Schoenauer

200 tandems in ‘05 Interesting on how one year you’re the go to guy, take any student with out question that manifest gives you. The next year, a couple of bucks wonder onto the DZ, tickle the manifest’s fancy, and you quickly find your self at the bottom of the dirt pile. Memento Mori

I handle check my PC just before I climb out even though I checked it several times before. Memento Mori

I take off my St. Christopher and leave on the ground in my gear bag at the start of the day. My mother...... gave it to me when I had about 50 jumps, for safe traveling. The way I see it, I had about those 50 jump and felt the St. Christopher would just upset the balance. Memento Mori

I will talk to people who are hazards to others and myself, if no one else does. I try to keep it simple and straightforward about what happened trying not to yell. If I find that I am talking to brick wall, I’ll go to the DZO. I have seen others talk to the DZO or S&TA about an unsafe long time skydiver and I find the larger the group complaining the better the results. The DZO or whom ever they have delegated the responsibility is the one who enforces DZ policies, not the community. Pulling a reserve handle to insure an individual is grounded is not an option by anybody its better to simply send the SOB down the road. What I have witnessed at home, is there are different levels of action a DZO will take depending on the individual and severity of the action. Unfortunately in skydiving, as with many other things, is also inundated by the Good Old Boy Network mentality where ones own status in skydiving will bring them leniency. Memento Mori

There is nothing I see wrong with the chart it does look good. "Junk" might have been a little harsh but I got your and others attention. I am only pointing out that the wording, not the chart, reads like a requirement. After reading some of the posts here, you might want to consider proposing two versions, with the same chart, one that reads as a requirement and the other as recommendation and then let the board work with it. Memento Mori

Memento Mori

I teach cutaway. If I don’t being a USPA instructor following the USPA’s response for a down plane I see a potential legal problem if an injury takes place. There is no option other then cutaway a down plane. If this was a PC in tow we as instructors have an option, or I should say the school has the options to decide what is taught. I know a guy who broke his leg and the student broke their pelvis on a tandem down plane. They were lucky… he was lucky. It started at about 20 to 30 feet above the ground, so the size of the parachute doesn’t matter during a down plane. Memento Mori

Practice through actually doing it and work with someone who is good to pick up on skills helps. A lot of people have learned spotting by doing and maybe failing at times. I have landed people off and I have also landed off by others spotting, so that how it goes. We make mistakes, but we should learn from the mistakes made. In the future when you have the spotting thing down and someone gives you a bad spot where you land off don’t yell but rather simply talk to them. It is more effective. Memento Mori

USPA Canopy Downsizing Chart (Proposed) The chart looks good. Sorry to say it but the rest is junk, the proposal reads like a requirement that makes it a BSR proposal in which the USPA would be foolish of adopted it as written. BSR’s do not happen over night, and I think we all know this, but with some rewriting, changes in wording and some additional verbiage added, we could easily see it added to Section-6 Advanced Progression. I will not be surprised while in Section-6 it is further reworked and joined with the canopy skill recommendation that exist now then added to the BSR’s with a system of verification in place. Memento Mori

There is a lot of really good post on this thread, so keep an open mind you might find something that hit home. Never stop learning Check your tandem rig before you put it on Brief your cameral flyer on you exit count then don’t worry about them after that. Check the student’s harness before boarding the aircraft Don't take any more time then absolutely necessary at the door to insure safe separation. There is no need to rush the drogue toss I have seen drogues hit the fuselage, tail, and even come back into the airplane. Don't throw the drogue to get stable unless it’s the final option short of pulling the reserve Check you handles once the drogue is set, and also the drogue Fly relaxed but not lazy, you'll have better control of the skydive Do not trust any student at anytime regardless of their size or intelligence Protect your handles, your student should understand that they must not at anytime reach behind their shoulders or hips Pull high if your spot is long to avoid landing off your supposed to be an expert Make fun jumps, all work and no play will burn you out Memento Mori

We offer AFF and Tandem progression. At about the time when the USPA adopted the tandem progression, Static line instruction was an effective 50 plus year old method of instruction. Static line instruction was not viewed as a modern technique for teaching skydiving, so the Static line method, we were using at the time, was phased out never to return to our DZ. Our Tandem progression ends with the student ready to attend a FJC after a total of three tandems and enter the AFF program with a single instructor. The tandem progression student’s first AFF jump is non release and the second is a Category D release skydives. As for recommendations, our DZ does not recommend a method to the customer because of liability exposure if the student happens to get hurt. Even though the DZ has a well written waver to protect them in a civil case a costly court case could drain the year’s profit from the DZ. Memento Mori

I am not going to dragged everyone into some hypothetical situation of what ifs. I know most of the BSR’s and if I don’t I know here to find them if I have question. As for the FAA regs I don’t know them all only the important ones, seat belt use, night jump requirements, alcohol, cloud clearances for VFR, and reserve pack cycle. If I have a question about the FAA regs I know where to look also. Where I stand if I bust a BSR or FAA reg my bad the DZ might catch hell but I am still going to pay, in some fashion. Now if I realize the DZ operation places me into a situation where a violation exists and I point it out to the DZO, in vain, I will go some place else. I have done it before. Memento Mori

My goof I thought you had the ratting. It doesn’t matter I know a lot of coaches who don't do it for the money. They do it for three reasons; its fun, they hone there skills, and they get to skydive. Memento Mori

Congratulations on earning on your ratting. You might have felt like a bandit but doing some coaching in free flying, but your not, seeing that the USPA is not requiring such a ratting for free flying, yet. Memento Mori