Gary73

I'd definitely call that a variety of PCIT. I've seen it happen (from main side) even with new 38" pilot chutes, but only when the main-side instructor hangs on after PC release. So our policy is now for the main side to turn and track the instant the student releases the PC. Gee, just like in the AFF-I course. Maybe those AFF I/Es know a thing or two after all. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

The wealth of a society (namely the whole world, since we're so interconnected these days) has nothing to do with how much metal is sitting unused in a vault somewhere. Wealth is the result of productivity, and the money supply should be kept in sync with it. Gold in a vault doesn't put food in your belly or shoes on your feet. Farmers and processing plants and shippers and grocers get you the food, and shoe factories and shippers and shoe stores get you the shoes. The amount of each commodity available is proportional to the level of productivity at each stage, which is proportional to the advancement of technology, which is proportional to advancements in science. Therefore, wealth is proportional to science, not metal. So no, wealth is not a zero-sum game unless we let it be by failing to invest in scientific research and technological development. And yet, what do governments and corporations always cut first when there are economic problems? R&D, of course. Morons. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Welcome back! If you have a D license you're theoretically allowed to determine your own level of currency, but most DZOs will want you to sit down with an AFF-I, review the FJC, and do a refresher dive. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

On most rigs the BOC stitching is well clear of anything structural. Also, part of the training that a rigger should get is to know his limitations, both regulation-wise and capability-wise. Even the newest senior rigger should know the difference between the type-E thread that holds container parts together and the 5-cord that holds the harness together. If you can find the info on those harness failures, I'd be interested in seeing that. Thanks! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Fair enough. The ones I've done have been cases in which the manufacturer offers both BOC and ROL, and the original purchaser chose ROL. No doubt you can do either job both faster and cleaner than I can, but last week I did a BOC replacement in about 30 minutes, start to finish, and it looked pretty good. Damn - maybe I am awesome! Yeah, that new stuff (Spandura?) is nice. I guess it depends on the manufacturer, though. The last few we got from Strong were crap. The spandex tore loose from the binding tape in just a few weeks of normal use. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

I went with the 4" bubble and I like it so far. Unfortunately it's so clear that now I can see how crappy the right-side window really is. I'm trying to think of it as providing an economic stimulus package for my A&P. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

The BOC pouch is well clear of the reserve and all the harness webbing, so a lot of folks feel that a Senior rigger can do this job. It's also listed in the Parachute Rigger Handbook (on the FAA website) as only requiring a Senior license. Be aware that some riggers will charge you for a full reserve inspect and repack as part of this job and justify it by claiming that the job can't be done with the reserve in the container, so make sure you know what the rigger has in mind. Personally I've never found it necessary to mess with the reserve when replacing or installing a BOC pouch, but maybe I'm more awesome than I thought. Anyway, the pouches cost $15 from Para-Gear and I charge $10 to $15 for the labor on most rigs, depending on how I feel that day. P.S. - If the pouch is in good shape, just a little stretched out, it can be tightened by just unstitching the bottom seam, rotating that half a turn, then re-stitching it. Works once on most rigs. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

One of an I/E's responsibilities is to ensure that all evals are fair. If he can't do that he shouldn't be an I/E. Advice to candidates: get outside video on every eval jump at a course, even the practices. If a jump or a grade seems unfair in any way, have the I/E review it. Good Evaluators and I/Es will put fairness ahead of ego and correct an unfair grade. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Wow, that's like saying that every section in every history book is wrong. Oh no, another analogy! Run for your lives! Actually I think the analogy is not that far off. A new AFF-I has only seen the candidate's side of the course, not what goes into conducting the course. He also doesn't have the perspective toward AFF that an experienced Instructor does. So I'll stick with my advice: The best preparation for a course is a pre-course with the same I/E, and the best preparation for the pre-course is to jump with an active Evaluator. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Dave, No offense, but that sounds a lot like telling a whuffo: "Hey, don't bother paying an AFF Instructor to learn how to skydive - just hook up with a recent AFF graduate!" There's more to being an Evaluator than skydiving badly, and there are good reasons for the 100-AFF-minimum to become one. (Some I/Es even insist that you have 500 AFFs before they'll train you to evaluate!) Anyway: Learn the dive flows. Jump with a current Evaluator. Start with "great student" scenarios to get the rhythm, then work your way into "not-so-great-student" scenarios. Attend the pre-course either way. That'll help fill in any gaps in your preparation, and when the I/E thinks you're ready, go for it! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

