AFFI

Performance anxiety on the skydive? You mean freefall dive flow stuff? Don’t you worry about that at all - we only get to practice freefall 30 to 60 seconds at a time and if we do it enough we are bound to get better at it. Now that you have a few jumps, maybe you want to consider really concentrating on survival training more than anything. Skydiving Priorities: 1) Get an open parachute overhead. 2) Land it safely in an area free of obstacles 3) Don’t get hurt, or injure anyone else If we get really proficient at these 3 things then we can practice that freefall stuff all we want, but if we get injured? Injuries take skydiving money out of our pocket to pay medical expenses, time to heal and may cause us to wonder if we should even be skydiving in the first place. I have never seen a skydiver on the plane ridding to altitude with a femur sticking out of the side of their leg! The goal is to make as many skydives as we wish during our lifetime and never get injured while we are at it. Skydiving is supposed to be fun - casts; limps and performance anxiety can take the fun right out of it! Worry about performance if and when you ever start to compete – for now just have fun and concentrate on Emergency Procedures, Canopy Piloting and all that that implies… - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

If you were picking a rig off the rack that you were unfamiliar with to jump yourself, would you the check to see if the reserve is in date? This is part of a gear check… If solo freefall students are supposed to learn how to take care of themselves, how do they know to check this if you do not teach them check it themselves? Teaching students how to do a through gear check is part of our job duties. As soon as they are able, I have students pin check me on the A/C before exit unsupervised because leaning how to do this is part of what we are supposed to teach them and we are supposed to lead by example - being a solo freefall instructor is a lot more than teaching students how to survive just that jump or do loops and barrel rolls, we are building habits that will take them through their skydiving careers. It irks me when I see a skydiver fresh off student status not getting pin checks before exit – I just think to myself; that person had an instructor that was not doing their job. If you are working with students and not teaching them how to give and the importance of receiving gear checks (this includes checking the reserve card), then you are doing a disservice to the students you are working with and the skydiving community because what we teach them will infect/affect he community as a whole. Skydiving is a lifestyle of freedom, and there are a lot of mediocre instructors out there that do not do their job because they just want to get theirs or perhaps they do not know anything other than half-assed, or maybe they just don’t care. You can start being one of the ones that do our job, or you can continue to wallow in the quagmire of mediocrity – it is up to you… - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

what kind of new rig? haw many jumps have you made on it before this happened?

Agree... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

It really looks like we will never know what exactly happened. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

That is completely normal and quite common for students. You mention that your instructors are working with you closely and patiently, that is a good thing. Listen to them… My training philosophy working with anxiety laden (all) students: The primary defense against this type of anxiety is to understand how the gear works, and I mean to understand it thoroughly. Then to train on EP’s and canopy flight, and I mean to train for it thoroughly. You brain is simply trying to protect you with the fight or flight response and your brain had not yet been convinced that it is not in imminent danger – you are jumping out of a plane miles above the surface of the planet and at this point your brain believes you are trying to kill it so naturally your brain is going to try and protect you. So you need to convince your brain that it is safe, and the way I combat this is training – knowing how the gear works and having confidence in your ability to use it properly (see my sig line). Back when I was on student status and battling the same issues, I simply forced myself – I could not force myself to remain calm but I did force myself to keep my mouth shut about it, not let it show and get out the door anyway because I KNEW that once I was out the door I would be as you said – “Once I get out, I'm fine”. I even remember telling myself that I would rather be dead than to be beaten by this fear because I really wanted to be a skydiver more than anything else. You are the only one that can do anything about this – instructors or anyone else for that matter can’t make your brain comply; only you can do that. So there is no silver bullet solution, you want to be a skydiver? Then prepare as well as you can, have confidence in the gear and your ability to use it - shut your mouth, take control of your brain and get out the door… Your "DISASTER" could not have been that bad if you are still alive to write aout it! Remember, it does not matter if you preform well in freefall (that takes practice) what is important is that you: A) Get a parachute over your head (at the assigned altitude) B) Land it safely C) Don't get hurt and don't injure anyone else... If you do those 3 things, then you can practice all you want! That is what skydiving is all about... Sorry there is not simple solution for you other than to tell you that it is totally up to you – so you wanna be a skydiver or not? - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

There was video of the event? Is there any way you can capture and post it so we can get all of our questions answered? - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

No. You do not have that right to do that no matter how nicely you put it. I disagree… Here have been 2 individuals so far that I was seriously concerned about when it came to handling the various life threatening aspects of skydiving. Both instances ended not as fatalities but life changing injuries sustained after landings where routine emergency procedures, had they been carried out as trained resulted in very serious injuries and life flight rides got them to the life saving personal. One badly broken back the first jump after acquisition of their A License and the other only a few months after that resulted in multiple extremely serious injuries. I believe that it is a solo freefall instructors duty not only to provide the best training they are able, but also to recognize and advise when they feel that someone is a danger to themselves (and others) due to their inability to function under stress. Since that is a difficult call to make it is imperative that other members of the instructional staff are consulted in private meetings and have other instructors assist in making such evaluations. Regardless of the level of intellect, not everyone is cut out for skydiving, and if we allow an individual to progress in the sport that clearly should not be, then we as instructors are doing a disservice to that individual and the skydiving community as a whole. - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Once again I get to learn from someone who was skydiving back when I was watching Bugs Bunny Saturday Mornings on ABC (now I have it all on DVD). I think that perhaps there is more to the equation than just the material being utilized, but also it’s maintenance and the way it is utilized as well (sloppy packing). Some can say that Tubing creates Bag Locks without taking into consideration how sloppy the packing was when the Bag Lock in question was caused. It is like the differences of opinion concerning how to handle a PCIT, it is hard to tell if the entanglement was created because the Cutaway handle was or was not pulled first or unstable body position at reserve deployment time without video. I have had 2 reserve rides packed in short time frame by the same pacer due to sloppy packing, I have packed most of my openings without packing a malfunction severe enough to cutaway yet (knock on wood). That is because I believe I maintain my gear pack correctly and utilize good body position at deployment time. The gear is awful reliable when use within its design parameters. Thanks for your time - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Try a search...

It does not necessarily MEAN you will fuck yourself up - your canopy will be much more responsive and faster which I believe means funner – that is why so many downsize too quickly, but your margin of error is dramatically reduced as well. It is like getting a Ninja 900 as your first bike after taking a rider safety course. Not a good idea but hey when in Rome right? - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Discussing canopy sizes Without mentioning or considering the "Wing Loading" is leaving out a vital piece of information to consider in the equation. - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I do not understand your usage of the term “Out of Sequence Deployment” in your statement. I am respectfully making an inquiry as to what exactly you mean? My understanding is that an “Out of Sequence Deployment” occurs when the closing loop breaks or the closing pin is unintentionally extracted, thus opening the container prior to the PC being released which has nothing at all to do with the type of material that is used to stow the suspension lines to the “Deployment Bag”. I have only around 500 jumps with Tube Stows (surgical tubing type material) with no incidence, but was cautioned by a couple very seasoned and experienced riggers (each with decades of familiarity) as to the possibility that this may increase my chance of having a “Bag Lock” malfunction which gave me reason to reevaluate my equipment configuration choice. After close consideration, I switched back to rubber-bands. That being said, prior to my use of Tube Stows I had experienced a “Bag Lock” malfunction which I did not pack, but the packer I was using was inexperienced and was utilizing sloppy line stowing techniques. BTW, the "Bag Lock" did not stand me up. What you are describing - “the canopy falling out before line stretch” is what I was taught is referred to as “Line Dump” no? To assist in preventing this occurrence from taking place, it was suggested to use properly configured bands and to keep up with the maintenance of them as well. I have also heard it said that “real line dump will kill or maim”, which makes sense to me as I can only imagine how violent this type of malfunction could be. Please forgive my lack of understanding if my information is incorrect, I am only inquiring to better understand the potential issues that may arise and to increase my body of knowledge… - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

If Walt is in, I am in - please add my name too... - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

How many you need? They also fit perfectly in the Plano Guide series tackle box for fishin...

Is the petition going to state the specific proposed verbiage, or just that we want a new BSR and vaguely describe it as "by separating high performance and standard pattern landings". Will a BSR addition really change anything anyway? Seems like not all the collisions have been high performance landing issues, some of the incidents have been so bizarrely unlikely occurrences that I feel compelled to place them in the shit happens category. It is just strange how unlikely incidents that have never happened at all or very rarely in the distant past seem to pop up in clusters very strange… - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What kinda helmet you got now? I can mail you an older dytter I have and it will zip tie right into a protech helmet - I just have to dig aound for it, and the price is right - free! PM me... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Totally! I may have been on the receiving end of some of this myself when I was in the newbie, but nothing with such a blatant disregard for safety! Okay, douche it is! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Sooooo: Anyone that says one automatically prevents another is a jet of water applied to bathe an organ? pre•clude 1. To make impossible, as by action taken in advance; prevent. See Synonyms at prevent. 2. To exclude or prevent (someone) from a given condition or activity: Modesty precludes me from accepting the honor. douche 1. a jet or current of water, sometimes with a dissolved medicating or cleansing agent, applied to a body part, organ, or cavity for medicinal or hygienic purposes. 2. the application of such a jet. 3. an instrument, as a syringe, for administering it. 4. a bath administered by such a jet. –verb (used with object)

Is this some sort of "official" promotional edit for the DZ or just something made for fun? I trust you posted this with the author’s permission? I do a lot of editing myself and would be annoyed if someone posted my work, especially if they were asking others to critique it. I have some constructive criticism that may help the person who did this post production to create more interesting productions that I would be happy to share if he were to contact me directly, either a PM here or an email. Also when you are posting a video online, try compressing it first - there is a great application (Windows Media Encoder 9 Series) you can download for free that will convert AVI and output WMV files suitable for web - link below… http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx And Howard is right - the crossposting is a drag… -

It is fine, don’t worry about it at all - and there is no need what so ever to take any of the advice here to incorporate to your learning other than this: Listen to your instructors; getting advice from any other source may undermine what it is you are supposed to be learning while on student status. Being concerned with fall rate at AFF L4 is putting the cart before the horse - learning the finer aspects of fall rate will come with time after you have learned your survival skills. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Elaborate please… You are "absolutely wrong"to deploy if you do not know your altitude? Put lives in jeopardy by deploying high because someone still in freefall might collide with you? These are interesting thoughts, and I will discuss these issues with some instructors with more experience than I, but off the top of my head: Don’t make alterations to your survival skills at the advice of a single source of information (especially by some super swooper with 700 jumps that has it all figured out or even a rating holder for that matter) without cross referencing and seeking out the advice of others, which is what you seem to be doing, so that is smart – good job. As you progress in the sport always cross reference and study before you make those alterations to your foundation of survival skills to better ensure that you are making the right decisions. Your understanding of the varying aspects of the sport WILL evolve, just take it slowly and make the right decisions where your learning curve is concerned, after all, there are lives at steak, yours and your fellow jumpers (ummmm, steak)… At 60 jumps, the average skydiver is at the point where they are just beginning to get things figured out (and will receive an abundance of “advice” from sport jumpers). This is a good time to begin to train yourself to learn to recognize the difference between 10k, 5k or even 3k without a visual altimeter. The way you do that is to use your visual altimeter in addition to looking down at the ground, over time this will assist in developing your ability to visually estimate your altitude in the event your altimeter ever becomes unavailable for whatever reason. When you are on the plane riding to altitude, make it a habit to check your altimeter, and then look down out of the window and in time you will get better at this skill. For me, 3k is when ground rush really begins to become apparent. If you did not know your altitude and did not have any sense of judgment as to how to estimate your altitude visually and decided to deploy, I would not say that that is a “bad” decision and most definitely not "absolutely wrong". If a jumper is totally confused and had no idea what their altitude is, an open parachute sounds like a pretty good idea to me... Especially if you are doing a solo, but if you are jumping with others you have their altitude awareness available to you as someone mentioned. I have done a coach jump with someone with only 20 jumps whose altimeter flew off at 10k, I saw her eyes get big and nearly panicked - I simply docked and shared my altimeter with her, I smiled and gave her a "relax" signal - letting the rest of the TLO’s (Targeted Learning Objectives) go out the window because at this point her biggest concern was altitude awareness and it was a great learning experience to learn to remain calm when the unexpected happens and to learn to improvise and trust your fellow jumpers. Keep in mind, although it is a big sky, remember that there are others in freefall behind you. The addition of an audible may be a good decision for you at this point but I believe that it is a poor decision to become totally reliant on a single source of judging your altitude in the event that any of your devices ever fail. The idea is to remain as safe as possible and not become a hazard to others while you are tackling the learning curves associated with skydiving… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I am always eager to better my communication skills; may I inquire as to how he was able to better express his views? - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

"country music" is an oxymoron

Yup - and use your mouth or nose, try any other orifice and...