tombuch

So see, whatever. The important thing is to have a plan, and to communicate that plan so everybody works together. It's pretty easy when the staff is small and stable. It gets tougher when the DZ is large with full time and part time staff, and even harder if there are visiting instructors. But hey, we all know how to talk, and most of us know how to listen, so if there are any doubts, it should be pretty simple to do a quick brief before the skydive. That's an important part of the job that the student will never see. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

An AFF-I has a responsibility to stay with the student on a premature opening as best as possible. If that means a larger canopy, then so be it. I fly a Sabre 120 loaded at 1.6, and with rear risers I can stay pretty close to most students for at least a few thousand feet. At worst, I can stay close enough, long enough, to be recognized and to lead the way to a selected off airport field. I've used the technique a few times with AFF students who opened high (or who were opened high). A premature student opening is rare, but when a student has two instructors, one should open with the student on just about every jump, and certainly on a level 1. Not only does it help the student, but the instructor can often watch to see where the student is looking, and specifically what he/she is doing, at least for the first part of the canopy flight. Two AFF-I's doing RW after a level one really cheats the student. The same goes when both instructors smoke it down to make a back-to-back. We are supposed to be professionals and to place the needs of the student first on every jump. DZ's should still be teaching students to find their instructor and follow back to the airport in case of radio failure. It may be that the instructor is much lower (especially on a one JM skydive), but they should still know to look for the instructor. That's also an important skill to learn for future jumps when a jumper is more experienced and jumping at an unfamiliar airport. Finding other jumpers and following them back has saved my bacon a few times. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

That's some pretty terrible work by the AFF instructors. I don't want to speculate too much about the rotten exit and freefall because we all have troubles now and then. However, I'm especially bothered by the 15 seconds that transpired between when the student opened, and the instructors broke off from their insanely stupid two person geek-the-camera effort, and I wonder when the instructors actually opened. Ideally, in that kind of situation, one instructor should have cleared his/her airspace as soon as the student was opened, and then dumped quickly to remain close to the students altitude and assist with parachute navigation and selection of an alternate landing area, if needed. The other instructor should bee-line to the ground to clue in the radio operator and prepare to pick the student up at an off field landing location if that becomes necessary. A student in that kind of situation will generally be panicked after opening and will really benefit from seeing the instructors canopy nearby. Did that part of the jump bother anybody else? It's bad enough that instructors these days are jumping such tiny parachutes that they can't stay up with a student under canopy, but they should at least try. Especially on a level 1 that went to garbage on the exit. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

For a novice, or somebody who had never flown a balloon suit, that would be a good observation. However, Gary has been jumping forever, and has some prior experience with the suit from back in the day. Plus, he is a tandem instructor examiner with tons of tandem experience and demonstrated good judgment. Flying "near" a tandem can mean different things to different people. My sense is that Gary began a considerable distance away, and simply used the tandem as a reference point. Knowing what I do about flight experience and balloon suits, there probably wasn't ever a conflict. A balloon suit is pretty fun to fly, has tons of lift, and good tracking performance, but it is a tough suit to fly close to other people because reaching really shoves you back. And, as you approach a formation even without reaching it feels like the burble crates a wall of air that you need to aggressively push through. Heck, if you are trying to dock on a balloon suit while wearing a regular suit you will feel the wall of air around the formation as you make your approach. The other thing worthy of note is that if you are lurking above a balloon suit the burble is much bigger and more pronounced, and it's easy to crash onto the formation. None of those issue apply if you are lurking a short distance from a tandem. For those who have flown an inflatable wing suit, a balloon suit is pretty similar. My sense of the difference is that the wing suit is designed for aerodynamic performance, while the balloon suit is designed to just fill with air and slow you down, without any real aerodynamic advantage. It's a sloppy suit to fly, but pretty fun. It was all the rage in the late 70's or early 80's, until FliteSuit came out with their Standardized Fall Rate jump suits and RWer's transitioned to faster relative fall rates. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I bought my seal and press from ParaGear, and the symbol fits on a typical seal, but it's close. It seems that it should be the responsibility of the vendor to make sure the symbol fits on a seal. Perhaps they need to sell a bigger lead seal blank, or perhaps they need to make the seal impression a bit smaller. In either case, it doesn't seem to be a problem with the FAA issuing combinations that don't work. Try contacting the vendor that produced your seal press to see what they can do. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yup. I was given a choice of about ten in a numerical string. I picked the middle option...S55 (that's sierra fifty five). It just looks cool to me. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Not at all. An LOA simply sets up responsibilities and expectations on both sides. In many cases an LOA is designed to assist in communication and hand-offs between various sectors or agencies such as when a jump plane climbs out of Approach airspace into Center airspace. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Both the five minute call, and a call to advise that the last jumper has left the aircraft are required by 105.13. Many operations also have a Letter of Agreement with ATC that specifies additional radio calls, for example a two minute call on one or more frequencies, call when last parachutist lands, or a call on the public UNICOM frequency. Radio calls should be clear and specific. For example, a call such as "jumping in progress at Freefall Adventures" means nothing to a transient pilot, while "Skydiving in two minutes over Scottsdale Airport, 10,000 and below" provides much more detail, and a better fix on exactly where the jumping is taking place. As the first poster suggested in his question, radio calls are an important safety element, and jumpers should expect pilots to use good radio procedures. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It's on the left side of the table of contents. The prohibition on providing an image to competing magazines is a standard in the publishing industry. In this case both Parachutist and Skydiving endeavor to provide their subscribers with original content. In my experience, both are very clear about that, and prohibit an author/photographer from serving other publications with identical or near identical material. As a reader of both publications I appreciate that effort. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Interesting photo selection of freeflyers chunking an exit from an Otter over Skydive Chicago. It's the same shot used in a centerfold in the August Skydiving Magazine. ...just something I noticed. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

There was a request in a thread in the Incidents Forum that I post a handout of five questions to improve ethical decision making. The handout is designed to help Coaches and Instructors to better evaluate decisions, and improve the quality of those decisions. Too often when we make decisions we think about "the moment," but we should really pull back and think in broader terms. So, These are my five suggested questions to build ethical decision making: 1) Does the decision make sense? 2) Is the decision in the best interest of the student? 3) Is the decision ‘by the book,’ and can I defend it to regulatory professionals? 4) Can I defend the decision to an injured student or his survivors? 5) Can I defend decision to a jury of lay people? Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Bad idea. It's much more fun to grab the offender with a lasso, then drag him kicking and screaming to his appointment with the bullet. The Tazer is too politically correct, and there is actually a small chance that the electric shock could kill him prematurely. On a serious note, I'm glad to hear the DZO listened and understood, and was willing to change his program to meet the concerns of his customers. That's exactly how the system should work, and I'd say you are both due a virtual pat on the back for making the effort. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Not bad at all. The only thing I would add is that you should be more aware of the spot before you get to the door. It was your first Otter jump, so I know you were probably pretty anxious, and probably tripping on the coolness of the whole thing. Next time, as the plane is lining up on jump run take a look out the windows. You can (and should) do that no matter where you are in the exit order, or which side of the plane you are on. After some experience you will begin to recognize big landmarks, and most of your "spotting" will be completed before you reach the door. That gives you a big heads up as to how close you are to the actual spot, what the line of flight is, and how far from the DZ you will be. Early spotting helps jumpers to make it back to the airport, and that's really the topic of this thread. So, congrats on jumping the Otter, and on handling an off field landing so well. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Sweet! Give the kid credit for testicular fortitude! A couple of years ago I did my 25 year anniversary jump on on old T-10 with a belly wart reserve. There was lots of interest around the DZ, and a swarm of terrified younger jumpers who stood back and watched. It was a bit stressful for an oldtimer, but at least I had confidence in the equipment. For a young kid it's gotta be crazy frightening. Oh yeah, one other thing...it's also pretty fun! Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It does not seem to be spelled out in the Governance Manual. See it at http://www.uspa.org/publications/manuals.htm. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Go to http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php and read article 16, "Survival Strategies, Off Airport Landings." It's a short piece I wrote for The Ranch web site after statistics showed a disproportionate number of injuries occurred with off field landings. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

