tombuch

I don't think it's time to give up skydiving yet. Lots of folks panic at pull time, and most learn to adapt without too much trouble. If you are going to stay in the static line program, please do not do another clear and pull until you have successfully completed a couple of static line jumps with good practice pulls. An alternative would be a tandem progression so you have far less pressure or stress, and ample time to practice you pulls with an instructor on your back. Another alternative would be AFF. That's a bit more demanding, but also an effective way to make a jump with instructors, and more time to deal with the pull sequence. In any case, you might consider moving to a different drop zone that offers different progression methods, and that will spend the time helping you get over your fear at pull time. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

It's a good idea to assign a jumper to escort the observer and actually ride with him in the airplane, but not jump. That way there is always an experienced and responsible person supervising the non-jumper. There have been other cases of observers getting off the airplane after the flight and walking into the prop, so supervision is needed at all times. This level of supervision requires that an extra person be included on the flight just to supervise the observer. That's easy to do in an Otter, but it's tougher to give up the extra slot in a small Cessna. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

The easy answer is to exit a little less than a second after the first jumper. I'm going to approach the math from a slightly different perspective than rasmack, and do so without crazy symbols that those of us educated a long time ago in the American school system may not quite grasp. I'll discuss 100 feet of horizontal separation because it's an important concept to understand for general safety. Lets assume the airplane is a Cessna moving over the ground at about 80 miles per hour. There are 5,280 feet in a statute mile, so the airplane is covering 422,400 feet per hour (80 x 5,280). There are 60 minutes in an hour, so the airplane is covering 7,040 feet per minute (422,400 / 60). There are 60 seconds in a minute, so the airplane is covering 117 feet per second (7,040 / 60). So, if you wait about a second you will be just over 100 feet horizontally from the first jumper. Horizontal separation is an important concept to understand because horizontal separation is necessary to keep groups far enough apart so that they don't conflict with each other at opening. As you can see from the above example, a second doesn't provide much separation. Additional time will provide additional separation. Hopefully your instructor has already discussed how long to wait between groups to provide a safe buffer area. The actual time will vary depending on the airspeed of the plane, the wind (which defines ground speed), and the size/type of groups. I wrote an article for the S&TA area of The Ranch web site that discusses waiting between groups, and the distance an Otter will cover when traveling at 90 mph of airspeed in various wind conditions. It is available as article 15 at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php, but the graphics are not displaying correctly, so I've attached it as a Microsoft rtf file. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

FAR 91.211 requires oxygen for the flight crew for that portion of the flight in excess of 30 minutes above cabin pressures of 12,500 feet MSL. The required flight crew must use oxygen at all times above a cabin pressure altitude of 14,000 feet. Passengers must be provided with oxygen for the entire time above 15,000---passengers are not required to use it, but oxygen must be provided. The 30 minutes at 12,500 used to matter when we were mostly jumping from Cessnas and DC-3's. Now-a-days 14,000 is the legal limiting factor. At my drop zone we start at 340 feet MSL. If the Otter climbs above 13,660 the pilot is required to have oxygen...It's never enforced, and ATC doesn't seem to care, but we should all know what that regulation requires. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Check out http://www.passur.com/sites.htm. It's a cool site for a company that provides real time traffic maps of major airports. The maps can zoom from 10 miles to 80 miles, so if your drop zone is within 80 miles of a covered airport you can actually see the activity level overhead at any time. Covered airports include 3 in the LA area, San Jose, all the NY Port Authority airports, White Plains, Boston, Boca Ratan. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

If you have specific questions about specific equipment I'd suggest you ask a trusted rigger or your instructor. A reputable gear store is also a good information source. Sunshine Factory, Square 1 are both national dealers worth talking with, as are many of the others that advertise in Parachutist or Skydiving magazines. A great source of general information about skydiving is "Parachuting: The Skydivers Handbook" by Turoff and Poynter...it's considered the 'bible' of the sport. Another good book is "The Skydivers Survival Guide" by Emerson and Antebi. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Your questions are good ones. It does make sense to check out a DZ and their equipment before making your first skydive...you would do that for any other major purchase, right? Think of it like buying a new car...do the research so you can select the best training, and so that you will be comfortable with your decision. If you are in the Phoenix area, Skydive Arizona is a good choice, but I'd still suggest you do some research on your own. I'd suggest you call at least three drop zones and chat with them about their programs, prices, equipment, staff training, and safety records. Use the phone calls to get a feel for each operation and then make a comparison. If you have time, visit at least one before you sign up. I actually wrote a book for McGraw-Hill called JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy a few years ago that is loaded with information for beginners, and includes a set of questions that you could ask over the phone. It was really written as a consumer guide for selecting a drop zone. It's available at many bookshops, and at a discount from Amazon.com. Have fun with your training! . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I think the issue here is that the rig had a clearly bogus seal and the DZO wanted to know who had packed it so other potentially dangerous (or at least illegal) pack jobs could be taken off the market. If the jumper had said who had actually packed or sealed the rig I think the DZO wouldn't need to confiscate the rig. In this case, the hope is the loss of the rig will generate some honest answers from the jumper in question. If that happened in the US and I identified the bogus seal I'd expect an answer from the jumper. Absent that I would probably make an effort to confiscate the rig until the jumper provided the name of the person using the seal. If the jumper didn't like that approach I'd be happy to let him keep the rig and then call the police so they could figure out how to deal with his fraudulent use of a federal certification. I'd also pass word along to USPA and let the regional director decide how to handle it from an administrative perspective. I think the DZO is to be applauded for recognizing and dealing with the issue, and doing everything he can to identify who is using the seal. Yup, you can call me a dick, but I think using a bogus seal is being a dick to the pilot and the DZO. Using a bogus seal is illegal. It's that simple. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

That wasn't the intent. When the regulation was adopted I thought your read of the BSR was correct, so at that point I checked with the Director of Safety and Training and a USPA Director involved in the decision. They all said that the intent was to eliminate multiple backloops, freestyle, and high speeds, not one or two backloops on exit. That doesn't mean everybody agrees that one or two backloops are alright, but just that the directors didn't want to impose a significant limitation on the member drop zones (that means tandem factories). . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I teach snowboarding in the winter at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, and hold instructor certification from the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). Stratton is a high-end resort with some of the wealthiest clients in the northeast. I'll offer some quick comments. Skydiving helmets work when snowboarding (or skiing), and there are some similar helmets marketed to the general sports crowd. Use of this equipment is unusual in snowsports, but the video is good for training. Downside: the equipment is expensive, subject to damage in cold/wet snow conditions, and it requires edit space. The pay for snowsports instructors is a joke so they don't have gear that they are willing to put on slope with clients, and most resorts do not have much of a video budget. We do see some video training in advanced race and freestyle programs, but that's usually a handheld position that records each rider/skiier as they blast by a gate or feature. Some instructors and fun-riders do take their cameras on the mountain, and some use helmet mounts, but mostly it just for fun or their own use. I'd love to have video available for my clients, but it would require a real helmet that I could trust on the mountain (not an untested skydiving helmet), there would need to be a budget someplace to cover equipment damage from falls and the elements, there would need to be an editing resource available so the tape could be packaged for the client, and there would need to be an income stream to pay the instructor. My winter clients have the dollars, and they are willing to pay USD 90.00 for a 1-hour private lesson, or USD 400.00 per day for private instruction and coaching, but they are not clamoring for video. We have had a couple of instructors try to market the service on their own, and it falls flat. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Only prohibited if the speed of tandem droguefall is exceeded. One or two backloops are allowed under the BSR because excessive speeds are not achieved due to the sub-terminal exit, but a long series of backloops is not permitted. With that understood, consider the speed and control risks of multiple backloops. As has already been pointed out, a tailgate exit may naturally involve a loop (or two), but many DZO's don't like the process from conventional side door airplanes, and most manufacturers frown on aggressive loopers. It's may be fun for the instructor, but loops are pretty much missed by the student, and they add risk. I'll get some heat for saying this, but...tandem instructors who are bored by standard tandems and feel the need to add excitement "for the student" should probably find another line of work. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

But is it though? Belly to earth you only really have one person's surface area providing most of the drag and that can easily get to 180 mph drogueless. Whereas head down, you have two (in profile at least) plus the rig. You are probably close to correct. The point regarding speed is that tandem terminal is to be avoided with students unless there is a compelling reason to go there. That's true whatever the orientation. Tandem terminal is faster than a normal flatfly, and faster than droguefall. Speed alone is a problem, but adding the vertical orientation adds more problems than just speed, as noted in my previous post. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yup. There is much greater potential for instability if the student doesn't cooperate throughout the entire freefall. Side spins happen in freefall, and are a greater risk when freefall is extended with differing orientations. The extra speed increases the potential for a student (or instructor) freefall injury such as a shoulder dislocation. There is an increased risk of premature openings. If there are any problems with the drogue or drogue release, the tandem pair will already be at tandem terminal, and that increases the risks associated with either main or reserve openings. Head down is so much faster than flat freefall, and that loss of time requires faster emergency procedures on the bottom end. Deploying the drogue at tandem terminal reduces the life of that component and can cause catastrophic drogue failure. From the Sigma Manual: Tandem is really a teaching tool. While the risks of conventional tandem jumping are lower than other training methods, tandem jumping has more injuries and fatalities than amusement park rides, even under the best of circumstances. If the passenger wants to learn about skydiving, tandem is the best way to go. If the passenger wants a thrill ride, an amusement park is a better and safer option. The risks associated with tandem head-down are significant. A student is not capable of assessing those risks, and thus is not capable of offering an informed consent. I've done my share of tandems (rated on the Racer, Strong Dual Hawk, conventional Vector, and Sigma---about 1,000 tandems). I know it sometimes gets boring for the tandem instructor, but that is not a good reason to add risk to the student. It's far better to use the potential of freestyle or high speed jumps as a means of motivating a first jump student to complete the full training program, than to give those experiences away on a higher risk tandem. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Very much against the rules in the United States. In this country, the Basic Safety Regulations 2-1(E)(4)(e)(3) says: "Intentional back-to-earth or vertical orientations that cause tandem freefall speeds exceeding that of droguefall are prohibited." . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I can't seem to figure out which DZ this involves, but from the profiles of the people posting, it looks like it's in Illinois. If you received the email and wonder if it is legit, you could call the rigger directly. If that doesn't work, another alternative is to contact the local FAA GADO/FSDO. For the phone number, check http://faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/. Tomorrow is a weekday so they should be open, and it should be easy to confirm the nature of the problem pretty quickly. It's unlikely there will be any concrete information here until somebody has a chance to reach the rigger or the FAA in the morning. In the meantime, relax... . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

With that in mind... When a rigger packs a reserve here in the United States he is required to seal it with a thread and lead seal so that tampering can be identified. The same is true in many other countries. The BPA lists a specific method of sealing a reserve ripcord at http://www.bpa.org.uk/forms/docs/Form%20215%20-%20BPA%20Reserve%20Sealing%20Method.doc. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Check out this item http://www.orvis.com/store/product_choice.asp?pf_id=97RP&dir_id=758&group_id=10758&cat_id=10769&subcat_id=10770&feature_id=18 The link is for a CO2 inflatable that lives in a belt pack. It's made for boating, and sold here for fishing, but should do the trick. The cost is USD 80.00. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

You can get the seal number if you have the name, but I don't think there is a way to search for a seal number on the web. A call to the FSDO or GADO should do the trick, but that might drag the FAA into a problem when there isn't a problem. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Nope. Pins sometimes slide on their own. Sometimes they get moved by users when they do a pin check. Pin seating is one of those little things we should be checking before we use the rig. It's part of my morning pre-jump check, and when I see a tandem or student rig at the boarding area I always take a casual glance through the plastic window and check the pin seating. Maintenance issue like this are one of the reasons I don't want to see the repack cycle extended for commercial users. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Last hope rope? . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

As I read the regulations… Part 119 deals with Air Carriers and Commercial Operators, and prescribes the specific regulations that cover those operations (i.e. parts 121, 135). Skydiving operations hold out to the public, that is they serve a large number of unrelated individuals, and they charge a fee for those services. Skydiving SHOULD be considered a commercial operation and covered under part 135 EXCEPT that we have a very cool exclusion under part 119. Part 119(e)(b) excludes: “…Nonstop flights conducted within a 25-statute-mile radius of the airport of takeoff carrying persons or objects for the purpose of conducting intentional parachute operations….” If we fly further than 25 miles, we will no longer be covered by the exclusion, and would thus be regulated under part 135, a very stringent regulation for commercial operators. For the complete regulation see http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14tab_02.tpl. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Piggyback containers. Back in the day we had belly mounted reserves and backpack mains. You felt like a parachute sandwich. Ughh! Amazing that anybody stuck with the sport. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Start developing questions now. Think about the skydive and the information you have been given. read the lesson outlines (if provided). Certainly there are things you don't understand. Begin building a written list now. The next time you are at the DZ, start a session by asking your questions. It may be "Hey, when I exited last time I never saw the plane, how come?" or I know "I was told what to do if I was too far downwind, but I'm not real clear on the point...can you explain it again, specifically helping me figure out what to do in 'this' situation?" It might be a question like "I know you told me to fold the pilot chute this specific way, but why does it matter? What would happen if I messed that up?" Everybody is overwhelmed at first, and it takes a while to get over the intimidation factor. Much of that can happen away from the DZ when you really have time to review what you are learning. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yup. You do need the written test. I've had a few people going for the D license, and they need to take the B, C, and D tests. That can be a study challenge since some of the material is different on each exam (things like opening altitude, and what license authorizes what). I generally suggest they take one test, then study for the next and take it, then study for and take the final test. I'll be happy to give all the tests at once, but folks generally do better with an hour or so between exams to do some license-specific studying. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

My sense of the worst type of student is the one who isn't engaged, or engaging. By that I mean: 1) He isn't actively trying to learn the material, and needs to be spoon fed. A good student will listen, process the information, and ask reasonable questions or seek guidance when material isn't understood. 2) He is so quiet that it's impossible to get any read about what he is thinking (or if he is thinking). I like people, and it's just tough as heck to be working with a complete blank. Not productive, and not fun. It sounds like you were a good student. . Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy