DesertDevil

I worked with a kid who had prior tunnel experience. He was pretty good, but on the first jump he didn't show very good altitude awareness. On the second jump, he pulled just fine. I agree with you that tunnel time will help with the AFF course, but it won't teach everything.

I do about ten demos that pay well and then a few to help friends out with little pay. So far this year, nothing yet. But the season just started.

Nice pictures! They have matching helmets Thanks for the idea. I'm going to ask if I can do it. I wonder if I can go naked?

You know what. I screwed up by posting crap like this here. I got pissed about something, about someone attacking me without any reason. Today I talked to the person I alluded to in my post. He said he had nothing to do with it ,and I believe him. I apologized to him. He's been in the sky a long time. I've known him for over ten years now. Without him, a lot of people wouldn't have become skydivers. Some of the posts here woke me up, so thanks. I'm a busy man, and I'm father of two. I feel like shit for the post.

It's not a cheap shot and it dose have to do with your initial question. Because it's about another persons perceptions. Your posting and stating your perception of another. I'm pointing out real events as well and by some other peoples perceptions of you from an observation of your instruction. So that's same as you state about your events, there were factors in what happened that from your point of view caused the events, same could be said about the two events your ranting about, it's all about who's shoes your wearing. Nope it's in a thread for anyone to get (hint the link to the post), I remember them being posted by Scotty., not so fun now is it to have your own handy work being called into question by outside observations and with media that can be taken out of context or used to make you look bad. Sure the hell is, I or others could say your an old fuck who can't do stand up tandems and because you surf your students through the landing area and your known to bust up people that you have no business jumping/flying with students and your old ass needs to stay on the porch teaching ground school! So again maybe you need change your perspective and move on, or back up your accusations with facts and take your facts to your regional director. And as far my profile or my personal info, all you need to know is I'm a curent USPA AFF-I, S/L-I & JM, Sr Rigger, camera, first jump 8-83 and a I'm a lifer. The rest of my info is none of your business and is not relevant to this topic. I really don't know what your problem is. It's evident that you'll feel offended no matter what I say, even when I intend no offense. The only thing you've proven in your last post is that you're really good at taking things out of context and making unfounded claims. You say that am doing the same thing, but that is YOUR perception. I had no such motive. Because for some mysterious reason you are exempt from filling out your profile, I have no way to understand or address how your personal perception of me, your perception of my post, and your perception of my motives have become so inaccurate. If you don't like the question I posted, don't respond. Or help think of a better question. In the meantime, as Bill suggested, I don't need to try to have a discussion/exchange insults with a guy who won't even give me his name. Two things that bother me: 1. People who act tough online without giving their name and 2. Liars

Well, that's a cheap shot. A few years ago, I had a student hurt her ankle because her foot got caught in nest rat hole in the landing area. It wasn't a crash landing. And that doesn't really have to do with my initial question. In the picture someone apparently sent you and you posted, the passenger couldn't lift her legs up all the way, and so they were underneath me. I did my best not to slide on them. The student was perfectly fine, with no scratch. You ask if I have a personal problem with someone; it looks like someone has a personal problem with me because posting that picture really isn't relevant to the initial question I asked. I'm sorry if my posts seem to have an agenda. That wasn't my intent. I have better things to do than make personal attacks on dz.com and I'm sure readers have better things to do than read that type of stuff. As stated in the beginning of the thread, I had some things on my mind and was hoping to get some productive response from other people. Stratostar, you sound like a respected jumper, and I don't have a problem with you. But I'd still like to know who you are. Do you mind filling your profile out or letting me know who you are? Thanks.

If someone's injury or age (young or old), doesn't interfere with their capacity to act as a capable instructor, then, of course, there's no reason why an instructor who had a previous injury shouldn't fly with a student. I'm talking about instructors who, for some reason or another, may not fly as well as they may have in the past. These instructors, IMHO, have no fucking business flying with a student. It would be nice if you filled out your profile a bit more so I can tell who I am talking to, btw.

Two incident stands out: an instructor lost his grip on his AFF student, which I suppose could happen to anyone, but he was both an older instructor who had several injuries that bothered him. His shoulder joint and neck got pulled on the exit. The student was left alone. In another incident, a tandem student had to land the canopy by himself because an instructor's old injury was aggravated during the jump and he couldn't reach up. I'm not suggesting "older" skydivers aren't as competent as others. The reverse is probably true. But when it comes to another person's life, instructors in questionable health, old or young, probably shouldn't jump with students. I just threw this out because it was on my mind. I as well as others have talked to instructors we were concerned about. Would you let you kid or spouse jump with someone who had health issues? I didn't mean to offend anyone--so I apologize if I did. To the person who asked who I got my ratings from: I got my Instructor ratings from Jay Stokes.