AFFI

The "PULL" test will not always reveal a misrouted cheststrap... A better check is to run your thumb and index finger along the buckle while visually looking at the routing (using multiple senses). When preforming a gear check: Touch every piece being checked as you visually inspect the part you are touching. Don't look for anything to be wrong, look for everything to be right and if it is misrouted, it will then stick out like a sore thumb... Form a routine you stick with always (top/bottom front/back). When challenging students with a gear check, have a routine you stick with so you do not forget to correct the problems you are creating for them. Lower level students will give me a gear check before boarding and before exit under the direct supervision of an experienced skydiver (preferably an AFFI). Upper level students will check me pre-boarding and pre-exit UNSUPERVISED . If I am doing my job, I should have not problem getting UNSUPERVISED gear checks from the students I am training. - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I have been reading this thread with extreme interest because I personally believe that dealing with malfunctions is the most important aspect of the sport that skydivers must master (canopy piloting notwithstanding). An open parachute dramatically increases our odds of surviving the landing. If a skydiver cannot learn to properly handle situations that require action be taken to get a functioning parachute overhead perhaps skydiving is not a sport they should be participating in. In my opinion, with 80 jumps, the OP needs to review, or be taught the fundamentals of properly dealing with malfunctions before continuing skydiving activities. After "2 attempts" (which in the real world is more than that) a student is much lower than I am comfortable with or if a PCIT occurs, after recognition of the situation there will still be a noticeable loss of altitude. Cutting away prior to deploying the reserve will burn even more altitude and will not fix the situation of the PC towing behind the jumper. Perhaps it is better to use the right arm to stabilize the body while deploying the reserve to ensure better body position during the reserve deployment. The definition of a Total Malfunction is that the Container is totally closed. With a PCIT, the pin is not extracted, and the container is totally closed. It has been proven that treating a PCIT as a total (which it is) and deploying the reserve gives the best odds of survival. It is difficult to determine why fatalities occur with the only piece of information was, did they cutaway first or not? Whether or not the main risers are cutaway or not, the PC will still be towing when the reserve is deployed. Getting saddled in under the reserve without the occurrence of an entanglement is the primary goal. A PCIT is a high adrenaline malfunction and requires that the jumper dealing with the situation remain calm, and remain stable while deploying the reserve. Unstable body position while the reserve PC is launched is dramatically increasing the chance of an entanglement - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Damn straight! It is possible that his fear was immense but he was covering it up with tough talk rater than dealing with it (letting it show?). Tough guy syndrome, then froze when life got interesting?

I suspect that means Targeted Training Objectives Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

We wernt arguing, at least don't tnink either of us feel that way... I for one got a lot of good infomation out of it...

Speaking from Experience based on trial and error or Speculation? Millions of skydivers were taught with ripcords, and many JM’s were reluctant to move on to the BOC for training students. Even millions more were trained without the use of modern medial elements or VR or fancy electronic gadgets or a SIM with a fancy color cover – so I am in no way implying that anything more than a JM, gear an some altitude are all that is needed to train someone how to make a successful skydive. But for those of us who are willing to change, willing to advance with modern technology an techniques, and at least try to make our training methods improved over the ones we were taught with ourselves – then we must be willing to open our minds to new ideas an possibilities. I have not even taught 100 FJC’s yet and that is not a lot of experience, so I am willing to change just about everything I do to make myself of better service to the students I work with. The team I have been working with, we have been using trial and error to incorporate usage of multimedia for 5 years in a direct application to training skydiving students, and it has been proven an extremely useful tool based on results of level of proficiency in student performance and retention of knowledge and is clearly proven evidence that the points you are making are not entirely accurate (but some are) – but I am basing that on my limited amount of experience as I only have around 500 actual student jumps and 15 years of experience producing educational multimedia. This assessment has not only been recognized by myself, but also many other instructors that have mountains of more experience teaching skydiving than I will ever obtain in my lifetime. I wish you could visit out DZ, go over the training program and see it in action. Maybe Skyfest 2008? Further volley’s of bantering will only turn this discussion into more of a pissing contest which I have no need to involve myself in simply because I know what I am stating is factual an accurate (how is that for arrogance). Gotta wet back to work!_ - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

You are beating a dead horse...

