DougH

They can revoke your manf. rating, I would say that is a pretty strong enforcement ability. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

What are you getting at? Are you implying that the rules set by the manufacturer are primarily motivated for legal reasons? That is asinine! The rules are mainly for the safety of the tandem instructor and passenger/student who doesn't fully understand the increased risks of including other jumpers on their skydive. If you don't cripple or injure the tandem pair you greatly reduce the risk of lawsuits. An uninjured healthy student doesn't normally have grounds to sue your skydiving equipment company. Bonus! There are plenty of jumpers who have the free fall skills, situational awareness, and intelligence to safely interact with a tandem at jump numbers well bellow the manufacturers recommendations. There are also plenty of jumpers that couldn't handle it at well past 500 jumps, hence the rating requirement. The rules try to set a bar for safety that limits the lower common denominator jumper. I don't directly give flying fuck about the manufacture getting sued, I care about keeping my tandem students safe, and I try to conduct my jumps in the safest way possible. It just so happens that keeping my students safe reduces lawsuits for me and them. Go figure. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I just tell them roughly what the manufacturers require: 500+ jumps Good RW Skill and Currency Instructors rating, of TI or AFF Then I tell them the about the fatality of the guy that collided with his mother and the tandem instructor on opening. They usually take it pretty well when they realize they could kill me & their friend that they want to jump with or themselves if things don't go to plan. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I have a 750 plus jumps on Aerodyne risers. Never had a toggle fire. I must be doing something wrong. I will complain that I do have one set of risers that are a little wide for the stainless slider grommets, and I have to carefully work them past the toggles. But the toggles are not getting bumped out by a descending slider! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

This is one of the reasons I don't base jump, I hold a CPA license and I want to ever be putting on my license renewal that I was arrested for criminal trespass. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Exactly! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Just more abuse of the justice system: Search as seizure of items that had nothing to do with the base rig. Skydiving rigs had nothing to do with the alleged crime. Xbox had nothing to do with it. They aren't drug dealers buying exotic sports cars with dirty money! Burglary? What did they attempt to steal other than freefall time? Charge them with trespass and creating a public disturbance and move the fuck on. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

FAA is under DOT. How does DOT use the phrase "hold a license" in other context? I have a feeling that they look to current status in other areas like CDL's. I do think the class III requirement is a bunch of bullshit. If the USPA was actually concerned about student safety they would be pushing for annual stress tests, drug tests, maybe an drogue interlock with a built in breathalyzer for our boozier tandem instructors. And we all need psych evals! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Thanks True!

So why does she keep taking it off? Hot guy working the drive through? ;) "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Interesting, does it impact how much you can arch? I have no statistic, but we have probably all heard second hand stories about people stalling out and reserve and breaking their backs because they landed on their reserve pack tray. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Not fair to brag and not share the recipe! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Lands on auto pilot? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Requiring staffers to be an LLC or corporation isn't typically for liability concerns. It's usually a DZO's way of substantiating to the IRS that they are contractors rather than employees. Well aware. Really I think the big hurdle is state workers compensation insurance rules, instead of just the employer's FICA %. If the state says that all employees must have workers compensation, and there are no commercially affordable solutions then you are stuck. I am a CPA that focuses on Corporate taxation. Despite what the local lawyer told the DZO, the IRS thinks that they are full of shit, regardless. I have heard 100 different ways to "structure" a contractor relationship. Rig rentals from the DZ, invoicing the instructor. If the numbers were big enough and there was an audit all of those things would be cast aside because the facts and circumstances are that we are almost always employees. It isn't a big issue for smaller drop zones because they are off the radar to some extent. But detection risk isn't the same as having a valid position! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I am no lawyer either, but I don't think any structure is going to offer much protection against lawsuits. Any vehicle you establish isn't going to be sufficiently capitalized, and you as the employee of that organization can be sued as well. Forming a corporation, and then hiring yourself isn't going to protect you from a lawsuit when you the employee has an accident with a customer. The best protection you can give yourself is doing things by the book, leaving safety margins. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Not uncommon. Just trying to build a case for us being "contractors". What sucks is many states have expensive minimum taxes for LLC's, and frustrating secretary of state registrations and fees. Would they settle for you getting an EIN? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Somewhere in a box containing my child hood I have some of the compilation books of all of his strips. I love going through them cover to cover when I was younger. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I wish you the best of luck Hannah. Funny things happen when personal values about equality meet with a business owners personal value for dollars. As a student I would have had no problem with a transgender tandem instructor. And based on my reading of many of my students I think that would be the norm. I do occasionally get young macho men who want to jump with a female instructor because they don't want to be "hooked up to some guys package", but they are far from the norm. Those are also the student who aren't scared, not nervous, and swim kick fight the exit, and so on. Those students are a pain in the ass, and they would be a pain in the ass if they were hooked up to the most beautiful female instructor, a bald middle aged man, or yourself. It is too bad none of the dzo's can just be honest to your face and off the record, they are worrying that you will make customers uncomfortable and that it will create negative word of mouth. But I am not a DZO faced with that choice. It is easy to arm chair quarterback on the interwebz. I would be happy to work with you, but I might bitch about you being too tall for the 182 and taking up too much room. Midgets like me a much better fit for 182 drogue chucking. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Can we make the troll go back under his bridge? What about the extreeeeeeeeeme stunt where you STFU and JUMP. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

We contributed to my friends shoulder surgery with a 8 or so person ball of shit. Everyone took grips in and under and around, and then we plopped out the otter like a big spit wad. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Huh? Was that supposed to say left hand, or are you jumping from something other than a 182 with a right side door? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

"Contractors" Probably would be less contractors if there were workable workers compensation solutions for instructors, or exemptions. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Thanks Chris. I absolutely love the setup. I made 8 jumps with it this weekend. Piece of cake to operate. The external buttons and the swivel are well worth the premium over all of the other products on the market. The door for chip and USB access are icing on the cake. Actual protection for your lenses. No need to use one button setting, which I personally think is a pain in the ass for turning the camera off in between clips. Hands down the best glove I have used, and the best available as far as I am concerned! I wouldn't want these new cameras in any other glove! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

C182 is a fixed gear with a nose wheel. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Thank you DSE! They are charging at the moment. Will get around to updating later tonight. Any idea on time to flash in the update? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P