and experience trumps theory and speculation. We will continue to record such data. Our systems, both onboard and freefall, provide much more oxygen than is required by the generally accepted formula of 1 LPM per 10,000', and we check all the systems with a flowmeter prior to each jump. Mike Mullins West Tennessee Skydiving

The pilot was not impaired, the pilot was monitored constantly by a pulse oximeter, and the same pilot has flown test and actual jump flights to 41,000' on many occasions while having to operate the aircraft within a 5 mile radius and maintain exact altitudes in this RVSM environment. This pilot has likely more time at 41,000' unpressurized than anyone on the planet, could be wrong. Also, oxygen saturation at 41K on 100%, pressure breathing oxygen is actually higher that oxygen saturation on a normal jump from 15,000', which we have documented.

Citation X regularly flies at 51,000'

Sorry but you don't know what you don't know and you should not proceed with this. Such a jump can be made by someone that is highly experienced, knows the FAA and USPA rules, with a pilot that has jump experience. It does not appear that any of these things apply in this case.

If you had a USPA license, you still have a USPA license. There are no currency requirements for licensed jumpers and, technically, to be a current license holder you need only renew your USPA membership, which you can do online. Having said that, it is very unlikely that any DZ would allow you to jump without some currency training and that could consist of everything from a full ground school, or, to just spending an hour or two with an instructor who can evaluate your skills and knowledge, all depends on the DZ.

We have filled the avialable slot to 41,000' on 16 Oct 2021, sorry if you missed the chance.

West Tennessee Skydiving has one slot available for a 41,000' HALO Oxygen Jump on Saturday 16 October with a weather date of Sunday 17 October. This jump is being offered at the discounted group rate of $11,000. For a description, see: https://www.skydivekingair.com/index.php?p=2800

Nope, only 36 and 41