Jumpah

I'm so saddened to hear about this...my thoughts and best wishes out to the family and friends of those on this flight. BSBD

Good choice on sticking with the 170...not every day is perfect wind, with perfect spot, and perfect pattern, with soft cushy grass. Someday you may find yourself heading into a backyard, and you'll want to have as much control over your equipment as possible.

I'll help ya get beyond it, I'll drag ya there

This is very true! Best way to avoid a serious injury is to take it slow, do what your instructors say, don't get beyond your abilities, be physically fit and limber, stretch before each jump, make smart decisions about when to jump.

Gato, I like this post. Yes...its good to take a breath and slow down a bit. If a student is in an area like yours, one option that may work for would be to travel for AFF training. I can fly round trip from NH to Tampa non-stop on Southwest airlines for about $130 in the winter, for example. Stay in a tent or rent a trailer at Zhills, and with a week of good weather and a turbine aircraft a student could move along very fast with good training and the student will remain current through each of the jumps, instead of having to wait a week or more between levels. You'll get there, bro...

Going on people's first few sitfly attempts have been some of the funniest and most dangerous jumps I've been on. I've been kicked twice across the face and one person had a premature at 8k...straight out of a sit (gear/pin check was done and all looked great). I think that before attempting a sit you need to be able to get stable onto your belly at any point in time no matter what your orientation or condition. Did you make that decision while you were spinning, or earlier when you were on the ground planning the dive? Have fun...keep trying. I don't believe in the tunnel as a solution to all problems, but it could be useful here.

Nope...just recommended that we shut it off when you are done, just like a car, iPod, TV, etc...

One of the US magazines had a recent article about the Vigil explaining how it works...I can't remember if it was Parachutist or Skydiving Magazine. If someone has it can they post it? An AAD is a gadget...it has a specific use under specific environmental circumstances. Most gadgets have environmental limits and guidelines around when it can and cannot be used. I've included a page from the manual that illustrates the 150 feet rule. Why this is the way it is...I dunno for sure. If someone knows facts please post about it.

I know you've read the manual based on your OP... The manual says that it should not be on in a closed vehicle..."To avoid unexpected firing, you must switch OFF your Vigil before traveling in a closed vehicle (car, bus, train,...) due to possible air pressure variation" There are at least two possibilities in your case: 1) It worked as designed 2) It malfunctioned It's a computer...it's not smart...and its got a very small view of the world (column of airspace from 0 - 13,500+ feet). The manual also says that it is "...necessary to switch your Vigil off and back on again so it can recalibrate itself when your landing zone differs more than 100Ft/30m with your initial takeoff zone and this landing zone becomes your new takeoff zone". I only include this to help illustrate that it's a sensitive piece of equipment, and changing its environment via car will skew its little world rather drastically. Check with the manufacturer to figure out what occurred in your case. They can do diagnostics and get to the root of the issue for you. www.vigil.aero

Many of us have been there too... Use the time to ensure you get some "Relative Work" in with the family and friends and soon-to-be-an-ex whuffo SO

You'll need to learn how to edit video, make it snappy and interesting. Learn the tools of editing...Sony Vegas, Adobe Premier, Apple Final Cut HD, Avid, boards, etc. You'll want to be a fast packer (or date a packer). An "average" weight will make some jumps easier...I gotta work on that. Save money from each jump...since you are using your own gear, when it breaks you'll need to replace it.

Two posts in this thread so far summed up my experience in the course right...its about how to communicate to new skydivers, how to keep yourself and the student from getting you both into trouble, and some techniques you can use to help the student learn what you are teaching them. Coaches fill a gap that students fall into a couple jumps after they are cleared for solos...they are too new to fly with the big boys and girls, and too old for the AFF-I's to work with constantly.

And your estate would buy the beer you'd owe...

I second that...great helmet...

I knew a girl in high school who bought a new Jeep, cash, when she turned 18. She earned the money and saved it. Not hard if one wants it so bad.

Skydiving is like any other service industry...it's up to the dropzone managers/owners to hire and fire based on performance and skill, and customers/consumers to encourage that selection process with their dollars and their feedback. Shop around, do your research before you hire the Coach. An earlier poster wrote that they chose an SDU coach because they felt there was value in it.

Best coach I've had has over 10,000 skydives. He is not SDU (could not find in SDU directory). He fixed my sit, spent time with me on the ground, encouraged me in the air, did not have larceny in his heart, and encouraged me every step of the way. He has real-world experience in the sport. He was a natural teacher and quite personable. There are great non-SDU coaches out there...in the beginning I see the lure of SDU, and its a good guideline, but don't rule someone out...find out what they can do and get recommendations.

I agree that there are folks not cut out for skydiving. What I am saying is that teachers may not always be right in their evaluation. It's better to get a student to come to the conclusion they are not cut out for it. . OK, this is much more reasonable and I can agree with that. Based on your original comments, it sounds like you were saying that all teachers (any topic) never have the right to tell someone they were not cut out to do such-and-such. Skydiving is life or death...one doesn't die if they can't solve the equation. Yes, sure they may not be right in their evaluation, but if someone is clearly a hazard he should be held back. Hell, I was held back in Kindergarten...look at me now! haha

Could you explain this statement a bit more? It seems broad and overly bold. (edited for clarity)

Most skydivers I know repeated at least one level of AFF. Good news, tho: the jump still counts towards your A even if you have to redo it. Even your tandem counts. Have fun, is all. I still remember my first AFF jump like it was yesterday as one of my favorites...and I had to repeat it =)

I had a similar moment at Zhills...watching some old timers get ready to do some 4-way, wearing their little hats to keep the sun off their skulls. Was great...beats the hell out of golf. I had another moment that was the inverse of the previous this past weekend at the bonfire...a young lady who was talking to us was asked "So what brought you out to do a skydive?" and she answered "I'm graduating from high school in, like, two weeks, and my friends and I thought this would be, like, a GREAT way to celebrate it!" ...and with that I said my good nights while the TI's stampeded their way into the conversation...

Hoping my raffle tickets win me a new rig

Very interesting question. It won't be long before no one wins a 4-way competition without serious tunnel time. That's cool, tho. NASCAR didn't get big until they brought the cars into the round tracks where people could see them. Tunnel competition will go off and become its own thing. Partly because the SV company would be smart to create a league (with or without other tunnel operators) to help boost usage and get kids into it big ('hook 'em while they're young!'). Standardize the competition, and give the kids a medal so they can show off to their hockey playing friends. As those juniors today get really good over a few years and hundreds of hours of time, and then become old enough to skydive, I bet that the percentage of them that jump more than a few times will be larger than the general population, but still much less than we might think today. They'll continue in the tunnel, helped along because in a short enough time tunnels will be frequent enough and cheap enough that it won't be what it is today. Instead of soccer practice, my future kids will get dropped off at tunnel practice. I have no issues with the above, btw...nor am I down on the tunnel. Its a great learning tool today. In the next few years we'll see it become less of a novelty and will become something bigger. One good way to do that is to offer competition to people who aren't going to skydive. When ESPN2 covers the first National Indoor Skydiving competition, I'll be watching, even though it'll probably be on Saturday at 11am (at least the first year).

Jav Odyssey. My next will be a smaller Jav with a skyhook.

I'd like the following questions answered by someone who knows the answer (no guesses): How many professionals have left Eloy solely because of this policy? What percentage of the professional population does this represent?