AFFI

IMHO – This is not a good way to teach, a graduate not knowing what an RSL (along with the rest of the gear) is or how it works is a good example of instructors not doing their job – TEACHING… I feel so strongly about this issue I am just going to leave it alone, but honestly it makes me sick… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

It depends on a few factors. The level where they are at in the progression and competency of the student’s performance. How the rig fits, especially in the shoulder area, if it is loose in the shoulder the chest strap will be tightened enough to maintain a better fit on the shoulder and still not impede the students ability to arch. The student’s body style, if I have some guy with a huge beer belly it has been my experience that they seem to fell belly to earth anyway, they have no choice, kinda like a badminton birdie. If the rig fits well, the student is current with a couple jumps under their belt and has a normal body style than I prefer the chest strap not be so tight that is impedes their ability to arch. I personally teach students to arch from the hips as Derek pointed out in his most excellent posting but the chest strap on some fits can be made to fit so incredibly tight that it may impede their arch somewhat. How much, it depends on the individual, body style and such. I think the bottom line is proper fit and being comfortable and safe. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Yet another example where skydivers do not continue to train after getting off student status. Shockingly, I have done refresher courses with slightly out of current skydivers that knew less than students do on many occasions. There is no excuse for not knowing your EP’s on the equipment you are using IMHO, so you pay your money and take your chances, with all the lackadaisical attitudes concerning the lack of importance in knowing EP’s - I don’t know what to say other than every now and then we need the sacrificial lamb to remind us that skydiving is inherently dangerous and that we are mortal. Fortunately her Cypress worked and this individual was just made to look stupid and not corpsed up. Ground her? You bet – Make her go through remedial training? Undoubtedly… I wish the USPA required skydivers to take remedial training of some sort when renewing their license to better ensure that everyone is best prepared to handle situations. Safety Day is a joke. As Mike told Sully (Monsters Inc.), if you name it you get attached to it. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

This is NOT an accurate statement… There are a lot of ambiguous aspects to situations that will change with variations in the density (viscosity) of the air at varying altitudes as well as variations in wind conditions as well as positioning in the saddle (one may become more apprehensive lower to the ground thus shift in their saddle) as well as distractions like calling to friends on the ground that you have a problem as well as the possibility of the necessity to take evasive action low to the ground in order to miss an obstacle – I could probably go on but hopefully my point is well taken. Many varying conditions and aspects change and there are high levels of ambiguity when it comes to gliding a parachute down in the midst of mother nature, and she can and will throw sliders, changes ups, curve balls and fast pitches (baseball analogy since it is World Series time) at any time. As I said before, when I had 300 jumps I knew it all, had it all figured out and the longer I stayed in the soprt, the more I trained and studied the more I realized the importance of respect for the ambigious nature of all the circumstances that encompass any given situation. I think some of Bill’s previous posting bear repeating. This will probably be my last posting on this issue which has gotten more postings from me than any other topic – guess I am tired of seeing friends get fucked up because they THOUGHT they could land a parachute with a problem. “Like Mike told Sully, if you name it you get attached to it.” So ya pay your money and take your chances and as I have learned lately from some very experienced skydivers getting killed, no matter how well you educate and train yourself, shit can still happen… Billvon Wrote: “I don't think the issue in question is whether you should cut away a canopy that is in fact safe to land. Nor is the question should you cut away a canopy that cannot be landed safely. The question is - what do you do if you're not 100% sure, when your canopy falls between those two extremes? And I think the only reasonable answer is "it depends." So you have to weigh the odds of landing your main safely against the small chance of a reserve mal. Reserves can malfunction even if properly assembled, maintained, packed and operated. Does the main have a minor problem that does not affect its controllability much, and it isn't getting worse? Then it might make sense to land it. What if it _is_ getting worse? Then it might be a better idea to not wait until 500 feet to see how bad it gets. As always, this decision is up to the individual jumper. And it's not always a slam dunk, because no two openings, jumps, minor or major malfunctions, or reserve deployments are quite the same.”

Thanks for the great insight Bill, as always your knowledge contributes to making me a better informed skydiver...you said so well what I was trying too... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Or perhaps a tandem is an option? Usually cheaper than an AFF skydive if money is an issue. I do not have a lot of money myself but I never have skimped when it comes to skydiving, afterall, we are jumping out of airplanes... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I would agree to the nice job part due to the fact of landing without serious injury. The knot coming loose was not the only concern, there is no way you could have known for a 100% FACT that the toggle may not have released low to the ground, or that the wrapped side of the canopy could not have stalled, or how it would have reacted and a dramatic wind change low to the ground I.E. downdrafts and the such. Just because a canopy passes the check at a safe altitude does not mean it will continue to be fully controllable all the way to the ground. The way I read the opening string in this thread there was doubt, how much can only be known by the skydiver under that canopy at that moment, but doubt none the less, otherwise there would be no reason to shout out to friends on the ground that there was potential trouble afoot. Perhaps I am overconfident in my reserve which by the way is a PD reserve which was packed and re-packed by the most experienced and attention to detail paying rigger I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I trust my reserve totally, there is no doubt in my mind that I have any other reason to not trust it – that being said I agree, why cutaway a perfectly safe to land main canopy, if in FACT it is SAFE to land and I have landed a canopy with a problem a time or two. I guess we are talking about the lesser of two evils (if you would want to call a brand new PD reserve an evil), and we are talking about judgment. They say good judgment comes from bad decision making but in skydiving how many bad decisions are we allowed making? I would never advocate suggesting to any skydiver of any experience level that they land a main when doubt in their ability to safely land is in question. But then again, I just treat others based on what I myself would do and I for one want to make it home tonight and kiss my dinner and eat my wife… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Nono, net FREE beer, but OWED beer... Believe me, before I have days of freefall time and gold wings plus I bought more than my share of beer due to the tradidion of what I hve gotten myself into - buying your beer is a matter if character as much as it is an obligation to the skydiving community... Besides, I dont even drink beer... At least not when I am asleep... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

QuoteI realized almost immediately what was going on and released the other brake to stop the spin reply] Ok, Thanks. It is just that I teach my students that it would make sense that a broken control line would react pretty much like a premature brake relaese - just wanted to ensure I am delivering correct information... Thanks...

When I jump with students or do coach jumps I always wear a compact digital video recorder – no cam eye light or ring sight or any of that stuff so I do not get distracted so every now and then I loose a jump, maybe 1 in a 100. Reason being is my memory is not the greatest and even if it was there is a lot that can happen on a skydive that can be forgotten by the best of us (not to imply that I am amongst “the best of us”), I guess its all the drugs I did in the 70’s – but now I use them in pretty much any temperature… So the video is an invaluable training tool plus the student gets to take the jump home with them to study, show their friends thus increasing interest in skydiving and business at our DZ. Some skydiver remember every detail, more often some skydiver THINK they remember every detail, the video dose not lie… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

One of the COOLEST comments I have ever read! Hope you do not mind if I steal it and add it to my vocabulary?

QuoteHey, my first new thread! I do believe this means you owe BEER!!!

Inquiry: When the canopy inflated with a broken control line I suspect that it should have sent you into a turning dive much like a premature brake release would have - was this the case? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Well put statement of irony… I will never forget my first “hook turn”. Landing a mile and a half off the DZ, painted myself into a corner with a power lines to the right and left, a HUGE obstacle in front – I decided that my best chance for survival was to get turned around. Being a beginner at the time, only between 100 and 200 jumps had never even been introduced to flat turns yet and I was low to the ground so I had to act quickly – toggle whipped it and luckily planed out and had my first surf, it was as HUGE a rush as freefall was, I could feel my blood pumping, my hair on fire! I can not say I don’t believe in “luck” now because it was a great execution despite the fact I had no idea what I was doing other that I needed to turn around an quickly given my low altitude. The DZO was in his truck heading my way; saw the landing and when he got close enough to see that is was I who landed in such a fashion proceeded to chew my ass thoroughly. Then he took me under his wing and taught me the finer aspects of flying a parachute and he worked me up the learning curve gradually and safely. High performance landings? For me they are as much a part of skydiving as freefall or paying for it all – and an AAD? Combat skydiving with students necessitates a level of protection from a collision that may incapacitate me in some regard where utilization of an AAD may save me someday. I am at a busy DZ the better part of my life these days, there are a LOT of high performance landers there that go much faster than I do under my “student” Stiletto and I have yet to see someone fire their AAD as a result of a high performance landing and don’t hear of it often. I feel safe enough and have decided that keeping my current configuration is the best choice for me. When a Cypress is developed that better address this issue I will buy one as well as a higher performance canopy… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Watching the airplane fly away just after exit has a few advantageous aspects for newer jumpers: 1: Slows down the intensity of the exit. 2: Helps the jumper remain on heading to the line of flight. 3: Keeps the chin up. Whenever I exit with a student, just out the door if the student is fairly vertical and we can see the plane flying away stability is present and we are on heading. This is much more preferred to tumbling earth sky earth sky, although I must admit I rather enjoy the occasional student jump when we freefly the first half and bellyfly the second half as long as our skydiving priorities are met concerning parachute, landing and not getting hurt. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

These are contradictory statements or at the least they are not clearly defined as to “when to say when” other than to say “when in doubt”. So if you never need to cut away if you do not need to, yet you have a problem that is leaving you in doubt -which is it? How much doubt? Is 90% good enough when my life is at stake when I have a perfectly good reserve on my back that has a higher than 99% potential of opening cleanly enough to easily survive the landing? I know skydivers who got introduced to their femurs that would argue that a toggle problem as you described has the potential to be a very “big deal”. Something else to take into account is what may not be considered a “big deal” to a skydiver with thousands of jumps might be a little more difficult for a skydiver with only a few hundred jumps to properly deal with and make the correct decisions in the event of unforeseen occurrences (footnote: when I had a mere 300 jumps, in my mind I had a lot more experience than I do now with over 3300 and daily training as a USPA Solo Freefall instructor, this is a good sport to remain humble in). There is no way you could have known for a 100% FACT that the toggle may not have released low to the ground, or that the wrapped side of the canopy could not have stalled, or how it would have reacted and a dramatic wind change low to the ground - or for that matter that the reserve may have in fact malfunctioned. Malfunctioning reserves are few and far between, injured skydivers whose injuries resulted from attempting to land a main with a problem are MUCH MUCH MUCH more common than a malfunctioning reserve. There was a time in my skydiving career (described as a career as it has been my full time vocation for over 5 years) when I was much less conservative in my decision making concerning issues such as the one we are discussing. After witnessing first hand how violent bad landings can be, after witnessing first hand a friend laying in a field with bones sticking out of their body and piss and shit in their pants hearing gurgling sounds as they drown on their own blood, when all they had to do to prevent their predicament was by getting a reserve over their head has left an undeniable impression in my mind that has encouraged my current and long standing commitment to a conservative attitude when it comes to skydiving safety. This sport, although statically safe is immensely unforgiving and I believe that a lot of skydivers loose sight of how dangerous this sport really is and how easily a skydiver who has made a poor decision can get unbelievably maimed and not only killed, but killed in a fashion that is not a quick kind death but rather one that leaves the skydiver clinging to life in ICU for weeks or months before finally dying, or worse still – like my recently injured friend who will never feel or move any appendage below his neck again, but was not lucky enough (in his case) to die. Like my friend that hit the ground so violently I actually FELT the concussion hit my face the length of a football field away. Although I miss that person, although I did not wish to witness a friend die sometimes we need the sacrificial lamb to show others how dramatic the result of poor decision making can be and how extremely violent a bad landing can actually be. In skydiving there is a fine line between “Stunning Gracefulness” and “Indescribably Brutal”… I am only sharing with you my experience and my perspective based on that which I have witnessed and have been exposed to over my course of active skydiving. I personally have not been in “doubt” for 7 years and over 2700 skydives but when the time comes when I am in doubt, I will trust my reserve… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Today I was working with a student who was having serious issues in freefall, very nervous and totally unable to relax. I spent 2 hours with her doing a through gear and EP review so she understood how the system worked and built confidence in the gear and her ability to use it. Then we went out and made her 5th and 6th solo. On her 6th solo I was finally able to release her and she did great. Afterward she thanked me for going the extra mile with her and told me that after more confidence in the gear and her ability to use it properly was instilled she was finally able to relax in freefall – it made all the difference in the world to her. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Personally? I would have cutaway and deployed my reserve for this one but I am rather conservative when it comes to situations on my main that could change and get worse once lower to the ground. I trust my reserve totally. Have you had a reserve ride yet? There have been a couple instances where I have discovered jumpers with a few jumps under their belts and they did not have any trust in their reserves - that being the only reason they decided to land a canopy with problems that either have or may have cost them injury or worse. How bad does bad have to be to be “forced” to use your reserve? Building trust in your reserve in important, I sure would hate to be at 100 feet with a problem that worsens and cost me bigtime when I could have decided to trust my reserve at a safe cutaway altitude. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

OMG, I have nothing better to do.... Goodnight...

Main Entry: para·chut·ist Pronunciation: 'par-&-"shü-tist Function: noun : one that parachutes : as a : PARATROOPER b : a person who parachutes as a sport Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Main Entry: ath·lete Pronunciation: 'ath-"lEt, ÷'a-th&-"lEt Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin athleta, from Greek athlEtEs, from athlein to contend for a prize, from athlon prize, contest : a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Main Entry: sport Pronunciation: 'spOrt, 'sport Function: verb Etymology: Middle English, to divert, disport, short for disporten intransitive senses 1 a : to amuse oneself : FROLIC b : to engage in a sport 2 a : to mock or ridicule something b : to speak or act in jest : TRIFLE 3 [2sport] : to deviate or vary abruptly from type (as by bud variation) : MUTATE transitive senses 1 : to display or wear usually ostentatiously : BOAST 2 [2sport] : to put forth as a sport or bud variation Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Just out of curiosity... can you describe your "stuff it in the bag" part? Worth repeating what NYFlyer posted: All well and good to practice on your own, but I'd highly recommend taking a class or asking an experienced rigger or packer to show you and critique your technique as well. Addendum to my original post: Imagine trying to explain to someone how to fold a complex Origami rose complete with stem and thorns using only words online. I believe the simplicity I was expressing was improper for this thread of information, I should have kept the comment to myself, my apologies. The best advice I have seen here so far was made by NYFlyer which I copy pasted above. Learning to pack a parachute properly is important so you know how it works. The pack job I described takes me 5 to 12 minutes depending on how much of a rush I am in. Skydiving professionally and the desire to jump my own packs mean I must accomplish the task as efficiently and as quickly as I can while minimizing the occurrence of a malfunction. My pack job includes the important aspects for the configuration of gear I am utilizing and in no way was my intent to imply that another skydiver at any skill level jump a pack like the one I described, I have been doing it every day for the last 5 years as a full time skydiver. It was a mistake for me to make that post so please disregard it and take a packing class from a qualified person. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

????I am Confused???? Land the downplane? Perhaps this was a typo? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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