AFFI

I like to free-fly, and I like belly flying too. The cool thing about AFF is we sometimes get to free-fly the top half and belly-fly the bottom half! AFF student saves can be very intense and happen rarely but when jumping with students the instructor must be prepared for such contingencies on every jump! It is going to happen if you do AFF. If you can’t make saves you shouldn’t be doing AFF, on the other hand it is important to recognize when a student is going to be out of your range, if someone is 100 pounds heavier than you are when you are wearing your maximum weight, perhaps this is a student that could be better matched with a heavier instructor. Like Clint Eastwood said, “A man needs to know his limitations”. Furthermore, AFF instructors are not superhuman! We can’t make every save every time so that is why ground training is so incredibly important. I have had students dump out of a bad situation a time or two (still with plenty of altitude) but getting a parachute overhead is a paramount. That being said, Derek and a few others have stated one important fact, this was not an AFF jump, it was a COACH jump. I do not recall in any of the coach courses I have been involved with having saving spinning students as part of the curriculum because Coach rating holders are not supposed to jump with actual “AFF STUDENTS”. Have a plan for your main canopy deployment altitude and stuck to it. The person you are jumping with SHOULD NOT be an AFF student so let the person you are coaching be advised that your pilot chute comes out at a certain altitude and if they see your come out, then they got about 12 seconds left! It is not a coach’s responsibility to make “saves”. I have heard stories concerning Coach rating holders doing actual AFF jumps with AFF STUDENTS; hopefully you have not been presented with such huge responsibilities at your experience level… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Luck was on your side for this one. Biggest lesson I see here? The importance of continued training. At 500’ is not the greatest time to ask yourself “how was I taught to land in a tree?” Practicing your PLF’s may have saved you from the sore ass (tail bone injuries can be quite debilitating) and I do not even want to think of what may have happened had you been presented with the need to take evasive maneuvers low to the ground to avoid an obstacle. How many skydivers really prepare themselves for worst case scenarios or were even properly trained in the first place? So maybe you want to ask yourself this: Could you have better prepared yourself for such circumstances by continuing to better train after student status? There is a LOT more to making a good skydiver than being able to do cool things in freefall. I see mishaps by “experienced” skydivers all the time because they did not better prepare themselves. Some skydivers are hard to approach because they think time in the sport and jump numbers makes them “experienced” - so try to keep an open mind. Another big lesson I hope you gained from this experience is judgment, just because the pilot gives the green light does not mean the conditions are right for everyone. On poor condition days, the experienced skydivers typically will sit on the ground and watch the inexperienced skydivers get experienced. I am sure you have heard the old cliché “Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air” – sounds like you had such an experience. Glad things worked out for you, hope you are better prepared next time… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Which is more dangerous, masturbation or unprotected sex with a crack whore?

A problem that could NOT have been caught by the jumper? I don’t think even a reserve pin being dislodged fits into this category because the jumper would have felt whatever dislodged it. In a perfect world perhaps there are no gear problems that wouldn’t be missed by the jumper utilizing the gear. In routine conditions, I am a triple checker on my own gear at a minimum and usually a lot more than that if you add up ground checks and all the habitual checking I do on the way to altitude; in fact I check my gear almost obsessively being ultra careful to not bump my gear, or lounge on my rig and use it as a “lazy boy” as some do. In the event that I feel that I have bumped myself potentially causing a problem there is usually an experienced skydiver that I trust very near me since the staff (instructors) usually sit in close proximity to one another on the ride to altitude. In 9 years of jumping I cannot recall a single event where a serious problem was found with my gear “knock on wood”, possibly my obsessive attitude concerning my gear is a testament to that fact. That being said, everyone makes mistakes and I only hope that if I ever miss something when I am in a rush or create a problem unknowingly that a visual pin check from a fellow skydiver will reveal the problem before I exit. I teach all of my solo freefall students how to pin check and I actually have them check me on the airplane, under supervision until they are ready to do it unsupervised. Afterward, I self-check my main pin as well as the rest of my gear before exit (I cannot reach the reserve pin). It could be argued that not all skydivers can be trusted to receive a pin check from either because they were never taught, didn’t want to learn or they are potentially psychotic but I think most trained USPA license holders are qualified and can be trusted to receive a pin check from. There have been instances where I asked someone who was not in the best position to do so for a pin check or settled for a self check (something I rarely do anymore) because the person sitting right next to me fit into the aforementioned category. I have personally found a chest strap misrouted, pins not fully seated, a hidden cutaway cable or two, riser and pin covers not closed, a pilot chute sticking out around 4 inches, leg straps not stowed and believe it or not I once (recently) witnessed someone practicing EP’s on the airplane in the WRONG order by deploying the reserve then cutting away! (Maybe low timers and reserve pillows do not match). Needless to say, that person and I did some remedial training that day. But ALL of these problems COULD have been found and or corrected by the person jumping, couldn’t they? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