We'll have to agree to disagree on that - my experience tells me the opposite, a good training production properly utilized does EXACTLY that, but I think I see what you are trying to say... “does not illustrate” Main Entry: il•lus•trate Pronunciation: 'i-l&s-"trAt also i-'l&s- Function: verb Inflected Form(s): -trat•ed; -trat•ing Etymology: Latin illustratus, past participle of illustrare, from in- + lustrare to purify, make bright -- more at LUSTER transitive verb 1 obsolete a : ENLIGHTEN b : to light up 2 a archaic : to make illustrious b obsolete (1) : to make bright (2) : ADORN 3 a : to make clear : CLARIFY b : to make clear by giving or by serving as an example or instance c : to provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate 4 : to show clearly : DEMONSTRATE Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

When teaching and explaining a teaching method, NOTHING is assumed - it always needs to be "by the numbers" to lessen the chance of miscommunication. Effective communications is one of the hardest things humans do in day to day life an is rarely accomplished… I remember once, I was debriefing a student (I wear video on every student jump). When I “Threw” my PC he heard me counting rater loudly on the video – as my canopy was sniveling you could hear my voice over the cacophony or canopy and wind, counting rather loudly and quite deliberately. The student I was working with looked at me an asked me this: “With all your jumps and experience, why do you still count when opening your parachute?” My answer was simple – “because this evening, I want to go home, kiss my dinner and eat my wife – so I do everything I can to make certain I survive and I keep it simple and fundamental.” The primary lesion I learned here is that students watch us; we really are setting an example and building habits that they will use for the rest of their careers. Counting as they kick is what I have recently seen an instructor (that I respect) use as one of his methods, so I used it in my illustration because it totally drives home the ultra important aspect of fixing potentially fixable malfunctions. One of my last jumps I had pretty good LTs so I started counting just like after I “throw” my PC it worked really great! It reminded to check my Alt and help keep my track with the actual seconds I was spending working on the situation. What I teach students verbatim is right out of our student manual: 1) Remain ALTITUDE aware by visually checking your altimeter! 2) Pull risers apart, twist body and scissor kick in the opposite direction of the twists. When grasping your risers, do not grab high on the risers near the suspension lines because the canopy may not be finished spinning and you do not want to get the risers wrapped around your hand, wrist or forearm. Grasp your risers around forehead level with your palms facing outward; this will keep your altimeter in view so you can monitor your altitude. I try everything I teach, and I actually found that for me, counting aloud is a better method, "kicking and counting" rather than “placing hands outward”, but both get the job done which is teach the importance of Alt check FIRST then monitor Alt while dealing with a potentially fixable partial malfunction. The “Kick Kick Check” method will work to that end as well, this I am mostly certain, the primary flaw is not checking the Alt BEFORE beginning to deal with a potentially fixable partial malfunction (jeez, I sound like a broken recording). Your rhythm argument does not hold water because you can count to the “rhythm” that you are kicking (I am a trained musician who can read music and have been around my share of garage bands). Although, I was intrigued by your suggested “Kick Kick Check” method that I have already planned on using it the next time I have LTs to see how it compares to other methods I have tried with the only change being an altitude check before I begin. I am always totally open to change, and will try out anything that will not endanger my safety. Actually, the first thing I thought when I read the "kick kick check" was “Jeez, that could throw off their rhythm and keep them from kicking constantly”. Which is almost the same thing when you thought when reading my fellow instructors method - Odd, isn’t it? There are so many effective ways to teach someone how to do the same thing, and some methods work better for different individuals. As a teacher, often times I will get caught up in believing that being set in my ways is the best because a method I have been employing for years works so well, but I often times have to remind myself that there are more than 10 ways to effectively and correctly skin a cat. The bottom line is that we somehow teach Check Alti first - Monitor Alti during and pay CLOSE attention to the hard deck. (Too many skydivers have gotten line stretch on their reserves upon impact). I have had many jumpers approach me years after workin with me and tell me that they STILL check Alt before woring on a potentially fixable situation. So we are building habits that last... _ Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Remember Jimmy the Greek? n all fairness, them chicks do look like hos - tattooed nappy haired gangster hos...

Like toxic waste, some things should be disposed of properly (thanks mods)... Don't let the nay-sayers discourage you Ozzy, keep helping your friend, building your stuff and at the very least, you will grow and learn from the experience more than you can imagine. It is going to help you be an awesome instructor one day. I remember when I had a couple hundred jumps, and I told my rigger "I am going to be an instructor one day" - he laughed at me (out loud). Now, he would say (and has) I am a quality instructor he would feel comfortable sending a loved one to for skydive instruction. Nobody thouht I could excel, much less even obtain the rating, but kept my eye on my goals, and took the necessary action to achieve them. I strongly encourage you to do the same. Take the constructive criticisim, and feed off of it, use it to make yourself and your output better. _ Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

"Like rolling the nose" - Swoop c(h)ords are just not necessary. I used to subscribe to them, then a belly flyer with a bigger gut/ass than mine with over 10,000 jumps says to me that I do not need them. He showed me that - just by slightly dropping my knees and elbows to better trap air resistance in my midsection, in addition to what I was already doing was how to fall slow enough without them. With some practice, I was able to discover a range of speed that allowed me to broaden my range enough to feel comfortable, even to release lighter students with confience without the SCs (I do have a special suit for students below 140 lbs). I used to worry about the potential complications they could create, now I do not have to worry about it. - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

and the more gadets you rely on and you never get that "callibration"

Gypsy moths - there is around 20 really good minutes in Fandango - of course you got your skydiving stuff like Soul Flyers and what not..

I have a friend, his 109 died the same way your describing - first the screen, then the zoom - when the zoom went out he found another 109 which he bought, and then sent his broken 109 back to sony, they fixed it like new for $350 - so now he has two cameras. He just went to Sony .com where he found the repair servies - sounds like a good deal to me... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

WOW

That seems like an awfully high number if they have only one Otter. It would have to fly 26 loads a day 365 days a year... I think they are using the metric system!

Musicians already have the timing, I have always believed that a foundatiion of good editing and animation is a good sense timing. Still, very nice work for a low timer. Very nice... Send my compliments! Makes me want to check out Vegas... - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Altitude checks before beginning to deal with potentially fixable malfunctions while training builds good habits for the student. For example, when training in the HH if we are practicing LTs, the student must check their altitude before they begin to kick out and I will call out an altitude, say 4,200 feet! Then they begin to kick and must count out loud, checking their Alt every 5 seconds. Sometimes I will then present them with a hard deck call of 2,500’ that will require EPs for a partial sometimes I will present them with a good canopy scenario at say 3,500’ when they must begin a CC. During the CC I will always have the CC fail at least once during a training session so they learn that just because they get out of the LTs, it does not mean they do not have another problem like broken lines or something which will cause a failure (like a stall when flaring) of the CC. Sometimes I will throw a curveball with the LT scenario, and when they make their initial ALT check I will call out 2500, which necessitates a cutaway and reserve deployment. This really drives home the importance or remaining altitude aware while trying to fix a problem and adhering to hard deck recommendations. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Grounded? What the hell is that? Grounded in the 21st century goes more like: You got 90 jumps? Sure, go jump that Stiletto and camera set up, pull low while you are at it and amaze us with a gnarly swoop over the pond!

I totally agree with you and TDog is "barking" up the right tree, teaching mals is hands on for the most part - what are those 5 "T's"? Tell em Tell em what you told em Tell em again Have them Tell you what you told em Show me what you Told me (demonstrate) Something like that. If learning has taken place, the student should know the material without notes, because there are no cheat notes at 2500 feet! Keep it simple: There are two types of parachutes - Good (safe to land, can pass a CC) Bad (not safe to land) There are only two kinds of canopies Good (CC and land) and Bad (Total or Partial) everything falls into those categories, either a canopy can pass a CC or it cannot – how complicated is that? No need to remember the names of anything - just be able to recognize good from bad - then it gets a little more complicated but that can be kept simple as well with proper ground training and teaching techniques. One thing that drives me crazy is calling line twists an "Unusual Situation" or an "Issue" or some bullshit like that. That is creating undue complcation from the simplicity of can it be controlled or not. Line Twists (not spinning) are a Partial until they are fixed - can they be fixed? Maybe. Dependent on what? Altitude. Why are they a Partial and not simply a nuisance? Because they cannot pass a CC, it is that simple… Most important thing to know while dealing with LTs (or any potentially fixable Partial)? Altitude. I have seen many JMs drop the ball on altitude awareness when training to deal with any potentially fixable Partial or another is the all important altitude check BEFORE the roll to recover on release dives or before each maneuver on upper level dives. Having a student trying to roll to recover while screaming through their deployment altitude is no picnic! Anyone who claims that a student cannot properly be taught everything they need to know either does not know how to teach or they are not doing their job. The key as MIH (MakeItHappen) has so appropriately pointed out is to keep it simple and repetition until the student can properly demonstrate in a malfunction trainer. The DZ I work at is challenging because the DZO requires us to train students properly and we use real sport rigs with real handles. So we have to make certain that the students are properly trained. Is the use of viedo a good training tool? In my opinion, most definitely yes. Utilizing video media as a supplement to the learning process is very effective when utilized correctly and nothing but a waste of time when done incorrectly. It is a delicate process that takes time to learn how to do effectively. A 15 minute malfunction video is not a waste of time in a FJC if it is utilized properly, it is one of the 5 T's (just like using pictures), but is also an auditory and visual reinforcement. I spent years producing educational and training multimedia, so naturally when I became an instructor I was eager to learn how to properly utilize multimedia in the training curriculum - it has turned out to be quite effective as I have spent countless hours perfecting the system being utilized at the center I teach at. Hopefully, next season it will be available to everyone because by then, hopefully I will have all non-copyrighted media elements incorporated. Can multimedia be utilized in lieu of an instructor? In my opinion, most definitely not a chance – and I think it was MIH hat explained quite eloquently as to why, which I totally agree with so no need to get into that. Could I be wrong about all this? Of course… But I have trained with students throughout the entire training course at the DZ I work at and at the end, they can teach malfunction training, nothing like having proof in the pudding. Properly teaching students how to correctly deal with malfunctions is the single most important task an AFFI has. Shold this post get any longer? Hell NO!!! - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I am not reading into "negativity" at all. Everything I am seeing is quite positive, and if you begin to take on a differrent perspective you will find growth in that. Seeing mostly negativity means that your ego has not been removed from the situation. Believe me, it is hard to do but when you find the way for you to do that you will benifit from it greatly... Something like video training material can be very helpful, you are totally correct, even more so when you say "if done right". That is the difficult bit... I have been encouraging you to continue your efforts (not necessilary to use them on students) but trying to get you to unerstand that "getting it done right" requires a lot of effort and study. A LOT... The legal issues we are advising you of is something you must consider, and it is sort of a way of covering my ass too, like the disclamer of saying "(not necessilary to use them on students)". So if I find myself in front of the judge I can say - See there? I told him not to use this material on students! Everything we do as instructors has to be done in a manner that can be explained in a courtroom. A lot of people do not realize the legal ramifications of being a teacher of skydiving or being even in the slightest way assiciated with such a thing. It is serious stuff, and I have been taught to cover my ass in every way and knowing the material I am teaching is a part of that. _ Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Worth repeating...

Since we have dual threads going: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2755675#2755675

And the inustry needs individuals like you who are trying to make it better, thank you for that, really. "sitting at a computer tearing apart someones work" Is exactly how to make productions better, like I said earlier, hang your ego at the door and take suggestions in stride with your own desire to improve what you have started. You are taking peoples suggestions as an attack on your efforts, do not feel that way, the sooner you change that attitude the better for you and your endeavors and until you learn to take the sugestions of those who are qualified to give said opinions you are going to spin your wheels in a whirlwind of frustration. If you really don't want anyones suggestions, then do not ask and that is exactly what you are doing by posting any information whatsoever in a public forum. The downside of that will be a lack of growth that you seem to be eager to acquire. Others as well as myself gave you a lot of positive pointers, sharing with you our many years of experience and asking nothing in return, that is no reason to feel anything less than fortunate that you have people willing to assist you. Makng this production, if it is used or not (and don't unless you are willing to take on the legal responsibility) is a springboard for you to better your skills that will help you down the road in more ways than you can imagine, so hang in there... Legally speaking: It does not matter if you are doing this work for free, taking it to market or whatever, the fact is that if a student dies and watcing your training video was part of their training, you will be summoned to court and sued along with the other JM's, the DZO/DZM/packers/riggers/kndergarden teacher, the companies who designed the gear, hell, proably even the grounds keepers (although we all know it is the DZ staff mowing the lawn ), hell, if the lawyer reads these forums it is likely that everyone posting in response to your inquiries will get letters in the mail to show up at court as well. Laywers are scumbags, thorough scumbags, but scumbags nontheless - watcha gonna do ? There is a lot of liability involved, like it or not... And there seems to be a lot of inividuals willing to share their experience with you, like it or not... - - Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…