ccowden

No, we are not required to have a cutaway to become a tandem instructor. Quite frankly, that is a dumb requirement. To have someone intentionally realease themselves from a main and put themselves back into jeopardy of a malfunction that could kill them, is just plain stupid. I had to have a minimum of 500 jumps to become an instructor. If they aren't sure that I can perform a cutaway by then, there is a bigger problem. We are required to practice the emergency procedures to great extent as well as doing 3 cutaways every year from a suspended harness with a person attached to you. It is every tandem instuctors job to stay current and be prepared and able to handle the complexities that a tandem introduces. Whether it be the usual jump routine, or the worst imaginable malfunction. We send students up, under their own parachutes, all the time without having them done a real cutaway. And they are a lot less experienced than a tandem instructor canidate. Can you imagine sending a student with 20 jumps up to do an intentional cutaway just so we can make sure they can do it before we give them their license??!

Yeah, me too! I only got 17 in this weekend!

I only bought a 12 pack. But I drank them twice as fast. So in the end I think it worked out about right!

It took me 2300 jumps to get any cutaway at all, and now, only a few weeks later, I have my first tandem cutaway too! Pretty funny example of how clueless a student can be. I released the drogue and it opened into a line-over, blown end-cell and severe line twists. It was spinning really good and getting worse fast. As I located my handles, got control of the students legs, menatlly went through what I needed to do to get things done and save our lives, peeled the handles from the velcro and prepared to chop; the student says to me: "Can you stop the spinning please?" To which I replied: "Sure thing. Just give me a second."

I apologize. I misunderstood the original post. Sorry for any inconvenience.

This thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1150365;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread has some really good info about using rears before you are ready and what can happen if used improperly. It may not be exactly what is being discussed here, but I think it is worth a look. In my opinion, rear risers should only be learned after everything else has been learned and you have become consistent and proficient with all swooping techniques. Rear risers is a way to TWEAK what should already be a really nice, safe swoop. They should never be a part of LEARNING to swoop.

I totally agree! I have seen Kaz swoop and she rocks! I think that makes her sexy as hell!

Take your own pictures, do your own publishing, start your own magazine, don't throw stones about sex appeal in a glass house, leave people's sexual orientation out of the reason for not liking a photo, enjoy the photos for what they are; Great shots of people enjoying our sport.

You know you can always get a hug from me, Brit-O-nee!

That would be sweet! We can share a nice bottle that Friday night.

Well, I certainly don't want to be gay, so that sounds like a plan. But I have to warn you- I will get really drunk. So PLEASE don't take advantage of me!

I say August 28th.

What do I win?

Pinot Noir

By the way- what's your last name? and I know where you took the picture with the gorilla.

Kid from Arkansas comes back from his honeymoon without his wife. Father asks, "Where's your wife?" Kid says, "I shot her." Father says, "Shot her? Why the hell would you do that?!" Kid says, "Cuz I found out that she was a virgin." Father says, "Why would you shoot her for that?" Kid says, "Cuz if she ain't good enough for her own folks, she ain't good enough for mine!"

From now on.... If you figure something cool out, let me know!

Well, Dammit, why didn't you say something?!

I just drank a bottle of wine by myself! And I feel GOOD! It sure is alot easier than drinking like 8 beers! Anyone else discovered this?

That is a good one!

Congrats Ian! It is good to see you are finally making something of your life! Even if you will always be the "other Ian"!

I'll do it! Give me a few days to figure out the logistics of turning my life completely upside down so I can join the team!

Just gonna be at my home dz in NY. When are we all going to meet at Xkeys???

Correct- This post is about REAR RISER INPUT and not about flaring with toggles. It is meant as a discussion about different techniques for trimming out the canopy using rear risers.

You're just mad because I beat ya to it!