Tandems; Night Jumps/High Winds...

[Kimblair13 0]

So...if tandems are student jumps in that they can't be performed at night...then why can they jump in high winds? I mean why aren't tandems limited to student wind conditions or allowed to jump at night...following a sunset safety brief of course.
Seriously, maybe this has been brought up before...but ????

[billvon 3,116]

>then why can they jump in high winds?

Because:

1) TM skill can compensate for high winds to some degree; no amount of skill can let you see in the dark.

2) Tandems get more drive than regular student canopies, making them better suited for higher winds.

[Kimblair13 0]

OK

But it still seems weird that a reason for one thing to be ok is the same reason for another thing to not be ok. I mean I totally get why. I don't even like doing night jumps alone. Having someone strapped to the front of me equally freaking out wouldn't be fun.
It just seems weird.

[riggerrob 643]

Is this another chapter in the on-going soap opera of Eugene, Oregon DZ politics?

[riggerrob 643]

Tandems are not affected by the same wind limits as solo students because we expect tandem instructors to be bright enough to still land on the DZ despite strong, shifting, gusty, etc. winds.

"Pushing sunset" with tandems is a grayer area. Yes, I have done it. I don't enjoy "pushing sunset" but if students have been hanging around all day, waiting to jump, I might.
... and yes, I always landed near the bowl when it "pushed sunset," however, I would never ask a junior TI to do that if he/she was not comfortable with the practice. This is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. Professionals "push the limits" when they know what is going on and are confident (there are subtle differences between confidence and arrogance that few young men understand) that they can consistently land near the target.