shah269 0 #2 June 20, 2012 We were all tandems once right? I love the look on their face when the door opens for the first time. I wish I had a video of me when I had my first tandem.Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay. The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #4 June 20, 2012 QuoteWe were all tandems once right?... No."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #5 June 20, 2012 Do most people do a tandem first? I was airborne qualified with the Army, so I didn't want to go out strapped to someone else. I went into AFF.I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #6 June 20, 2012 Quote We were all tandems once right? Nope. When a lot of us made our first jumps. the instructor had a reserve strapped on the front, not a passenger. I think over all it's been a good thing, letting a lot of people experience our sport that otherwise couldn't or wouldn't. I've enjoyed the hell out of taking my passengers up for what is one of the most amazing experiences in their lives. Few people get to be party to as many special moments as that. On the down side, making a tandem jump has become less about starting skydiving and more about extreme-sportz/bucket-list kind of thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #7 June 20, 2012 Oddly, I don't consider it an extreme sport. When I get out of the aircraft, I hit an tremendous sense of calm knowing I am completely in charge of my destiny. Every little movement of my body makes a difference. It centers me. My wife did a tandem a couple of months ago. She said she wasn't nervous. Her view was that lots of people do it routinely without injury. How dangerous can it really be? Made sense to me.I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #8 June 20, 2012 I agree with what John said. I also think the mainstreaming of the sport by tandems has resulted in some safety advances, but I'm not a huge fan of the corresponding culture shift. Overall, I think tandems have been good for the sport, but it hasn't been without some costs. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #9 June 20, 2012 Quote When I get out of the aircraft, I hit an tremendous sense of calm knowing I am completely in charge of my destiny. You obviously jump with a better group than I do. The base says "Ready, Set, Go" and then we start the blender . . . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #10 June 20, 2012 Quote Quote When I get out of the aircraft, I hit an tremendous sense of calm knowing I am completely in charge of my destiny. You obviously jump with a better group than I do. The base says "Ready, Set, Go" and then we start the blender . . . Its less of a blender effect, and more of a singularity gravitational pull towards the LO... Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 210 #11 June 20, 2012 Funny. I was just pondering this during a long drive last weekend. I'll approach it from a different perspective. I think we dropped the ball on what could have been a very lucrative skillset. Think Mercedes, BMW or Lexus. People don't pay for those things because they think they're mainstream. I'll submit that the 'taking it mainstream' has taken the some of the specialness away and now jumping is viewed as something everyone can do. Wingsuiters and base jumpers are probably not far away from being able to set up a spectator area and charge admission.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #12 June 20, 2012 Positive influence... We wouldn't be jumping a lotta kerosene burning airplanes without 'em! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 22 #13 June 20, 2012 Quote Positive influence... We wouldn't be jumping a lotta kerosene burning airplanes without 'em! +1! It's actually cheaper to jump today than it was in 1968 when I started (if you adjust for inflation). Without tandems I'll bet we'd be paying $50 to get to 14K. One social change that tandems have caused is that it's no longer a big deal to be a skydiver. Half the people at any party have made a tandem jump. If you arent a BASE jumper, it's all yawns. This guy who jumped into cardboard boxes without deploying will raise the bar even further. 3772018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #14 June 20, 2012 QuoteWe were all tandems once right? No"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 210 #15 June 20, 2012 Quote Positive influence... We wouldn't be jumping a lotta kerosene burning airplanes without 'em! True..but i recall alot of oohs and ahhs when you posted pics of the 3 you were jumping somewhere.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Namowal 0 #16 June 20, 2012 Quote On the down side, making a tandem jump has become less about starting skydiving and more about extreme-sportz/bucket-list kind of thing. I wonder what's the difference between tandem jumpers who go on to AFF and those who cross it off their bucket list? I certainly did my tandem as a bucket list thing, and (immediately) after it was over I was glad I did it, but had no desire to do it again. A second jump? AFF? Get outta here!Of course, that changed... I'm still not sure why.My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #17 June 20, 2012 Quote Quote Positive influence... We wouldn't be jumping a lotta kerosene burning airplanes without 'em! True..but i recall alot of oohs and ahhs when you posted pics of the 3 you were jumping somewhere. Well yeah...there IS always that! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngou8cjOXoY&feature=relmfu ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abedy 0 #18 June 20, 2012 Most of all: Positive. Even after "granny almost fall out of harness" etc, all my passengers/student went away with a big smile. They will positively report about "sky diving" as their family will also do. That's the main reason I'm doing tandems: There is so much positive feedback for what I am doing. OK, you need to stick to your routines (safety first), treat your students with respect and in a nice manner etc pp. But compared to my students at vocational college the "my effort to their smile after" ratio is much better The sky is not the limit. The ground is. The Society of Skydiving Ducks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #19 June 20, 2012 Quote Well yeah...there IS always that! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngou8cjOXoY&feature=relmfu With all those front mount containers full of flags that looked really old school! Raise your hand if you've jumped a front mount reserve from a DC-3. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #20 June 20, 2012 Raise your hand if you've jumped a front mount reserve from a DC-3. Quote Meeeeee! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #21 June 20, 2012 Quote Raise your hand if you've jumped a front mount reserve from a DC-3. Meeeeee! http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/11810999/2/stock-photo-11810999-child-raising-his-hand-to-ask-a-question.jpg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #22 June 20, 2012 QuoteWe were all tandems once right? Ummm... no. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #23 June 20, 2012 QuoteQuoteWe were all tandems once right? Ummm... no. Whats a tandem?Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #24 June 20, 2012 QuoteWe were all tandems once right? Kinda, but my first tandem was to get my rating. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #25 June 20, 2012 Positive. Funds the DZs & aircraft; plus over time (as more and more people either have done a tandem or know someone who has) fewer people will think skydivers are nuts, and that hopefully translates into greater tolerance of DZs and boogies from neighbors, local govt boards, etc. And who cares if it's reduced the "bad-ass" perception of skydiving? I stopped caring about that by my mid-20s. One down side is that in the pre-tandem days, most first jump students were fairly young and committed at the very least to going thru a FJC lasting at least a whole day, sometimes 2 or 3 days. Now with most tandem pax being bucket-listers, of any age and walk of life, treating it as a carnival ride (with as little advanced training as one), and probably presuming that it's safer than it really is (it is still skydiving, after all). So, when the occasional bad tandem accident does occur, the media tends to sensationalize it more; and it's just possible that more tandem pax (or their family) than non-tandem students will be thinking "lawsuit" when an accident occurs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