To all: Ya know, the integrity of the entire aviation system is based on compliance. As a jumper I have no way to evaluate the performance of an operator, and trust the FAA to do that for me. If mandatory incident and accident reports are not made, then the FAA can’t do their job, and as a user I am left in the dark. When an operator refuses to report an incident, they corrupt the system that the rest of us depend on. That’s a big deal. It hurts us all. At this point plenty of people know something probably happened at Texas Skydiving in Lexington, Texas. Interestingly, Texas Skydiving is not listed on the USPA site as a member. They do have a web site at: http://www.austinskydiving.com/, and although the banner on the site says they are “Texas Skydiving” the “About Us” page uses the names “Texas Skydiving” and “Austin Skydiving” interchangeably. The “Staff” subhead says they are “affiliated” with Skydive University, but the Skydive University site does not include them as a campus location. This DZ may have some SDU coaches on staff, but using the term “affiliated” seems like a stretch. I think the first line of questioning should be to contact the DZ at 979-773-9100. Once that’s done, or if folks choose not to make that call, an alternative is to contact the FAA directly and ask them to begin an investigation. That’s not snitching. It’s protecting the system that protects us all. Making a citizens report to the FAA is pretty easy stuff…There is reasonable grounds to know the aircraft involved, the operator involved, the date of the incident, the extent of the damage, and that two injured passengers were treated at a local hospital. The FAA can take it from there. They are usually willing to hear from a citizen on an anonymous basis. Typically, the inspector will offer to keep things anonymous as the conversation begins, but if he feels he needs to put you on the record he will tell you when the conversation reaches that point, and allow you to discontinue. Lexington is just northeast of Austin, and is covered by the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Houston. They can be reached by phone at 281-929-7000, or 888-285-2127. There is also an email notification form on their web site under the “Contact” link available at http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/hou/contact/. So, with that information, there is a good deal of cover for anybody who chooses to contact the FAA. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It's not really a safety problem. It does add the risk of cigarette burns in the canopy, but they are small and won't kill you. Cigarette holes degrade the rig, but it would take a pretty huge hole to create a safety hazard. In a subsequent post you mention you use a rented school rig, so I wouldn't worry so much about the actual damage. On the other hand, I would not allow him to pack my own rig, nor would I pack my rig near a smoker. When it's my own gear, any damage or potential for damage is too much. Allowing smoking in a packing area is very bad form, and would make me question the rest of the operation. I'd also look at the issue of second hand smoke, and the disrespect the packer is showing to everybody in the packing area. As a customer I'm like you and really hate cigarette smoke and I avoid places where I'm likely to encounter it. From your description, it sounds like this drop zone has serious problems with customer service. I'll also note that allowing a non rigger to pack student gear can be a safety risk unless he is very well trained and supervised. There are some terrific packers without rigger certificates, and actually jumping isn't a requirement to get a rigger certificate, so don't use this issue as a stand-alone reason to go elsewhere. But, it is a red flag. My thinking here is that you should probably investigate other drop zones. You may decide to stay where you are, but it might be worth traveling a bit further to find a better DZ. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Awesome work, and terrific solutions! Gosh, there are tons of things I'd like to see the FAA include in that AC to clarify some of the regulations. Any idea how to get their attention and suggest inclusions? Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I'll take a quick stab at this one and agree with you. First time jumpers are often afraid, and it is the instructors responsibility to make sure all the questions have been answered and the student is ready to jump before boarding the airplane. That's his job. Obviously, the student has responsibility here too, but students are often afraid to make waves, and it is up to the instructor to identify problems before jumping. In your case it sounds like you have been freightened about the jump for a while, and your instructor should have picked up on that and given you whatever time and attention you needed (within reason). The issue with the rig probably wasn't a big deal. Most likely it's a rig that can be used by experienced jumpers or students, and the handle you needed wasn't included because the pack job was intended for an experienced jumper. Your instructor should have held his thoughts to himself, but once he identified the problem out loud he should have been much clearer regarding what the problem was, and should have done whatever was necessary to address your fear, including getting another rig or repacking ti with you watching. Too often instructors forget that students are always scared to some degree. Part of our job is to impart information, but another really important part of the job is handling the psychology of fear, and helping our students to master their emotions.Your instructor really let you down in this case. It sounds like you didn't fully raise your concerns at the time, so I can't find fault with the payment issue, but hopefully if you go back the DZ will assign an instructor who is better at customer relations, and they will cut you a financial break on a replacement jump. I also hope your instructor recognizes himself in your post and thinks about how he can improve his student training. We all make mistakes, but good instructors learn from their mistakes, and become better instructors. Good luck. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

