obelixtim

Interesting coincidence to see the media making a meal out of the Jetblue pilots meltdown, and the ratio of pilots on meds compared to the general population, and what it all means. 0.01% compared to 10%. Thats if you can believe anything in the media.... Actually flying to Gran Canaria tomorrow, must remember to ask the pilot if he's had his pills for the day!!!. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

OK, didn't realise that. Parachutes don't act as a parachute in a turn. Aeroplanes don't land in a turn. Good reasons for that. The planet IS quite solid. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The only bit I didn't think was cool was getting grounded. Groundings have no point unless they are serious enough to be permanent. They just make people uncurrent. Far better for you to get back in the air ASAP and work on your canopy control. Grounding a student for whst you did says more about the instructors at your DZ, than it does about you. I'm not impressed with them. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Another classic case of an individual not taking responsibility for their own actions.... In a sue happy society I guess thats inevitable. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The word "ripoff" comes to my mind.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The original poster asked for advice and opinions. None of the respondents claimed to be an expert. Some of the advice given was good. I hope, IF what YOU are doing DOES blow up in your face one day, it doesn't blow up in someone elses face as well. That is all. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

CRW canopies are not usually deployed at terminal. They are rigged and packed to open quickly. You can pack them so they open on a particular heading to minimise opening separation....in competition it is important to get that first formation together in the minimum time possible. A reserve is packed with the nose "open" to speed up the opening. Apart from that it is just another canopy, packed in a freebag. If you want to take a CRW canopy to terminal, put it in a bag or put some sort of reefing system on it. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Student jump rigs are bigger and bulkier by necessity, a larger slower canopy provides for softer landings. Harness need to be adjustable to fit a variety of sized jumpers. The gear experienced jumpers use is customised to fit them and the particular discipline they are most involved in. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

As soon as you identify yourself the dynamic changes. I wanted to see the instructors as they really were. Any of these "idiot AFFI's" you mention out there, need to be outed. To what end?. Purely to see the Instructors in action without them "modifying" their delivery. I did it to make sure my friend was partaking in an activity that was organised and run by people who cared about what they were doing. That turned out to not be the case. In the instance I quoted, I was very close to advising the whole class after the first day to go somewhere else, but having already forked out their cash I thought it would be a battle to get it back off the ass. The reason I took the class through their EPs properly, apart from him not showing up on time, was to make sure they at least had the skills to save themselves on the jump, should EPs be required... I will do the same with another friend who wants to do a jump in the next month or so. If I am putting the lives of my friends or family in the hands of others, they better have their act together. And yes, I would prefer to learn something new as well. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I don't think its a good idea at all, for the reasons everyone else has given. However, one time I did go along with a friend who wanted to do a first jump (SL) in the UK, and sat at the back of the class. The instructor didn't know I was a skydiver. The experience was eye opening. The chief instructor was an arrogant, ignorant incompetant ass. He actually abused me in front of the class when I declined his invitation to join the class, calling me a wimp and a coward. I gritted my teeth and took it..... On the second day of training, I sat with the students, and one of his Jumpmasters ( who I owned up to) at 8 a.m. at the airfield waiting for him to show up to complete the harness drills. We got tired of waiting so I took over and spent 3 hours running them through their EP's. He finally showed up at 12 o'clock, by which time they were ready to jump. At that point he realised he'd made a dick of himself, and came fawning around offering me his rig... It took the rest of the day for him to get 12 students out the door on their first jump, and this on a beautiful sunny day with no wind and plenty of slots in the A/C. They could easily have done 2 or 3 jumps each, and a few of them wanted to, but he never made the offer.... If I had my way he would have lost every rating he held. The guy was a grade A dolt. Needless to say he wasn't really happy when I told him what I thought of him.... Attending a first jump course, without identifying yourself can be very revealing.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

A big part of the canopy check is how the canopy "feels", as it should open up and just sit there stable. I'm sure a blind person would be aware if he could feel the canopy turning or spinning. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Oh yeah, now I remember reading about that way back. My alzheimers must be getting more effective. I always thought a George medal was a bit OTT for that...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That student in tow climb down the SL scenario, sure got thrashed out at length, don|t know of anzone who ever tried it. Our theory was that the most dangerous part was the SL cutting bit, because it would be under such tension that when it was cut it would twang back like a rubber band and wrap around whoever was on the end of it. The HUPRA was what we used to solve the problem, but AFAIK it was never used in anger. Most JMs were pretty diligent when controlling the SL.] My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You forgot that the seeing eye dog would know, and would be sure to tell his master that someone was trying to pull the wool over his eyes..... OK.....I'll get my coat. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Well done you did well. Just a point. When you have less options, sometimes you have to choose the least worst. In the case a hard turn v a tree landing, it would be better to take the tree landing. It is better to stay calm, prepare for it (PLF position) and fly into the tree under control. You may well get away unhurt, especially if the canopy and lines hook some branches and slow your descent as you crash through the tree. Now you may still get hurt, but at least you minimise the chances of damage as much as possible. Staying calm and controlled is vital. A controlled tree landing prolly won't kill you, a last second hook turn certainly guarantees some injuries. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Good advice. I know a few people who went to altitude too soon after a dive and turned into Mr Fizzy.....getting bent is not a good idea.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Don`t make the mistake of favouring the leg you injured when you land. I´ve seen a few people do that on their return, and break the other leg. Its easy to favour the injured legsubconciously on your first few jumps back.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Read a book about the mission some time ago. It has the transcripts of all the comms, and the timeline from blastoff till splashdown. There was a lot of headscratching on the ground by a lot of peole to come up with thew plan that saved the crew. They were very lucky boys to survive. There are some great books about the Apollo missions. A good one was written by Michael Collins, "Riding the Fire", the Apollo 11 flight... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Another jumper has passed on to the big DZ in the sky. Shirley was another Auckland jumper from back in the days..... Blue skies Shirley..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Hmmmm, this is a toughie. Its a complex situation. It could be significant, it could be minor..... I´m sure there are people on the board who can offer good advice, FWIW, here´s my 2 cents..... I think it prolly is a good idea to get checked out, the fact that you are able to identify the times when things are not so good would mean (in my opinion) that you are prolly OK to carry on jumping, but maybe take time out now and again. As far as the medical aspect, if you are prescribed medication to manage the condition, it may or may not affect your ability to jump/rating, not being a doctor or chemist I can´t give you any valid advice on that. Best to speak to a doctor who specialises in Aviation medicine if you are prescribed medication. Its good that you recognise a problem and are willing to ask for advice, its too important to just carry on regardless. Good luck.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

When you wake up next to a Wildebeeste, who is lying on one of your arms, asleep, and the only way to escape without waking it up is to quietly chew your own arm off.....and sneak away. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Its not the ducks, its the feathers.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Your TM was looking after himself, so by default he was looking after you too. The couple of things you really needed to do would have been the instructions he gave you in the plane. When you fly in an aircraft you are not bolted to the pilot as you are on a Tandem. Your solo course will prepare you to look after yourself.... Go for it.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

If you can live on beans and stale bread for a year, I'd say damn the torpedoes, and go for it. All you have to do is survive on the smell of an oily rag for a year. Money isn't everything. You will learn a lot and gain experiences that money can't buy, and you prolly won't get the same chance again for a long time, if ever. Character building stuff. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That was OK, You dropped your knees when the prop blast and throw forward from the plane is still in effect, and thats what flipped you over. Present your belly to the relative wind, which is coming from a horizontal direction when you first exit, You can do this whether you are head up, head down or sideways to the relative wind. Let your arms and legs be blown back by the wind (like long hair would be if you were riding a fast bike) But you have not got a problem regaining stability, so its not a problem. You will soon get your body position right instinctively, it will come with more jumps. I'm sure your Instructors will give you the best advice. Low altitude exits are no problem, because you are going quite slowly for the first ten seconds or so. Remember in FF you are going twice as fast, so at 5 grand you only take 5 seconds to get to 4, whereas on a 5 grand exit it takes 10 seconds to burn that distance. My first low altitude jump came because of low cloud, at 1800 feet the JM snarled at me to get out the F@#$%$# door. Things on the ground were BIG. 5 grand....luxury....... Nil wind landings....usually you will fall over, expect it, no big deal. You'll learn a LOT about skydiving around the campfire....The long time jumpers are a gold mine of information and advice.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....