skydiverjerry 0 #1 February 20, 2005 hi guys. just had a few good days skydiving and one jump. i had to tell my aff student that aff was not fro him but to swich to iad. second time in the plane that he has refused to jump, he again complained of hypocsia / being sick, and did not want to move to he door. so i had to take him down in the plane, after thinking for a bit i decided that aff was not for him, he needs to do a more gradual progresion steping up in height and becoming acclimatised to the air. i belive that his main problem was fear, and nomater what he / we talked about on the ground he neads to progres more slowly. sad cos i failed. life is a journey not to arrive at the grave in a pristine condition but to skid in sideways kicking and screaming, shouting "fuck me what a ride!. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Liemberg 0 #2 February 20, 2005 Quotesad cos i failed. Remains to be seen. Quotei belive that his main problem was fear, and nomater what he / we talked about on the ground If you think that your job is to get everybody into the air, no matter what - then indeed you failed. If you believe your job can also be to help somebody find out something about themselves he / she isn't able to find out alone, before the course, may be you did an excellent job... My definition of failure would be: This student had written FEAR all over. Gave every possible signal he wasn't up for the job. I talked him into it against his own better judgment. Student ran into minor problem, freaked out, panicked and got hurt. If you are not doing tandem, once their main starts to open, they are on their own. They might open a reserve into a streamering main. They might cut-away at 300ft to counter a headwind problem. They may try if buildings go out of their way when they land, screaming "LOOK OUT , LOOK OUT!!!" In the final analysis it is the student, not the instructor that counters and overcomes the students fears. If in the door you ask the ritual question ("Are you ready to skydive?") you want the answer to be "yes!" but if the other answer ("uhm...eh...NO!") was not possible, what is the point of the question? Hey, they may become happy and successful pro-golfers once YOU point them in the right direction. "Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci A thousand words... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,483 #3 February 20, 2005 I don't think you failed. I believe it an overwhelming success when an Instructor provides alternative solutions to a students path of progession.Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFFI 0 #4 February 20, 2005 Good words from Liemberg! I’ve encountered similar situations and have even had to recommend to some that if they really wanted to skydive, perhaps tandems would be a better outlet for them. I have had students full of fear, after a few (or 10) tandems some were finally ready to take on solo skydive instruction. Knowing when to say when – making judgment calls are difficult decisions we must make as USPA instructors. Safety is primary and besides, if you are as scared as I am to land whilst still “inside” an airplane, ride downs can be quite invigorating (I.E. fun)… Totally understand feelings of failure. Feeling that you have “failed” may mean that you are endeavoring to become better, how you progress afterward is up to you. Do your students a favor and decide to keep getting better.Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #5 February 21, 2005 QuoteI don't think you failed. I believe it an overwhelming success when an Instructor provides alternative solutions to a students path of progession. I concur Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
