E150 0 #26 April 5, 2002 I don't think the age requirement should be less than 18! However mature and sensible some 14 - 17 year olds may be, many are not! It's not a kids sport!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #27 April 5, 2002 Hell, I'm considered a kid in the sport (I'm 22). Honestly, I would worry if I was on a dive with someone that was 16. Not that they would be unsafe, etc just because of their age, but I would still worry since I know I do stupid stuff and I've got 6 years on them."Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scratch 0 #28 April 5, 2002 Question:What is the minimum possible military conscription age in the US?Every day above ground is a good day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #29 April 5, 2002 We don't have the draft anymore. If we did, its 18."Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scratch 0 #30 April 5, 2002 Good.Conscription is finished here as well but when it was in full swing the minimum age was 16.Little boys with toys that go boom, bang and ratatatatat.BTWI regularly dove with a guy of 16. He is 18 now.Very good and very safe. Every day above ground is a good day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #31 April 5, 2002 That's cool, I just know that I wouldn't have wanted to have jumped with me when I was 16. Everyone is different. *shrug*"Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E150 0 #32 April 5, 2002 As we all know, everyone is different. But, there has to be a cut of age, a rule.Kids have a tendancy to play pranks without thinking of the consequenses. Besides, most under 18's will be at college and therefore have no money to jump anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scratch 0 #33 April 5, 2002 Knowing 16year old Dave as well as you doDon't you thing 22 year old Dave would know how to handle him. Just a thought.A 16 year old my be irresposible by themselves or with peers but not on my dive or with mature dive buddies.....RW is good like that.Every day above ground is a good day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyhawk 2 #34 April 5, 2002 nope most 16yr olds would be freeflyers :)Opinions are like a-holes everyone has one, the only one that does you any good is yours and all that comes out is shit Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bhale 0 #35 April 5, 2002 With parental consent, we take 16 year olds on Tandems and AFF.Come see us! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #36 April 5, 2002 Comparing it to driving is not a good comparison. In the interest of safety it would probably make sense to raise the minimum driving age. But there's a need for those under 18 to drive. Many work. There's not really a need for anyone to skydive unless you're in the military.cielos azules y cerveza fría-Kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #37 April 5, 2002 QuoteWe don't have the draft anymore. If we did, its 18.Since when? As far as I know, all males are required to register for the draft by their 18th bday. We're not actively drafting, but it's still a possibility and can be implemented anytime.cielos azules y cerveza fría-Kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #38 April 5, 2002 That's basically what I meant. Yes you have to register with Selective Services when you turn 18, but we don't actually have the draft going on right now..."Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #39 April 5, 2002 Quoteeven though it might not have much/any legal statusIt has no legal status. You have answered your own question here. The first time we have some 16 year olds grandma sue on his behalf and bankrupt 3 or 4 of our best gear manufactures, a major dropzone, all instructors involved and the USPA for endorsing it, many of you will realize this is a bad idea for the sport. Your son will be 18 soon enough, encourage him to enjoy some other sport that can kill you until then.OpieIf your not on the edge, you can't enjoy the view! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chronistin 0 #40 April 5, 2002 Yeah, come to Europe. It's a lot easier over here.Blue Skies!Chronistin*************************************http://www.skydance.at/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottbre 0 #41 April 5, 2002 Quoteson will be 18 soon enough, encourage him to enjoy some other sport that can kill you until then.Yea, I mean come on. If the 16 year old was really serious about getting into skydiving, they should take all that disposable income that 16 and 17 year olds tend to have a lot of, and spend tons of time in a windtunnel. Then when they finally turn 18, they can "Fly" through their student training, and maybe even embarrass a JM or two in the process. "Fixing the world through self-destruction." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #42 April 5, 2002 Excellent idea Scott.OpieIf your not on the edge, you can't enjoy the view! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #43 April 5, 2002 QuoteI jumped with his other son one year in Quincy. He was around 13.I jumped with Jeff (the middle one, I think) when he was 16. He had over 3000 jumps. That was about three years ago._AmICQ: 5578907MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com AIM: andrewdmetcalfeYahoo IM: ametcalf_1999 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #44 April 5, 2002 QuoteYour son will be 18 soon enough, encourage him to enjoy some other sport that can kill you until then.Agreed. My son waited until he was 18 to jump - in his case that was 12 years of hanging out at the dz. He knew four jumpers who died and many more who were injured jumping so he had a very good grasp of the risks he was taking. While I would have loved to have taken him for a tandem when he was 12, and imho he was mature enough to handle the risks of AFF at 16, I think it was best that he waited. He definitely appreciated it more.Skydiving is a sport for adults. Most teenagers can't grasp "personal responsibility" - and to me that's what skydiving is all about. Besides, do you really want your 14 year old hanging around the bonfire listening to a bunch of drunken skydivers? pull & flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 4 #45 April 5, 2002 You should not have a problem finding a dropzone in your area that will let your kid jump when he is 16. There are a lot of small dropzones in your area that I KNOW will let him jump at that age. PM me for a list.ChuckMy webpage HERE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #46 April 6, 2002 Right on the button Opie!!!!!! Patrick 101loves his sport, wants to share it with his son,,,,, who I am willing to believe MAY be capable,,,,,,,however there is the bigger picture... The March 2002 issue of Parachutist mag. contained an important letter to the editor on this subject. It was written by Mr. Bill Booth... He can be credited,(along with Mr. Ted Strong) for envisioning, and creating the gear and techniques for Tandem skydiving, as we've come to know it....Please remember that a great deal of time and work was needed, to address the concerns of the FAA, and to create the agreement by which Tandem became "legal", And this work was done by Mr. Booth, Mr. Strong, and their collegues.So their imput is worthy of consideration and respect. For our overseas friends, who may not recieve the parachutistmagazine, I will provide you now with his letter......verbatim.If you are a responsible skydiver, you should adhere to his recommendation. (my daughter has been waiting for 6 years now, to make her first skydive,(we'll enjoy it this season) JTFrom March 2002 Parachutist Letters to the Editor.Too Great A RiskEvery drop zone I've been to requires each and every person who boards an aircraft to sign an "Assumption of Risk Agreement". We do this because experience has taught us that these waivers are often the only protection we have in case of a lawsuit.Simply put, they are the only reason we can still skydive in the U.S.However there is a growing group of DZ operators who have determined that they are no longer going to make everyone who jumps sign a valid waiver. I am of course talking about those operators who are planning to take up under-age students on tandem jumps on a commmercial basis.(Having the under-age student, both parents and grandparents and all other living relatives sign a waiver will not make it valid).Some of these operators have told me that it is a risk they are willing to take. Good for them!. The problem is that the risk they take is not theirs alone. If anything goes wrong, many other people and organizations will also be sued. And I don't feel anyone has a right to risk my business-or PD's or USPA's, for that matter.For instance, a single lawsuit involving a USPA tandem instructor jumping a Cypres-equipped Vector tandem with a PD reserve and a Strong main with no valid waiver would most likely result in the end of Relative Workshop, PD, Strong Enterprises, Airtec and USPA-plus, of course, the foolishdrop zone that was willing to take the risk. If you haven't been sued for $10 million, then you don't have the right to say this is unrealistic.It is not only realistic, it is a near certainty. Think what would happen to our sport with all those companies gone.And then there's the problem of the cute, giggling 16-year-old-girl, who after her jump reports to mommy, " That big, ugly man touched my breasts". Behavior that might be overlooked as simple flirting with an adult student now becomes a felony. Add children to the close physical contact necessary to make a atndem jump, and there is little doubt that this situation will result.But won't I pass up a lot of money by not taking kids on tandems?. In the long run, the answer is no. Face it-most people make only one jump in their lifetimes. whether they make it at 16 or 18 doesn't make you any more money. Besides, very few children can afford to keep jumping anyway. And one single lawsuit will cost you more that the profit gained from a lifetime of taking children on tandem jumps.The risk is simply much greater than the reward. Fight the temptation, and please make the right decision for all of us.Bill Booth, D-3546President, the Relative WorkshopDeland, Florida Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freebird 0 #47 April 7, 2002 i have a child . I have to respond. I think that a person needs a relly good sense of themselves before they start sklydiving. Does he? Can he handle a malfunction, if it were to occur? I think he should wait. 14? That is too young to be jumping out of an airplane. That is what I think. Don't get mad at me please> I am just responding to a thread........:)The longer you wait ........the more sense you get. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trmnljnky 0 #48 April 7, 2002 thank GOD for lawyers, don't you just love 'em?Byron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iflyme 0 #49 April 7, 2002 QuoteHe was around 13.My buddy recently bought a canopy from some American kid who was 14 -- and had hundreds of jumps... "There's nothing new under the sun" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #50 April 7, 2002 Jimmy, I know you've seen a few special moments when your friends saw their own kids do their first jump. Do you still feel those were inapropriate?_AmICQ: 5578907MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com AIM: andrewdmetcalfeYahoo IM: ametcalf_1999 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
