tombuch

Yup, it sure is, but it does happen. Even really good pilots make mistakes. I remember loading a Twin Otter several years ago with the tail gust lock in place. The pilot was terrific, but he was rushed and made a simple and easily preventable mistake that could have cost 23 lives. Pulling the gust lock was easy, and was followed by a quick walk-around and a full run up. I doubt the pilot ever made that mistake again. The cost of this AD is estimated by the FAA to be $1,605 per aircraft, based on a part cost of $1,125, and six hours of total labor...the labor component seems high to me, and I'm guessing operators with their own in-house maintenance programs will not spend as much time on the change. I don't like the idea of the FAA telling me what I can and must do with my own aircraft, but this is a case where members of the public are being flown in a turbine powered aircraft. AOPA made a good point that an informational bulletin might have been a better option than an AD, but the FAA declined to rule that way. The cost of this AD seems reasonable, and I hope all operators comply quickly. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

You mean 'Direct Supervision' doesn't mean somewhere on site like the packers tell me?! See a feature I wrote on this topic for The Ranch S&TA page at: http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. It's article 11, called "Who Can Pack a Main Parachute." Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Your profile says you are a cheerleader (I think). Ask how skydiving is like or unlike cheerleading (I'm serious about that, the objective should be to have him help you relate skydiving to other things you do in life). Or... How safe is this sport? What are the three things that cause the most injuries in skydiving, and how can they be prevented? What are the three things that cause the most injuries among skydiving students, and how can they be prevented? What should I do if I stall the parachute too high? How low is too low to make hard turns? How about gentle turns? What do I do if I'm going to land off the airport? Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Nope. Minimum age for skydiving is 18 here. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I'll be happy to chat. I've been teaching skydiving for 25 years, teaching snowboarding for six years, and teaching fly fishing for three years. It;'s a tough way to make a living, but sure beats living in a cube farm Give me a call if you like at 802-824-4243 (that's in Vermont, in the Eastern Time Zone.) Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I broke my clavicle in a car accident and it took forever to get back in the air. The story was in the X-rays. In my case the fracture took about eight months to heal. I'm not a doctor, but apparently if the bone is actually broken apart (non-union) then surgery is recommended and it heals pretty fast. If the bone is just cracked, then it needs to heal on its own. If that takes too long then there are some therapies that can be used, or surgery might be recommended. Unfortunately insurance companies limit when those can be applied so it is a matter of waiting, not because it's really necessary, but because of insurance cost and limitations. It was very frustrating to know that if I was a star athlete, or just had tons of money to burn, there were ways to get better faster, but because I had a conventional insurance plan I was stuck with no options. It was especially annoying because an earlier accident left me with a couple of compressed vertebrae, a broken rib, broken wrist, and broken elbow, but I managed to get back in the air in about six weeks. I think my clavicle case was unusual. Most clavicle injuries seem to heal pretty fast. Good luck with it. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Nope. We should teach as much as reasonable possible on the very first tandem, and let the student know how easy it can be to learn this exciting sport. Often teaching material successful on the first jump is simply a matter of how it is approached and discussed under canopy. It needs to be simple, and in terms the student already understands. There is no need to get into theory, or geek out on technical stuff, but a good overview of what is happening will make the jump more enjoyable for the student, and will give them the satisfaction of understanding what is taking place. For example: (-that low turns are dangerous) "...Here we go, we will set up on a long approach straight ahead, using the grass as a runway, just like airplanes do." (-you would want to land upwind) "...And we'll steer the parachute over to this way for a bit, because we want to land facing into the wind whenever possible, that gives us the slowest and most comfortable landing." (-what the term "upwind" even means) ...No need to really discuss the term unless the student is a pilot or has some other aviation or sailing experience. It's plenty to just talk through what is being done, with a focus on steering and navigating so the landing is faced into the wind. None of that is complex, or overwhelming or demanding on either the student or instructor. It just takes a tiny bit of effort and a desire to teach. The first tandem is really an exposure event. If we can give the student simple information and get them involved they will be far more likely to return. And, when they make the next jump or take the ground school the experience of the first jump will provide the instructor with an analogous experience, and old knowledge to attach new knowledge to. Simple things like what the initial exit feels like and how to overcome the inevitable overload, what it feels like to pull a ripcord, what a parachute looks like, and what a slider is. How to pull a toggle, and what happens to the parachute when you do, how to find the drop zone from the air, and how to (and the importance of) keeping track of other canopies in the air. The importance of flying some kind of a pattern, and navigating from one place to another with intent, rather than just being blown randomly. Gosh, there is so much that can be taught at the introductory level if we just make a tiny little effort! If you take the USPA Coach course (or any good course on instructing) you will have a better idea of how people learn, and how we can structure our tandems to foster knowledge gain and return business. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Right on TK. Tandem jumps ought to be about teaching students and growing the sport. Too often we advertise tandems as carnival rides, and too often that’s the kind of student we get. But just ‘cause they come to make one jump, doesn’t mean we have to let them leave the airport feeling the same way. Magic happens when a good instructor creates a sense of accomplishment and belonging within the student. The same was true ‘back in the day when all we had available was static line. Heck, I made my first S/L jump in 1979 with no intention of ever making another. The experience was thrilling, and I quickly locked onto the challenge of making my first freefall (clear and pull). After that I just wanted to hit the mystical ten second delay, and then I focused on getting my license. Once I had my “A” I wanted to stick with the sport just long enough to fly a camera. I don’t know what happened after that, but somehow I amassed 4,800 jumps, 1,000 tandems, and a boatload of ratings and experiences. That was never the plan, but I had some great instructors who helped me to see the light, get motivated, and then stay motivated beginning with my very first jump. When a student comes out for that first tandem they often think of skydiving as something extreme, and way beyond their capabilities. A good instructor will let them pull the ripcord, and if necessary will help guide their hand and then praise whatever effort there was. The same is true of canopy flight. A good instructor will share the experience and let the student fly as much as possible without increasing the level of risk. A student who participates will be far more likely to return for jump number two, and maybe even jump number 4,801. And that’s what it’s all about. My instructors back in 1979 just wanted to create more playmates so they would have friends to fly with. The same should be true today. We should be teaching for the future, and not just hauling cargo for a couple of quick bucks. My hat’s off to all the dedicated instructors who place the student experience first, and who actively engage the student in as much of the jump as possible. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I'd have your rigger call the other rigger and discuss the issue. It may be that your rigger simply recognized the pack job as his own, and there is no evidence left that the last rigger didn't open it up. I'll throw another potential piece of the puzzle into the mix. Your profile says your reserve is a PD 150. PD has a label on the tail of the canopy with boxes that are supposed to be filled out with a slash or "X" at each repack so the owner/riggers can keep track of how many repacks have been done, and how many uses the reserve has had. Many riggers add a date or other marking in that box, so it's quite possible your rigger found a new repack date on the card, and his old date on the canopy. Check with your rigger again and see what gives him the idea the other rigger didn't do the promised work. In any event, I'd have your rigger do the initial follow-up, if he is willing, and not involve the FAA. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Good video. It looks like you had your landing location/run-out selected and you were being pressured by the guy walking on the left. Your response was to call out to him, and his response was to stop and give you a space to land. It all worked out well, and it looks like everybody did pretty much what they should. Your original point was that we need to be aware of what we are doing in the landing area after we land. Often we are so excited about the jump that we relax our guard, and you wanted to remind everybody that the action of a jumper on the ground can have an effect on an approaching jumper, and vice versa. I think you are right on here. When I land I immediately turn and face downwind to see the approaching canopies. Then I lift my frap hat on one side so I can hear better, and stow my breaks while staying put. Once I have identified every approaching canopy and I am sure I’m not a factor I will walk back to the packing area while maintaining awareness of the approach zone. If there is any doubt I stay in position so as not to be a moving target, or give an approaching jumper the impression that I am unaware. And I want to be looking in his direction, making eye contact if possible, so he knows I see him. I have seen some nasty collisions between landing and landed jumpers. The jumper on the ground has more options, and should yield to the flying jumper, but that doesn’t always happen. Too often the landed jumper isn’t paying any attention, or isn’t even looking in the direction of the approaching traffic. This stuff is all pretty easy to handle at a small Cessna DZ, but the landing zone is much more dynamic at a large drop zone. This is worth thinking about, and worth discussing, especially for jumpers transitioning from small DZ’s to larger ones. Thanks for opening the discussion topic. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

I don't see that question in my package of USPA questions for cat D. However, students in the United States should understand FAA regulations to the degree necessary to know when the operation is violating important FAR's. Too many dropzones fly with no fuel reserve, and that places jumpers at risk. It is very reasonable for students to learn that the pilot must carry enough fuel to reach his intended destination (back on the DZ) with 30 minutes of reserve in the daytime, or 45 minutes at night (FAR 91.151). There is never any excuse for a pilot running out of fuel, or flight planning with no reserve. If that happens at your DZ, the pilot needs to be retrained or replaced. You should be able to ask any jump pilot how much fuel he will burn on the intended flight to/from altitude, how much usable fuel he has in the tanks, and what his reserve will be upon landing. He should be able to answer those questions with certainty on every load. Fuel loads are notoriously difficult to measure on small Cessnas, so your pilot should check the tanks with a dip stick after every refueling, and if there is any question about how much fuel he has on board. The dip stick should be specific to the tanks being checked, or if it is a 'ruler' type device, there should be a clear conversion chart available. Likewise, your pilot should have accurate records of how much fuel he actually burns on a typical flight, and on a heavy flight to higher altitudes. You should be able to see all the records and should expect every one of your pilots to be able to explain fuel management to you in great detail. Don't try asking about most of that stuff on a busy Saturday afternoon, but rather in the morning or evening when the pilot has time to help educate you. If your pilots treat your questions as a burden, then you need new pilots. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

A paramedic should be able to start an IV, but in my state(s) he would need a standing order, that is he would need to be under the direction of a physician who has issued a general order that when a patient is in 'this' condition a paramedic can start an IV. With a standing order the physician doesn't need to be there and the paramedic doesn't even need to get specific permission because there is an agreement that if certain conditions are met, then the medical care provider can take specific actions. But that standing order requires that the paramedic (or EMT) be part of the local response system, that he be approved under a set of response protocols, and that he be part of an ongoing quality improvement program. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

As a former EMT and Safety and Training Adviser I agree with your concern. An IV should only be started with an order from a physician, by a person who is trained to do so, and performing under a QI program. If a drop zone has a physician who frequents the DZ then it might be reasonable to have the equipment he needs available, but I'd rather see him/her take charge of that and not leave IV's and other medical equipment around. The exception would be if an agreement has been reached with the local rescue squad/company, and they would like to have the equipment staged on site for first responders who arrive before the rig. And of course if a skydiving-physician is going to give orders on site, then he needs to be willing and able to do the work needed, and not just use his license to authorize somebody else to take action...I'm thinking of a podiatrist or another medical professional who doesn't deal with trauma on a regular basis trying to one-up the experienced emergency responders. I've seen that happen, and damn does it create a bunch of bad-will that takes years to recover from. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

QuoteAfter the first couple of AFF jumps, I have the students write in their own log books after the debrief. I start out by dictating what they write (which is exactly the same thing I have in the DZs master record of the student), and after a couple of those, I have them do it themselves, I'll read over it and add/change anything that would be important for the next instructor to know.Quote Terrific approach. That's the way I do it too, and it's the way my instructors handled my logbook way back in the '80's. The jump really belongs to the student, and so do the stories. I like to let them take charge of logbook entries after a few jumps, as long as the reports are accurate and will assist the next instructor. That helps both of us to identify weaknesses and strengths, and to establish a forward plan that makes sense to the student. Plus, it's way better for the student to read his own story and own handwriting 1,000 jumps later. My only real exception to this approach is when a jump involves a whole bunch of sign off matters that requires an instructor signature. Then I do the entry so the specifics are clear for all eternity. Otherwise, I like them to tell the story. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

As has been already posted, if BOTH the rig and reserve are TSO'd you will need to comply with FAA regulations, but if either or neither component is TSO'd you may comply with your home country regulations. For more information see an article I wrote here on Dropzone.com about repack requirements for foreign visitors to the US at: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=96 Uspa also has a good deal of information for visiting jumpers on their site at: http://uspa.org/USPAMembers/Membership/Travel/TotheUS/tabid/312/Default.aspx Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Perhaps this side-thread would be better in gear and rigging, or BASE. In any event... I'm no longer doing wing suit flight or BASE jumps, but my sense is that a wing suit flyer who is NOT traveling across the ground would have a tremendous burble. That probably isn't a problem for an aggressive flyer, but beginners might be placed in greater risk, and there may be times when an experienced flyer wants to deploy without horizontal speed. And I wonder what happens to the burble when the suit is stalled. Just my thoughts. Keep the discussion going. It's always worth reviewing what we have done when considering what we should do. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Clicky plus text. Wednesday, August 13, 2008 | 11:48 AM LA PORTE, TX (KTRK) -- The US Coast Guard is out on Galveston Bay looking for a parachutist. The search area is located near Sylvan Beach in La Porte. The Coast Guard is looking for a parachutist who may have been caught in strong winds and blown out into the bay. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

For sure go back and do another. Your body size/weight are well within range, so you are not the "fat" students that create headaches for instructors. It sounds like you have solid and reasonable goals, and every instructor I've ever worked with thinks that a good thing. Just make sure you tell the staff it's your second jump, and lay out your objectives so they can help you achieve them. So yeah, go back, do a bit more on the jump, and have fun! Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Hey Folks: I’ve recently announced that I’m running to serve as a State Representative in Vermont, and wanted to slip into this forum and introduce my campaign, and seek the support of the broader skydiving community. Many of you probably already know me, or at least know my writing from the Skydiving Forums (General, Safety and Training, Gear, Instructors, Incidents). I’ve been jumping for more than 25 years, have been rated as an instructor in every discipline recognized by USPA, and served as the Safety and Training Advisor at The Ranch for six years. These days I tend to jump at Vermont Skydiving Adventures…it’s a small and friendly Cessna drop zone, and one of just two DZ’s in the state of Vermont. I’ve made fifty BASE jumps and served as an organizer of the Bridge Day event from about 1985-1993, made wing suit jumps, camera jumps, and done some skysurfing. I’ve lived in New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, and traveled through all fifty states, and have jumped in many of them. As a skydiver, BASE jumper, and S&TA I’ve focused on allowing experienced skydivers personal freedom, while demanding that drop zones provide quality training and supervision to students and inexperienced jumpers until they can provide informed consent and make their own decisions. That’s a pretty good reflection of my approach to politics. That is, I think we have community interests and personal freedoms that need to be carefully balanced. I’m running as a moderate Democrat against a five term (10 year) Republican incumbent. This rural district includes five towns (Londonderry, Jamaica, Weston, Winhall, Stratton), touches on three counties (Windham, Windsor, Bennington), and covers more than 200 square miles. It’ll be a tough campaign. My focus is on reducing property taxes, creating a comprehensive state energy plan, and improving access to health care for all Vermonters. I come at politics from a position based on core values, holding that in the most prosperous nation on earth we shouldn’t allow our neighbors to starve for lack of food, freeze for lack of heat, or get sick and die for lack of medical care. I believe that as a state and nation we have a moral obligation to ensure each person’s basic human needs are met, while creating economic opportunity that will grow the economy. The decisions we make now will establish investment principles that will shape the future of our communities, state, and nation, and should be focused on building a strong economic foundation. It’s a tough time to think about helping our neighbors and investing in our future, but I believe that’s the only way we can compete in the larger global economy. I obviously have a background in drop zone politics, but more than that I’ve been serving as a Commissioner on a regional planning commission that covers 27 towns in Southeastern Vermont. I sit on the Project Review Committee and the Executive Board, and chair the Energy Committee. That experience has given me a good foundation in balancing growth issues, and in focusing on long range planning. I’d sure appreciate any support you can offer. Dollars help immensely. I have a page on MySpace that is now devoted to the campaign, and encourage you to check it out at www.MySpace.com/LifeOfTomBuchanan. My skydiving background is discussed under the “General” heading on the left. My life and political experience is covered on the right under the “Background” heading, and issues are about halfway down the page on the right. There is a more formal request for financial contributions up near the top of the page on the right under “Blog Entries.” You can also check out some of my writings as an S&TA on The Ranch web site at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php, and might be familiar with my book JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy. If you click my forum name “tombuch” to the left you can read all of my posts on this site going back to 2002, and if you are really into digging you can find my historical posts on the original rec.skydiving. If you know other jumpers who are interested in Vermont issues, or who might be willing to send a few dollars my way, please share this post. That especially goes for folks who are part of the skydiving community, but who don’t frequent this forum. Blue skies, Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Most of your hypothetical is nonsense, but I'll jump on the very first part because you are assuming the DZ "packed a mal." In your example the hypothetical main was packed by the drop zone (school), and not the person making the jump. The drop zone should be able to show the person who packed it was under the direct supervision of a rigger, and a specific rigger has taken responsibility for that pack job. If the fatality can be traced to the malfunction and the DZ can not show compliance with the FAR, then there may me a problem. That's why I'm such an advocate for having a local procedure in place that clearly establishes supervision. See an article I wrote for Parachutist in June 2002, and listed on The Ranch web site as "Article 11- Who Can Pack a Main Parachute" at http://theblueskyranch.com/STA.php. Specifically, if the main is to be jumped by somebody other than the person making the next jump, then the regulation appears to require some level of initial training, ongoing supervision, physical presence, and responsibility. I created a supervision record sheet that was included in a hard copy of the article at my DZ, and is attached to this post. The record sheet is NOT approved or required by the FAA, but rather is an example to assist in record keeping as a means of showing compliance. I know of very few drop zones that actually maintain written records of rigger oversight, but I hold that it is a good idea. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Buy it now. Jump it later. I'm guessing the jump suit has tons of material, and probably swoop cords in the arms to catch even more air. Back in the day we thought the best way to build formations was to slow everybody down, but especially slow down the biggest guys. That created some really slow and ugly jumpsuits. And some ugly formations as people tried to reach for grips. Crashes and funnels. Neat stuff. The jumpsuit you are looking at will probably not be appropriate for contemporary skydiving, but it will be a bunch of fun to play with when you have many more jumps and can maintain stability, especially through the pull sequence. I'd say it's a good play thing for $20.00. It will make a nice addition to your closet, and a nice conversation piece at the DZ. In a while it'll be a fun plaything too. But it will probably not be an appropraite jump suit for regular skydiving in the 2000's Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Humm, I guess we are opening an old thread again! I made my first jumps with the static line method and old T-10’s way back in the day. I jumpmastered direct bag and pilot chute assist static line jumps for years, and really thought the whole concept of IAD was insane…until I actually tried it. Back in the day when I learned and when static line training was developed, we used round parachutes. They deploy pretty well with a static line. Squares really don’t. That creates a potential increase in malfunctions, but as much, or perhaps more than that, it generates instability that makes it very difficult for the student to learn proper exit and deployment. A while back I decided to get my IAD rating as an add-on to my static line rating, pretty much just so I would have it. As part of that process I organized a combined static line/IAD course for our staff instructors who all had at least an AFF rating. To make that work we brought in another instructor to handle the IAD training, and then jumpmastered each other on both systems. I did five actual static line jumps with direct bag and five IAD’s, all in the student position. The key take-away was that when using the static line I was rocking and rolling and unstable throughout the exit and deployment sequence. It was just not possible to feel the air or control my body to any meaningful level. I tried doing some PRCP’s on the static line jumps, but it was nothing at all like an actual rip cord pull. The deployments all had some kind of line twists, and as I watched the parachute try to open I was actually worried at least a few times. The IAD’s, on the other hand, were smooth with very normal openings, and struck me as realistic training events. If the purpose of the jump is to train the student to become a skydiver, then a well managed IAD program is probably the best of the two. There are issues with potential tail strikes than can be prevented with proper instructor training, and the potential for a student to roll or grab the pilot chute, both of which can also be handled by the instructor. There are risks and benefits with both systems. If you are struggling with the decision, I suggest you make a few jumps using conventional static line rigging with a square, and then make some more with an IAD deployment. Think about how you will be using the program, who you will be training, and what you expect them to get out of the training. After experiencing both, my vote (and the vote of every experienced instructor in our dual training camp) was for IAD. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Nothing bad happened that I am aware of. I was able to chase the guy away until he got his medical situation under control, and as far as I know he didn't have any further problems. I do not know of any court cases involving a situation like this. My sense is that the drop zone should exercise reasonable care and not let somebody jump who they believe might have a medical problem, with or without a doctors note. In the case at my DZ the guy brought a doctors note, but because of my research we knew the doctor had been mislead. If something really bad happened, it might have been a big problem in court. In any event, when I'm evaluating a risk decision involving another person, I ask myself three things: 1) If something terrible happened and the student was injured, could I face that person and honestly say I did everything I could to protect his safety. 2) If something terrible happened and the student was killed, could I face his mother, father, wife, children, and honestly say I did everything I could to protect his safety. 3) If something terrible happened, could I face a jury of 12 lay people and honestly say I did everything i could to protect his safety, and be sufficiently convincing that they would believe me and respect my decision. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yup. We had a strange character in our AFF program who seemed to black out a few times on the airplane, and had troubles under canopy. Several instructors refused to jump with him. Finally one day he was unresponsive in the airplane and the instructor brought him down. The pilot radioed the problem to manifest so we could be ready with medical assistance. I met the airplane (as an EMT). The instructor confirmed that the student had completely blacked out and was not responsive, but the student denied that. It was apparent that he had recovered somewhat, but his pulse was fast, eyes glazed, and skin tone was slightly ashen. As S&TA I grounded him until he brought a note from his doctor. He returned later that day with a note from a local clinic saying he was fine. I contacted the clinic and explained the situation. The doctor said the guy had claimed he was drunk the night before and the problem was a simple hangover that had never happened before, and that he hadn't actually passed out. The doctor said he wouldn't have given the note if he knew what had actually happened. The DZO still didn't care, saying he had a doctors note and should be able to jump. Essentially I made enough of a stink about it so the guy went away for several weeks. When he returned his demeanor had changed significantly, and he didn't appear to pass out again. My sense is that he had a treated medical problem that he didn't want to talk about, and his medications had been adjusted. It was a serious issue. I lost a great deal of respect for the DZO over the way he handled it, and his willingness to let the guy keep jumping even though he had lied to the doctor about what had occured. One of the things I learned in researching the problem is that epilepsy can cause black outs, and that stress can trigger an attack. There are probably other medical conditions that can present with blackouts, and that can also be triggered by the stress of a student jump. Some are treatable, some may not be. I doubt its something like the harness being too tight...that can happen with some tandem student rigs, but it's not something I'd buy into on a persons eighth jump with a solo rig checked by an instructor. I'd suggest your student receive a full medical workup, and that he be very clear with his doctor about what happened. Your student should be as concerned about this as you are, and shouldn't want to jump again until he finds out what's wrong. If he approaches the incident differently, you should be worried. I wouldn't let him jump again until the problem is identified. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Yeah, and how come the other jumpers keep touching me in the dirt dives? Crap, that's so annoying. Can't they just keep their hands to themselves! Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy