AFFI

I could not agree with Ron more but the unfortunate truth of the matter is that many skydivers do not put survival as the top priority, most put safety secondary to the bad ass stuff they can do in freefall and the awesome swoops they can make in front of the awe inspiring cheers and admiration of spectators not to mention how cool it looks to have pillows on both sides while operating a canopy one is not ready for. It is not about promoting extra aspects of our gear as part of the equation, but rather making up for the apathy of a good percentage of the individuals currently participating in skydiving illustrates these days. As unfortunate a perspective as this might seem like, IMHO it is an accurate one. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Many years ago I was dealing with Line Twist on my main and did not remain altitude aware, when I finally decided to cut the mess away I feared I had gotten to low but still was not altitude aware and cut away and deployed the reserve as fast as I could. The result was line twists on the reserve (pic attached) due to instability at reserve deployment time BUT had I waited to get stable first I would not be here typing this now, according to people watching on the ground I was already too low. I got low because I was not altitude aware; had I waited even a few seconds after cutting away to get stable or if I had trouble locating my reserve deployment handle I quite likely would not have survived. An RSL would have been a life saver had I not been able to deploy my reserve in this circumstance. There are a few families this past year who wish the skydiving member of the family who cutaway too low and died was using an RSL... The USPA recommends that all experienced jumpers utilize an RSL unless they have a compelling reason not to (CRW, Wingsuits, ect). Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Last time I was there in 2001 there was a house near by and the rooms were rented on a nightly to monthly basis - I cannot remember the name of the person who owned the house - ask in manifest, it was really convenient. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Conman - were you drinking draino again?

Look not only at the landing area but alternate outs as well in the event you are unable to make it back to the LZ. For instance, at Spaceland there is 130 acre landing area surrounded by fields so there is an abundance of choices but in Deland there are a lot obstacles with limited outs in comparison. Being at 2000 feet looking for a place to land after a long spot can be much less intimidating if I had become familiar with the surrounding area. Also, when walking into manifest for the first time take a 12 pack of Heniken or Corona to the manifestors and they will give you the VIP treatment while you are there. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

That goes for the advice they get from sport jumpers in the parking lot or at the fire, or what they saw in movies like Point Break or Cutaway, or even what they personally think is a good idea and hell – I know some individuals who have solo freefall instructional ratings that I would not trust to give my dead grand mother skydiving lessons to. IMHO, it is very much part of my responsibility to ensure that a student I am working with is properly trained and prepared before I take tem up in the air. If I get someone I have never worked with before and they have a handful of solos already but I notice that they have not been properly trained or have some bad ideas in their head if it takes me 2 hours to retrain that person than so be it, it is a responsibility I recognized from the beginning that I carry to this day. All I work with are cautioned by me to be careful when they alterations in the safe foundation of practices they learn in our program. That being said – I have read a LOT of good information on this website as well as things I dont know about. There are a lot of instructors and sport jumpers in these forums Ii have never met but deeply respect their expertise and opinions were skydiving is concerned Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Or you BR wraping th bridle around your body, deoy the reserve and then the main comes out in a horseshoe? I doubt we will see 3 methods of dealing with this mal in the SIM anytime soon. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What a great post - worth repeating... We have an 18 jump program and our graduates are MUCH more competent all around skydivers than I was after gradutaing AFF and I was a great student. No AFF repeat dives. 7 for 7.. I totally agree that the AFF 7 jump program is insufficient for most. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

