Question for tandem instructors/evaluators

[inferno 0]

Hello all of u, i have big question. I just starting jumping tandem (have about 100 jumps), in sky i/m freeflyer, it is possible(do some one of u try it?) to jump out with student in sit fly position?

Thanx a lot in advance for all answers!

[divnswoop 0]

[skydiverek 63]

There was a pocture in skydiving magazine a few years ago showing two tandem pairs sit flying, facing each other and few feet from each other. Fifth skydiver was lying between them, like on a hammock. That was in Europe.

As for non-belly tandem skydives, I think there are prohibited in USPA BSRs. In addition, RWS, Strong and Stunts also do not allow them (that rule came into effect after Skydiving magazine published an article about Skydive Hawaii tandem instructor who was doing head down drouge-less tandems at 300 mph).

Why risk a premature opening on already complicated jump???

[riggerrob 643]

Hee!
Hee!
Lots of students have tried to sit-fly while I was trying to belly fly.
Digging my heels into the front of the kness usually solves that problem!
Evil laughter!!!

[beezyshaw 0]

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I just starting jumping tandem (have about 100 jumps)

What kind of nonsense post is this supposed to be? Like are we supposed to even entertain this.

[AggieDave 6]

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What kind of nonsense post is this supposed to be? Like are we supposed to even entertain this.

I read this (and am giving the benifit of doubt) to mean he has about 100 tandem jumps since getting his rating.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[beezyshaw 0]

Yea, now I guess I can see it that way. So, OK, taking the question about sit flying tandem as a serious question, I think what would be necessary to do this would be to have a drogue attached to the top of your head!!

[AggieDave 6]

Well, you could do it drogueless and hope that everything works out just right so you don't get seperation from your student and rotate into a side spin. You can also just hope to god you don't have an out of sequence or a premie as well...

I'll just stick to belly to earth with the drogue out for my tandems, I feel like I owe it to the student to not increase the risk of their skydive.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[beezyshaw 0]

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I'll just stick to belly to earth with the drogue out for my tandems, I feel like I owe it to the student to not increase the risk of their skydive.

Ditto, like "regular" tandem skydiving isn't enough; and not to mention that when our passenger is at risk, so are we. Don't misunderstand, I don't mean that to sound selfish, but like I say many times to tandem passengers, "remember, I have a vested interest in this skydive going well!"

[BIGUN 1,406]

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Don't misunderstand, I don't mean that to sound selfish, but like I say many times to tandem passengers, "remember, I have a vested interest in this skydive going well!"

I stole the, "Whatever happens to you; happens to me a 100th of a second later" routine. It seems to be quite the attention-getter.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[egons 0]

...100 Tandems!! Have you read the tandem fatality base - the 100 jump tandem instructors are only beginning to understand the concept... just relax and learn to fly the tandem!
When you have a few more thousand tandems you may be in the position to try things like this - but never with a paying customer!!!!

Cheers
Egon

"Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

[ryoder 1,590]

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In addition, RWS, Strong and Stunts also do not allow them (that rule came into effect after Skydiving magazine published an article about Skydive Hawaii tandem instructor who was doing head down drouge-less tandems at 300 mph).

That is very difficult to believe. A belly tandem terminal exceeds a solo jumper's terminal because it has the mass of two people, but the frontal profile of one person. A head-down tandem has the frontal profile of two people. The "Soul Flyers" video shows a head-down tandem flying nicely relative to solo head-down flyers.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[egons 0]

...unfortunately not all articles are acurate
Head down tandem is certainly no where near the speeds of 300 mph... not saying that I have actually done anything that crazy
Keep in mind that in Soul Flyers - Loic took an experienced skydiver and not a student.

I know as manufacturers we are certainly not wanting to police anything, but then again (help me out here guys) - when you get a guy/girl with 100 tandems under their belt and they want to start free flying with tandem... someone needs to step in and talk from experience!

Where do we start and stop the craziness...

I can just imagine what the guys on the dz's thought when Bill Booth did his first tandem skydive - can you imagine the talk that night in the bar! And back then the old school skydivers and FAA and anyone who could were trying to block tandem skydives!

You got to take your hats off to all the tandem pioneers

"Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

[NickDG 23]

The last few AFF Cert courses I evaluated in had candidates asking not so much about doing free fly with students, but integrating free fly techniques into catching out of control evaluators. After suffering years of major hard docks from candidates who weren't well versed in diving and flaring, and after consulting with other evaluators, we figured what the hell. It doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there . . .

As an aside who knows what's coming in the years ahead. Sometimes, in order to break the tension of an apprehensive AFF student in the pre-brief, instead of a real level video we'd plug in a solo free flyer banging out the moves. Sometimes it backfired on us, as some students seemed totally up for giving it a go . . .

All students are sacred, of course, but doing anything with a tandem rig other than what it's designed for is silly. Even with a skydiver up front. A skydiving passenger that's not tandem rated is only a small step up from a regular student who doesn't understand the risks.

NickD BASE 194

[WildBill 0]

Its settled, someone needs to build a freefly tandem rig and have at it with another experienced jumper. I will be happy to read about it and see the photo's