See Article 19 "Jumping Near Clouds" on The Ranch web site at: http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. It's an article I wrote about a year or two ago outlining why cloud jumps are a problem in the United States. The key thing to keep in mind is that the airspace belongs to the public, and it is our obligation to "see and avoid" other traffic. That isn't possible if clouds obstruct the ground. As a quick example, lets assume there is a cloud layer at 6,000 feet with a hole two miles wide (that's 10,560 feet). It is certainly possible to maintain minimum cloud clearance requirements by jumping through the center of the hole. In fact, we need just 2,000 feet of horizontal distance at that altitude (in most US domestic airspace). Now lets think of a small airplane traveling at 120 mph at 2,000 feet. That airplane will cover two miles every minute. Let's assume we clear the airspace within the hole, and then immediately jump, with a parachute opening at 4,000 feet. We will spend approximately one minute in freefall, and then two minutes under canopy before reaching 2,000 feet. The small airplane could have easily been six miles away and blocked by the cloud layer when we jumped. The jump would have been legal under the minimum distance requirement, but would have created a hazard, and might be considered a violation for that reason. For a discussion of where traffic might be, and where we need to look to clear our airspace, see Article 1, "Checking For Traffic" at the above mentioned web site. If you are interested in the FAA regulations in the United States, take a look at Article 13 "FAA Regulations Applied." Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

In my early years I did that too. It really helped. As I amassed more jumps my logbook entries became more limited, and didn't require signatures. At that point I began leaving my logbook at home, and made up a scrap list of jumps and detail with me at the DZ. After each weekend I'd transfer the notes (with any additions) to the home logbook. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It shouldn't be a huge deal. All of your student jumps should be on a master log maintained by the school, or worst case, just in your instructor's logbook. The school should be able to reconstruct all of that. You personal jumps after the student program may or may not be in a permanent drop zone manifest. If they are, it's easy to add them to a new book. If not, you could try to find folks who you have made jumps with and ask them to help reconstruct your logbook. The student jumps need to be signed off by an instructor, the others should be signed off by a licensed jumper. It can be pretty casual. Again, don't sweat it too much. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Ask the pilot to show you a weight and balance calculation for that airplane and configuration. Start by asking for weight and balance for takeoff as you normally sit, then ask him to compute weight and balance for a normal exit, and finally the exit you are asking about. He should be able to show that the aircraft is always operated within the weight and balance parameters established by the manufacturer. I doubt he can do that. In fact, I doubt many skydiving aircraft are balanced at exit. Also, ask him about the disturbed airflow over the tail when there are people standing outside the door, and ask him what that does to his stall speeds. A competent pilot should be able to discuss these issues with you, and should be able to present detailed weight and balance data, with a clear understanding of how that affects the performance of the aircraft. If the aircraft is being operated outside of the manufacturers limits you should know that, and you should know how that changes the risk of the operation. ...something to think about. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy