chemist

actually to be accurate, it is technically 100 naked jumps within the last 12 months.

I for one was drawn into skydiving for the abundance of rules. (note the sarcasm) If you hook up with a student just tell them to do their student AFF jumps with another instructor. It's that simple.

I have not updated my jumps numbers in a while

of course it's not. The point is that not cutting helmet away does not = accident 100%. Therefore, all I'm saying is an expensive camera helmet might make someone slightly less likely to cutaway due to thinking that they could control the situation, you might still cutaway no matter what. Of course in a bridle entangalment you cut that shit away no matter how much it cost, but in another situation where accident is not as sure of thing it's not as simple as my life is worth more than $1100 it doesn't work that way the point is it creates a little bit greater probablility to decide not to cut away in certain situations where you think you could control it and its not as dangerous of a predicament. BUT to expand on the brindle entangelment point, I have been pondering this for some time, does a brindle entangalment neccesarily going to snap your neck right off? Isn't the bridle short relative to stow line so if it was caught on the camera the bag would be in tow with enough of the lines stowed that the canopy could not leave the D-Bag? This would be interesting to test maybe somehow in a wind tunnel? Plus with the new cookie fuels I have been looking at it very carefully and it seems like even if it did hook around the go pro nicely AND deployed the canopy it comes down to 2 little pieces of plastic that it is held on by the waterproof case OR the piece of plastic that slides it on the actual mount I feel like either one of those 2 sources of plastic required to crack to remove the camera will crack WAYYYY before enough force is generated to snap a neck . I know tests have been done on that 3M tape used in the old days that it can take enormous amounts of force before those come off, but the new cookie fuel ones allow the gopro to be ripped off in what seem to be minimal amounts of force. Does the fact that the force pulls the camera directly UP make it harder to break the waterproof case connection to mount? Ok this was a long post but I am just trying to wrap my head around this, no pun intended!

what is the best option to make some money skydiving down under for someone approaching their D license? I would love to film tandems at one of the tandem mills on the coast but I feel like they will only take high experience jumpers and probably need like some connections to film tandem there. Is it best to start with an instructor D, and try and go into teaching from there because there are so many AFF students here?

Except the FAA does not care about the medical for TI's. It is pure USPA. Does anybody know exactly what kind of action USPA takes against DZs who hire TIs without medicals? AND do they always know if a DZ has a TI who has no medical or does it take work on their part to find out?

A student pilot certificate holder does not require a medical, a student only needs the medical to solo. Unless it's a balloon, glider or LSA category airplane. you can solo a glider with a denied medical EDIT: I see what you mean, yea you only need medical to solo powered aircraft.

A student pilot certificate holder does not require a medical, a student only needs the medical to solo.

that's exactly what I said. It's completely legal.

So, instead of cryptically saying, "A pilot for a commercial DZ doesn't need a second class medical," it would be much less misleading to say, "A pilot for a commercial DZ needs a second class medical, or above." And, for completeness, "A pilot for a commercial DZ needs a commercial certificate, or better." Of course, I expect someone to come along and claim none of that is true, so long as the commercial DZ does all it's jumping out of balloons. ok. There is nothing in the FARs that says it is against the rules for a passenger to voluntarily exit your aircraft whilst your are PIC. That being said, there is a difference between technicalities and the real world. In the real world it is highly impractical even though it could be done legally. You could have a skydiver leave your airplane while only holding a 3rd class medical.

I sincerely apologize for presenting bad information. Someone could read that and take it to mean riggers need medicals.

Well there you go. I learn something new everyday. So why the hell is that guy offended I didn't know AFF instructor's need medicals? I mean, if even rigger's don't need them, and TI's don't need them, it follows AFFI's don't need them either. I still don't see how me assuming AFFI's don't need medicals is me not knowing my facts? You didn’t offend me, you don’t mean enough to me or my life to offend. I do get my panties in a knot when people run their mouth and have no idea what they are talking about. Sparky you sure did have a strong reaction to my lack of caring who is required to have med certs

I never presented anything as fact, I said I THOUGHT only riggers and TI's needed medicals but not skydive instructors. The key word there is THOUGHT.

Well there you go. I learn something new everyday. So why the hell is that guy offended I didn't know AFF instructor's need medicals? I mean, if even rigger's don't need them, and TI's don't need them, it follows AFFI's don't need them either. I still don't see how me assuming AFFI's don't need medicals is me not knowing my facts?

You thought wrong. If you ever do become a Dr. I hope you do a better job of getting your facts right. Sparky Hmm I didn't know there was a reason I should have had to know that. Because you said you thought they were only needed for the rigger and tandem instructor. You should know what you're talking about, right? My impression was that only a rigger is truly legally bound to be required to have the 3rd class medical to perform his duties. And now the Tandem is required but it is not a crime to jump a tandem without one, just more difficult since you have to violate uspa to do it. The only crime would be to do 180 day repack with a 3rd class or conduct other rigger duties. I don't care for technicalities, I know just the few big hitters like "rigger needs a medical". Honestly, I try not to pollute my mind with little political crap and save space in my brain to gain all the knowledge possible to fight disease. There is lots of progress to be made, treatments to be developed and cures to be found yet there are only 24 hours in a day. That's what I'm in this for. So forgive me if I don't give a shit about a certification process that is useless and lacks any integrity. They break all their own rules so why should I care if even they don't care?

You thought wrong. If you ever do become a Dr. I hope you do a better job of getting your facts right. Sparky Hmm I didn't know there was a reason I should have had to know that.

lol this true

that was on my mind for awhile, after talking with a lawyer and considering other issues, it was tough but earlier this year I renewed my USPA and didn't renew the ratings, 25+ years of instructing , tandems, etc., still do load organizing but sure miss working with students, toughest part is keeping my mouth shut when I see weak instructing - so far so good you're talking about CFI ratings right? Why would there be any burden to hold skydive instructor ratings? I thought only thing that needed a 3rd class medical was rigger and tandem master, and even then it's not a law to have to have the medical for the TI...

If he can be that easily talked into doing something illegal I would be looking for a Dr. with more integrity. Sparky Doctor loyalty must always be to the patient, not to a full retard government official. If someone was protecting a kid from a bully on the playground you wouldn't say that student lacks integrity, you would applaud him for standing up for the victim. So why would a doctor protecting the patient from an abusive government be considered to lack integrity? Evidently what they taught you in medical school was a lot different than what they taught me. Saying you are prescribing a drug "for another reason" to bypass the law is unethical, illegal, and if discovered could cause you to lose your license. It also could get you thrown off of insurance carriers which means loss of revenue. There are VERY strict ethical standards that physicains are held to. You may see it as a white lie, the medical board (i.e. other doctors) would see it as a breech of ethics. You can not view government regulation as a bully, you have to view it as a legal standard that we can not violate lest we be both criminal and lacking in ethics and moral character. Sure, some may do it (i.e. the antidepressant for "sleep"), but its not the right thing to do. Nobody likes playing by the rules, but asking a doc to lie for you puts us in a bad situation. We don't like to be fun killers, but someone has to be doing the right thing here. Ordering excess arrays of unneeded medical exams is what is unethical and immoral. "Lying" to protect a patient from harm is not beneficial to the physician but it is not unethical. That being said, as a future physician I have no intention of breaking the rules. But on a basic rational level, it is not immoral to break an immoral rule. 1) What tests are ordered that are "unnecessary"? 2) Lying to protect someone from harm? What harm? Non-invasive testing? You'll think differently when you are initiated into medicine. If you go into your interviews with this cavalier attitude you'll never make it through the door. We exist in a profession that is held to a standard that NO other field is. If you bend one rule, what next? Bend more to suit your needs? knowingly lying for ANY reason is unethical in medicine. Simple. I've served on ethics committees, medical boards, admissions committees, and I run a department. If I ever found out a doc lied for any reason in a medical chart, to a patient, or to a governing body they would be terminated and it would be reported to the medical board which would likely cause them to lose their license. Trust me... I've seen med students thrown out of school, i've seen residents relieved of duty, and I've seen "well meaning" docs stripped of their titles. This shit is serious. But, again, as a non-physician you can bend or ignore rules you do not see fit. But we are highly accountable. Hey I didn't ask to get a fear mongering. You are a skydiver now, you rely on pilots. They risk their lives for your little rush, so why don't you get in line and show some respect?

why should this guy with 300 skydives and an active lifestyle have to shell out a cold $3000 to play with some blocks? These tests are a complete joke. Better for him to put that money into the CFI's who actually work an honest living.

If he can be that easily talked into doing something illegal I would be looking for a Dr. with more integrity. Sparky Doctor loyalty must always be to the patient, not to a full retard government official. If someone was protecting a kid from a bully on the playground you wouldn't say that student lacks integrity, you would applaud him for standing up for the victim. So why would a doctor protecting the patient from an abusive government be considered to lack integrity? Evidently what they taught you in medical school was a lot different than what they taught me. Saying you are prescribing a drug "for another reason" to bypass the law is unethical, illegal, and if discovered could cause you to lose your license. It also could get you thrown off of insurance carriers which means loss of revenue. There are VERY strict ethical standards that physicains are held to. You may see it as a white lie, the medical board (i.e. other doctors) would see it as a breech of ethics. You can not view government regulation as a bully, you have to view it as a legal standard that we can not violate lest we be both criminal and lacking in ethics and moral character. Sure, some may do it (i.e. the antidepressant for "sleep"), but its not the right thing to do. Nobody likes playing by the rules, but asking a doc to lie for you puts us in a bad situation. We don't like to be fun killers, but someone has to be doing the right thing here. Ordering excess arrays of unneeded medical exams is what is unethical and immoral. "Lying" to protect a patient from harm is not beneficial to the physician but it is not unethical. That being said, as a future physician I have no intention of breaking the rules. But on a basic rational level, it is not immoral to break an immoral rule.

If he can be that easily talked into doing something illegal I would be looking for a Dr. with more integrity. Sparky Doctor loyalty must always be to the patient, not to a full retard government official. If someone was protecting a kid from a bully on the playground you wouldn't say that student lacks integrity, you would applaud him for standing up for the victim. So why would a doctor protecting the patient from an abusive government be considered to lack integrity?

So anybody have any words of wisdom regarding whether cost of GoPro helmet can effect cutaway decision? I'm getting a new helmet that I'll use as a GoPro once I'm at 200 jumps, Cookie fuel with the bells and whistles $400, plus a $350 audible in there, and attach a $300 go pro to the top maybe another $50 for the SD card. That's $1100 loss right there! I could see loosing altitude fast in a tangle thinking "maybe if I try a little longer to untangle I won't have to cutaway a cold hard grand of cash!"

I dunno man skydivers like to get wild, there is difference between being immature and being in skydiving cause it let's you go wild and act like a kid again

sounds gay...