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Chuck Blue and I had an AFF student that wore them. The guy who ran the school at the time asked him the dentures question as a matter of routine, and the student spent extra time (and extra Polident) making sure they would stay put. They did. Chuck and I did not jump this student together, but we each had him on different levels. He did not continue - nothing to do with his teeth. Arrive Safely John

7'0" and 300 lbs He used military gear to stay within the weight limits of the gear. He's not jumping any more (non-jump related back injury). Arrive Safely John

I work at Raeford, for SM1 and Raefordite doing Tandems and AFF. I am 6'2" and 220 lbs, and don't mind hauling larger folks. What I appreciate about the setup at Raeford is that they pass around the heavier students so I don't get all of them just 'cause I'm big. That way I go home at the end of the day without being totally smoked. Raeford does not have the $ per lb over a certain weight system, and I don't mind not getting paid extra for heavier folks. With as many lightweights as I end up jumping it's all good in the end anyway. The other thing I like about Raeford is that nobody on the Staff pushes the TMs to exceed their own personal limits. Any requests above and beyond are just that - requests, and if the TM chooses not to honor the request there are no hard feelings. Can you tell I like working there? Arrive Safely John

August will be 19 years. Arrive Safely John

Dan the actor played "The Narcoleptic Pilot," "Latka Pilot," "The Overmedicated Pilot," and "The Scared Pilot" for many of my tandem passengers. He was a lot of fun. Arrive Safely John

1. Tandem Instructors, do you wear a helmet on tandem jumps? Yes 2. Why or why not? General bump protection, riser-slap protection, light hearing protection, audible altimeter mount, warmth (Winter) 3. If yes, what type of helmet? Frap Hat 4. Do you have your passenger wear a helmet? Yes 5. Why or why not? For them: general bump protection, light hearing protection, warmth (Winter), long hair containment. For me: moderate head-butt protection. 6. If yes, what type? Frap hat 7. Have you changed your helmet policy for tandems? Nope. I have kept the same one since I started. 8. If yes, how? N/A 9. What rigs are you rated on? Vector. Sigma, Strong Having just found out about the USPA proposal, I have not "ruminated" on it enough yet to have an opinion. Arrive Safely John

Well, now . . . THAT'S a first post! How do you say "you da man" in Italian?? Welcome to the forums. I don't speak Italian but I will join you and Andrea for pasta anytime y'all are in town. Have fun with your new free flying adventures! Arrive Safely John

Welcome Demian, both to skydiving and these forums. The "vibe" you speak of that draws you to the DZ just to hang out, you may find hard to explain. I have chosen not to seek a definition for it, but to just enjoy it. I agree with Andrea that it can be found just about anywhere. This virtual DZ has a vibe all its own, which you will no doubt enjoy. Say hi to our host, Sangiro, when you get a chance. Thanks to him we can visit this DZ as our virtual home when circumstances are keeping us away from our worldly one. Arrive Safely John

Welcome to the sport and the forums! Good luck in your training. Be safe and have fun!

Welcome to Raeford and the Forums! I look forward to meeting you when I get back in town. Meanwhile, take care of your back and have fun. Where is your home DZ?? Arrive Safely John

Welcome to the Forums! Glad you decided to step up and post. Lurking is not a bad thing, either. Stay cool this Summer, and enjoy DZ.com! Arrive Safely John

Kate - I have not been reading the TalkBack Forum for a while, so I missed this thread until today. I was very relieved to hear LKT is back at home ans doing better. The fax machine picture was a HOOT! I like that one better than the treadmill. Arrive Safely John

You may have heard of P.E.T.A (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) . . . I used to have a PETA t-shirt. The fine print below it said "People for the Eating of Tasty Animals." I got it at a cattle show, of all places. I don't have anything against the PETA folks, I just thought the shirt was hilarious. Beef! It's what's for dinner!!! Arrive Safely John

I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but since some people will take you literally . . . To clarify "kick them in the calves:" just put the tops of you feet under their lower legs and push out, lifting their legs up. Arrive Safely John

The fall rate for Expert and Tandem CYPRES required to make them function, once they have armed themselves by climbing through 1500 FT AGL, is 115 Feet/Second. The fall rate setting for the Student CYPRES is much slower, 43 Feet/Second. That being said, it's not necessary to turn off Expert/Tandem CYPRES to descend. Student CYPRES should however be turned off. A current FXC 12000 and FXC Astra may want to chime in here with SOP for those devices. Manufacturer's input here Good questions. You may have been able to gain this info by searching the forums. Otherwise I'm glad to help. Arrive Safely John

Welcome! Yeah, we all have been through that moniker on our way to whatever we are called now. It's no biggie! Andrea's advice is right on the money about finding info in the forums. As far as equipment goes, there are some really good rigs on eBay fairly often. I will say that folks sell some not-so-great stuff there as well, so ask lots of questions and get some professional experienced opinions from your Rigger or someone you trust. Enjoy the sport and these forums! Arrive Safely John

Welcome, Des! What kept ya?? JK . . . Glad to have you here among us. Have fun at Crete. Say hi to Bill VanSetten and Terry Estabrook for me while you're there. When you're job brings you within tractor-beam distance of

Hello Adi! You are quite the world traveller and dedicated skydiving progress seeker! You'll have to stop by Raeford, North Carolina and pay us a visit during one of your jaunts! As far as regulations go, I have heard that BPA has a stack of them. I look at rules and regs as me honoring agreements, and seek ways to find personal freedom and enjoyment in spite of them. Have fun, and safe travels! Arrive Safely John

Hello backatcha! Welcome to our world! It is actually the creation of Sangiro, affectionaltely known to us as "HH." It is he you can thank for our virtual home. Good luck in your training; make sure you let us know how it's going! Arrive Safely John

Hello Ira! Welcome to the forums and to wonderful world of skydiving. Congrats on earning your A license; I wish you fun and success in your skydiving days to come. Arrive Safely John

I have been inspired by others who have overcome obstacles in their lives by not seeing them that way at all. You inspire me as well by using your shift in physical condition as an opportunity for personal breakthrough. I honor you for your courage and adventuresome spirit. I can't wait to hear about it! Go for it! "Some people see the world as it is and ask 'why;' I see the world as it could be and say 'why not?'" -George Bernard Shaw Arrive Safely John

Cumpleanos feliz, amigo! Arrive Safely John

There is so much good doggone advice up in here! John made some really good points, and (if I may) I'd like to add to them. I approach tandems as someone trusting me as a safe space for them to confront fear and have personal breakthroughs. Professionalism just comes automatically from that mindset. My personal choices: I don't do front flips with tandems at all. I don't do flips of any sort with tandems from side door aircraft. Out of a ramp aircraft (Casa 212, say) I will do a controlled 270 degree backloop if the student consents. I have done a bunch of them and they flow very easily for me. I practiced it with another TM on the front the first time I tried it though. I don't do that exit out of A/C like a SkyVan because I'm big and have to squat down so far I have a hard time getting out of the aircraft enough to be clear. I will do a moderate turn to get on the wind line and ask "Did you like that?" while looking around at their face to judge the reaction. If the answer is no, I just go easy making nice flat turns. It's their ride, after all. I have had two exits that got a little ugly and tipped over on their side. (The Strong recovery methods work well by the way). Both of those were females about 5'6" and 120 lbs. Everything came out great and we were smiling for the camera on the ground. Man, I love this subject! Arrive Safely John

I believe we Instructors can prevent the majority of jump refusals by asking a simple question and providing some follow-up explanations. Q: "So, what made you want to come out and make a skydive today?" The student, tandem or AFF, gets to be clear that they want to make the skydive. I explain the point of no return to them, so they understand how they can help keep us safe on exit. I will never take a tandem or AFF student out of an airplane that tells me "No, I don't want to go!" I feel that I would be asking for not only a potentially ugly skydive, but a heap of liability risk as well. It's not worth putting the Student, DZ, Pilot, A/C Owner, School Manager, Instructors, Rig Manufacturer, Packers, etc. at risk. My $.02 Arrive Safely John

If I don't have a personal relationship with the student (e.g. family, good friends, etc.) then I keep the geeking to a minimum. I have a smile on my face 100% of the time, and usually throw thumbs-ups in droguefall. At pull time I throw one double peace sign as I'm reaching for my risers. Another idea I got from another TM (imagine that) to make the video more personal for the student is to put them in clear goggles (without binding is best), and I wear mirrored goggles, which kind of removes my personality from the video/pics. That way it's all about them, know what I mean?? White gloves show up the best in pictures. Arrive Safely John