It is really nice when a former student does that; he would probably really appreciate it...

I'm obviously not an instructor, but maybe I can answer this: Because it's something you can do together. Because you won't have much time together otherwise. Because they want to share something they love with you. Because you'll feel like a wuss if you quit because there's someone else who'll know of your wussage (whether or not they think you're a wuss is irrelevant if you feel like you wussed and someone else knows it). I enjoyed my tandem and level 1. On level 2, I got really freaked. On level 3, I met someone who made me want to keep jumping. If it weren't for meeting him, I might've quit. I was getting really discouraged with my landing difficulties, but I kept trying because I had someone else there who really cared whether or not I did well. I was scared to death on the plane and had a terrible time fighting the door monster, but I did it. Once I got to level 6,7, and 8, things really came together for me in the sky; I didn't hesitate at all on level 8, and I had perfect landings on level 6 and 8. The thing is, if it hadn't been for that one person who helped me get through levels 2-5, I don't think I'd have made it to 6. He's still a great friend, and, now that I think about it, I should probably call him and say "thanks." Being a student is hard. Some of the jumps can be really tedious, because since you're thinking so hard about everything you have to do, you forget that it's supposed to be fun. For jumps 2-5, I was jumping because someone else wanted to see me jump. On jump 6, I started jumping for myself again, because that jump reminded me why I'd started in the first place. Everyone's got different motivations to jump. Some jump because they love it. Some jump because someone close to them loves it. Some jump because they want to conquer a fear of heights. Some jump because they want to prove something to somebody. Some jump because they have something to prove to themselves. They're all valid reasons. Sometimes it's not the motivation that's important. What's important is whether that motivation affects the safety of their skydiving. First off, to Nightingale, I would like to compliment you on a very well written and eloquently stated post that really enlightened me. Well done. I am not going to say anything specific about my beliefs or let on what a chauvinistic sexist bigot I can be because I do not want to start a riot, so I will simply state that I sure am glad that men and women are different. It makes evenings with my wife much more interesting. But as far as skydiving is concerned, what instructors keep an eye out for are certain red flags that may indicate safety hazards for students, so you are totally correct with your closing statement. One in particular is the motivation for skydiving. Sometimes the motivation to do so is misdirected and may cause a student to not concentrate on certain aspects of the sport (such as EP’s). I have worked with a couple of students for instance who was just not taking things seriously, with an apathetic attitude and when delving into their mind, inquiring as to what their motivation was to skydive it was solely for the purpose to make someone else happy, to better make a connection and that deep down inside they really did not have any need or desire to skydive. So there was no need for them to… Anytime I see someone trying to convince someone else (who really doesn’t want to) to skydive, I have on multiple occasions thrown caution to the wind (privately) to individuals. I am not saying this is a “good” or “bad” thing; in fact I have done it myself in the past. For many of us when we discover skydiving it is like the best thing since sliced bread and we just want to share our most awesome discovery with others. Jumping out of an airplane is a serious commitment and one must prepare thoroughly to best ensure their chance of survival. This does not mean that everyone that is not sure they want to jump must be turned away - I will work with a student who’s motivation is less than “for self” as long as they are taking the training seriously, understand the risks involved as well as the need for through preparation and I am convinced that they will prepare themselves as well as needed in order to ensure survival. Some fade away and some now have hundreds of jumps but I believe the dividing line for an instructor is to recognize when someone is posing a safety hazard to themselves of others. Once again Nightingale, thank you for your post, it was really beautiful. I cannot wait to see my wife so I can hug her and tell her how much I love her. Make it a great day everyone. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

If my MAX winds are XX and landing in the maximum wind gives me a ground speed of XX then what happens to my ground speed if I am landing DOWNWIND in my MAX winds? What happens to my mental ability if I am landing in my MAX winds not only downwind but off the DZ in an unfamiliar area under my reserve after having just dealt with a nasty spinning malfunction I was barely able to get rid of in time, there is poop in my pants, trees, power lines and barking dogs close by and it is all leaving me barely able to cope! Then at 10 feet Mother Nature decides to throw an even stronger gust at me or drop the winds to 0 or suddenly change their direction or I hit a pocket of dirty air from the nearby obstacles? So in determining what my personal maximum winds will be it may also be wise if I take into account and consider landing in less than routine conditions under a “bad case” scenario. There was a time in my skydiving career where my wind limit was a green light until one day I landed off in a situation similar to the one I just illustrated. That experience I was able to walk, no limp away from for the most part uninjured but it did give me some things to reflect on that I hadn’t considered prior to that particular skydive. Now I keep in mind that gravity will still be working later, or tomorrow or next weekend and recovering from broken things will take much longer. I once read a quote in Parachutist that stuck with me: “On high wind days, the experienced skydivers sit by the beer line and watch the inexperienced skydivers get experience”. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

At our DZ the first tandem is not just a thrill ride but also a learning tandem. I develop the training material under the direction of our DZO and we utilize DVD video for training tandems as well as ground training with the student before the first jump. A high percentage of the tandem students perform very well. Tandem students have an altimeter and are afforded an opportunity to pull the RC on their first skydive as well as getting them involved in flying and landing the canopy. The second tandem encourages student participation even more involving them in certain aspects of the dive flow such as giving the exit count, making turns and tracking as well as flying the canopy, pattern and landing. As a result our solo freefall students after having been educated during the tandem progression perform quite well indeed. I personally have nearly 600 solo instructional skydives with students after our tandem progression and I could count the number of times I have had to deploy for a student on one hand with digits left over so we are clearly getting good results where getting tandem students involved in their skydive is concerned. Many tandem instructors who join our team have expressed skeptical concerns at first until they see that the system is working quite well. The philosophy is that we do not have “Tandem Masters” on our staff but rather “Tandem Instructors”. Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Go to the glossary: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=35

Is a self pin check adequate? Is 99% good enough? Is there any reason not to trust our fellow skydivers? Can I get just one more jump in before changing my closing loop or cleaning my cables? Am I ready to try a cool high performance landing? Do I need to continue to practice EP’s? For everyone, these answers are different but I really like to eat steak and sleep with my wife, so to better ensure that I get to enjoy my evenings after skydiving I get a visual pin check from another skydiver (often times a student) and subsequently perform a self check on not only my pin but my entire (and well maintained) system before exit. I have visited friends in ICU getting their dinner through a tube in their arm, having machines keep them alive and a nurse to clean the shit from their dirty bottoms because 99% was good enough – it hurts me and I can only imagine how it would affect my loved ones if I were the one laying there. Catastrophe can happen to anyone even if they do all they can, sometimes shit just happens BUT - if I must skydive (and I must) then I (personally) must prepare myself in every conceivable aspect. Mykel AFF-I05 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I am an AFF instructor at a very busy DZ and as far as I can tell the only instructor that I know of to teach students the importance of a pin check to the point that I actually have my students pin check me on the airplane under direct supervision at first then unsupervised when they are ready. The horseshoe malfunction is quite hard to teach and even harder to get experienced skydivers to appreciate the severity of this situation (due to complacency?) that can be totally avoided with good gear maintenance and a visual pin check before exiting the airplane. I have read incident reports of dead skydivers who may not have died the way they did had they received a visual pin check before exit rather than going without or reaching back to self check, I have yet to read an incident report of a fatality being caused by getting a pin check. I understand that you did not know the jumper that was in the best position to give you a pin check, I have been in the same situation before where my only options were to jump with out a pin check or to let someone I did not know very well or knew was a low time jumper give me a pin check. I have in the past done both - gone without and gotten the check. Knowing what I know now, I get the check every time. Glad you made it and that things worked out for you, especially that your buddy was there to deploy your pilot chute for you, it could have gotten a lot nastier. Mykel AFF-I05 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

This dosent make sense...

