obelixtim

Tell him you're a katoey.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I didn't see anybody advocating "not checking above you". You can do a pretty good check by swivelling your neck. Granted there is still a small blind spot, but that is the reason for the good track, and good wave off, and a reason to be checking below so you are not above someone else at pull time. A barrel roll at pull time is not a good idea. For someone not intending to give advice, you seem to argue your case for a barrel roll quite strongly, in the face of contrary, and reasonable advice from many people with vast experience and time in the sport. Many safety practices in the sport have evolved the way they have for good reason, and in some cases are not really negotiable. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Its prolly quite a common thing on at least one jump in your early days. I wouldn't worry about it too much, as just the fact that you are posting about it shows you have thought about it, and are aware of it. Whether you realise it or not, you will have learnt quite a lot from experiencing that, and I would suggest your next jump will surprise you, in terms of being a lot more switched on. One thing you must do is stay aware of your altitude, and at pull time, pull. I thin kyou will be OK next time Line twists?. No biggie. Make sure you check the canopy, and don't focus your eyes on the twists until you've done that canopy check. Good luck. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Doesn't apply to me - I only do H&Ps Thats fine...but then you need to think carefully about giving advice about another aspect of skydiving that run counter to accepted good practice. There are people out there who make take that advice to heart, and that puts not only themselves, but others in more danger than is necessary. Long and bitter experience has taught us a few lessons about how to go about things. That is the reason more than a few people tend to disagree with you. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Fair enough. Now a serious question. Can you give me some good reasons why a GPS is necessary for skydiving?. There is one used for the pilot for spotting, no problem with that. I'd like some other reasons why you'd need one. Because here is one reason why not. With a number of fatalities over the last few years involving canopy collisions, do you really think its a good idea to be checking waypoints on a GPS under canopy, rather than keeping your eyes skinned for other traffic in the sky?. Is it really a necessity?. I use a GPS, but its for things like marking good fishing spots out in the ocean, or perhaps when hunting or trail bike riding. Some people who can't read a map need one in their car. Fine. I fail to see how carrying a GPS contributes to a safer skydive, and something that compromises safety is counterproductive. Thats my opinion, anyway. You don't have to like it, but if you are ever skydiving with me, I'd appreciate it if you keep your eyes open for traffic. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You foolish boy....you ask a bunch of beer guzzlers such a question and expect an honest answer?. Take it from me, all the ones who answered yes are lying through the bottom of their empty beer glasses.... You have much to learn, young skywalker...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You just keep on what you are doing Doc. Just make sure everyone else on the load is made very aware of YOUR breakoff protocol. Every time you jump. Give them a fair chance...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Thanks for the reply, but I was looking for the answer from our learned friend...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

From what you say, I guess he denied doing it, which I guess he would if he then threw it away. I had a guy pull one of my gloves off at 10 grand one time, on a RW dive. He had it in his hand for a bit, I looked at him, and then the idiot let it go. Never to be seen again. I was a bit annoyed about that. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

When they make wearing a GPS compulsory to tell us doddery oldies where we are in the sky, I guess our days will be numbered. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

"Back in my day.... blah blah blah, we jumped with umbrellas, these fancy parachutes you kids use are for wussies... blah blah blah". Obviously the GPS option is more for in-plane and under canopy use. Why do you dinosaurs feel the need to come out of extinction to wag your finger at others. Stay in your cave T-Rex, simmer down. It's a discussion forum. Firstly, it is still my day, and my sky, just as much as yours. As I pointed out, us old farts have seen ,adopted and adapted to more changes in skydiving than you can shake a stick at. And as for your second point, I fail to see the point of everyone having to have a GPS in the plane. The pilot usually has the spot programmed into his on board GPS. And why would you need a GPS under canopy?. You know (well I would hope so) that you are exiting within a mile or so of the DZ. Are you going to get lost or something?. Its not like you are jumping into uncharted territory, or a new country, or the Gobi desert or the white wastes of Antarctica. And no, I'd prefer NOT to be run over by some tool busy looking at his gadgets under canopy rather than keeping his eyes out for other traffic in the pattern. One day you'll be on jumprun when they turn the satellites off, and you'll end up riding down in the plane because its too dangerous to jump without your GPS. Give me a break. Edited to add. I'm getting a bit sick of know nothing whizz kids telling all the old farts to shut up. We've been at the forefront (and sttill are) of developing the systems you enjoy today. You need to earn the right before you start slagging off the people with experience. They've done stuff you can only dream about. We dinosaurs didn't become dinosaurs by being stupid. Technology is all well and good, its our generation that developed and invented most of it, but there is a point where over reliance on technology begins to compromise safety, and through our long experience, we know when its time to pipe up and sound a few warnings. Surprisingly enough, this may even benefit you.... And yes its a discussion forum. Take your own advice and contribute something useful, rather than putting down others. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It only takes two to tango...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That is part of the scanning you are doing during your track, just no one has actually articulated it. It is easy to see people when a normal breakoff takes place, it can be a little more difficult if there has been a funnel and people are at different levels. Good scanning means the "blind spot" is quite small, and that is when a good track and wave off becomes important, as well as everyone on the load following good break off protocol. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Jeez, the old Mark 1 eyeball is becoming more and more redundant. Its amazing how we managed for all those years...... Are they going to build in a proximity warning system to tell you about the impending mid air collision you didn't see coming because you were watching TV at the time?. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Did you not learn those things before your first jump???. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I can see it now: - check below - flip to a back track - check above - flip to belly, eat a pilot chute. Yeah, thats just great.........not!!!. Seriously. Think about it. You are advocating something that flies in the face of proven safe practice. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I always track the furthest and open lower than anyone else, on every RW jump I do if I can't account for everyone else on the load. Usually dumping at 2 grand. Anyone above me at that point is going to eat my pilot chute, and then face a bit of wrath on the ground......I will definitely think twice about jumping with that person again, until they can demonstate use of a brain... Breakoff protocol though, is something, that should always be reiterated during every dirt dive, BTW I don't advocate anyone else going low, I'm comfortable doing so though. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

