tombuch

Great story. We often see accidents with no apparent cause...experienced jumper makes bone-headed mistake without any reasonable explanation. This story helps to shed some light on such accidents. Several years ago I was visiting a new drop zone and was just getting the beginnings of a head cold. The ceiling was at about 4,000 so I made a low jump. I did a standard 180 front riser turn to a deep straight in landing, but when I came out of the turn my head was a mess. I felt crazy dizzy, the ground was spinning super fast, and I couldn't focus on anything. I swore the parachute was still in a steep turn and I wanted to jerk down on the opposite toggle, but I knew both of my toggles were even and at full flight. I'm a commercial pilot and immediately recognized the issue as vertigo, probably related to the minor head cold, so I responded with a half break landing, sort of a PLF, and a slide. I was fine, but real shook-up. Suddenly I understood one of the reasons people may make really stupid low altitude turns. It probably doesn't happen much, but I'm sure there have been a few unexpected vertigo induced fatalities. Through the years I've encountered other crazy and unexpected medical problems, either in the first person, or among other experienced jumpers. Crazy stuff happens, and we always need to be ready to stay on the ground when confronting unexpected or unusual medical issues. Glad that you are OK, and that you made the right decision. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The class for tandem is generally very short, while the "AFF" course is comprehensive and includes navigation, malfunctions, body control, communication, etc. I think your plan is to get your Coach rating, and you need to sit through a class to complete the proficiency card. If that's the case, consider that a Coach handles students at all levels, and must be familiar with all the material taught in the school program. When you take the Coach Certification Course you will be expected to know enough about things like navigation, equipment inspection and assembly, packing, malfunctions, and freefall skills to teach those elements. The function of the sign-off on your proficiency card is to get you the experience to benefit from the certification course, and the experience you will need to actually teach. Thus, the course you must sit through for the sign-off is the long one. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

3,000 feet, as has already been correctly listed in several posts. Now, lets take that 'up' a bit in the process, and discuss break-off altitudes. According to USPA, break-offs should be at least 1,500 feet above the highest intended opening altitude for groups of five or fewer, and 2,000 feet above the highest intended opening for groups of six or more. In addition to those specifics, break off altitudes should be lifted when groups need additional separation time, or time to slow down from greater than 'flat' freefall speeds. Some jumpers may want to lift their opening altitudes to compensate for the possibility of a spinning or surging opening, or because they simply want additional time to deal with a potential malfunction. Selecting a break-off altitude is actually much more complicated than selecting the opening altitude. I've got the topic covered in an S&TA article on The Ranch web site. It's article 18 "Selecting a Break-Off Altitude" available at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The rigger who did the original pack job can simply open the reserve flaps, fix the toggle, and reclose. That doesn't extend your 120 day repack, but your rigger may be willing to do the fix for free as a matter of customer support. Talk with her about what she feels she needs to do, and what the charges will be. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I think it also depends on the student. Alert students who are in good physical condition, and responding well under canopy are better candidates for a stand-up. Students who are out of shape, distracted by surrounding events, or slow to respond to instructor commands are better suited for slide landings. My position has been to use the slide landing as the default, and if weather conditions and the student are a good fit, to consider the stand-up. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Of course it is! It just takes two Cessnas to make an SCR/SCS dive. Back in the day that was all the incentive we needed for two DZ's to pool their resources (two airplanes plus beer) and have a unified boogie so everybody could try to get on an eight-way. There is no reason that can't happen today! Be like a family and invite your relatives from the next town to join you for a weekend of skydiving style relative work. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Ahhh, so true. Last year I was speaking to about a hundred pilots at fly-in meeting 12 miles from my home drop zone. Most had no idea of the conflict issue, or the lack of GPS depiction. When we reached the question period a flight instructor from that airport asked what he should do about his student pilots who were being sent directly over our drop zone on their first cross country, and being asked to use our airport as a visual checkpoint. My jaw dropped at his ignorance...he was actually telling students to fly over our airport without regard to the hazardous activity. Damn! Of course the best part of my speech was that question period, and I was thankful for the opportunity to chat with the flight instructor, and the other pilots in the room. Without our meeting the flight instructor would have remained ignorant of our operation, and we would have remained ignorant of his ignorance. The two easy solutions: First, the students could flight plan around our airport, or second, the flight instructor could send them over the drop zone and use that solo flight as a great way to teach about drop zones. I told him we would be happy to have the student pilots fly over our field (it's their airspace too), but would really appreciate a radio call a couple of minutes out. I also asked that they identify themselves as student pilots so manifest would be tolerant and hold loads as necessary. Everybody wins! That's a cool solution, but it took real pilot outreach on the part of the drop zone, and a willingness for all users to work together to identify the problem and find a solution. Yesterday I was chatting with a military Blackhawk pilot who thought he was well informed about drop zones because he always checked for NOTAMS. Umm, not! Slightly different problem, but equally important. I think we need to know where the holes in the system are so we can improve our vigilance, and we need to work at plugging those holes. Pilot outreach should be a part of every drop zones risk management program so other members of the aviation community know who we are, where to find us, and what our activity is all about. That's the part about knowing where the holes are. Getting drop zones listed in GPS is a part of plugging those holes. Congrats on being named 2004 CFI of the Year! . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The Rigging Inovations web site is available at http://www.rigginginnovations.com/. Rigs made by this company include: Genera Talon Classic Pro Voodoo Telesis . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

That should happen. The plan is for one database to serve all needs. The paper charts are produced by a different part of the FAA than the the database, and it may take a while to get the update process going, but there is recognition that the data is old. That goes for the AFD as well. The FAA is happy to hear about accuracy issues on the paper charts. If you know of a problem, check the chart for FAA contact information and then give them a call. My New York sectional lists a toll free number of 800-626-3677, or an email address of 9-amc-aerochart@faa.gov. That's located in a box on the bottom of the backside of the chart, after all the special use airspace and frequencies listing. I had an issue years ago with the lack of a local frequency for The Ranch, and the folks at the charting office were happy to trace the problem and help resolve it. So, if there is a missing DZ or misplaced DZ, give them a call and get the local update process moving, at least for the paper chart. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Lots of questions, but most are already being handled as part of the standard notification process. I'll try to offer a very simplified overview. As with all things FAA, the devil is in the detail, and there is far too much detail to go into here. But briefly... A drop zone must file a NOTAM with flight service for each operating day. They may choose to file once for an entire season or year. Notices that are new are given out through a standard briefing process, either by phone or on computer. Standing notices are published every 56 days, and once published are no longer mentioned as part of a standard briefing. All instrument products are updated every 56 days, to include instrument charts and databases used for instrument navigation. Sectional charts are updated every six months. A pilot is expected to have the most current charts and information available while flying. Instrument pilots MUST have the most current charts and documents to fly under instrument conditions. GPS databases are updated by the FAA every 56 days as part of the standard process. That currently doesn't include drop zones because they are not in the database at all. Ideally, in the future, drop zones would be reported to the flight service station as they are now, and then included in the standard 56 day update. As long as the process is coordinated under an approved FAA program, the database manufacturers would have no special liability. So right now, there is already an advance reporting requirement for all drop zones, and a means of distributing both new and old data. That wouldn't change. The only difference is that there would be a new recipient on the distribution list. So from a GPS manufacturers perspective, drop zone data would be treated the same way they treat any other data. From a pilot perspective, the change would be transparent. Most VFR pilots probably don't have current databases right now, and that won't change. In fact, my GPS database hasn't been updated in about two years, so it won't display any changed frequencies, waypoints, or nav aids, nor would it include drop zones. I'm OK with that because I have a current sectional in the airplane, so the information is available to me in a paper format. I'm probably a very typical VFR pilot, but pilots that fly under IFR conditions will almost always carry the latest GPS database. What that means to us as jumpers is that there will always be older VFR-only GPS units out there that do not have the most current data, In fact, for a long while there will be GPS units that aren't even capable of displaying drop zones. That is a legacy isue that we need to contend with, and the longer it takes to get the manufacturers on board, the longer the legacy issue will be. I think your questions are good ones, especially for somebody who isn't a pilot, or familiar with the system. The issue of data integrity is a critical one that is being handled by the FAA, and it was that issue that held up the process at the Arinc level for a couple of meeting cycles. I think it has been resolved, and the process for managing the drop zone data has been established, or is in the process of being established under joint agreement between FAA and USPA. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I am responding here to a post in the Incidents forum about an airplane/skydiver near collision on April 6, 2006. The full thread is available at http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=2200533;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25; Eule: See my post earlier in the Incidents thread at http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2200868#2200868. USPA and FAA are working together to build an inclusive database of all domestic drop zones. That database will then be passed along to manufacturers, who will be pressured into writing code to display the new data. All the necessary standards are close to being established, but there are still a few bugs to work out. Getting drop zones displayed is an ongoing problem that will take time and resources, and is an issue that hopefully USPA is fully committed to advancing. I wrote an overview letter to the USPA Board of Directors on May 1, 2006 that covers the problem in detail, and asks for their support. A copy of that letter is attached. I have received several replies from directors, with most supporting the process, and most expressing appreciation for bringing the matter to their attention through an informative, base-line focused abstract. If you have a chance, let your own regional director know this issue is important to you. You can find their contact information (including email) at http://www.uspa.org/contact/bod.htm. All of the USPA directors should have received my May 2006 letter, and should now be well informed about the issue of digital/GPS presentation of drop zones. I'm comfortable they all support driving the process through USPA, and support the application of USPA resources for this project. Keep your eyes on the itineraries and minutes of BOD meetings for further updates regarding USPA involvement. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Very funny. I love the helmet cams! -tom buchanan

Very not true. Stewert is class D, and extends only five miles. The Ranch is 10 miles north and well outside of the Class D. We are instead in class "E" airspace with control provided only under IFR conditions, and then by approach controllers, not the tower. It's also important to know that we are directly below a federal airway, and most of our traffic is NOT related to Stewart. For more detail see article 8 called "AIRSPACE" on The Ranch web site at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. It includes sectional and enroute chart segments to give you an idea of where the class D ends. As for getting along with ATC...yup, we do have a good relationship with the SWF tower, as well as New York Approach and Boston Center, the two control agencies that we do deal with on every jump. On the negative side...At one point I asked to have The Ranch mentioned on the SWF ATIS broadcast for approaching pilots. The Tower Chief was supportive, but I think her efforts were thawrted by the controllers union which fell back on an old argument they used when there was a drop zone at Orange County airport. The argument is that controllers only handle traffic within the Class D, and providing notice of activity outside that airspace might obligate them to provide separation services beyond their current area. It's enough of a concern to keep a mention off the recorded ATIS. So, they fly blind to our drop zone. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It takes a ton of time to do each. I'd suggest one or the other for now, and add the second activity to your future "to do" list. Like you, I really wanted to be a pilot and skydiver, but couldn't afford the dollars and time for both. So, I started with a static line program, then did some parachute packing to pay for more skydives, then earned a series of instructor ratings, each helping to pay for more ratings, and more skydives. Finally my skydiving was generating positive summertime income, so I held that money separate from the money from my regular job, and used it exclusively for flying lessons. That approach carried me through private, instrument, commercial, and multi-engine ratings. You can do it all, but probably not at the same time. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

What-if questions are always hard to answer because the response from the FAA is so variable. In most cases the FAA won't even know about the problem, but if there is an accident the pencil packed reserve could become an issue for the pilot. Years ago a pilot flying a big airplane was violated by the FAA when a jumper had an out of date reserve. The pilot argued that he can't get up from the flight deck and visually check every jumper on every load. The FAA argued that the pilot is responsible, and that he could delegate the inspection to drop zone management. The violation stuck. That tells us that the FAA takes the responsibility to inspect rigs very seriously and expects more than just the say-so of the jumper---an actual inspection of some sort is needed, and in this case that responsibility for inspection was placed on the pilot. Since that ruling the FAR's have been changed to add joint responsibility to the drop zone owners, operators, riggers, instructors, and anybody else involved in the jump (see: http://theblueskyranch.com/sta/tb13.htm. I've checked many rigs in my time, and in most cases a pencil packed reserve can not be detected by looking at the card. In some cases, however, the name/seal number are obviously mismatched, the dates on the card don't make sense, or the signature is clearly different than other signatures on the card. I think that the FAA would require the drop zone to make a reasonable effort to ensure the rig is in date. If the card looks legit, it probably wouldn't trigger an enforcement action. If the card looks like a fake and a reasonable person could be expected to identify the problem, then I think the drop zone (and pilot) might be at risk of a violation. A casual review by the FAA might simply expect the drop zone to simply look at the card. A more complete review might look at how the card is processed, and what systems are used to ensure a rig is in date. I'll take the answer a bit further here...My drop zone keeps a computer record for each jumper. There is a place for the reserve repack date, so if the computer shows a rig is out of date, the jumper isn't allowed to manifest. The system has no way of determining if a jumper has more than one rig, so it becomes easy for a jumper to have one rig for manifest check-in, and additional rigs that he jumps but doesn't keep in date. If a jumper is caught with an out of date reserve in this case, the pilot (and drop zone) might be violated because the process is so sloppy that a reasonable person could evade it. I think a drop zone with a good inspection system is probably pretty safe from FAA action, but those that take the responsibility casually might be at risk (although the risk of a violation is still very low). The above looks at the full enforcement process, and the probable outcomes. It's also worth considering that anything that triggers an investigation or enforcement action creates trouble for the pilot and drop zone. Even if the FAA eventually decides not to violate the pilot, the suspicion and hassle are still pretty tough to deal with. So, don't pencil pack, and if you do, make it look absolutely real. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

My best advice is not to jump with any congestion at all. The pressure changes on a skydive can cause extreme ear pain and possible permanent damage. There is also a possibility of vertigo under canopy, and that could be a very serious problem if you are flying your own parachute (AFF, static line jumps), but isn't such a big deal for a tandem passenger. You said you have a respiratory infection, and that sounds way worse than "a cold." If you can downgrade your problem to a common cold, and your congestion is controlled with an over-the-counter drug such as Sudafed (doesn't make you drowsy), you might be able to try a tandem jump on Sunday. There will always be additional risk, but if the congestion isn't bothering you AT ALL, then it might be worth giving a tandem a shot. If you still have any problem with congestion on jump day, stay on the ground. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I think it is noise, but there is a message is to stay current and aware, and avoid complacency. When we have a weekend like this one I often think of the USPA Director of Safety and Training (currently Jim Crouch) who has to go into work every Monday and face those accidents, and the questions and investigations. That's a Kinda crappy way to start each week. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Good question. I don't know how long a list needs to be to be too long, but I know that after about 25 years my list is getting pretty close to that point. When I made my first jump back in the late 70's one of the other students was talking with an experienced jumper and asked if he knew anybody who had been killed in the sport. The guy said yeah, he had lost a friend, and that anybody who had been active in the sport for a while knew at least one person who had been killed skydiving. I thought that was crazy, and it was even crazier that I knew somebody, who knew somebody that died skydiving, but i was about to jump anyway. Today my list probably numbers around 20, including BASE jumpers. I have watched several die close up, struggled unsuccessfully to help a few and even got my EMT certification so those assists would be more successful, and heard reports of friends who died at a distance. It all sucks. But we go on. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Pretty much every balloon jump is like that. You take off not knowing where you will land and just sort of make it up as you go. I remember a very fun jump at the WFFC a bunch of years ago. The balloon took two loads. The first load got out many miles from the DZ, the balloon landed in a random field and was met by the chase crew. The second load got in and we took off, traveling even more miles from the DZ. We eventually got out a million miles from noplaceville, where none of the locals had ever heard of skydivers. It took quite a while for the chase crew to find us, and by then the locals had pulled out cameras and shot tons of photos of themselves with the visiting jumpers. We were definitely the toast of the town. It was a pretty cool jump in a very random way. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

For any jumpers at The Ranch in Gardiner, New York...I just received the attached notice regarding a TFR around West Point for a Presidential visit on Saturday morning. It will probably disrupt jumping. Check with The Ranch (845-255-9538) before getting up early on Saturday. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I have no direct experience with Chambersberg to share, but suggest that you take a few moments and compare several schools. Pick three or four in your general area and check their web sites. Then call each and chat with them about their programs. You should be able to get a good feel for the general character of the schools and will be better prepared to select a place for your training, or at least more comfortable with Chambersberg. I wrote a book called JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy a while back that offers a great overview of skydiving for folks like you who have never made a jump. It is designed to give you a solid background to assist in comparing different schools, and a package of questions you can ask when talking to them on the phone. It sounds like JUMP! might be what you are looking for. It was published by McGraw-Hill and is available at many local booksellers, and at a discount from Amazon.com. Have fun on your first skydive! . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Some good points overall in this thread about students and the Cypres. In this case the person using the Cypres had 70 jumps and was just borrowing a student rig. The original post suggested that folks at that level probably don't think a whole lot about the specifics of a STUDENT cypres because they generally use an expert Cypres that you can spin below 1,000 feet (traffic allowing). The point in the original post was a good one...when student gear is used by experienced jumpers, the staff should take a few minutes to review the things that make it special, different, or unique. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Original goal: Getting skydivers in the air at a reasonable level of risk. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I think off-the-shelf batteries are great in a helmet, iPod, flashlight, or anything else that isn't safety critical. An AAD is packed inside a reserve and MUST work when needed. Off the shelf batteries may be manufactured without any quality control. They may work, or they may not. They may leak, or they may not. A TSO'ed reserve parachute and harness/container are manufactured under a strict quality control program. All the advantages of that quality control are thrown out the window when untracked batteries are introduced into the container. The United States skydiving industry is asking the FAA to extend the reserve repack cycle at the same timie that new AAD's are being introduced to market without an approved quality control process, and no assurance of battery life, performance, or security. Now you may feel that's all fine, and you may choose to take the risk of cheap batteries in your AAD. But I consider the potential of DZ owners using cheap untested batteries in their student and tandem rigs. That really bothers me. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yup. The owner of the company actually came by The Ranch on our Safety Day and offered a presentation. It's a good looking AAD, but I'm still not keen on using off-the-shelf batteries, or the limited maintenance schedule at product launch. I had been concerned about the potential to accidentally change the opening setting for a different discipline, but that was cleared up at the presentation, and it doesn't bother me anymore. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy