wngarner 0 #1 August 4, 2008 I literally planned 2 downsizes around the dates of his canopy courses (to make sure that I had put at least 60-100 jumps on the new canopy before his course). And now he's not offering his courses and I want to cry!! Does anyone know if he might be returning to the canopy coaching circuit or if there are other canopy courses that are similar to his... ...less talk, more jumping... ...less of a course of being "comfortable" under canopy and more of a course on how to fly the s*%t out of that damn thing!! blue ones!- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnDeere 0 #2 August 4, 2008 QuoteI literally planned 2 downsizes around the dates of his canopy courses (to make sure that I had put at least 60-100 jumps on the new canopy before his course). And now he's not offering his courses and I want to cry!! Does anyone know if he might be returning to the canopy coaching circuit or if there are other canopy courses that are similar to his... ...less talk, more jumping... ...less of a course of bei "comfortable" under canopy and more of a course on how to fly the s*%t out of that damn thing!! blue ones! I dont know what happened to Scott. I hope he comes back, he offers a very good course. But i can say that i have taken JC's swoop course and his course is very good also. I whould highly recomend both courses to anybody.Nothing opens like a Deere! You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #3 August 4, 2008 Quote I dont know what happened to Scott. I hope he comes back, he offers a very good course. But i can say that i have taken JC's swoop course and his course is very good also. I whould highly recomend both courses to anybody. Does he travel with his course, and do you have any idea about the cost or # of days involved, etc?- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #4 August 4, 2008 Another option is to contact some of the mentors listed in the sticky at the top of the forum and see who is doing the traveling canopy courses still. I know some of the Fastrax jumpers do, Jimmy Tranner used to, as does Brian Germain.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
upndownshop 0 #5 August 4, 2008 Scott has "retired" for the time being I believe his courses are still available just with different instructors. Well after looking for his freedom of flight site, this is what appears http://www.canopyskills.com/ Guess he has taken some time off.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #6 August 4, 2008 QuoteAnother option is to contact some of the mentors listed in the sticky at the top of the forum and see who is doing the traveling canopy courses still. I know some of the Fastrax jumpers do, Jimmy Tranner used to, as does Brian Germain. I've looked at the Sticky list, but that doesn't really tell me much about the "style" of their course. I'm looking for something similar to Scott's. We have Brian Germain coming to our DZ in a few weeks, but that is a ground-based course and I'm looking for something that is centered on the actual jumps. Luigi Cani is going to be at a nearby dz, has anyone taken his course? The thing I loved about Scott was that his intro course was amazing regardless of the # of jumps and the advanced course could be tailored to each individual in the course. Please say there is someone else who offers a Scott-like course out there!- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dharma1976 0 #7 August 4, 2008 brians course doesnt jump any more???? I have taken his advanced course and sat in on his basic course both seemed to have jumping involved... he even has an air to air communication system D http://www.skyjunky.com CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #8 August 4, 2008 Quote brians course doesnt jump any more???? I have taken his advanced course and sat in on his basic course both seemed to have jumping involved... he even has an air to air communication system D Well, the seminar schedule he has listed is basically all classroom and then jumping at the end of the day if weather permits. I'll have to check in again then!!- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #9 August 4, 2008 Quote brians course doesnt jump any more???? I have taken his advanced course and sat in on his basic course both seemed to have jumping involved... he even has an air to air communication system D I checked with the person who is organizing the course at our dz and its primarily a ground/seminar course with jumping after 4ish if weather or time permits. So back to the original question, is there an Affordable canopy course out there, that travels and is somewhat similar to Scott's method of "get out there and do it".- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kimsdu 0 #10 August 4, 2008 Skydive DeLand with the Pd factory team or Mike Oliviera newly appointed flight 1 instructor by the pd team. He will do classroom and break it up with jumps same as the Scott Miller course which originated here in DeLand. All these guys do a Scott type course. DeLand # 386 738 3539 Mike there most days as he is test jumper for PD just ask them to page him. ( I dont know his cell #) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ianmdrennan 2 #11 August 4, 2008 The following people, I know for sure, offer structured Essentials classes: Jeffro Jonathan Tagle Stuart Schoenfeld Scott Roberts Kaz Sheekey Brian McNenney Isaiah McCauliffe Jay Moledski Ian Bobo Shannon Pilcher Mike Olivella Ian Drennan Luigi Cani Brian Germain I'm sure there are others, but that's a pretty comprehensive list. Some are harder, or more expensive, to get than others but all will give you a good solid course. Blues, IanPerformance Designs Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #12 August 4, 2008 Last I heard he was in NC training tigers or something similarly bizarre. When he retired a vacuum was created and quite a few people started coaching to try to fill the void of one top quality instructor.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dharma1976 0 #13 August 4, 2008 QuoteLast I heard he was in NC training tigers or something similarly bizarre. When he retired a vacuum was created and quite a few people started coaching to try to fill the void of one top quality instructor. I thought he was training beavers???http://www.skyjunky.com CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #14 August 4, 2008 Beavers or Tigers, you know that what ever animal group he's training, they finish their flare!--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SethInMI 174 #15 August 5, 2008 I took Lugi's course earlier this summer. It sounds like what you want. Light on theory, emphasis on jumping and debriefing. Lugi uses Scott's materials, and he started the course by asking each person what there goals were and then worked on those, although on most of the jumps everyone was doing the same things, Flaring, Stall point, etc. We had several HP pilots and they spoke highly of the tips he gave out.It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #16 August 5, 2008 Did you take the essential or the advanced course, or both? How was he for video-ing landings and the debriefs? Thanks a ton for the feedback though!- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnDeere 0 #17 August 6, 2008 QuoteQuote I dont know what happened to Scott. I hope he comes back, he offers a very good course. But i can say that i have taken JC's swoop course and his course is very good also. I whould highly recomend both courses to anybody. Does he travel with his course, and do you have any idea about the cost or # of days involved, etc?Yes JC does travel. His course cost about the same as millers course. I took Scotts basic course and JC advanced course. JC asked what we wanted to achieve with our canopy, but did not spend as much time talking about the arrodinamics of canopy flight like miller did ( becuase it was more for expiernced pilots). JC did answer alot of questions related that anybody had. He did video and debreef each jump.I only took his course one day but i know several people that took it all 3 days. Let me know if you have any more questions.Nothing opens like a Deere! You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SethInMI 174 #18 August 6, 2008 The course I took from Lugi was not marketed as essential or advanced, so I guess it was essential, but we had some HP guys getting coaching so I learned alot about HP landings too. Lugi tried to gear his instructions and debrief to what ever the pilot needed. Regarding his video and debrief style, I have not taken any other courses to compare him with, but I thought he did a good job of mixing praise with constructive criticism. We had about 11 people in the class and I would say ~60-70% of classroom time was spent watching debriefs, and I learned something from watching and listening to each landing, HP or straight in. And watching him land the 37 was a nice bonus.It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #19 August 6, 2008 QuoteThe thing I loved about Scott was that his intro course was amazing regardless of the # of jumps and the advanced course could be tailored to each individual in the course. Please say there is someone else who offers a Scott-like course out there! Scott Miller is like a brand name everyone is familar with. But let me tell you that receiving one-on-one canopy coaching from anyone of the mentors mentioned at the sticky thread at the top of this forum is good. All these people are very knowledgeable about canopy control (not just swooping) and all of these people would be able to help anyone looking for help. Several years back I took one of these one-on-one canopy sessions with a person familar to many around here and it was amazing the information this person was able to pass along to me. Oh and by the way, you need the ground school portion of these coaching sessions before you take to the air. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wngarner 0 #20 August 6, 2008 QuoteQuoteThe thing I loved about Scott was that his intro course was amazing regardless of the # of jumps and the advanced course could be tailored to each individual in the course. Please say there is someone else who offers a Scott-like course out there! Scott Miller is like a brand name everyone is familar with. But let me tell you that receiving one-on-one canopy coaching from anyone of the mentors mentioned at the sticky thread at the top of this forum is good. All these people are very knowledgeable about canopy control (not just swooping) and all of these people would be able to help anyone looking for help. Several years back I took one of these one-on-one canopy sessions with a person familar to many around here and it was amazing the information this person was able to pass along to me. Oh and by the way, you need the ground school portion of these coaching sessions before you take to the air. I'm with you on the ground sessions, I just don't necessarily believe in 7 hours (literally) of lecture and jumping only if time and weather permit. I like a good mix of the 2...30-60 minutes of ground school, do a jump, wash rinse repeat... and i don't doubt that there are a ton of great canopy coaches out there, thats what this thread was about...i really liked scott's style - straight-forward, to the point, try it and see....and i was hoping that people out there who might have taken similar courses out there by other people could give me some feedback on specific traveling canopy coaches that i might be able to bring to my dz. :)- ever the spazz Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart, give yourself to it... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #21 August 6, 2008 Having taken both Brian and Scott's courses, I agree that Brian's style of course is very different and it's not for everyone. Scott's style of course was much more my speed. Brian's course is much heavier on the theory and science and classroom portion. Scott's style of course is heavier on the practical "this will help you fly your canopy" tips. Different people respond to the different style of course differently. When I took Brian's course it was over 2 - maybe 2 1/2 - days and I think (partially due to weather) we got in 2 jumps. Scott's course, over one day, included five jumps, and I felt like I took away a lot more that I could use on a day to day basis. The Flight 1 courses that are offered at Elsinore and DeLand are based on Scott's curriculum. According to the Elsinore web site, they're being offered in August, September, October, and November. http://www.flight-1.com/school/ http://www.skydiveelsinore.com/California-Sky-Diving/Elsinore-Calendar.html#"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ianmdrennan 2 #22 August 6, 2008 My stuff is 5 jumps per day too (actually I can't claim credit for the essentials stuff as it's pretty much Scott's course). Of course, sometimes weather stops this from being so, but generally I find it hard to believe that students will absorb the info without an opportunity to practically apply it as they learn it. Blues, IanPerformance Designs Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #23 August 6, 2008 My very first exposure to a canopy control course was when I had about 150 or so jumps and was with Derek VanBot...(I forget how to spell his last name) aka Hooknswoop. We did about 5 maybe 6 hours of ground school and only one jump. But we only did one jump because it was winter in Colorado and I am sorry it was freezing at 13k (we pulled high). Years later my next more advanced "swooping" training was with Jim Slaton and we did at least one hour up front of ground school before we took to the skies. But after that, there was on the ground video de-briefing after each jump I made. My course with Derek I was one of several students. But my time with Jim was always one-on-one (I have received some form of canopy control coaching from Jim on several different occasions). Sometimes these coaches do travel. But in most cases you will need to go to where they are. But in most cases, one-on-one training with a talented coach is worth the money. I am uncurrent now, but there is no way in hell I would have progressed as fast as I did if it wasn't for my one-on-one coaching that I received. Plus it didn't hurt that I took the summer of 2005 off from work and jumped 7 days a week putting the theoretical knowledge my coaches gave me into real world practice. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianfry713 0 #24 August 13, 2008 I took a combined basic/advanced canopy course with Brian Germain a few years ago and we did lots of jumping. There was a lot of classroom time as well. I don't remember the exact ratio but it worked well for me. We did lots of hop and pops (some from full altitude where we flew around with each other under canopy), and even a couple of freefly/RW jumps with high pulls. I had a great time, learned a lot, and improved my canopy flying and swooping a great deal. Brian was jumping with us and filming and would lecture in the mornings and then do an extensive debrief at the end of the day.BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ianbobo 0 #25 August 13, 2008 While there will never be a replacement for Scott Miller and all he's done in the education of canopy students worldwide... I can clear up some things here. Rarely a dz.com poster, but a history lesson is in order here. Drennan, please edit this as needed... don't want to step into ad territory, just want people to know whatsup and how they can still get what they need. Scott Miller's partnership with the PD Factory Team in late 2003 into the Flight-1 school represents the combination of his Essential Skills Course with the team's knowledge and teaching experience in the HP Canopy world. This institution is still alive and active in both the DeLand and Elsinore campuses, as well as worldwide the Flight-1 coaches have been busy with the same curriculum you seek. Currently, we have a complete schedule of monthly ESC courses, and all our canopy skills camps published at www.pdfactoryteam.com. Mike Olivella, the most recent coaching addition to the Deland Flight-1 school is managing the demand for Scott's departure from Deland while the PD team members travel extensively. Inquiries can be directed to coach@flight-1.com It is great to continue to see the influence of Scott's thorough yet simple "jump oriented" curriculum thruout the world in students everywhere. I believe in it wholeheartedly and continue to do my best to uphold the quality that Scott demanded in our partnership. In fact, most of the instructors referenced here at dz.com utilize a basic curriculum derived from this friendly, humble educator... Scott Miller. The PD Factory team is proud to have partnered with him, and continue his legacy in this sport. We miss you Scott, and wish you all the best on your life's journey. Ian Bobo PD Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