About the “experienced” skydivers who did not handle their EP’s correctly and died. Practice is good but an area where I see skydivers might be making an error – well, my observation of how some practice their EP’s in the loading area and on the way to altitude is going through the motions of practice hurried – “Ba Bam (cutaway) Bam (reserve)” in rapid succession. “BaBam-Bam ”! “BaBam-Bam ”! “BaBam-Bam ”! Emergency procedures should be (IMHO) graceful and methodical with good technique rather than trying to do it as quickly as possible. Think of Boxing or Fencing, not really sports of brutality as much as they are sports of good form and gracefulness. The “BaBam-Bam ”! practicing is building muscle memory that could be counter productive because if one is used to practicing this way they might rush their EP’s when they don’t have to and create an opportunity for error, and as we all know skydiving is not a good activity to have errors in. Unless I am out of altitude, I personally perform emergency procedures for a partial malfunction METHODICALLY, I do not rush them. I have heard comments about “beating the RSL”, if we are used to being in a rush we might punch the reserve handle before we are actually released fully from our main, before we really intend to but our muscle memory tells us to “BaBam-Bam ”! I have a few friends who were bitten this way and they had unfavorable results. And meerly checking my own pin and flap is for me falling short of good safety practices. I get a visual check from a fellow skydiver for presonal safety reason AND to set a good example to the jumpers onboard who may not be knowledgable enough to self ceck. Am I making any sense here? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I am eageer to learn the how's and why's of this training technique, I cretainly am not going to be quick to condemn. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Are you certain about this? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Some say nekkid but I just cannot grasp it... Havent seen a team yet at the Nationals in the raw. On my belly I like the Tony but that is all I know. Camera suits - I have had different types, FF is my choice for flyability and durability and the same goes for freeflying as well. If Firefly comes out with a belly suit next time I am ready to order I will probably give them a try with the bootie thing - they make great suits. I know GREAT skydiver freefall skill types in various types of suits, great guitarists on different types of guitars - just train HARD and be the best freefaller you can be - just remember to keep your priorities in order when you are hurling your body toward the earth at unsurvivable speeds, that is if you want to have an enjoyable aftrer jump evening... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Was "the jump" worth it? No. Was jumping in general, whether 100, 1000, 10000 jumps? I don't know, and hope never to find out. But let's face it... normal people take normal but unnecessary risks every day for fun that you could ask similar questions about... like: If you found out tomorrow that you were going to be a dad/mom, would the sex have been worth it? (or worse, if you found out you had AIDS) If you were otherwise healthy and diagnosed with lung cancer at 50, would the cigarettes have been worth it? If you were arrested and sent to prison, would smoking weed have been worth it? All of these are permanently life-altering events that can easily be prevented by simply not partaking in the activity. The first two, on a statistical basis, have a WAAAY higher chance of happening to you then being paralyzed skydiving, but people are more than happy to think "it'll never happen to me" or "I'm not going to worry about it right now... it makes me happy." Personally, I'm in the 2nd group... I know shit happens, and I know it could happen to me, so I pay attention to what isn't a good idea and I hope that that, along with a little luck, will let me dodge all the bullets sent my way during my short time on this earth Of course, you could always live in a bubble. What a great post... Inspiring - thanks dude... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Don’t OVER THINK... Keep it simple. Skydiving and EPs are not complicated, people make it complicated but why would you want to complicate something so simple when so much is at stake? My first reserve ride was a very similar situation, I thought the line twists would come right out but I did not have the experience to really be sure, I fought it too long and too low – finally cut away and fearing my low altitude I deployed my reserve so quickly it almost appeared to be a canopy transfer. What did I get for my ineptitude (lack of proper training + lack of humility)? Line twists on my reserve. During all this was I altitude aware? Nope... We learn from our mistakes, then we share them wit others so maybe the mistakes wont have to be repeated too many times. Once again, Keep It Simple.. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hi all, In my life, outside of family and personal relationships skydiving has definitely been my greatest passion. The first AFF jump I chickened out in the door, my JM called the pilot for a go around and by the time we were back on jump run he had talked me into making the exit. He did not have to do that, he could have rode the plane down and made his cash and not have to pack, but I sure am glad he made the extra effort. I was terrified in the door but the very moment we left the airplane all the fear was gone and in its place an incredible and indescribably wonderful experience that overtook my whole being. For 60 seconds there were no bills, no negative emotions, in fact no worries what so ever, just me my instructors and my whole universe was at peace, it was a very spiritual experience. When I made my first jump I was dealing with issues in life, depression, anxiety attacks – I had nearly lost the will to live and had given up on life. I believe that skydiving literally saved my life and I knew right away that I was going to become an instructor. Over the years I have seen skydiving help many I have taught who were dealing with issues in life as well but in skydiving they discovered a release from their frustrations, they discovered that skydiving builds self confidence and self esteem and they found a society of wonderful people, diverse, a group that would not ordinarily mix but amongst them exists the common bond that binds them – skydiving. What if I had to stop skydiving? What if I could never experience solo freefall or instruct again? Will the issues I was suffering from rear their ugly head again even worse than before? It has been my intention to continue to skydive until I am dead; the mere thought of not being able to skydive again, to instruct in particular almost brings tears to my eyes, yet: I have a tumor, as if to think there is actually a “good” place for a tumor the one that is in my body is in a particularly bad location. It has grown into my spinal cord located at the T-12 vertebrae down to the L-4 and has caused a considerable amount of pain. Soon I will be laying face down on an operating table, my back will be cut into deeply, several of my vertebrae will be cut into and cracked open exposing my spinal column and many major nerves as this tumor is delicately removed from my body. I might die, I might be paralyzed, I might recover with varying and unknown degrees of disability - but irregardless of the outcome the road ahead is going to be difficult and painful. Somewhere I once read that courage is not the lack of fear but rather the ability to take action in spite of it and I have waited until the pain left me with no other alternative. Courage is being forced upon me. The time is drawing near and the closer it gets the more I feel the anxiety, the more I become breathless with anticipation, the more I am eager to run and at the same time stand fast and get it over with. I am scarred, brave, terrified, courageous, and nervous and calm simultaneously – the array of emotions are leaving me in a dumfounded quagmire of confused sensitivity that is unpleasantly intoxicating. I just spent a week doing nothing but skydiving because it is very possible that I will not be able to ever jump again after this surgery which will be taking place next week. Over all, my attitude is very positive, have found a very adept neurosurgeon and I have every expectation that I will make an astoundingly good recovery but… There are always buts… I am thankful the wonderful family God has blessed me with, I am thankful for what skydiving has given in my life, and I am thankful for being able to have some of the most wonderful relationships in my life with the most incredibly magnificent people, skydivers… “We are all here to do what we are all here to do” – the Oracle… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

“1. 1/4/2005 Deland, FL. 400+ Jumps Hook turn Vengeance 120. Visiting Jumper. 28 years old. Lesson: Don’t turn low” Expanded lesson: There are two categories of low turn deaths. One is High Performance landing (attempts) and the second being canopy pilots simply taking evasive action in order to avoid an obstacle. The don’t turn low philosophy is sound when taking into consideration the high performance landings but if someone skydives long enough there is likely going to be an instance when the skydiver will be in a situation where turning low to the ground is necessary in order to avoid a hazardous obstacle. The obvious is avoidance, another words don’t put yourself in a position that necessitates a low turn to avoid an obstacle (power lines, buildings, trees, another canopy on a collision course, etcetera…). Remember, to increase the odds of surviving a landing it is advisable to have the canopy overhead when intersecting the ground; I have not seen a favorable landing when the canopy and person hit the ground at the same time. If the circumstance ever presents itself for whatever reason, that the canopy pilot must turn low to the ground but does not possess the knowledge and skill to keep the canopy overhead while turning, their odds of surviving is greatly diminished. The solution? Learn how to change your heading on the horizon utilizing the Slow Flight and Flat Turn technique. An important aspect of learning this evasive action technique is to know the Stall Point of the canopy you are piloting in order to prevent a stall low to the ground. When put into a situation where an evasive maneuver low to the ground is necessary there is likely to be high adrenaline levels and excitement – remain calm and don’t panic, repetitive practice is essential to better ensure that the maneuver is preformed correctly so lots of practice at safe altitues is recommended. What is a safe altitude? Rule of thumb is to not perform maneuvers that could create a problem beneath an altitude you are not willing to cut away from (I.E. your hard deck). Stall avoidence practice I would do above my decision altitude, Flat Turn practive below as long as I am over my holding area. To quote Scott Miller from his "The Low down on Low Turns" essay: “Suppose a jumper who needs to make a low turn could do so without making the canopy dive at the ground. Suppose the person could make a slow, flat turn, keeping the canopy above his or her head and maintaining a low rate of descent. Suppose the jumper could turn 90 degrees or more without losing much altitude. If the person could do this, he or she could avoid the obstacle and still land softly. "Flat turns" are one of the most useful things you can do with a canopy, and may be the only way to avoid a hazard at a very low altitude without crashing your canopy into the ground. Unfortunately, many skydivers are never taught to make them. In fact, instructors usually spend a great deal of time discouraging students from flying this way.” “By spending some time flying your canopy in brakes, you will explore a range of maneuverability that many jumpers don't even know exists.” "The Low down on Low Turns" by Scott Miller is a good read, even better yet take a course where such life saving techniques are taught... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Lessons in skydiving... Hmmmm. What is the ultra important lesson you have overlooked here? Many have been pointed out already but I would like to expand on one particular point if I may. Check it out: “watch the opening and look for problems as I know I am NEARING THE HARD DECK, oh shit again, LINE TWIST. I quickly (probably to quick as I have been told) grabbed the rears and had the, two and half at most, line twist cleared almost instantly. My eyes left the canopy and in one motion made a check for traffic and to my altimeter. The needle had just passed 2000.” In this statement lies a problem with your understanding of dealing with a partial malfunction that is potentially fixable. What is your hard deck (decision altitude)? 2500 feet by USPA standards. When beginning to deal with potentially fixable partial malfunction what is the most important thing you need to be aware of? Here is a hint – the last thing you did according to your statement was to check your altitude. You already had an unusual extraction of the pilot chute which devoured altitude, now you have line twists to add to the circumstance so perhaps checking your altitude before attempting to deal with your line twists might have been more advantageous than attempting to correct the line twists as a higher priority. Skydivers have been killed because they did not have altitude awareness when dealing with an unusual situation. While dealing with a partial malfunction, altitude awareness is absolutely essential. When adrenaline levels are high and temporal distortion occurs, it is easy to lose track of altitude. Altitude Awareness is a top priority. Basic rule of thumb is this – High speed partial malfunction, initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction immediately. Low speed partial malfunction that you believe can be corrected, check your altitude first and monitor it while you are dealing with the situation. If you would have checked you altitude before attempting to correct your line twists I believe you would have realized that you were at or below your decision altitude already. Everything worked out for you this time, but imagine that you were 500 feet lower and started dealing with the line twists and they were stubborn and you could not get out of them as easily and by the time you checked your altitude you were already below 900 feet? (I use 900 feet because 2 skydivers died this past year from cutting away from this altitude.) Just something to consider… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I just keep my eyes closed, and being over texas when I smell cowshit it is pull time Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

You are not looking hard enough, jeez, this is an easy one to find. Have yo uread the BSRs? Malfunctions reviews? FAR's? Anything? Anyone for tennis??? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What kind of training program are you in? If you are still working with an instructor or certified coach they are the people you need to get advice from, there is no better way than to get first hand evaluations. Overall Gravitygirl gives some good basic fundamental ideas. You eveer seen one of those Chinese finger trap things? Ths more you struggle tghter it gets (there is a little hint). Get with your instructors as there are many ways to skin a cat but it is difficult to skin one online One more thing, Get with your instructors .. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I once read somewere that courage is not the LACK of fear but the ability to take action in spite of it. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

If your risers have been cutaway, what is going to hapen when you deploy your main?

First off I am a bit on the conservative side when it comes to down sizing because I have seen first hand what a human body looks like after making a mistake low to the ground flying a canopy that person was not ready for – so here goes.. Let’s see, I think 1Kg is 2.2 Pounds 50Kg multiplied by 2.2 is 110 Pounds + 25 for gear = 135 Pounds Divided by 135 Sq Ft =1 So your wing loading is 1:1 or close to it flying a Performance Designs Saber. If these numbers are correct you current wing loading should not be causing you to hazardous problems – if you are backing up under a Saber with a 1:1 wing loading perhaps you are jumping in winds that are too high for your experience level. Something to think about. Now go to the following link: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=47 This is the downsizing check list written by Bill von Novak - read it and honestly assess whether or not you are ready to downsize. You will likely get a response here that you are looking for that will justify a decision to downsize. If it were my wife or brother seeking this advice I would insist they stay at the 1:1 on the Saber longer until they have really mastered the items on Bills cklst - and master means proficiency over and over and that they get a little more time in the sport and more actual experience in the air. You only have a couple hundred jumps, if ya break it down that is not really a lot of time to reach a high level of proficiency piloting your canopy. But then again I could be wrong.. Hope this helps... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Dont know about all this metric stuff - make tings easy on this dumb American - What is your wing loading with your current canopy? What exactly are the issues you are having with your current canopy? Have you taken a look at the downsizing checklist? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

It is not a race - EP's should be preformed with graceful finesse and only rushed if you are at a low altitude. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…