deadwood

This same thing caused the Ron Green fatality. He was the examiner with a candadate on the back. They had a knotted drouge and the reserve pilot chute tangled with it. He had 4000 tandems and 14000 jumps. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Table or no table? For reference, I picked up a nice Consew 733 with a reverse and a large table for $2000 last year. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

I believe there are three tandem cutaways, with RSLs, where the tandem pair entangled with the reserve system on deployment, resulting in fatalities. The witness descriptions from the cross keys incident indicate the TI pulled the reserve immediately upon cutaway, same as if he had the RSL hooked up. It appears he too tangled in the reserve system. I have had two tandem cutaways on my Strong rig. The first was with an RSL from a spinning malfunction. I saw the reserve pilot chute going by our legs and I didn’t like it. After that I stopped using the RSL. On my next tandem cutaway from another spinner, I had the student get in a good position, and then cutaway. We fell for 5 or 6 seconds until we were in a good and stable face to earth body position and then I cleanly deployed the reserve. It was much nicer. If I had a skyhook with a Collins lanyard I might think differently. Until then my procedure is, no RSL, cutaway, get stable, pull the reserve. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Are you interested in selling the 7 cell? He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

On my presonal rig, I have it connected. On my tandem rig I do not. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Good for you! After 18 years of doing tandems, I finally got my AFF rating last year at age 55. Doing tandems and AFF most weekends now. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

I found this same thing on a rig that had been repacked by 4 different riggers over 2 and a half years. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

only a certified rigger can pack a live reserve, and a student rigger is not yet a licensed rigger So if I supervise someone packing a reserve, who is not rated, the rig can't be jumped? That's not how I read the regulations. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

DPREs, along with their contact information is on the FAA Web site. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Then what does this mean? "11. Assembly of major parachute components A. The assembly or mating of approved parachute components from different manufacturers may be made by a certificated appropriately rated parachute rigger or parachute loft in accordance with the parachute manufacturer's instructions and without further authorization by the manufacturer or the FAA. Specifically, when various parachute components are interchanged, the parachute rigger should follow the canopy manufacturer's instructions as well as the parachute container manufacturer's instructions. However, the container manufacturer's instructions take precedence when there is a conflict between the two. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Though its not a bad idea, it's not required by the regulations to log a repair on the packing data card. The proper place to record it is in you log book. However, you are required to log any defects found during your inspection on the packing data card. One more question: Is anal retentive supposed to be hyphenate? He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

If your reserve has a number of repacks on it, then it is probably not up to "new" standards as the porosity has probably degraded some. This does not mean it’s not within serviceable limits. If would be nice to determine how the holes got there and if its the result of a larger problem (bad batch of fabric). I can find alot more things to worry about on a skydive than a couple of pinholes in my reserve. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Very nice looking 35 year old young lady. Seemed to like me. (can you blame her?) After I "did her" and gave her her certificate, as I was getting the next student ready, she said, "I left something at manifest for you." I went back there and it was a note that said "Rich, you rock!" and a $40 tip. I went out to the parking lot just in time to see her pull away in a new Porsche, with a license plate that said "WASHIS" Gotta love this job sometimes. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

"So, what is 90 days? One minute a day touching skydiving gear? Or an 8 hour day packing? Seems hard to judge. " It will be whatever the FAA wants it to be to suit their case. They will not define it until they need to. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Shouldn't you also NDI them in case they were overtightend previously? Any fractures found could then be characterized in a scanning electron microscope. (SEM) Also, atomic absorption spectroscopy could be used to verify the mfg used the correct material. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

I used to test FXCs by putting them in a plastc garbage bag with some air in it, holding the end closed and squeezing the bag. They would fire. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

What statistics are you using? He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Thanks. This is the best info I've seen so far, but apparently the jury is still out on AFF He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

You are correct, but my question is more statistical in nature . What are the overall rates? He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Please direct me to where I can find the stats. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

So I was teaching my first jump tandem class last weekend and had one of the students say “I’d never go by myself on the first jump. It would be too dangerous”. It got me thinking. What is the “safest” way to make your first jump? Tandem? AFF? S/L? IAD? Without looking at the data I think most people would agree there are way more students killed doing tandems than any of the other disciples. One would have to know the number of jumps in each of the disciples to come to any kind of meaningful statistical conclusions, but the overall number of tandem fatalities sure makes me wonder. From the other side of the equation, I think that a tandem instructor is far more likely to die during his career than an AFF instructor. Each tandem jump has a specific risk level associated with it, but from the students perspective there are a lot more tandem students than tandems instructors giving a higher “career” risk exposure to the instructor. So what is the “safest” way for the student to make his/her first jump? He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

My rule is: "always stay in the middle of the air" It's when you get near the edges of the air that things get more dangerous. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Not me, as you well know. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

Anybody care to give any advice on their experience with doing tandems with blind people, specifically out of a 182? And I know, pull before the leash goes slack. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

QuoteIf the 16 year old has the experience and skill, what is the problem? Ask your lawyer. He who hesitates shall inherit the earth. Deadwood Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division