With the "observe and report" part, definitely. That's part of why being a Coach and doing actual coached jumps are pre-course requirements. But normally a Coach shouldn't chase a student; he should provide a stable reference point, so coaching doesn't help much with flying skills. I'd agree with those who recommend making practice jumps with an active AFF Evaluator. If you can't do that, four-way FS jumps provide the best in-close flying practice. Either way, definitely attend the pre-course. Many I/Es do the pre-course and course as essentially a single course, which is probably the best approach. Good luck! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Really? All I see there is an advertizement for TRC. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Usually 10 to send the King Air. Yeah, we had some scheduling problems a couple of weekends ago. I believe that those have been addressed. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Sounds good, as long as we can get some of Don's Lemon-Pepper Chicken as a side dish! Of course it's not like I'm the only one who likes cheesybake. I never even got a second helping last time! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Spence - definitely come out on Saturday, and bring a bunch of those wood blocks you mentioned. I'm in the mood for some creative pyromania! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Considering that your next reserve deployment may be at (or above) terminal velocity, never exceed the maximum recommended exit weight on a reserve. If you want to downsize your main below the limits of your current container, talk to your rigger about padding the main D-bag. It's fairly easy and allows significant downsizing without changing the container or reserve. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Rhetoric: The use of exaggeration or display in language. (Random House Dictionary) Bill, The discussion was about a mother's right to abuse her unborn child by denying medical care and by forcing him/her to ingest alcohol and other drugs, not about violence done by another person. I stated that unborn children have no rights. You stated that only the mother is allowed to determine what is good for her unborn child. Sounds like you're agreeing with me. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Hard to say without having been there, but you're okay, so even if it wasn't the ideal decision, it was good enough, right? People put too much emphasis on landing into the wind. Downwind landings don't kill people. Low turns, bad swoops, and canopy collisions are the things that do us in. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/27/airliner.fly.by/index.html The pilots are now saying that they were on their laptops looking at and discussing company policies. While being out of contact with ATC for 90 minutes. Amazing. And yeah, neither of these guys should ever fly with passengers again. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Right. That's where the DZO, Chief Instructor, and S&TA come in. But all too often, the DZO is more interested in getting the load up than in getting a student properly trained. And if the CI, S&TA, and Instructor don't comply, they don't have their jobs for very long. Or at all. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

It's not rhetoric. If a mother forced her one-week-old child to consume alcohol and other drugs, she'd be locked up and the child would be taken away. Why do we deny an unborn child the protections that we demand for born children? Birth is a surprisingly unimportant event in the development of a child. Kids born a month early don't immediately take on the physical and mental characteristice of full-term babies. With proper care, they develop just as they would in the womb, and take on those characteristics in about a month. Likewise, kids who are born late don't just press pause at the nine-month point; they continue to develop both physically and mentally the whole time. Birth isn't like fertilization, implantation, or even the beginning of the formation of the heart or brain. It's just a shortening of the supply chain. So no, my comment wasn't rhetorical, just sarcastic. Mothers are allowed to abuse, neglect, and even kill their unborn children, right up to some point which is defined legally, not biologically. But don't worry: I don't think it will help to imprison pre-natally abusive mothers. It'll probably just drive them even farther from proper care for their children. So sad. So very sad. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Deedy, Haven't you heard? Children aren't human beings until they're born. Before that they're property, without even the rights that we grant to pets or cattle. Remember: convenience is always more, well, convenient than responsibility. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

I really can't see a good reason for the dropzone to hold on to student logbooks or A cards. Sure, students will forget to bring them occasionally, but so what? Just give them a blank logbook page to document the jump and sign off the A card the next time they come around. If they're not planning to come back to your DZ, make a note in the logbook that they completed the item and wish them good luck. A cards, whether 2- or 4-page, belong to the student, not to the dropzone. Regardless of the stated intent, the result of DZs holding on to them is to prevent students from easily going to other dropzones. If you want to keep students at your dropzone, offer good training at fair prices. Sean, just because you haven't witnessed a certain behavior, that doesn't mean it has never happened. There are plenty of dropzones "out west", and their policies can change over time. As for not naming dropzones who do this, I fully understand that. All too often, greedy bastards are good enough at what they do to afford lawyers who can make a person's life miserable just for telling the truth. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Unfortunately there are a number of DZOs out there who are greedy scumbags who do everything in their power to keep students from jumping at other dropzones. Some hold on to A cards; some even hold on to the student's logbooks. Bastards. I guess you could try phoning the dropzone to see if they'll fax a copy to you, but they'll probably refuse, 'cause after all, they're greedy scumbag bastards. Given that, I'd say start a new card and sign off any new accomplishments. If the student won't be going back to the old DZ(s), a lot of the A-card requirements are things that we take the student's word on or which can be done in a few minutes or a few jumps. Also, encourage all students to note in their logbooks whenever they accomplish things on the A card, etc. As for the ISP, personally I think it's overblown and unnecessarily expensive for the student, though it's still better than AFP. Seven-level AFF and the two-page A card work just fine. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

Unfortunately we're not yet mature enough as a society to put the welfare of an unborn child ahead of the convenience of the mother. Once we acknowledge that a mother has even greater obligations regarding her child than a Tandem Instructor has regarding his/her student, the problem won't even come up anymore. Side note: Last I heard, in France the national healthcare system actually pays pregnant women to get prenatal care. That saves money in the long run by reducing complications for both mother and child. Too bad we're not as smart as the French. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan