Hooknswoop

1. DZO is motivated by money #1 2. The TM pool is kept large and easily replaced (rarely does someone fail the TM course) 3. DZO’s do not rely on return business from tandems 4. Tandems have no way of assessing how good a DZ or TM Instructor is prior to jumping and even then, they cannot properly evaluate the performance of either Trickle down effect from the DZO. DZO treats TM's like crap, and pays them as little as possible. The DZO doesn't care if it is a good TM or a poor one, he make the same money either way. If anything the poor TM is better since they don't ask for more money or benefits because they are doing a really good job. Keep the TM pool large and easily replaced and you don't have to treat or pay them well. Of course, you get what you pay for. But again, the DZO doesn’t care, it doesn’t affect his bottom line. The TM is unhappy and not motivated to do anything over making the jump and getting the $. Why would the TM put any more effort into it? They have to work hard, all day long to try and make a living. They don’t get benefits, raises, etc. Eventually they get tired of going no where and quit. By then there is a long line of people willing to replace them for a chance to get paid to skydive and the cycle repeats itself. The DZO treats the students like dirt, so the TM does as well. It is just a paycheck to everyone. This is key: they don't rely on return business, so why treat them well? A restaurant has to have good food, good service, and a clean facility or they will go out of business because the place next door will get all the return business. A restaurant could have much higher profit margins if they didn't care about return business. Pay their staff less, buy cheaper ingredients, allow the building to like crap, etc. They would make more money per meal served, but wouldn’t have any return business. Besides, how often does a tandem passenger NOT think they had the best Instructor in the world; after all they jumped and landed safely? There is no mechanism for change, nor is there any real motivation to implement any change to the current system. Derek V

How good of a skydiver are you compared to other skydivers with a similar experience level? Derek

Unfortunately, the FAR's do not include any currency/re-currency requirements. For example, I could do a tandem today, legal within the FAR's, without a current medical and not having made a skydive in 5 years......... Derek

I looked and cannot find an FAR requiring a medical to act as a tandem Instructor, do you have a reference? Derek

Right, it looks like the combination of the pin wearing the bridle stitching while being re-set combined with unusually high force required to pull the pin from the closing loop resulted in this failure. Derek

The pin doesn't look like the standard, stamped pin. That one looks almost home-made, welded and not a smooth curve. Derek

Depends on the head set. I spoke with a pilot that attempted to bail out but his head set prevented him from leaving, by then he was low and stayed with the aircraft. He was seriously injured since he crashed without a harness on. Derek

PA tried back in the late 90's. The problem was the pin would start to come through the bridle through the stitching before it got to the hole it is supposed to come out of. Derek

I teach a different sequence. -Commit to exiting aircraft -Remove/disconnect headset/helmet/O2, etc -Open/jettison canopy -Release harness -Exit -Pull ripcord If the aircraft has suffered a structural failure or is unstable, removing the harness first means the pilot is now getting trashed inside the cockpit and won't be able to disconnect/remove and may not be able to open/jettison the canopy. I figure do everything you need to do to exit, then release the harness. The pilot may be ejected from the cockpit if the aircraft is unstable at that point, helping the process. I was in a Caravan that ran out of fuel at about 7k AGL. One very experienced jumper freaked a bit. I told him to calm down. The pilot turned towards the DZ. Once we got close, we all bailed out on mains. No biggie. Derek

The Javelin is now rated to 300 lbs and 180 kts. The Vector/Micron series doesn't have a TSO'd weight limit or speed. The navigator is a main canopy and is not required to be TSO'd. You can out that canopy into a Vector/Micron (non-special, non-tandem) and have the system be perfectly legal to whatever weight you wanted to put under it. Derek

Ya, I noticed that. I guess nevermind. I figured an AFFI/Coach could answer the question fairly easily. I think I underestimated my question. Derek

I checked the link provided and couldn't find the information you describe. Derek

Not exactly what I am looking for. I am looking for what exactly a Coach or AFFI is expected to do be prepared to do start to finish with a student. What is the minimum perfomance standards for actually taking a student on a jump? Does the IRM specify if an AFFI must be able to pull for a student, roll a student over, treach riser turns, etc? Derek

Not the whole thing, just the parts that answer my questions. Derek

That tells what a Coach can't do.........Do you know what the IRM contains about the responsibilities of a Coach or AFFI? Is there anything in there about what skills a Coach or AFFI must posses/what minimum standards they must be able to demonstrate prior to getting the rating(s)? Derek

No, just wondering what the required skills and responsibilities for an USPA Coach and an USPA AFFI are and how they differ. I thought this would be an easy question to answer, but I still haven't gotten an answer to these 2 questions. I am a bit surprised. Doesn't matter, I was just curious. Derek

'allowed' 'expected' by whom? Is there anything official, in writing, out there? Derek

Is that in the SIM? I am just curious if or how things have changed. Derek

What is the differences in required skills between an USPA coach and an USPA AFFI? What are the differences in responsibilities? Derek

In 'foto 15', why is the bar-tack so far away from the toggle on the steering line? Derek

CYPRES 1 works with a battery that is calculated to last for approx. two years or approx. 500 jumps. The battery is a high-energy density type, with long life, low self-discharge and has a long shelf life (approximately 3 years), as long as it is stored in a cool, dry location (below 68°F). It consists of two round cells, and does not contain heavy metals. Each battery which has been installed in CYPRES 1 has to be replaced after 2 years at the latest. In case that the rig or CYPRES 1 will be out of use the battery should be removed and disposed of after 2 years to prevent possible damage. The battery can be replaced by the user, however, the procedure is tricky and demands considerable attention to detail. The 2-year maximum period does not start until the battery is installed for the first time. After installing a battery that has been stored for more than 6 months, it is recommended that the CYPRES 1 be turned on and off 4 times in succession to “activate” the battery. The battery's current voltage is displayed during each activation cycle. After the unit has been switched on, there is a self-test routine during which numbers beginning with 9999 count down rapidly toward 0. The countdown is interrupted for approx. three seconds at a value somewhere between 6900 and 5700. This interruption indicates battery charge. For example, suspension of the countdown at 6300 means that the actual battery voltage is approx. 6.3 volts. When the self-test routine is repeated several times within a short interval, the displayed battery voltage will not be constant. This is normal and has nothing to do with the technical components of CYPRES 1 but rather, properties of the battery. Typically, the voltage displayed during a second or third self-test cycle will be lower than the voltage displayed during initial activation. With further self-test cycles, voltage will rise again. If the unit has not been used for a long time, the battery voltage shown on the display during the initial self-test can appear to be rather low. However, the voltage displayed does not indicate a discharged battery but it is merely due to certain characteristics of the battery: The absence of an electric current over a prolonged period will result in the build-up of an internal protective layer which will minimize self-discharge. This layer can be removed by simply switching the unit on and off a couple of times. You will then see that the battery voltage shown during self-test will rise again. Battery failure or low battery voltage will be detected by CYPRES 1. At the end of the self-test cycle, CYPRES 1 will stop with an error display of 8999 or 8998 and will not assume operating mode. This indicates that the energy supply of the battery is no longer within operational limits. Derek

Take a slow breath. Like I said earlier, I don't think it is possible to be 100%. I am not blaming the AFFI in the recent incident. It does beg the question of what the standard should be and AFFI's should think about their ability to catch a student and what can happen if they can't. They should think about it before confronted with it and make an honest assesment of their abilities, decide if those abilites are good enough and how would they handle it if they are unable to catcha a student. I am not trying to answer those questions for anyone. I am suggesting that people answer them for themselves, honestly. Derek

I don't think anything is 100%. That means 2 things. 1) How well can someone identify that number? I mean, do they think that number is 99% when it is really 65%? I see skydivers waaaay over estimate their abilities all the time. 2) What number is acceptable? 50%? 75%? 85%? 99%? And that increases that number. Do others realize what their choices do to their number? Derek

Current or former AFFI's: Should an AFFI be able to chase down, catch, and deploy the main or reserve for a student? Anyone that has taken the 'new' (since 2001-ish) AFFICC, is the candidate's ability to catch said unstable student tested by the evaluators? And lastly, as an AFFI, can you catch said unstable student? If no, are you OK with that? I have my opinions, but to be fair, I don't think they really count for anything anymore. Been too long. Derek

LOL, right. Keep hoping. Most people don't check for inflation with tension on the bridle, which, depending on the kill line length, can decrease how much a PC inflates. Derek