Dminor1954

As I mentioned in my original posting, Kapowsin Sky Sports utilizes a door exit routine that all AFF students rigorously learns on the ground along with the required education that one receives as a student. This routine requires the student to enter-act with the JM's (2 one inside the aircraft and one outside) prior to exiting and insures through this exercise a means of non verbal communication, along with the verbal, safe exit for all envolved and final visual inspection of students equipment . Normally, one has enjoyed a tandem jump and decides to take the course. After, extensive ground instruction, equipment, emergency procedures, the drop zone, etc, etc, you're up and away. Now as we all know that first time you're getting ready to jump, all kinds of things are going through your mind. Heres the procedure used at Kapowsin. POSITION OF STUDENT AND JUMP MASTERS The reserve side JM steps outside the door of the aircraft. Then the student gets in place at the door. The Reserve side JM grips the students leg harness. The student gets in the door facing towards the front of the aircraft. He takes a crouched position (bent at the knees) one foot in front of the other, toes touching the door jam. The other foot (toes) touching the other heel. Main chute JM is inside the aircraft holding on to the students other leg harness. STUDENT INITIATES JUMP SEQUENCE: The student looks inside the aircraft to the Main Chute JM and Yells, " Checking In"! He waits to receive a thumbs up from JM. Student looks outside to the Reserve Chute JM and yells, "Checking Out". Student waits for thumbs up. Note: (This is performed so that reserve side JM can make final check of the air space outside the aircraft, as well as both JM's giving one final check of the students equipment. If all is good, we go). Student looks forward with head slightly outside the aircraft and yells, "Prop"! Student then yells up, while simultaneously moving his body up. Then student yells, "down", while simultaneously moving into a bent at he knees crouch. Then, "Arch"! Which is when the student side steps out of the aircraft in the Arched position, catching relative air. Both JM's are gripping both leg harness's of student Once the student and JM's are in stable flight the student looks at altimeter and Yells out the altitude to the reserve side JM, then the main chute side JM. Once this is accomplished then you can start your PRCP routine. This routine may seem at first as though its just something somebody came up with to be different from other DZ's. However, I have found this to be far from the truth. It really does focus the students mind on the task at hand. Remember, we might love to go out of the aircraft, but for someone who may be afraid of 13500ft. (most beginners) it forces you to perform under high stress environment. Even military personnel who have performed 100's of military static line jumps come out to learn and experience the thrill AFF, they all conclude the same thing. That it helps you focus. I hope that this helps you. Good Jumps Dminor

NickDG from my perspective you are right on the money! Rex was a friend of mine and had visited at my DZ on Saturday the 8th. I learned to skydive at Kapowsin Sky Sports in Washington State. Rex had just sat in on a safety review at my DZ on that Saturday, even though he wasn't going to be jumping that day. He discussed the program with our DZO who also is the NW Regional USPA Director & S&TA. I was privy to the conversation of our program vs STP at Spaceland, of which Rex was learning under. I frankly was shocked at the differences in just these two programs, where safety of the student is concerned. First of all having only 64 jumps myself, you can see I'm fairly new to the sport. However, even I as a beginner question some of this programs procedures. You indicated that these programs suffer from a systemic problem which has allowed for an increase in student deaths. With the little knowledge that I possess in this area, I might tend to agree. Heres why: First, while talking with Rex about his jumps (and he was on Level 5), he was amazed to find out that at Kapowsin, students jump with two (2) instructors holding on to them. He (Rex) said that he had always jumped with one instructor. I posed the question, "What if that instructor gets kicked by you and you knock him unconscious? Then what?". He hadn't really thought about it. Secondly, when I explained the door routine that students are required to perform prior to exit, he just gave me this bewildered look. I explained that these exercises help to focus your mind while in this stressed environment. Level five for us means that only one instructor exits the plane holding on to the student. One practice pull, two toe taps, then the instructor lets go of you. If you are flying in the column of air stable and controlled, he's still in close proximity to you just in case. But, before that, at Jump Level 4 with two instructors still holding on to a student, if you can't fly stable no go. Rex had trouble flying stable because he was 6'3" tall but only had a 29" inseam. Even in all his tunnel work at Eloy this was a problem. His son was a jumper on the same aircraft that day and has some 300 jumps. I have heard that the instructor chased him across the sky trying to get to him to deploy his main. However, because allegedly Rex panicked and had lost all semblance of stable and control flight he (instructor) couldn't get a hold of him to deploy his main. I'm not placing blame on anyone, however, this gives credence to youe assumption the the system make be broken. For me, I do not want to see another death that is preventable. The sport will be hurt significantly if the USPA and DZO tally these deaths up to "unfortunate". There job is to minimize this if we are to promote and increase our ranks as divers. I just hope that the USPA can see that safety is above the Dollar. Any new student to the sport want to know that if I attend a DZ in Kansas or one in New York, that these programs are uniform in nature. This is unexcusable for a sport, with such inherent pleasure and extreme unforgivness, thay it doesn't have a tried and true uniform, across the board instructional program that everybody has to use. A one method for all, sorta speak.Quote