camamel

Look like I don't read my post enough. On that one I was so focus on the 101 years old of Armand my passenger that I write that the previous record holder was Bjarne Maeland that did a tandem jump from 10499 feets on september the 8th 1999 at the âge of ...101 years and 21 days ... but in fact it was 100 years old and 21 days! Since then I heard that a mâle passager did a tandem jump in california for his 101th birthday. If he did it on his birthday then Armand Gendreau still old it by 3 days. From what I remember the jump in California was 2 years ago and probably in Perris. If every body have some info about the jump in California please let me know so I can advise the family of Armand who by the way passed away two years ago. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

I agree with you Doug with 25 min between load it is always possible. Easier with heavy passager but with smaller one not fun. Here our season is short but we are a pretty busy DZ. We can do 8 or 9 loads in 2h.So when we end up with less the 10 min in between I have to dress a few passagers myself so the instructors can still do a nice and relax service to their customers. This is where it hurts my business. Being a regular customer, an Instructor and an Examiner for UPT for the last 30 + years I can assure you that these guys will come out with a solution pretty soon. Keep you posted, When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

For the last two years or so UPT use a different webbing to built there passenger harness. The coating is thicker so adjusting these harness is very very hard. So hard in fact that my instructions leave them on the side and takes the old ones. With my latest addition I am now stuck with 40% of these. Last year we follow UPT recommandation and wash it two or three times with basically no result. This time we will try to soak them even longer, maybe a day or two...but I am not expecting that much. I talked with UPT earlier this week and they are not happy with this webbing either because it is very difficult for them to sew that webbing. So I know they work very hard with their supplier to find a solution...but until then is there any of you guys in the field that found a trick or two? Because on my side so far nothing is working. Thanks When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Your question did generate a lot of comment for sure. To be honest I don't know all the rules in States about medical, doing it private compare to commercial DZ ect. But as a current examiner and a DZO I new a few things. If you are really serious about investing in that project and doing it right it is still possible. If I was you this is what I would do: First Contact UPT and asked them for: A :All the info you need to do what you want B :An examiner closed to your place (not one that want to sell you a rig) C :If you are serious about doing 50 tandems jumps / year and staying curent then i suggest you strongly the Sigma System. The différence is like jumping a round parachute, like we both did back then, and a square parachute...no joke. You can contact me at any time for more info. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Here we have only sigma's 340 for all passengers size in every condition.In my mind and from my insu that work at other dz before, this is the best main canopy on the market and with only 2 reserves in our last 7000+ jumps this is also very reliable. I think we can copare the sigma 340 to a big stiletto.The toggle pressure is easier then the sigma 370 and a lot better then the EZ 384. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Since I am both dzo and TE can see both side. Depends on the dz the answer can be different. In our case we do 40 + loads/ day during the weekend with two planes. So if one customer open high for any reason it will turn out to be a problem. We have the students to steak the canopy until 1500 or so but never opening the main. Also I don't think it is a good idea to train a student to pull the release w/o throwing it knowing that if he go aff the it is the opposite he will have to throw it as much as he can. So I think it is a bad habit to start with. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

When something is going wrong, the same way and more then once in a relative short amount of time, I tell my instructors that the problem is probably not the equipment (if well maintain) neither the passenger but the instructor new bad habit! Usually only by listening to the instructor I end up to a pretty good idea where the problem is, but first I ask them to sit back and try to find what they are doing compare to what they learn in there course. If they can't find it then I give them my opinion and if there is a video we have a look at it. If the instructor is not sure what it can be an outside instructor can be a very good advise. Richard DZO UPT TIE When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

No With new sporty tandem main and unless you land on the beach where it is always windy, I think the best landing surfaces is grass. Of course you can perform a stand up landing on grass as well if there is some little wind otherwise I ask my my instructors to perform a sliding landing on their butt. If the instructors doesn't do uncontrol crazy low turns this kind of landing is very easy for both the passager and the instructors. If it take a toll over time is because the instructor is not doing his job properly. Trying to stand up with a Sigma 340 , like I have here, with no wind will eventually end up with passenger and instructors injuries! Where tandems take toll over time is probably at the beginning on shoulders. But when you learn how to save your energy by using the passager and how to do some exercices it is not a problem anymore. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Good one budy but it doesn't help me with the clicky!! Richard When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Look loke it doesn,t work If we go one click at the time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSpxC6Gc1rU When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

It is now official. On June the 27th 2014 at Voltige Armand Gendreau became the oldest man to do a tandem jump at 101 years and 3 days old. He broke a 14 + years old record hold by Bjarne Maeland a Norwégian who did a tandem jump from 10500 on September the 8th 1999 at the âge of 101 years and 21 days old. Since it was too late for the 2015 book it will be in the. Here is two clicky but I am not sure how to do it so it work. 2016.édition.http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/11000/oldest-tandem-parachute-jump-(male)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSpxC6Gc1rU When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

This guy is trying the same thing with me. But when a put pressure on him he send me the exact same e-mail of 2 weeks earlier. I just hope DZ.com will make sure this guy won't stay on the system. Richard Lavoie When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

I am not a guiness specialist but from what I understand they have many category. Oldest jump, man ,woman, oldest first tandem ect. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Oups look like I push the wrong button. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Thanks body to help me on that clicky thing. Richard When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

Last Friday June the 27th 2014 at Voltige, a DZ in Quebec Canada, I did a tandem with Armand Gendreau. It was to celebrate his 101 th birthday witch took place three days earlier. Since the weather was not appropriate on that day for such a jump, we decide with the family to do it Friday night on sunset. Thanks to the family and the support of my partners and staff everything went well and it was a success. It should also be a guiness record. On landing Armand said ¨I am ready to do another one tomorrow…It would a great hobby !! Not sure how to do a clicky. Richard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-knUxUN4ks When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

When the harness is well adjust ask your passenger to take both his hands and bring one leg straps at the time as high as possible on his leg. You want to do that on the last adjustment check just before boarding the plane...you will be surprised to see a gap of 2 or 3 inches over there shoulders. That mean the passenger would have be that much lower in the harness during the parachute ride witch is not perfect for the landing and the chest strap will end up in his neck. Yes I follow UPT adjustment but if the chest strap is a bit lower it's not a safety issue. Finally you can always loose that strap on opening. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

So far there is not that much market left anymore for a tandem independent owner...at least here in North America. Hi RM This brings me to my next question. Since you're neither TI or DZO... Why? Because there is a lot of parameters to be considers...a lot. It's like if a pilot with 300h of flight want to know how American Airlines do there maintenance and what is there cost /h !!! If it is very important to you...then let me know. Thanks Richard When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

And the instructor doesn't even have the toggles in his hands...while doing almost CRW. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

At my place it is not even an option. We have outside camera mans that are train to do that, they are professionals. On the ground we have another team that put all the sequences together with music, visual effects and pictures on a dvd that will be ready for the customer with in 30 min... remember that these customers will bring back home these images to there friends and familly! I want to have an eye on that final product since it is my business and my sport. My TI are tandem instructors not cameraman so they can focus on what they have to do and here again it is not an option. Everybody is happy here and the end the product is really what I want it to be. Richard So for this reason no customer is allow to bring a Go Pro, or anything else, in freefall with him. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

A few years ago I end up with a few line twist under a Stiletto on opening. Since it was flying straight I did a gentle move with my legs to undo that. As soon as I did that Move I end up on my back spinning violently, while being in this position and knowing my altitude I decide to do one try at releasing the brakes and pull both down to see if it does something. It was spinning so fast on my back that I was not sure where up and down were but I reach my toggles as an automatic reaction pull them as if I want to do a stall but the situation remain the same so I cut away. Yes I was aware of the time I was spending and I knew I had that time but in my head it was one move and then cut away. When these things happen you need to have a clock in your head and I think this clock come only with experience. Otherwise I would suggest to everybody to perform an emergency procedure in a case of a problem with the main. It is very very easy to forgot the time when your trying to deal with a problem. And at opening altitude with a bad situation like a spinning main you don't have that much time. I am sure Brian doesn't want all you guys out there to try to do things in that case but ask people who did try safely what was the result. You're always better alive under a reserve then dead trying something with your main!! Richard When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

I agree with you about the fine. Most full time TI can do that kind of money in less then 2 weeks on a busy DZ. When I went to the examiner meeting in Deland last April I saw a video exactly like this one, but the passenger felt on opening! It was clear during that meeting that if we loose another passenger out of a harness tandem will probably banish in States. In my head this kind of negligence is criminal and I still don't understand why nobody else saw it. They were not the only one on a 182, it was a twin otter with 10 or 20 person aboard, with a cameraman on a busy DZ! When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

When you arrive at the boarding area always ask your passenger to use both his hands and bring back both leg straps, one after the other, as high as possible on there legs. If you compare the space between the top of the harness and there shoulders, before and after they moved there leg straps, you'll be surprise to find a few inches between before and after and even more with fat passengers. As an examiner I teach every TI to do so with each and every passengers. With out doing that your passengers will end up with the chest strap in the chin on opening witch is not the end of the world since you can loose it after opening but that mean your passengers will also be too low in the harness witch is a bad situation on landing because your legs wont save his back in a case of a down draft or a mistake from you. Even by doing so some times instructors have tendency to put the chest strap too high,by putting it lower your passenger will only be more comfortable and you have no chance to loosing it on opening. The back strap if not well adjusted (or completely loose) can and will have a huge affect on the passenger safety on opening. Try it and let me know...you'll see a huge difference. Richard When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.

ELT and fire extinguisher may not be mandatory for passengers but are for airplane flight attendant and since instructors, coaches and regular up jumpers are consider like that compare to first time tandem student that's why we had that. Yes it is mandatory in Canada to posted placard of all exits, fire extinguisher and ELT in our planes. Also about the seat belts I forgot to mention that it was in the video. Also all TI show there passenger where they are attach and how to get rid of it in the case of an emergency to each and every passenger prior to take off. We don't use UPT waiver video anymore because it was not up to date at all with airplane we don't have here and not in our language. But we hire an attorney that is also an experience skydivers to put together our waiver that all skydivers have to sign before boarding our planes. That include the fact that airplanes...do crash and all the names of rig manufacturers, airplanes and land owners ect. By the way I forgot to say that our video is subtitles in english. With that system our TI have little bit more time to spend with there passengers and also some time to grap a sandwich when they need it. Even then the turn around is very quick specially at this time of the year where airplanes perform very well in cold air. When you think you're good...this is when you become dangerous.