GLIDEANGLE

Is there supposed to be an image attached? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hmmmm..... A technical manual which is written like a technical manual. How strange! If the SIM were written the way that you propose, it would be far less easy to use as a reference and much harder to edit. As a professional educator, my suspicion is that re-writing would NOT help. I suspect that the readers' literacy issues causing this "difficulty" would also impair their ability to read AND UNDERSTAND a narrative style manual. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Sorry to hear that! I am exactly 5 weeks post a sub-talar dislocation with spontaneous reduction following a landing that should have been just fine. Translation: I screwed up an otherwise fine landing and really badly sprained the joint BELOW the ankle (within the foot). No fractures, no joint instability (so we assume no ligament ruptures). My biggest problem NOW is swelling. Lots and lots of swelling that makes it hard to do the stretching & strengthening exercises that I need. Yep, five weeks post injury I still have a tree trunk for a leg... Given your login name, I suspect that age is NOT on your side. You may have a long recovery. Sorry. Wish you the best. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is a challenge for you. Why don't you test yourself against the PERFORMANCE criteria in the article below to see if you are ready to downsize. The move to crossbraced is a whole separate issue. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=47 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

A relatively simple way for USPA to increase jumpers' exposure to more canopy skill practice would be to move all the tasks from the "canopy proficiency card" to the requirements for various licenses. Some of those tasks might go best on the A-lic requirements, others might fit best on the B-license requirements. I made this suggestion to the USPA last year (staff Dir of S&T; chair of S&T committee, & my regional director). I have heard nothing more about it since then. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I agree. One part of the problem is that the current incident reporting system doesn't capture all the incidents. I suspect that a non-injury, non-fatality canopy collision would probably not be reported to USPA. Heck, even if there were injuries, it might not be reported. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

No. Even a rated coach cannot initial the proficiency card. What you can do is help the student log very clearly what was done on the jump and sign the logbook. Then, walk them over to an instructor with logbook and card. If you have a reputation for being a good and honest jumper, it is pretty likely that the instructor will initial the card. For more details see the most recent edition of the USPA Professional on the USPA website. I would send you a link to it but I'm having Internet problems today. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Regarding coached or not: If you are in training at Deland... walk over to the Skydive University folks and chat with them about coached jumps... I think it might change your perspecive on coached jumps. They may be able to connect you with a SDU coach near you. If you must jump solo: Solo freefall can be fun for a couple of times, but you aren't going to make much progress on RW skills that way. On the other hand... solo Hop and Pops focusing on canopy skills can be quite valuable (and cheap). So far this year 75% of US skydiving fatalities have been due to canopy control issues. There is lots to practice: = Flat (braked) turns. It is hard to practice that too much! Try them with a differing depth of brakes, compare moving outside toggle up vs. inside toggle down. = Toggle Flares. Try different speeds of stroke to see different effects. = Rear riser turns with brakes stowed and unstowed. = Rear riser flares. = Stalls from brakes and rear risers. = Braked flight and it's effect on the "accuracy trick". = Upper wind assessment under canopy. = Accuracy. FOR ALL OF THESE EXERCISES: 1. Be sure you are above your decision altitude. (Except for accuracy landings and upper wind assessment.) 2. Be sure you have no traffic (check before EACH task). [Nearly 1/3 of all US skydiving deaths so far this year have been due to canopy collisions!] 3. Be sure you can navigate to the LZ safely. Get to your holding area first. 4. Chat with an instructor or coach as you plan each jump. There are hints about all of these that can be very helpful. Good Luck in your skydiving studies. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This weekend, 2-3 Oct 2010, Skydive Dallas is offering loads to 13,500 for $20/slot for licensed jumpers. This is a part of Customer Appreciation weekend. Usual retail price is $25/slot. Skydive Dallas has free load organizers every weekend and fine Texas hospitality all the time! Our planes are clean and fast, our pilots are great. Www.skydivedallas.com The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I have been an AFF instructor only a short while (~3 months; ~90 AFFI jumps). Things I have learned relevant to your question: AFFI course gives the candidate only the BEGINNING of what they need to know. The AFFI rating is sort of a "learners permit". I am lucky to work with wonderful experienced AFFIs who give me the continuing coaching I need. I have made more than my fair share of mistakes on AFF jumps. None of us is perfect, and mistakes of judgment or performance will occur. Dress for success (to match student fall rate). Struggling to get to a student who is above or below you is WAY MORE EXCITEMENT (and risk) than you want/need. I suspect that my greatest liability exposure is related to things outside my control: lousy student performance of EPs, or lousy landing technique....."You didn't teach me well enough". I have learned that every AFF jump is like a box of chocolates... You never know what you are going to get! I remember hearing a story about a wealthy jumper who stopped working as a AFFI due to his fear of being perceived as the deep pocket. I think you are prudent to ask this question, and I wish you the best, no matter what you decide. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Before the start of the psycho packing on the precision website video all that occured was a normal PRO pack. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Screw "s-folds"... Psycho pack! http://www.precision.aero/packing/mvc-002v.mpg The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Aye! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