he receives a huge waveoff and doesn't collide me on opening Quote By waiting for him to dump first???. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Sometimes the enemy officers are the less dangerous ones. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The camera man?. Can't really see the point of that. For the rider?. Surely they could just use the footage the camera man takes. Good idea. Let us know his response. Maybe he knows, or can tell why the TM thought it was a good idea. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

So what is your solution then?. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I understand where you are coming from, but from my point of view if you are freaking out at that point, then your Instructor has done a piss poor job of preparing you for it. Exiting stable from any position should be almost second nature by then, and the exit altitude doesn't affect that one bit. Did they not explain to you that pulling at 5500, or 3500, for that matter, when you are at terminal after a normal AFF jump, you are burning altitude twice as fast as you are if you exit at that altitude, not to mention the few seconds of horizontal flight you get from throw forward of the aircraft???. And because of those factors, exiting at those levels is quite safe, and you have time to get stable and deploy, without any stress at all. And was it not carefully explained that freaking out, in any situation, is the worst thing you can do, because when you freak out you are out of control, and when you are out of control you are in trouble. Panic solves absolutely nothing, but is almost a certain guarantee you'll get into trouble. See, these are concepts I drill into the heads of all my students from day one, and I put them under all sorts of stress during training to try aqnd freak them out, and they have to show me clearly that they can handle all I can throw at them. Then I make it clear that they might even invent some new situation that even I haven't thought of, but as they'll be on their own, they'll have to deal with it, and its essential to keep the brain switched on at all times. When I had about 15 jumps we were at about 1800 feet in the plane when we hit cloudbase, and we were right on evening civil twilight. The JM gave the order to run in, and I realised we were going to jump......I pointed at the ground, and my alti, but he gave me no chance to argue...."get the F*&% out". I got out, as did the rest of the load....and it was OK. Thing is, I trusted his judgement, so I believed it would be OK. When an AFF student is cleared for his H&P, he needs to trust the judgement of his Instructors, and be confident in his ability to do so.. Having said that of course, the caveat is IF the Instructors have prepared them properly, both physically, and mentally. Your story suggests to me that your Instructors did neither. And thats the beef I have with AFF. My experience with AFF trained jumpers is, that with some exceptions, a few fundamental aspects of skydive training are not properly trained. I've come across jumpers with hundreds of jumps who have no clue about some of the most basic "needs to know", that they should have learnt from jump number one. Its really quite scary, the level of ignorance out there. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I can't for the life of me think why he thinks he needs a Go Pro on his helmet on a tandem jump. On his hand to video his passenger may be a bit more understandable..... With only 650 tandem jumps to his name he needs to be focussing on tandem mastering rather than filming somebody else like the camera flyer. Its not like he's free to fly around and get the best shots with a drogue hanging off his arse anyway. And as far as the cutaway/reserve entanglement scenario goes, he's putting both himself AND his rider into an extra risk zone that is totally unnecessary, and stupidly so. Unacceptable. Period. Thats my take on it, anyway. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Nonsense. You're saying that a diving exit will have a pre-A-licence jumper in a position to pull in the same amount of time as a poised exit? I'll see your "nonsense" and raise you a "poppycock"! OK, I'll assume you have a lot of experience training students.....is that in fact the case?. Your statement that it is "harder to get stable and pull within 5 seconds", didn't seem specifically about pre A licence students, AND, in any case, is simply not necessarily true. A poised exit should be perfect from the start, a dive exit within a couple of seconds, max. 5 seconds after exit is 500 feet of altitude. That is plenty. I can teach a pre A licenced jumper to do a stable dive exit and be in a good position to deploy in a lot less that 500 feet. I've taught hundreds of students to do that, and gone base or pin for them on their first link. With a well timed count, the base - pin is usually together within 2 or 3 seconds. That is normal. The trick is to use the relative wind and prop blast to exit in a stable position, and that is all about presenting your body to the prop blast correctly. Did nobody teach you that?. No one is going to do relative work with somebody who burns 500 feet dropping out of the sky getting stable. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It doesn't matter if its a big way or a two or four way, the same applies. If they are inexperienced, they need to be properly briefed, and carefully watched until they can demonstrate the requisite skills to complete every aspect of the dive safely. As the experienced organiser, these drills are part of what you should be instilling in them, and they should not be progressing on to anything bigger until they have demonstrated their skills consistently. Its why it is a good idea to have small groups jumping together on a regular basis, rather than chopping and changing the loads around with new individuals. Easier to do on a small DZ operation though..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....