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

2.1) Horseshoe Malfunction High speed partial malfunction. The definition of a Horseshoe malfunction is that your container is open and the parachute is connected to your body somewhere other than the risers. 2.1a) Out of Sequence Deployment: (Throw Hackey, if necessary-cut away, deploy reserve) A Normal Deployment sequence is: Step 1) Throw your pilot chute. Step 2) Container opens and parachute comes out. Step 3) Parachute opens and inflates. In an Out of Sequence situation the container has opened but pilot chute is still in the pouch – essentially, Step 2 has happened (container is open) but Step 1 has not. • Know your Altitude! Attempt to locate and deploy your pilot chute. The main container tray is open and the parachute is potentially out so the bottom flap (where the BOC hackey handle is located) may not be where it normally is. Place your right palm on the back of your thigh and feel your way up your leg to the bottom of the container in an attempt to locate the hackey handle. • Maintain an arched body position and keep your hand facing palm skyward to prevent a potential entanglement with the pilot chute bridal. • Remember, this is a high speed situation, you are losing altitude fast. The USPA SIM 2005 states: Premature container opening in freefall (hand deployment only): • Attempt to locate and deploy the pilot chute first (no more than two attempts or two seconds, whichever comes first). • If the pilot chute can’t be located after two tries or if deploying the pilot chute results in a partial malfunction, cut away and deploy the reserve. 2.1b) Pilot chute bridle wrapped around arm/leg, the parachute is out: This is a preventable situation by maintaining good body position and keeping your palm skyward and legs positive during the deployment of a throw-out pilot chute BOC system. • Know your Altitude! Two attempts to clear the entanglement by presenting the extremity with the bridle caught on it skyward, away from your body and into the wind. • If you cannot clear the pilot chute, now you have to look over your shoulder to find out if the pin has been extracted or not to determine the type of malfunction you have. Total or Horseshoe (partial)? • Remember, this is a high speed situation, you are losing altitude fast. • If your pin has been extracted and the container is open you have a partial (Horseshoe) malfunction, Initiate emergency procedures for a partial malfunction, cutaway (making sure the 3 rings have released thus clearing a path for reserve deployment) and deploy your reserve. Mykel AFF-I 2005 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Seems like I have heard this echoed in huge divits... When I had less than 100 jumps I was embarrassed that I hadn’t broke the century mark. When I had 222 jumps, I was a skydive god in my own mind. It seems the more I have jumped, the more years of skydiving the more I have learned and studied the sport the more I have learned the less I know, I am still a beginner. What I am trying to say is 222 jumps is as close to 0 if you die on 223 tryong out a “NEW” canopy. Like WMV999 said, “If you love the canopy you have, why not keep jumping it?” Anotherwards, are you having fun? Still? On the canopy you are currently flying? If yes and you have totally mastered flying the canopy, then knock yourself out, hopefully you wont be doing it with the ground… WMV999 expressed herself as “oldschool”, how do ya think oldtimers (No offense Wendy) become “Oldtimers”? Super windy days are when the experienced skydivers sit out back by the beer line and watch the inexperienced skydivers become experienced… Don’t be in a hurry my friend. Stay un-fuckedup… Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Tell ya what, you make getting a parachute over your head your last skydiving priority. Go right no ahead then if you bounce after completing 99 points on the most awesome freefly jump in history we will know that you priorities were not in order. The fact that you have a Cypress activated on your gear HAS been part of the lifesaving equation for over a hundred people. If you just feel like arguing go find a mirror... If you are teaching and training your students that the most important priority is anything other than getting a good parachute overhead than you are doing your students an injustice. This is my opinion and the opinion of scores of instructors out there. Expletive free, imagine that. Moderator might let this one stand… Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Did I throw? Yes! Cutaway and pull the silver. Insted of did I throw? Yes! Well, what the hell happend? Should I cutaway, or just pull the silver. I like simple things in high stress situations. Let’s review FJC procedures for a control check: Square: This is a visual assessment. Stable: Flare, if it is not stable it will be clearly indicated. Steerable: look before you turn. There is more than one way to skin a cat, get 10 skydivers together you may find a million but the end result is still a skinned cat. Looking, and making a visual assessment after throwing the PC is the first step in the control check right? All malfunctions fall under two categories – Total or Partial… Deployment Procedure: 1) Throw your PC 2) Start Counting 3) If you don’t feel anything happening after 5 seconds do you go straight for your reserve? No, because what if you have the PC simply caught in your burble? Looking over your left shoulder to make a visual assessment is the first step in making the evaluation (is it square?). Looking over your shoulder will change the dynamic of airflow around your body necessary to launch the PC – if you have a PC in tow it should be clearly visible trailing behind you, if you see nothing perhaps it is caught on part of your gear. Get in the habit of looking over you left shoulder because it keeps your altimeter and reserve handle close in view. 4) When using this definition of a total malfunction “the main container tray is closed”, in a PC in tow situation is your main container tray open or closed? Simple, it you have a total, go straight for your reserve. Right, wrong of indifferent, this is how we teach at our DZ. We have had 3 students that I know of deal with totals, one just off student status deal with a PC in tow as trained and I personally had one student clear a PC caught in burble who cleared it by looking over his left shoulder, just as he was trained. Keep things simple, I couldn’t agree more. But by doing so to use it as an excuse to save ground training time? Why not keep things ultra simple and go back to ripcords and SOS systems? Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Jeeezzz, there is no one I know that is less superstitious than I. But for some reason I have this thing about the Cypress. If a rig has a Cypress in it and I intentionally jump it off and I die on that jump in a situation that may have had a different outcome with it on I sure would look like a dumb ass. Joe tosses me his rig and I know it doesn’t have a cypress and a smaller parachute that I prefer and I will go jump it mo worries (exception of AFF jumps) cuz big asses need big leg straps.... How many centuries did mankind survive without hand sanitizers? Jeezzzz…. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

The following article was copy pasted from http://www.skyxtreme.com/archive/feb2000/index_eng.html Cypres Giveaway Skydive San Marcos in Texas is happy to announce a new program they call the "Brad Slager Memorial Cypres Fund". The way it works is this: 25 cents from every jump ticket purchased goes to an account earmarked for purchase of a Cypres AAD. When funds allow, a winner will be drawn from all purchased jump tickets. The catch is the winner MUST own a rig and NOT have an AAD installed. In addition, the Cypres will not belong to the winning person but will still belong to the Brad Slager Cypres Fund. If the winner should decide to get out of the sport, sell their rig, or just decide they no longer have use for the AAD, Skydive San Marcos will uninstall it, draw another name, and give somebody else the use of an AAD at no cost to them under the same stipulations. After the loss of one of their very good friends involved in a midair collision, the management and all of the jumpers at Skydive San Marcos feel that this is a way to keep Brad's name and picture of an ever-smiling face fresh in their minds and to show their support for a safer sport. Mat , As the article stated, Brad will killed after being knocked unconscious after a mid air collision, he did not have an automatic activation device and evidently parachutes dramatically increase the odds of surviving landings because Brad did not survive his. Brad’s home DZ started this fund as explained in the article. After enough money was raised to get the first “loaner” Cypress, it was lotteried out to a regular jumper at the DZ who did not have an AAD equipped rig. Almost to the day, a year after Brad’s death the very first recipient of the Brad Slager Cypress (well leave his name anonymous) was involved in a midair collision just like Brad was, he was knocked unconscious just like Brad was and thanks to the DZO for starting this great way of equipping skydivers with AAD’s, his Cypress fired just like Brad’s didn’t because Brad did not have one. The very first recipient of the Brad Slager Cypress had his life saved because his AAD worked – he landed UNCONSICIOUS on a concrete/asphalt tarmac totally limp in the saddle and aside from a lower arm fracture and some minor injuries he WALKED away. This is one of many testimonials indicating the life saving effectiveness of the Cypress and it is a very good example the primary precedence being “get a parachute over you head” thus placing it the top of the common sense priorities for survival whilst participating in skydiving activities... Make it a great day, and don’t forget to turn your Cypress on so you can better your odds of having a tomorrow as well.. Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hi Jarrett, First off, I was not attacking you at all. So be cool dude. My best friend is a Canadian. He was born and raised at a DZ. His picture was in Parachutist Magazine when he was 8 years old hanging horizontally in a training harness with a caption on the picture saying something like “Tomorrows World Champion”? He now in his late 30’s, is a champion in Canada with a room full of gold medals and trophies and has been to many world meets. I have lots of friends that were fortunate enough to begin skydiving at a young age, when I was your age I was racing motorcycles (12 years total, the last 4 in super-bikes), much more dangerous with a much higher rate of injury and fatality than skydiving. After having formal training of all sorts throughout the course of my life (including the US Army) my favorite aspect of any high risk activity is the training involved. My aforementioned Canadian friend is the pinnacle, the best of the best of instructors in any arena of instruction I have ever been involved with. He is amazingly intuitive and knows the material he instructs thoroughly which happens to be skydive instruction. He is one of my most respected mentors, a fantastic human being and a great friend. I am looking forward to speaking with him about meeting you in this fashion to get his perspective. That being said, I personally have nothing against anyone doing anything that does not harm others, we are in a free country and there is no law that I know of stating that one must be a U.S.P.A. member to involve oneself in skydiving activities. The U.S.P.A. is the association with whom I am licensed by to instruct other human beings to learn to skydive safely; therefore it is necessary that I teach in compliance with the U.S.P.A.’s regulatory guidelines and recommendations. Not “laws”, they are as I stated - regulatory guidelines and recommendations. If I leaned too hard on you I apologize, sincerely. But as a U.S.P.A. solo freefall instructor I am not willing to condone skydiving activities outside of the guidelines set for me by them. Make sense? I don’t know anything else. Now that is where the age issue is concerned. As I said about Racers, I have friends who use them; I have jumped them a few times but do not particularly care for the engineering and would not put one on my back, personal preference. Dodge, Ford or Chevy, they all get you to the same destination, know what I am saying? Where solo freefall instruction is concerned, I am the most safety conscious type of instructor you could imagine. The canopy you stated that you are flying at the experience level you have is a primary concern. There is one thing I cannot tolerate but I must, and that is seeing good people get hurt be it skydiving, rock climbing, driving or masturbating too damn much! You mentioned setting your Cypress as part of your “routine” and I can only imagine you have been handling gear for quite sometime but it may be a bit early in active participation to have developed an active “jumping routine” and that was a red flag for me. A few short years from now you could be competing at the Nationals, or even at the world level but if you make a fatal mistake it will be impossible to achieve whatever goals you are endeavoring to reach in life. It hurts me when I pray for my friend who is clinging onto life at this very moment with a severed spine in his neck, I am praying for God to take him, for him to die. Just thinking of him, tears swell in my eyes. It hurts to visit friends in ICU being fed through a tube, to see them laying out in the landing area with piss and shit in their pants and hear the gurgling sounds of them choking on their own blood all because they put being badass before safety. We are participating in a sport that is safe statistically but is very unforgiving and very easy to get seriously injured or killed. Please take your time, always put safety first. I am taking time out of my very busy schedule to communicate this to you because I care about people, I care about you and I want the best for you and your aspirations for the future. We are brothers in skydiving, and as human beings. I love you man… Mykel AFF-I 05 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

1. Our DZ sort of teaches out of the SIM - we utilize a custom made U.S.P.A. compliant 88 page student manual that is given to every student and we teach right out of it. The information contained therein is derived from an assortment of bodies of knowledge but is largely plagiarized directly from the SIM yet, the format is comprehensive. 2. As a U.S.P.A. instructor, I encourage every student I work with to obtain and study a current SIM either by downloading or purchasing. Since the format is a bit hard to get used to I recommend that the digital version be downloaded because it is easier to locate information utilizing the search function in Adobe Acrobat Reader. The best part is the online SIM and Acrobat Reader are both free to those of us who are online and computer literate. Very good points and quite eloquently stated might I add. The formatting of the SIM may have much to be desired, it does take time to get used to its arrangement of information. Hieroglyphics or Spanish are not unreadable languages if one learns to read them; neither is the SIM if one takes the time to; A) Learn to read English. B) Study the SIM. The U.S.P.A. is the association with whom I am licensed by to instruct other human beings to learn to skydive safely; therefore it is necessary that I teach in compliance with the U.S.P.A.’s regulatory guidelines and recommendations. I am not a “jumpmaster”, I am a U.S.P.A. Solo Freefall Instructor (teacher) and teachers educate, tutor, lecture, instruct, coach and train. Teach your students or cheat your students, it is you that has to look in the mirror every morning… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

What does FWIW mean? "This is a 14 YO (year old)" Nuff said...

If I whacked my testicles with a meat cleaver, would it cause my toenails to be properly manicured? THINK...

Jarret, If I am working with a student, once his gear is on I do not allow anyone to touch them, check them and if it is already close enough to have the call necessitating the gear be dawned, I.E. 10 minute call, I would prefer you don’t even talk to my student and distract them from the training I have done my very best to provide them with. Early in a students progression, I give them thorough gear checks and they will give me one on the ground and before exit under the direct supervision and assistance of another instructor or very experienced skydiver, upper level students are usually allowed to give me a gear check on the plane before exit unsupervised when I feel that they are ready to do so. Sounds like either your training was insufficient or you are not concerned whether or not you get to eat with your mouth or through a tube in ICU this evening (or in heaven with whatever God you decide to believe in). You claim that you are an A license holder but listed as having only 24 jumps which means you are still not qualified to have an A license. Have you done everything on you’re A License Proficiency card? Did you earn it all or get some things “signed off” (like the 3500’ H&P, the Accuracies without radio assistance, proper EP reviews ect…). Your profile says you made your first jump at 9, now you are 14, this hardly applies at having “14” years in the sport (the key word being “in”, not around). The DZ you “jump” at, on their website lists you has having made your first jump March of 2005. To quote the USPA website: “Minors who are at least 16 years of age and have notarized parental or guardian consent may be allowed to participate in some training programs at some schools, according to the state and school policy. The person providing consent for a minor may be required to observe all pre-jump instruction. Most commonly, schools require all participants to be at least 18.” But in the BSR’s (do you know what a BSR is young man?) under section D it clearly states: D. AGE REQUIREMENTS 1. Skydivers are to be at least either: a. 18 years of age [FB] b. 16 years of age with notarized parental or guardian consent [NW] The bracketed [NW] means Non-Waiverable doesn’t it? So can you even acquire a U.S.P.A. A license at 14 years old anyway? A skydiver with only 24 jumps (not to mention a 14 year old) flying an Extreem FX at nearly a 1.2:1 wing loading? To quote the manufactures website: “The EXTreme-FX is not for everybody. It's built specifically for radical maneuverability and is ideal for turf surfing. It is for experienced elliptical pilots only.” Might as well toss you the keys to a Ferrrari. There is MUCHO discrepancies with the facts that you have place before us. Just what one might expect from a 14 year old. Just about everyone has a value system, as we mature our value system develops and we begin to learn that creating conflicts within our value system is counterproductive to our progression towards the becoming the type of person we would like to grow to be – I do not know too many 14 year olds that are living their life in adherence with their value system. That being said, my opinion and statements are totally under the category of “IMHO” (in my humble opinion) but it would seem that you are being less than honest, perhaps you are in possession of a brain that is unable to clarify fact from fiction or maybe you are just seeking out attention and feel it necessary to waist our time. So the question is would I ground you? If I were your father you would not be making solos until you reach the age of 16. You would not be allowed to fly canopies you are not experienced enough to fly at any age, at least not at my DZ. I would make a comment about the Racer at this point, but everyone has varying opinions concerning equipment. I personally do not subscribe to the engineering that is put into a Racer (I am not saying they are not air worthy containers) I know many very experienced skydivers with many many thousands of jumps utilizing the Racer, I just wouldn’t put my son in one, maybe it would be a good water training rig or wall decoration. I hope to see ya in the air sometime young man, when you are truly licensed by the United States Parachute Association, at the pond fire having a beer when you are old enough to drink, hope you make it that far in life… Make it a great day! Mykel Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

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