tandem rating good for any dropzone?

[poodlemaster 0]

i am interested in getting a tandem jumpmaster rating, eventually as i only have my a license. if in the future i wanted to become a tandem jumpmaster so that i could take my wife skydiving, would other dropzones allow us to jump, or do you have to be affiliated with the dropzone due to liability issues? any advice would be appreciated.

[cube 0]

Sounds a bit strange to get a tandem rating just to take one gal for a jump..

[Squeak 17]

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Sounds a bit strange to get a tandem rating just to take one gal for a jump..

not at all.
If his wife has no desire to be solo skydiver but would like to experience it with him. I think that's a GREAT reason to learn to be a TM

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[poodlemaster 0]

thanks, squeak. my wife has 36 jumps but just doesn't enjoy all of the responsibility that comes with skydiving solo and only wants to go tandem. i want to spend all of my time with her only and it would be worth it to me for the tm rating. anyone know if this is possible at most dropzones? could we walk in and purchase two jump tickets as if we were two solo skydivers? thanks.

[PhreeZone 20]

Typically with a tandem the DZ if they allow a visiting TI to make the jump charges the slots, rental of the rig and possibly packing of it also. The DZ also has to have the right type of tandem for what your manufacturer rating is good for (Strong, Vector, etc) to allow you to jump their rig. They might have you also sign an Independent Contractor form as well as any DZ policy documents needed to be able to use a Tandem rig. So you might be looking at two slots, 30-50 for rig rental and then the packing fees for the jump.

That is all assuming the DZ has a tandem rig laying around and they are not needing it. If you show up to a DZ that is using all the rigs on the loads to make money you will potentially have to pay the DZ the amount they would have made on a random student also.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[poodlemaster 0]

so are you saying its not possible to buy your own tandem rig and equipment and pack it yourself as if you were solo with your own rig?

[piisfish 140]

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so are you saying its not possible to buy your own tandem rig and equipment and pack it yourself as if you were solo with your own rig?

some DZ's will allow it for the price of 2 tickets, some won't.

Don't know how it works in the US, but in Switzerland, you can own your tandem rig, but are not allowed to use it "as an individual". Tandem jumps must be supported/allowed/covered by either a skydiving school or what we call "tandem factory". In case you would want to jump "just with your wife", here you would need either to get your jumping endorsed by one of these institutions, or create a Tandem Factory for yourself.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[nigel99 501]

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thanks, squeak. my wife has 36 jumps but just doesn't enjoy all of the responsibility that comes with skydiving solo and only wants to go tandem. i want to spend all of my time with her only and it would be worth it to me for the tm rating. anyone know if this is possible at most dropzones? could we walk in and purchase two jump tickets as if we were two solo skydivers? thanks.

If your wife doesn't like jumping then perhaps skydiving is not the best platform? If she likes freefall then wind-tunnels allow a near zero risk opportunity to have significant amounts of fun (remember a tandem is very limited in terms of freefall).

Alternatively paragliding for canopy flight without the stress of freefall, or microlight aircraft?

I'm not trying to knock your desire to do tandems with her, just offering alternatives. I would imagine that doing tandems over and over as "fun" jumps would get boring very quickly.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[popsjumper 2]

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so are you saying its not possible to buy your own tandem rig and equipment and pack it yourself as if you were solo with your own rig?

Yes, it is possible and many do just that. It's not unusual that roaming TIs show up at DZs and special events (boogies) offering their services.

DZs that do tandem jumps have their own dedicated contractors/employees but many do allow visiting TIs to work. then again, many don't.

You may have the desire to do only jumps with the wife, but be forewarned, some DZs will put you to work jumping students too.


Plan for the future...get the rating, save up big money for the tandem rig, call the DZ you want to visit to find out how they handle visiting TIs and have fun!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[PhreeZone 20]

With a new tandem rig costing 12-15k dollars it usually puts it outside the pricing of not using it to make money when you can. Its a pretty expensive item to buy and maintain.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[normiss 806]

Not counting the cost of the rating, the 3 years in sport, 500 jumps, maintaining tandem currency.....
That's a shit ton of cash to take a lady on a tandem.

My advice:
1) Make friends with tandem guy.
2) Buy beer for tandem guy.
3) Ask tandem guy for 'friend's rate'.
4) Jump WITH wife.
5) Make kiss pass.
6) Spend savings on more jumps with wife, multiple dates with wife, vacations with wife, and trips with wife.