Andrewwhyte

Sometimes we need to reexamine our goals as instructors. Not everyone is going to become a skydiver. Most first jump students are going to do one jump and go away happy. While we certainly want to encourage people to succeed in the course they have selected and hopefully to continue in the sport, our primary goal is for the student to land safely and have a good time. If that means offering them a tandem (and perhaps 'offering' them a tandem more strenuously) then that is what we should do. Some people are just not going to take care of themselves in an emergency. I you have satisfied yourself that your student fits that description and you cannot remedy it, you have not failed. How you fail is by putting them out anyway because the gear 'damn near always works.' I binned a student from an IAD course last summer only to find out on the way up for the tandem that she didn't want to go in the first place, but was being bullied by her husband. The times I do feel I have failed the student are when they refuse to jump. This can only happen if I am not paying enough attention to them on the ground.

I suspect the $ is finished dropping for a while. The President's comments on the economy coupled with the FED's actions plus the coming of the 'more tourists in than out' season should see some stability or even gains. All UK banks will have a relationship with a major US bank. Your sister should ask her bank who that is and send the money there. It should be cheaper and will almost certainly be less hassle.

Lodi used to have a drive in church. I dunno if it's still there. I thought the drive through pharmacies in Casa Grande were downright scary.

I live in greater Vancouver If you leave a pop can in your ride, the junkies will break in for the nickle. I don't leave anything in my car; nothing.

Hey! Deep fried Big Macs!

They need you!

Didn't the US military bomb it off the planet last year?

I think Apple Computerites (Jobsites?) are as fanatical at Harley fans. Chevy trucks if you want a comfortable ride around the city Fort trucks if you need to use them for working.

I read that'll make you sterile.

In Canada the national numbers came in at ~4000/ head/year. The fact that it is buried in general tax revenues doesn't change the fact that we pay $330 per month and still will face delays of weeks, months, or even years for virtually all procedures from MRIs to cancer treatment. This money does not include the money we, or our employers pay for 'secondary' insurance to cover extras such as prescriptions, dental bills or ambulance rides (yep, not covered for $330/month). If we want to travel to the states, we get to go to the travel agent and buy a third level of insurance. Personally I think health insurance is more important than some other things people hang onto when times are tough (cell phones, cable, beer).

Or 5 pack jobs @ $7 per. Comparing North Carolina rigging pricing to that in Atlanta, or California is like Comparing North Carolina house pricing to that in Atlanta or California

You just need new friends. We'll be your friends.

I believe you are mistaken.

There was a glam band in the late seventies called Angel. They were never very big, but I like them. I still have one album. I play it often on my (Yup) record player. I never share; it's just for me.

Probably spelled Arsenault

We use narrow body 182s in Pitt Meadows and use the seated exit exclusively. If there is one tandem in the plane they sit behind the pilot as you would think. If there are two tanda we both sit facing the tail. As Rob Warner is a lot bigger than me he sits behind the pilot with the larger student. I sit in the J/M seat with the smaller of the two (you are correct, I do like this arrangement). In order to give my legs the width they need to go around the student Rob moves a bit aft and I lay my right knee between his rig and the pilots seat. Because there is no room in my slot, I tighten my laterals before the door is closed. I simply hook up the shoulder snaps at altitude and I am ready. Some other TMs I know who exit from this position prefer to tighten up after the door is open. I am not big on this as it leads to stuff flapping in freefall. There are three issues to think about with this method: 1. My hook-up sequence is different for a 182 than it is for other a/c. This is a very real problem and should not be ignored. When I am sitting in the plane with my laterals tight it feels like I am ready to go. The way I deal with this is I do my hook-up sequence in order every time with position checks on the quick-snaps when I normally would be connecting them. I follow this up with a four snap check just before I put on my goggles. This I do whether sitting on the floor of the 182 (special hook-up sequence), the floor of the 205 (standard sequence), or on the bench of the King Air (standard sequence). 2. I am attatched to my student during take-off; in the event of a failed take-off (fire?) I am encumbered. I am acutely aware of this as we roll. I am also aware that these are both quick-eject snaps. I consider this a very low risk issue. 3. Putting Rob and the larger student in the tail and then moving them further back to make room for my knee does make the a/c ass heavy. I could see this being less than ideal some places. At our DZ however we are in a moderate climate (we call 90 F a really hot day), we are at 7ft above sea level, we have lots of paved runway and I know our aircraft are properly maintained. There are times when we take the 205 just because the students are too big, but that usually has to do with room rather than total weight. Besides the pilot would rather have a heavy tail than have Mr. bull in a china shop (that would be Rob) bashing into her and her controls all the way up. The advantages of this system are that it is much easier on the TM's knees and back, and that there is much less chance of interfering with the a/c during flight. I sit down and the next time I move is when the door is open. As far as Dave's comment about hitting the door latch, I find that not to be an issue. The key is to get the student's feet on the step for a pivot, and then push through the student rather than over them. Remember when you are facing the tail your motion is to unhook you rather than to hook you like the old poised exit style so very rightly banned by Mr. Booth.

Try sharing a 205 with him on a three tandem load! Not only is he big, but he's graceful like a rental truck.

Uh,.. ya! What were you thinking?

I have had many students complain of numbness in the hands, which I assume to be a mild form of this. I have found that getting them to clench their leg muscles and relax them a few times makes the numbness go away. It may be effective at pumping the blood up or it may be purely psychosomatic, but it seems to work.

If the pilot doesn't cut a King Air, he can't lower the flaps (well he souldn't anyway). As I understand it that is what keeps the tail high.

Your math is confusing Bill. "1 in 2100 on gear I pack and maintain." only makes sense if all 4200 jumps were on your own gear and none were on the tandem gear.

I can get you a PD190 with less than one hundred jumps on it for less than 500 bucks. PM me if you want. If you have the money for a used rig to put it in right away, you should consider buying the gear sooner rather than later for the reasons Ron and others have stated. If the canopy is going to sit in your closet you should just get the coaching. Coach jumps are expensive when you are a junior. Not as expensive as the massive amount I have spent on coaches trying (largely unsuccessfully) to rid me of the bad habits I acquired while teaching myself and being taught by those who didn't know any better.

When I started using a full face on Pff jumps about five years ago I got a bit of grief from our then chief instructor. The big disadvantage I have found has been when the student is spotting and they need a nudge to make a decision. Trying to talk, even with the visor up (Z1) tends to produce confusion and delay. Ever since Phillip Ludwig got his nose broken by a student the aforementioned CI uses his full face.

It is not what the rigs normally look like. It is what they look like when worn by lazy TMs. I have never gotten out with stuff hanging out of my main container. When I got my rating five years ago our oldest rigs had main flaps that were too short to tuck in (that style has been retired or updated at their eightyear). Nonetheless I never allowed that to be an excuse to not tuck the drogue in.

So, how's your spelling in Slovenian, you weak minded monoglot?