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I am a pawslutty sausage link that loves to slap hellhounds. Sounds like a good screenplay for a Super Hero movie. Arrive Safely John

Tandem Instructors (current or former) only please! For me: 1) I love sharing peoples' first time skydiving experience up close and personal. I get a thrill from their thrills! The reactions are incredible; some quite memorable as well. 2) Experience. I have learned more about how to be a safe skydiver from tandems than anything else. I also learn a lot about human nature. Somehow I know that the experience I am building doing tandems will come in handy later in life, in skydiving or elsewhere. 3) The responsibility factor. I get addicted to the incredible responsibility of tandems. It is very rewarding to have people trust me as a safe space for them to shatter the boundaries of their comfort zone. So, how about all of you? What are your top three? Arrive Safely John

It's back to the conversation, folks . . . please don't let this one elevate to personal attacks. Arrive Safely John

Pushing pause on this thread for now . . . it may be back shortly. Arrive Safely John

The Crusair was a Para Flite canopy. There's some good info on the canopy posted in this thread Arrive Safely John

Your Rigger can add them. It is a fairly simple modification. For maximum effect, they need to be as high on the risers as possible, with the loops small enough that it results in a long enough "stroke" of the front risers when they are pulled down. "Dive blocks" are another alternative, basically a wrap of webbing sewn down to provide a semi-hard point high on the riser to brace you hand as you grasp the riser and pull it down. Call your rig manufacturer, ask what they recommend. Ask them if they have a written procedure for the modification. Then you can hand that to you Rigger and he will effect the modification to manufacturer's specifications. Arrive Safely John

IMHO . . . It's all about control. If I have control, albeit difficult, and feel that the situation is not deteriorating, I will continue the skydive with a big smile on my face. If my control over the situation begins to erode, I will deploy high. Advantages to deploying high: -the "life-saver" is overhead -you can now effectively talk to your student -things slow down immensely and help calm the student -the TI can get the situation back under control Disadvantages: -hypoxia -cold weather injuries -student passing out due to poor circulation (being in the harness a long time) -if the student is "grabby" and panicking, he can easily reach back and grab emergency handles -landing out due to high winds at your unintentionally high opening altiitude or disorientation because of clouds in the neighborhood I'm sure there are more issues on both sides of the coin . . . those are the ones that come to mind. Arrive Safely John

The harness definitely does NOT fit . . . see a picture of him rigged up HERE His legstrap hardware is waaay back on his hips. Arrive Safely John

I pack my PD176R comfortably in a J-4K Odyssey. I see lots of folks who pack PD-176Rs in a J-3, but I'm sure it's very tight. I pack a 218-M comfortably in my work rig, a 2000 year model Javelin J-4. We have 181-Ms as well, packed comfortably in the same generation Javelin J-3s. Hope this helps!

After training them on the ground and double-checking their pre-exit body position in the door, I have done all I can do to make our exit a success. Immediately upon exit, I am flying my own body. I don't concern myself with correcting the student's body position until I get the drogue out, which I am never in a hurry to do. I fly the exit first, when it's solid I deploy the drogue. I might make one attempt to correct a totally wazoo student body position in drogue fall, after that I do like Rob said . . . I "get big" and fly myself, controlling unintentional turns with my legs (knees). Arrive Safely John

You're a good man - the student walked away as good as new. It sucks that you got hurt. Heal quickly, my friend. Arrive Safely John

I saw your pictures from your post in General. Your rig appeard to have B-12s, so the knee pads should work well for you. If they slip out of place when you use them the first time, on wrap of duct tape on the top end should hold them where you need them. I noticed that the harness appears to be a bit small for you (laterals too short, maybe?) and that you have ZERO padding on your legstraps in the front. Your instructos should accomodate your request to add padding. Also, if the knee pads are too bulky, elbow pads might work. Arrive Safely John

This has happened to me a few times, always with military rigs (MT1-XX). Twice I discovered it only after opening, twice I was able to replace it in it's pocket in free fall, and once I just left it alone. I agree with Bill that leaving it alone and deploying at the proper altitude is better than holding on to it. Arrive Safely John

I always grab my rear risers from the outside, once the canopy is out of the bag. Once the canopy is open, I am immediately flying it with rear risers until I know my airspace is clear and I'm pointing toward the windline (or the landing area). Sorry to hear about your incident - kinda scary. I jump a Sabre2 also, and I've only had one less than perfect opening with it (sloppy packing - slider rebound). Arrive Safely John

What kind of tandem rig was your instructor wearing?? Arrive Safely John

Go to the sporting goods store and get some foam knee pads, like they make for volleyball players. Just route the legstraps through them with the padding to the inside and move them where they can do the most good. This is easiest, of course, with student rigs that have B-12 snaps as legstrap hardware. If your sutent rig has thread-thru hardware, make sure your instructor says it's OK to use and get him to help you put them on. Arrive Safely John

Pre-hydrate before getting outside for the day. I drink a liter of water before getting out in the heat. Stay hydrated by drinking water all day long . . . if you're thirsty, your behind the hydration power curve. Keep your electrolytes replenished by drinking sports drink (Gatorade, etc) now and then, or eat bananas, pretzels - foods full of potassium and sodium to replace what you're sweating out. Use the shade as much as you can. Use 2 or 3 t-shirts . . . take the soaked one off and lay it in the sun to dry, and switch to the dry one. Arrive Safely John

What an excellent tribute. A beautiful job for a kindred skydiving spirit. Arrive Safely John

I am not a lawyer, and I don't have a thorough understanding of 1) the liability of taking minors on a tandem skydive, 2) my level of risk in that liability, or 3) just how well our DZ waiver would stand up in court. I am a skydiving instructor, and I do know that 1) the level of assumed risk in skydiving has been mitigated through improvements in equipment and training to a level that has made jumping out of airplanes safer than that I have ever seen it, 2) there is HUGE value in people assuming such risks to make a tandem skydive, and 3) the value that I get personally from sharing a first skydive experience with my students far outweighs the liability cloud hanging over our heads in this country. I agree with Chuck Blue: I don't live my life that way either. I do respect the proprietary wishes of the owners of the skydiving school at Raeford, along with those of the DZO. Additionally, they do not ask any of us on the instructional staff to operate outside our personal limits, or those established by the rig manufacturers, USPA, FAA, local and state laws, etc. If things change so 16 years olds are given the green light at Raeford, and someone on the staff chooses not to take anyone under 18, that will be respected. I have two children, 13 & 10. They both want to skydive. Their Mom (a former skydiver and occasional tandem student of mine) also supports them making a skydive. As a father, I look forward greatly to the day when I can share my love of the freedom of the sky with them. I see great value in that for them and for me, despite the risk. I will choose not to seek a "bootleg" jump for them, because I feel I would be teaching them that all of the guidelines I have been upholding for all these years apply to everyone else but me. If I can do it for them at 16 because of all the tandem age limit issues coming into collective agreement, it will be an incredible joy. If I can do it by requesting special permission from Relative Workshop, I will be grateful. If nothing changes then I will either train them as AFF students at 16 or wait until they turn 18. Arrive Safely John

Neumann Tackified Glove Company is a subsidiary of Adams USA in Cookeville, Tennessee, USA: Manufacturer's Website Arrive Safely John

Yes, there are different sizes. Contact Mark Procos or Egon Sussman at Relative Workshop They will find the answer for you. I suggest you have all of the information off the Tandem Vector Harness/Container data label available when you call. Arrive Safely John

I agree, as long as it passes through the next wicket, which I see as being Relative Workshop changing their previous stance (read it here). This being, of course, since the primary tandem rig used at Raeford is the Sigma. I have already told one of the owners of the school that I could fill an entire weekend tandem day with people I have turned away because their kids were not yet 18. [whine] I hope it changes, if for no other reason than I won't have to explain the backwards sounding age limitations between AFF training and a Tandem. [/whine] This will be interesting to watch. Arrive Safely John

Click on "Edit Profile" in the top left of the forums page. Click on "Display Setting." The first option is "Default Template Set." Choose "Default; post information on left." I bet that works for ya - it worked for me! Arrive Safely John

I always put clothes back exactly as I found them. Arrive Safely John

I have always been goal oriented as skydiving goes. I have been blessed with being able to achieve my goals successfully over the years. As a matter of fact, I am nearly to the point that all of my goals have been reached . . . I'll need to sit down and look at what's next for me. The last goal on my list will hopefully be complete in September. Knowing me, I'll have a new list in place before Christmas! Arrive Safely John