Skyper

general rule: if you don't know how high you are and you cannot know it > pull general rule: before you pull track away from the group, wave and pull. and don't wear that helmet if you have the same problem each time. For those days when it's too cold wear something else. p.s. "That's what I call a 'sticky situation'"

Agree. Connecting the new knowledge with existing knowledge require time as well. That is also the reason that course should be spread over several days and not propped up in one single day. And in the most practices the very same day the first jump takes place as well. If everything required for safe jump could be teached in one day, this kind of discussons would not be visited so often by so many ppl.

3 weeks

A good instructor would offer deodorant soap. this one is killer

guys thanks for the reply. I was just curious if that is possible for experienced skydivers. It's probably the crucial moment the recognition of the mal, which happens quickly for experienced ppl and of course quick and proper reserve procedure. So, 2500 is possible if mal is not too nasty though. thanks!

After reading this I'm really not surprised there are so many fatalities in this sport. When you're about to get killed please let us know. I guess you'd have enought time to notice it, connect to internet and post the message prior the impact. Unless I missed it, I dont believe he states what altitude that he cut away. How do you know he was flirting with death? Perhaps he cut away at 4,500 feet, would you still have a problem with him then? You have a point here. I did made some assumptions. I assumed he's an experienced skydiver and I also assumed that this kind of skydivers does not pull higher than 3000. In that case, this is playing with death.

I guess there are much more things the AFF-level1 student is strugling with than just "not breathing" :) My statement is applies to someone with continious strugle with this kind of "indications". I saw students having mouth widely open during the entire jump :D it was quite funny to see. And they were also surprised when they saw the video of it afterwards. They were totaly unaware of doing it. So it wouldn't surprise me if AFF-studends are doing other strange things as well. But if this behaviour presists than, he/she obviously has a problem that needs to be solved and not "tricked into".

After reading this I'm really not surprised there are so many fatalities in this sport. When you're about to get killed please let us know. I guess you'd have enought time to notice it, connect to internet and post the message prior the impact.

Paraman could you confirm this?

DSE, I think you made a good job of noticing this in the first place! And you made also a good point of finding the way to make him aware of the problem. If I were you I'd ask him if he's aware of not breathing during the jump. On the next jump(s) I'd ask him to solely focus on breating. No other tasks - only breathing and relaxing. I'd advise you to keep pay attention to this student since, as I said before, he has some kind of blockade which prevents him from relaxing during jump. And with 200 jumps this sounds quite serious problem. At least there is one fear that occupies his mind during the jump and because of that he does not breath properly. Now that he does breath it does not mean his fear is gone. It's just waiting for the next reason to be triggered again... It's also a good method a breathing exercise. Let them put the palm on the stomac and deeply breath in and breath out. When they're up in the air... before the jump. Remind them to deeply breath in and breath out again - just before the jump. Good luck!

How did you or DSE discovered that the student is not breathing during the free fall? How did we discover that fact? Read the posts. It's right there. I cannot find a word about the way he discovered the guy is not breathing. Could you repost it here please?

How did you or DSE discovered that the student is not breathing during the free fall?

Skyper: True, but these newfangled breath strip things dissolve completely & quickly in the mouth. With nothing in the mouth during the jump, it is far safer than offering a student gum. Skyper: DSE: Looks like you'll have to get all your students to sit on a couch and start telling you about their childhood and relationship with their mother. I have a feeling that instructors trying to sell as much as possible. In that sense, they're trying to force studends further development at any costs - tricks included. Why not simply admit that some people are not suitable for this sport and close the case? I guess it wouldn't be commercially acceptable?

having something in mouth during the jump may easily result in sucking that object in the air pipe... with all consequences of those. If someone does not breath while performing some activity, whatever activity might be, the person is actually strugling with some undisturbing toughts. There is a substantial fear within. Not breathing just encreases that fear. Breathing won't bring that fear away. And I'm affraid that no further training what so ever would help person to overcome this kind of fears - because they are deeply grounded in the personal past experiences. Most of ppl are affraid of the hight, but some people are terrified by it! Please admit it before you proceed with this student further. Maybe he passed that jump level, that time with you. But somewhere on his future jumps he might get the same "blockade" again in some other way and sucking won't help anymore.

Is there someone on this discussion that pulled lower than 2500 and had a mal requiring reserve procedure?

Hi DSE, thanks for reply! I'm currently interested in canopy control and free flying. I'll check one of those you mentioned above. thanks!

Which instructional video-material would you recommend?

yeah, sure. As I said before, it depends on how much money you've got. Go jump from bridges it's low and you don't need any financial, legislative nor administrational burdens. You don't even need reserve, AAD, Rig and all that "non-cool" and "uncomfortable" stuff. be free, jump chute free! Yeah sure what? You don't believe me? Yeah, sure... safety and training.

yeah, sure. As I said before, it depends on how much money you've got. Go jump from bridges it's low and you don't need any financial, legislative nor administrational burdens. You don't even need reserve, AAD, Rig and all that "non-cool" and "uncomfortable" stuff. be free, jump chute free!

...and rightfully so. I strongly suggest that you get the problem fixed before continuing just for that reason. If you decide to continue before getting it fixed (and in reality, these are not a bad ideas in any case): - please think about what you will do if it happens and you can't pull the main. Decide on a plan and practice it....and then practice it some more. - and plan, and practice, what you will do if you have a mal with a useless arm. - and plan and practice how you will fly and land with a useless arm. +1

you would make a lot of friends in the Middle East...

I pull low because I can't afford the ride to altitude. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWZXcn67Ej4&p=73B43AB1A40A5BE7&playnext=1&index=54 To the OP: Tell that wanker to mind her own business. Or, I can come to your DZ, pull below 500 feet, and that way you will look like a conservative jumper. jumping from bridges is even cheaper.

smaller DZs require higher pulls...

Hi rhys, could you please post the picture it?