obelixtim

No legend. I know the guy, both he and his wife were a bit crazy anyway. It was an old belly wart reserve, and she knew enough to pop it, cut the lines and close it again. Much simpler than todays rigs. She was crazy enough to let him keep jumping it long after she did the deed....and back then it was quite common to lend your reserve to another jumper, so its probable a few others did the one parachute jump. From that you can assume that she was pretty pissed off with him.....no cooling down period there. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Great way to smash up a chopper. Not many of the chopper jumps I've done have been done with the chopper in a hover. Most times its best to keep some forward speed on. In Skies Call 3 there is a picture of 10 of us exiting a Llama over Taupo. Even though we all try to co ordinate the exit, the last couple going from inside the cabin find that the machine is quite unstable at that point. As I recall we had 3 out on each skid, and 4 went from inside the cabin. I think we had about 40 knots IAS. Going out 8th the first time we jumped it, I caught the door sill in my face as I dived out. 40 ways out of the Mil 8 necessitated forward speed both to give some air to work with on exit, and to prevent traffic jams. Of all the choppers the Robbie is one I'm reluctant to get into. When you see them in the maintenance hangar you realise just how flimsy they are...no structural integrity at all. Plus they sound like a lawnmower or sewing machine. Uncool machines. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The seal is there mainly as protection for the rigger. If the seal is broken, it lets him off the hook in the event of an incident. I know of one incident where a jumper was playing the field so to speak. His wife found out, and decided to get him back. She opened his reserve and sliced through all the lines with a knife then closed it up again. He noticed the broken seal, but thought nothing of it, and continued to jump the rig. 3 months later at the scheduled repack he was mildly surprised when the canopy fell to the riggers floor, completely seperate from the lines. He'd done about 60 jumps on the rig. I don't think they lived happily ever after..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Metal is SO last century...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

OK, you're on to it. But a word of warning....Don't be starstruck just because people jump out of planes. Skydivers are normal human beings, with all the normal human frailties. You'll come across all sorts, including ones whose egos are bigger than their brains. Ignore them. Plenty of arseholes in the sport. But plenty of good people too...they are the ones that don't make a lot of noise. Find an old time jumper, buy them a beer and pick their brains. Gold mines of information and good advice. and usually willing mentors. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Any chopper needs the exits to be co ordinated to some degree. The Robinson species always struck me as being a toy helicopter...very fragile and underpowered. They scare me. Gimmee a Jetranger, 500, Huey or Mil 8. Much more grunt. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Don't think too far ahead...focus on getting the course done and some jumps under your belt and then worry about what comes next. Back when I started it took a long time to clock a hudred jumps simply because aircraft were hard to get, and the weather wasn't always the best. But I can#t remember being disadvantaged by that, we spent a lot of time learning all about the sport...and you can still do a lot of that without actually jumping. That helped to build the background knowledge that helped a lot when the scene opened up and money and jumps came more easily. I learnt to pack, to rig, and a lot about different equipment and skydive disciplines, and all that came for free. The older jumpers helped because they saw I was keen and stuck around. Also, if your jumping is intermittent, its better to save your pennies and spend a full on week at a full time DZ, rather than doing one jump per weekend over a month or so. If you want it, it'll happen, it sometimes takes a little more time. That is not a problem. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

London Parachute School used to be run by a guy who was disgrace to the sport. Greedy, disorganised, lazy and arrogant. After watching him in action for 2 days I would have stripped him of all his ratings had I the power to do so in the UK. Uk weather isn't the best....go to Spain (Empuriabrava is cool) or Texel in Holland. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

***Absurd is you thinking I care what you think. Yet you seem to gobble every bit of bait I throw out.... The rest of the planet has moved on a little bit since 1776..... And your view of "my" government is a typical myopic US one. I suppose you think democracy was another great US invention. Nothing is better than the good ol' USA....land of the free and home of the brave......and no one else counts. Yet your whole "freedom of choice" option is completely hamstrung by fear of litigation. In my country we actually allow people to do things, based on an understanding of people taking responsibility for their own choices and actions. We, at least, are not a "nanny" state. Hence we have had many underage tandem riders who have jumped and enjoyed the experience. And there is nothing wrong with that. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

So 3 months of the US fatality rate from gun deaths, equals the 9/11 death toll.....which the US went crazy about, and has spent trillions on a futile "war on terror", yet the same number of deaths raises no screams because the second amendment is under "threat", is not absurd?..... The Land of the Free happens to be the most violent society on the planet......I don't think the rest of us are missing anything..... aAnd a skydive by a minor is banned, and a chocolate egg with a toy inside is also banned for being dangerous...... You Yanks do realise that the rest of the planet thinks you have your priorities slightly screwed. Or do you..... You need to look up "absurd" in the dictionary.....because clearly you don't really understand it at all.... And no, we are not afraid of our government......the power of the ballot trumps the power of the bullet. Hows that for democracy.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I was only being half serious with that comment, it was mainly to point out how the rest of the world looks on the gun issue in the US.....but thats another story. Mikes point about unlicenced gun dealings and the lack of control thereof just highlights the absurdity of the situation you unfortunately have to live with there, and contrasts completely with the rules about skydiving. But as far as a strictly safety issue, taking an under age person on a tandem is no more inherently dangerous than taking a person of legal age....which was my point. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

There may not be an actual regulation about this, but a DZO may choose not to allow people to do this on his DZ. That is his right. It means he is a little less likely to have to pick up the smashed carcass of someone who thought they had they experience to deal with a problem associated with the wearing of a camera. Thats a good enough reason. And he should also expect people who use his DZ and facilities to act with common sense, and the responsibility to recognise their limitations, and the consequences of an accident on others...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

And the modestly priced receptacle for a skydiving disposal is a modestly priced plastic bag from the supermarket. Not a bad idea for a skydiving business though, I'm sure a lot of people would prefer to be scattered by a skydiver in freefall rather than a glider. Much more exciting way of departing. Heard a story of an airborne burial from the local aero club one time, they didn't really have a clue how to do it, and simply opened the door of a 206 in flight, and tipped the box of ashes to pour them out the door. Of course the windblast picked them up, and the interior of the plane was suddenly white. The pilot and his mate came down with white moustaches and hair, and most of the dead guy ended up going up the vacuum cleaner...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Ah, the old "close the eyes and it'll go away" approach. Well done. I'm sure you can point him in the direction of someone who does have the right to do so. To the O.P: Don't be afraid to speak up. Quite a few people are dead because nobody did so. Safety isssues often won't win you a popularity contest, Plenty of people will respect you for doing so though, even if they don't say so. The ignorant always make the most noise. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Every student I train, I see as a potential instructor in the future. They will be the ones running things in 20 years time, when most of us old farts are pushing up daisies..... I've trained quite a few who have far surpassed my efforts in terms of awards and jumps. Hopefully they learned something useful from me. At least none of them have ever died skydiving . My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

30 minutes... Not much time really. I've done lots of talks and lectures to interested groups, including aviation related ones. They'll lap up everything if you relate it to what they do..... Some good suggestions already, but you could also go down the historical route, starting with Da Vinci's ideas, frenchman testing out parachutes in the 1800's, with cats off towers or balloons, through Tiny Broadwick and WW1 where the Germans gave their pilots parachutes but the Allies didn't, thru the barnstormers of the20's and 30's, WW2 and paratroop forces, the 50's with early sport jumpers and into the 60's with the space programme and Colonel Joe, the development of sport gear through the 60's 70's and 80's, Tandems, AAD's through to Felix last year..... So much info, so little time...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

A pity there isn't a bit more standing water in Oz.... A few giant jetboats would be pretty good against the bushfires that are wreaking such havoc right now. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Hi Andy....I suspect you are reacting more to my "pussy" comment, rather than the rest of my post....fair enough. But, in my experience doctors nearly always go with the "no" option, and I've seen many cases where this has stopped people making a jump they were perfectly capable of making. Many years ago in NZ, for example, we dropped the requirement for over 40 year olds to get a doctors medical to jump, instead allowing them to use their own judgement and take responsibility for themselves. And older people, especially, really appreciate being treated as consenting adults, rather than old imbeciles who cannot make a judgement for themselves. I am not aware of this change ever being/resulting in an issue. And thats after literally hundreds of thousands of safe skydives. Of course people are advised to get another opinion if they are unsure. The only medical opinion worth a damn in my view would be from an aviation specialist, but even in this case I don't know if their advice would be that valid. Prolly the best advice would be from a doctor who is also a skydiver, and I know a few of them. I know a few solo jumpers who had pre existing shoulder problems when they came into the sport, and none of them have had trouble while skydiving. ( Maybe thats just luck, but hell, we ARE risk takers aren't we)..... In this case, a tandem, as I pointed out, the guy could take a harness grip with both hands across his body, with elbows tucked in, and hold that position throughout the FF part of the jump, and under canopy if he wanted to. As a precaution he could also get his troublesome shoulder strapped prior to the jump, as other sports people often do. I cannot see how he could have a problem, certainly there would be no more stress than he would encounter doing any other activity in life. Ultimately, its his choice, but knowing how things work in the UK with regards to skydiving, I'm sure he'll run across a whole pile of obstacles anyway....in the UK they always look for reasons why something cannot be done....rather than "it CAN be done and here's how".... There are already plenty of examples of people with medical problems making a safe skydive...paraplegics, octogenerians, cancer sufferers, kids even. A fully informed TM should be easily able to sort this guy out safely. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Well in the US it appears it is way too difficult. Mainly for litigation reasons rather than anything else. But then again you could prolly buy him an AK 47 quite legally in some parts. Doesn't mean its not a good idea....and I'm sure it would be a life changing experience for him. I'd say go for it. If you can afford to go offshore, I'm sure you can find somewhere that will cater for him. You might even be able to buy him a Kinder Surprise. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Apparently a skydive for its own sake just ain't good enough anymore. For some reason I never thought it was about the TM OR his rider spending 5 minutes of his lfe focussing on becoming the next Spielberg. "If ya can't handle it, don't use it...ya know what I mean".......( apologies to the Pecos Parachute Centre mama) My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Also as an aside, it is interesting to hear your experiences in this & other posts. Plenty of jumpers have time to waste on DZ.com, but few DZO's bother with all the crap, to come on here and discuss things from a DZO perspective. Cool, I'm off and on with dz.com. I get burnt out on it, and can go months without opening it. It's winter in Kansas right now though, so I'm only working one job. Another fun "little guy DZO story" for ya. The first year I owned the DZ, the airplane was taxing back, two tandem students ready, Mark and I geared up. Mark couldn't find me, so started looking around. Finally located me in the restroom, geared up ready to go, working the plunger on a full toilet. That evening over beer he related to me "That's the moment I understood what it really means to be DZO." Pfffftttt......Plunger???..... A real DZO uses his tongue. then chews gum to mask the halitosis.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Don't be such a pussy!!. If you fold y

I'll go with your general message. In 1990 a TM at my DZ got 50 bucks in the hand for a jump from 9000 feet which was charged out at $170, happily paid by the punter, and the TM by me for a job well done.. 23 years later, under another owner, the TM gets $35 for the same jump. The punter pays $165. The TM's do more jumps in more extreme conditions..... The Boss lives in a mansion, drives a Porche, and whinges every day about how tough life is. The difference these days is, the boss isn't even a skydiver, and doesn't know the meaning of the word. Its the reason, even though I don't need them, that I've given several of these DZ owners the order of the forked finger..... Just because you love skydiving in whatever form it comes in doesn't give you the right to be ripped off. If you are good at what you do, stand up for what

A lot of fatalities start off as something relatively minor that begins the chain of events leading to the outcome. Many of them are not necessary in the first place, and this is an example of that..... Sort it out before your next jump. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

My rule is no second chances. Its tough, but at least save yourself a lot of time, energy and grief, and give him the axe. His actions showed how much he really cared about you, and to try and carry on is simply flogging a dead horse. He jumped the fence. At that point he was gone. The horse has bolted. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on with living. Life with only one relationship is pretty rare these days, someone else will come along. Enjoy your freedom......its precious. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....