GLIDEANGLE

I can't figure out how this info will help you. Pay close attention to all of your ground preps, and be confident on every jump. Telling you that "many students have trouble with XXX" will probably cause you more trouble than help. EVERY level has been a struggle for someone! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This should give you a start. Here is a quote from the Owner’s Manual For packing and Maintenance of Dual Hawk Tandem System http://www.strongparachutes.com/docs/Tandem/DHT_2012.pdf The expected service life of the Strong Enterprises Dual Hawk Tandem Parachute System components are as follows: Component Expected Service Life Harness/Container/Student Harness 2000 Jumps SET-400-366 main canopy 1200 Jumps Master and T520 main canopies 1200 Jumps Drogue 1200 Jumps Lines on main canopy 400 Jumps Master Reserve 20 Deployments Lines on reserve canopy 20 Deployments The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

No need to send supporting data to USPA. As long as the person signing your form is satisfied you are good to go. If your rating is

Why "wonder"? It only takes a moment to KNOW: From Vigil II Manual: When the user decides to ride down with the aircraft in lieu of jumping, the pilot must be advised of the status of your Vigil® to limit his descent rate according to the mode [less than 45mph (20m/sec) for “STUDENT” and less than 78mph (35m/sec) for “PRO” or “TANDEM”] and set activation altitude (this is especially important for Vigil® programmed in “STUDENT” mode). In these circumstances we recommend that the Vigil® be switched off, if possible The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

are you being sarcastic? I thought if you back out or weather bad everyone is supposed to turn off their AADs or else those puppies will fire open the reserves on the plane ride down See this discussion: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4557627#4557627 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

There are two entirely different questions which are relevant here: How to handle "STUDENT" mode AADs vs. How to handle modes "OTHER THAN" student. These are quotes from the Cypres2 manual: "If a jump plane is descending with students still on board, switch the Student CYPRES off before reaching 1500 ft (450 meters) above ground. If this is not possible, the descent rate of the plane must not exceed 1500 ft/min below 1500 feet above ground. Close open doors," "8.1 Important notes for jump pilots • A Student, Expert or Speed CYPRES will not work if the aircraft is exited before it reaches 1500 feet (450m) above the airfield takeoff elevation and 1500 feet (450m) above the intended dropzone elevation. In the case of a Tandem CYPRES 3000 feet (900m) has to be reached. • Never descend to an altitude below the airfield takeoff elevation. • If CYPRES has been adjusted to a dropzone elevation above airfield takeoff elevation and the aircraft has climbed above the intended dropzone elevation, it must not descend below the intended dropzone elevation again. • If CYPRES has been adjusted to a drop zone elevation altitude below the airfield takeoff elevation, the aircraft must not descend below the intended dropzone elevation. A simply rule: Never descend below the elevation of the takeoff airfield or the intended DZ! • When using an aircraft capable of pressurization, make sure that the cabin remains open when the turbines are started up. Leave a window, a door, or the ramp open a bit until after lift-off. It has to be ensured that the cabin pressure cannot build up above the air pressure on the ground. (Hint, skydivers altimeters should never go below „0“.) It is the skydiver‘s responsibility to make sure that jump pilots are informed of these circumstances that will interfere with the proper function of CYPRES. Should a jump pilot be unable to comply with these requirements, or should you discover after a jump that the requirements have not been met, you should switch CYPRES off and on again prior to the next jump. Note that the above conditions will only lead to a low, or no activation - therefore there is no risk of a high activation" Bottom line for Cypres: Turn off student mode AADs, don't turn off other AADs, pilot should know that jumpers are aboard and fly appropriately. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

When you visit to check out the DZs, make sure you are talking with the instructional staff...not the front desk staff. That can make a huge difference in situations like this. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I was a BAD student. I had a LOT of trouble with the transition from tracking to flare-wave-reach-pull. I would become unstable during this transition. I learned to slow down and breathe. I also had trouble getting the timing from break-off to pull correct. This resulted in pulling low. This was fixed by MANY repetitions of that whole sequence in walking drills on the ground. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

When you pay to see a movie in a theatre, do you expect to get a copy of the movie as part of the deal? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

It is also a key skill for CReW! Come fondle some nylon!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I strongly suggest that you simply do the coach jumps without "preparing". One of the key elements of the coach jumps is that you get additional supervision. That supervision can prevent dangerous things such as a novice tracking for 9 seconds. Depending on the direction you were headed, you may have tracked into the airspace of other groups. This can result in VERY dangerous collisions. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Some reserve canopies have reserve rided recorded on the canopy label. Have you checked that? PD reserve canopies have a place to log repacks and or rides. Simple repacks without ride are recorded as a slash " / ". Rides are recorded as an " X ". The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Relevant: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4467914#4467914 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Look at the horizon! Look at the horizon! Look at the horizon! Look at the horizon! Any questions? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Skydive Dallas is significantly closer to you than Spaceland. We have two turbine AC, GREAT load organizers, nice LZ and alternates, "Howdy" hospitality, and good times after dark. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

That is pretty likely what will happen. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I found the written exam prep for the parachute rigger exam here to be VERY helpful. I loaded it on my phone and tablet, and was able to review wherever I was. http://www.checkride.com/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

You might find this relevant about bifocals. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4549469#4549469 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This is probably what you are looking for: New Jumper/Winter Weather Reading: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4052172#4052172 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I would approach ANY of those cram courses as simply "finishing school" or "exam prep". Before arrival, I would have read all the relevant books and done: - the 20 reserve re-packs (including both round and ram-air) - sewing (patches and comfort with sewing machines) - finger trapping - grommet removal & installation I have no doubt that these courses cover this stuff... but you are investing a lot of time and money for these courses, so it only makes sense to be ready to take maximum advantage of the investment. By being well prepared, you will be primed to get the most out of the course. Even if they make you re-do the 20 pack jobs... it will be SO much easier if you already have that practice! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Eloy (Skydive Arizona) holds B-license weekends with a canopy course, water training, and written exam. Last time I looked it appeared that they were doing this roughly monthly. Actual water jumps are mighty rare... they are a real gear challenge. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

We schedule the first jump on the same day. HOWEVER, if WX or student preference dictates, we readily re-scheudle for another day. In addition to all the good educational and psychological reasons cited above, there is another advantage to delay..... FATIGUE. For many students, the FJC is all that they have energy for in one day. Also, sometimes it is a blessing for the insructors if the FJC students defer to another day, because the instructors are fatigued by the end of the day too! Being dog tired, hungry, and ready for , is a tough time to take up a fatigued, nervous nelly of a L1 student. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I wear powerful spectacles inside my G3 and I have NO distortion problems. I love my G3. My wife loves her G3. My favorite tunnel coach loves his G3. Both my wife and I have taken blows to the helmet which should have hurt us but didn't. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

If you end up using bifocals spectacles, consider this: I found that I had far less trouble reading my altimeter when I had old fashioned "lined" bifocals than when I switched to "no-line" (progressive) bifocals. I am pretty sure that the reason for that is that the portion of the lens which is usable for corrected near vision is HUGE on lined bifocals as opposed to the tiny strip on progressives. As such, it was hard to get that tiny bit of clear near vision lined up with my altimeter in the brief moment I had to look at my altimeter while doing busy relative work skydives. My solution was to move to a digital altimeter which has HUGE digits on it. Further, if you intend to get an electronic altimeter with a LCD screen....DON'T get polarized lenses! If you line the polarized lenses up just right.... you won't be able to read the LCD screen. I use eyeglasses and a full face helmet without any difficulty. The glasses I wear are sport glasses which sit very close to my face (as opposed to sticking out at the corners (hinges). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=585697#585697 http://www.usapr.com/ http://www.paraloft.com/Riggers_course.htm http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/media/FAA-H-8083-17.pdf http://www.para-concepts.com/RiggingCourse/ http://skydivingservices.net/index.php?page=rigging_instruction http://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/senior-rigger-certification-school The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!