0:0:0 "No hits, no runs, no errors" Still nursing a wicked sprained ankle from a stupid landing three weeks ago. Spent a lot of time re-reading lots of canopy control stuff, hoping it will help me keep from getting broken again. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

That us just a decorative dog collar. My dog wears a collar at the drop zone which is very useful.... http://www.bark4beer.com/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is the documnent you need.... from the USPA website: IRM Essentials (excerpts from the Instructional Rating Manual) http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Man_IRMEssentials_2009.pdf see page 54 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

If you are bored with belly flying already, that suggests that you haven't tried some of the more interesting stuff: Hoop jumps. After you get the basic hoop jump figured out I challenge you and nine others to attempt the Star Crest "SCSA" hoop jump. That is NOT boring. See if you can get folks to introduce you to some of the more interesting 4-way randoms and blocks. I bet that some of the outfacing docks and blocks with VERTICAL moves would prove to be interesting. See if you can get folks to introduce you to some of the challenging 4way exits. If memory serves me correctly, bipole-bipole is a handful. See if you can get some folks w/ 4way experience to put you on some mock 4-way competitive jumps.... Tough to be bored for most of those! P.S. The basic Dale Carnegie course or a few months of Toastmasters will go a long ways toward taking the edge off the "loaner" comfort zone. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is one approach to this issue: http://www.texaswingsuitacademy.com/index.php These folks put on free intro events. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I love my Skydive Dallas DZ family! As I write this I am sitting in the ER getting my hurt ankle attended to. I made a stupid landing error and briefly dislocated my ankle. After I got hurt I was cared for, doted on, and mothered by a large group of truly wonderful jumpers who went above and beyond. I am very fortunate to have so many wonderful friends. Thanks to all for your concern and help. Doc says no major fractures, but too swollen to know about the ligaments. I may have pulled a chip off a bone... The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hot tip for skydiving student: Smile, breathe, relax. Hot tip for coach candidate: Smile, breathe, relax. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Non-fatal/non-injury incidents are often NOT reported, while fatal incidents are heaving reported. Thus, many AAD saves probably are never reported. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

interesting reading on this issue: http://www.pia.com/piapubs/ServiceBulletins/SkydiverAdvisory3-31-2010.pdf The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Jump a Spectre w/ Dacron lines. It won't guarranteed you anything, but it is a notably soft opening set/up. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Three day weekend: 0:16:1 12 34-way jumps ..... Video debriefs can really suck. 1 fun 18 way 3 AFF L1s .... Two simple, one interesting. Beer for first formation load & first oxygen (we went to 17k AGL). Both occured on same load. That was the end of my summer break.... Back at work today The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

In addition to packing significantly smaller (~20% smaller in my experience), the surface is not nearly as slippery when new as conventional ZP fabric. It was a joy to pack. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!