riddler

I agree - I believe the ISP is better, and it is required by some DZs, but far from all. Under the current ISP, a coach is only allowed to do Category E-H jumps with a student, and no ground training. All of the remaining training - more than 95% for ISP, and 100% of it for the "old" system, must currently be done by an instructor (AFF/Tandem/Static Line), and not by a coach. So my question is, if the coach rating comes with little or no ability to help students, then what is the point? The only value it has as an official rating is as a precursor to other instructional ratings. It seems a needless step prior to becoming an instructor - a waste of time and money. There are obviously good coaches out there that help advanced jumpers greatly, but is a student willing to pay a slot for a coach that can't even sign off their A card? I don't think so. This is what I do as a coach currently. I work with students to help them improve the skills and understanding that are not in AFF. AFF is an accelerated program that by necessity of time, excludes many canopy skills, spotting, exit separation, things like weight shifting in the aircraft. Additionally, I work with them to improve freefall skills - things that take more than 7 AFF levels to learn, and give them a target. In other words, I do ground training and flight training. Things the current system does not authorize me to do.

There are two routes to an A license. 1. The standard A license. One yellow card, front and back, with about 45 lines to sign. This is the card I used two years ago and the majority of it was signed off by a USPA coach. 2. ISP, which is three sheets of signatures, front and back, with just under 150 signatures required. Categories A-H, each with oral or written quizzes, and much more focus on important items like canopy control and spotting. Obviously, it's a more time consuming and expensive route. I feel that it's better training, but in my experience, not as popular with students due to the time and expense.

Currently, a USPA coach may only train a student for the A license, ISP, freefall portions of category E through H, under the supervision of a USPA instructor or I/E (poll option 3). This amounts to 4 out of the nearly 150 line signatures required on the ISP card. All other signatures and training, including ALL ground training must be conducted by an instructor or instructor/evaluator. The non-ISP card allows for nothing to be trained or signed by a coach. Everything must be done by an instructor or instructor/evaluator. In my experience, most students use this version of the A license (non-ISP). The rationale is that it's less expensive, requires fewer jumps and signatures and less time. It also means that as a coach I do not participate in training for students using this card. As a coach, I feel that I have the ability to train students on the ground and observe them in the air and determine if they can perform the skills required for the A license - both ISP and the original A license. I also feel that my doing so alleviates the workload for instructors so that they may focus on AFF, static line and tandem instruction. Since I feel this way, I think I should be able to ground train students and sign off on most of the A license card - however, I feel it's a good idea to let an instructor do the proficiency jump (SIM, Sec. 3-2.A.1.c) and administer the quizzes. Should coaches have more authority than they do now? Should they have the same? Less?

It's 10 meg and it requires Acrobat Reader: http://www.msnbc.com/modules/SpaceShuttle/ColumbiaReport_082503.pdf?0na=x220C3O1o Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

In this situation, I would say the S&TA should get involved - not another jumper. I would take it more seriously if the S&TA or DZO talked to me about a recurring problem. If another jumper yelled at me, I would just think he/she is an asshole. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Ahh, Chris - you can be my pilot anytime. Most pilots don't communicate those things. It would be SO nice to get a report on uppers as well as ground winds, ground speed, etc. Maybe that's too much information for most skydivers? It's not for me. And I completely agree with getting out prior to the runway, as long as there are no uppers. If the runway is a mile long, with no uppers, I've been able to get out half the length prior of the runway and easily make it back - I tell that to students when teaching them to spot. However, it's easier to err on the other side, since most jump runs are upwind and any uppers are going to blow you back, you have a better chance of getting back on the far side. But yes, you do have more than the length of the runway to work with. It comes down to knowing how many groups, what ground speed is and how far you are making it over the ground. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I think exit separation is one of the biggest problems in skydiving today - anyone with more than 50 jumps has probably witnessed someone buzz close to them in freefall while under canopy - it happens to all of us. There are all sorts of pressures to not spot correctly and not leave enough exit separation. Let me list a few I've witnessed: 1. We have GPS guided turbine planes dropping us from two miles in the air. We've been conditioned that the GPS is more correct than our good judgement. When the rest of the jumpers on the plane see the green light, they expect the jumper in the door to leave. The pilot expects you to leave. No one expects the person in the door to have as good or better judgement than the GPS. 2. Spotting is becoming a lost art. Yeah, we've had to do it for an A license, but how often will an experienced freeflier do it? Usually, they're not the first out of the plane and most jumpers I've observed watch the group ahead of them leave, rather than looking at distance covered over the ground. 3. Dropzones typically have less than a mile of runway and many jump planes are capable of holding more than a dozen jumpers. Dropzones don't want to have to make two passes - it's expensive to make two passes. They want to get all jumpers out of the plane in one pass. At the dropzone I trained, the King Air holding 16 jumpers would cover the length of the runway in just over 40 seconds - not enough time to get everyone out with appropriate exit separation in one pass. 4. The folks in the back of the plane don't want to get screwed on the spot. Tandems don't want to land off with a tandem passenger. Freefliers don't want to have to pull high to make it back from a long spot. When that green light goes on, people in the back start yelling like it's a sinking ship. There is no trust of the person in the door. 5. There isn't a lot of communication between people on the plane. If the plane hold 20 people, but there are two eight-ways, there is nothing wrong with leaving 20-30 seconds of separation between those groups. You can plan on taking longer than the minimum if there are fewer groups on the plane. I expect there are even more situations than I've listed. The point is if we want to change this culture, we can't do it by changing one thing. We have to work on a number of issues. More time can be spent on spotting - not just for students, but for experienced jumpers. We should have a good enough relationship with each other on the plane that we trust the person in the door to make the right choices - usually they're the only ones that can see what's going on - why yell at someone when you can't see what they see? Jumpers need to be educated on the minimum separation excepted, as well as understanding that there are plenty of circumstances when they can take even more time. Dropzones with fast planes carrying lots of jumpers over a short runway should plan on making more than one pass. Is any one of these issues more relevant than the others to exit separation? If one is more outstanding, then maybe we can start there.

Thanks Bill - that's probably the best explanation I've heard. When students ask this, I always recommend they look at the animated image, but this is a good way to phrase it verbally. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

And if you have slinks, you should either: 1. Get bumpers to keep the slider from coming down to the slinks OR 2. Pull the slider all the way down past the toggle and stow it (behind your head or elsewhere). There has been at least one fatality where the slink and fingertrap of the steering line both caught inside the grommet of the slider.

Do you reach up and grab risers during deployment? A video won't show it, because you will be way out of frame by the time you do it. But most likely, the main lift web is hitting your inner bicep as you grab risers. Just an aside - grabbing risers during deployment contributes to off-heading openings - i.e. you are pulling on one riser harder than another. Hooknswoop advised me to "tough out" the opening (don't grab risers), continue to fly my body and harness steer through opening. Doing so might give you fewer bruises, but the best thing is to have a well-fitting harness.

For whuffos: Live fast, take chances. For skydivers: You're going fast enough and taking plenty of chances. Be safe!

Just want to add that not a lot of attention is paid to on-heading openings. I've seen so many opening where folks get spun 90, 180 or 270 degrees, then forget about it ever happening. Why is this important? The larger group you fly in, the less of an angle you have to work with for getting away from everyone. I get uncomfortable on anything larger than a 4-way, because I feel it's my obligation to keep my heading within 90 degrees on opening on a 4-way. On an 8-way, I only have 45 degrees to work with. Assuming everyone gets the perfect angle tracking away (which almost never happens), I divide 360 by the number of people in the group, and try to get my track and opening within that result. What about smaller groups? Even when I am only doing a two way, it stands to reason to track perpendicular to jump run. If you are jumping at a DZ where jumps run is always the same direction (east or west for instance), that makes it easier to know where to track (north or south). If jump run changes according to pilot whims, then I need to make a note of it before I get out of the plane and try to track 90 degrees away from it. It makes sense for me to keep my heading on opening and continue to fly in that direction to avoid running into groups ahead of me or behind me under canopy. Yesterday I witnessed from the ground someone that tracked in the direction of jump run (bad), had a 180 degree off-heading opening (bad), then proceeded to turn the canopy towards jump run (bad). Not surprisingly, another jumper opened quite close to this person. I often have off-heading openings, due to my bad packing, but I can correct it somewhat with harness shifting and knowing which way to point my canopy after opening.

I was taught the same thing - steer using rear risers of "dominant" (front) canopy. It is interesting to note that the 2003 SIM, section 5.1, Two Canopies Out, paragraph 3 states: 3. Stable Biplane a. Unstow the brakes on the front canopy and recover gently to full flight. b. Leave brakes stowed on the rear canopy. c. Steer the front canopy only as necessary to maneuver for a safe landing. d. Use minimal control input as necessary for landing. e. Perform a PLF. No mention of steering with rear risers. The implication in my mind is that they suggest using toggles to steer the front canopy. That doesn't make sense to me - a rear riser turn would keep the front canopy most level.

3:4:1 Three fun jumps at Brush on Saturday. One coach jump at Mile-Hi on Sunday. 1 D license

So I get a PM from Mujie today: Jeesh - I think the stalking classes proposed by Ladyskydiver are a good idea. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Definitely, skr, more than anyone else so far. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Oh - so you have a sleeve and a slider? I took note during the packing instruction, and he had no reference at all to a slider. Considering the detail he went into, I don't think it was overlooked. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Oh sure - they've been used before in space, but it's been a while. I think you would have to know somebody that's been in the business for a long time to recall their use. Kind of like an old-timer in the airline industry recalling commercial flights on piston-driven prop aircraft. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Comment: Income tax is WAY more complicated. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've actually never seen mechanical gyros on a launch vehicle or satellite. I participated in a three year program to upgrade one launch vehicle from 60s technology to 80s technology (this, of course was the mid 90s

Hmm - combined with a compressed air cartridge and quick release system, might be good for a camera helmet. One button and your helmet pops off. Of course, I don't know how good it is to have comressed air cartridge that close to your head. Just thinking like an engineer. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

For the record - Steve isn't a slug. He's a great guy. Why, if I was a woman - well, I don't want my mind to go in that direction. But he's definitely stalkable. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I love the whole concept of the "sleeve" as opposed to a slider for slowing down openings. I know newer rounds have sliders, but I never thought there was anything preceding this technology. In the book, the author states that skydiving is an expensive sport - some things don't change. He goes on to say you might spend five hundred dollars for all your equipment. It would be interesting to factor in inflation and see if that equates to the thousands we spend today.

Backing Canuck up on this one. I have seen that exact same U-Haul. Thought it was interesting that they would want to associate their company with such reckless activity. Next, they will start letting maintenance slip on their trucks. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Now I know I'm not that experienced in the ways of women, but how do you fickle a woman? Is that like pickling? Put her in a jar with vinegar? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD