lowpull

How did you live?? C'mon, SOMEONE had to ask to troll.

I did not forbid any one to do anything. I told the OP to NOT ask for advice on the web. No where did this person say anything,positive or negative, about his instructor. So, his problem is decidedly NOT the quality or level of the instruction he recieved. My problem is asking for advice from complete strangers on the internet on a life or death subject. I know a thing or 2 about tandem skydiving. And I am aware this has nothing to do with tandem, but I am using this as an example. I earned my R/W I/E rating from some of the hands down best of the best. My course in 2001 had people like Paul Rafferty, Micheal Eliot, Todd Spillers, and TK Donle (along with Bill Booth). There were some world class skydivers and Instructors there. The level of teaching at this course was phenonemal. About 2 years after I had my rating, some one came across a video on the internet posted by someone I had taken on a skydive. I got a PM on this website by someone with 100 jumps on what I did wrong. I can only imagine what the OP has been advised to do. I have personally overheard 2 students at my dz discuss how they read on the internet, (this website) about how to perform on a level 2, and how they liked the dz.com version better than what they were being taught. I refuse to apologize for taking the stand I have on this. There are too many people that are looking to be told what they think they want to hear because they can't do what they are being taught. We have a student right now that has a built in excuse for everything that goes wrong on a jump. No flair on the landing, "well see what happenend is I was trying a new flair technique, and It was soft mud over there , so I knew I was going to be ok. Plus, I can always PLF nex time I forget to flair" Anyone catch the contadiction there? WhenI called them ,on it, more excuses. I am not your typical safety Nazi. I am the one that tries to make the worst student succeed. I was the absolute worst student ever whenI started, so I know how bad it can be to try so hardand still not get it. I want every single student to do well and go on the make 10000 jumps. But askng for advice on here is simply NOT the way to do it. I care way too to not say something about this. And damned if I come of as a little bit of a hard ass because of it. Let me be an asshole, and not see someone get hurt because of it. peace ralph

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Do NOT do this!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not come on this web site and ask for advice about your AFF jumps. I know you think this is the way to go, but the only person you should be talking to is your instructor. If I found a post be someone I had taken on a jump on here anything like yours I would be livid. These people have no business giving you advice, any more than you have any business asking for it. You paid a trained qualified Instructor to teach you to skydive. Let him (or her) do their job. Along with the responses you have gotten publicly, I shudder to imagine the PMs you have gotten. If this is your way to participate in our sport, take up golf, you have a much better chance of surviving!!!!! Ralph Nichols USPA Tandem I/E Aff I S/L I/E

UPT and Jumpshack both havr rigs that are built expressly for this situation. And, to clear up some mis-information in you post,the rigs are set up so that the first main, and the first"reserve" CAN be cut away. The belly mounted reserve can not be cutaway. Both canopies in the rig on your back are attached with standard 3 rings and cut away hardware. You are correct that the handles are in a different configuration ie, one set of handles is outboard of the main lift web,( much like a tandem) so proper training and pracice are absolutely necessary. I have run several weekends at mt home dz, and everyone that has gone through the procedure, every single one, has told me that when they later had a real malfunction, they were much more calm and prepared for the cutaway and reserve deployment. It means a lot to me when one of my kids tell me how I made it easier to perform the actions neessary to save their lives. So, in the proper setting, doing intentionals are a valuable tool for the up and coming skydiver. ralph

Always go with your gut. There have only been a few that I knew werent cut out for it, and I am sad to say I was right. I tried even harder with them to try to get them where they needed to be too. Something Booth didnt mention when he was at mine was how terrifying it is the first weekend after you sign someone off, worrying "did I teach them everything?" The written sylabus is ok, but I found myself teachinh what they really need to know in the real world, not 25 year old techniques. Good luck, and try not to overteach the first few, and you will do fine. From reading your posts here fro tmie to time, you will make a fine I/E. One thing that drives me batshit tho is when a candidate says" well on dropzone.com I read.." Pretty much instant fail if they will give any sreious thought to taking the drivel that gets spouted here over someone they are paying to teach them to do the most dangerous job in the sport. Good luck Ralph Nichols

I know nothing about the I/Es in your area, but we DO NOT teach the poised exit from Cessnas. Ever. Even though the best Evaluator to ever wear a rig (Mad Dog) shows it on the RWS video, I spend a fair amount of time making sure my candidates know why this exit is so dangerous. I teach a rear diving exit, or, if the potential I is small like I am, I teach an exit where I pull myself into the relative wind with the strut as I exit. Whatever works SAFELY. Ralph Nichols

Contact www.advanceadaptors.com They will know how to help you. ralph

not with 17 jumps

totally a step thru

"I will be getting my tandem rating in about a month or so. " I would prefer to see "I am attending a Tandem I Course in a month or so" Attendance should not automatically guarantee a rating. Too many people go into the rating course already thinking they have passed, and while I know some I/Es pretty much sign everyone that attends off, I hope you have signed up for a course that will make you EARN your rating. Please understand, I have the highest hope for you(and everyone that wants a rating), and wish you nothing but the best luck, don't go into it with this mind set. Instead,look at it as a learning opportunity. Good luck! Ralph Nichols USPA Tandem I/E

I happen to know it happened to Mark Procos once when he was riding on front as a tandem I/E. The jump before the guy pulled low, and on the next jump, stepped out of the SkyVan, and deployed. I understand it was a 30 minute ass chewing on the way down.

I have emailed Jim Crouch, and Marc Procos with a link to this video. So far, no response from either. I will try again to incite some interest in this before we are reading another incident report. It is time for this cowboy bullshit with passengers being put in harms way to stop!!!!

I also hereby tease Ralph for making a safety pronouncement while using the screen-name "Low pull". Irony score +10, Ralph Someone finally got it

you missed the moron video guy almost take out the whuffo with the camera running out in the landing area. No wonder we keep having incidents. dumbasses!!!

I actually hope it was

I do not think this stunt was funny,nor do I think it was in good taste. That being said, the Tandem I did nothing to jeopordize his rating. I don't think it was funny, but no rules were broken. And, yes, I do have the ratings and authority to make that call. Ralph Nichols

That dz had more history than you could ever imagine.......... ralph

This is all I get The live video feed is going to bed for the night... we'll be broadcasting again tomorrow once jumping starts. See you then! Get news Fast! Event mailing list -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name : Email : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 subscribersGetResponse Email Marketing Proud partners...

Does anyone know who the camera guy that climbed on top of the fuselage and exited off the opposite side is? I guess he got bounced for the rest of the event by the higher up ar Spaceland(which is the least that should have happened). Just curious ralph

I know nothing about all this. She wanted to smoke on the way to altitude?

my person favorite "because they pay me to"

it is not a NEW requirement.Your first 15 paying passengers are done on a probationary basis. 75% of the suspended weight, no new(less than 500 jumps) camera fliers, no extrordinary jumps,ie disabled,special circumstances, and no extremely old passenger. 81 years old falls into the extremely older passenger catagory. Steveorino is right on the money that this guy should have gone with a more experienced instructor. There are dozens of reasons this should not have been his first paying passenger. This,in my opinion, shows bad judgement. I have heard stories of Booth pulling rating for stuff like this. Ralph Nichols USPA Tandem I/E

Terrible idea, and worse advice to someone with 26 jumps. In flight rigging is dangerous at best, and is WAY too much for someone with this skill level to try. ralph

Perfect example of the level of instructors that fill the ranks of "professional skydiving instructors. Poor freefall control,NO handle touches,incredibly poor depolyment position. Truly lucky this didn't turn into a malfunction. like JP said wow ralph

"The guy in the picture screwed up. If you do the procedure correctly, you can't be holding the cutaway handle and the reserve handle at the same time " What??? Please Explain