Pro-Tracks for students

[SeaKev 0]

Recently received a Pro-Track for my b-day and was curious what the instructor types out there think about Pro-Track usage prior to A-license.

[sducoach 0]

SeaKev,

The fact that you run into burning buildings has nothing to do with it.........................

Serious, stick it in your pocket and use it for a log book for now. Just as in your firefighter training, learn the basics and then use the tools available after you have developed the correct habits.

Blues and Blessings Brother,

J.E.
Proud Father of a Firefighter/Paramedic

James 4:8

[tombuch 0]

Quote

Recently received a Pro-Track for my b-day and was curious what the instructor types out there think about Pro-Track usage prior to A-license.

Get a handle on visually identifying altitude before you rely on an electronic device. Fee free to put it in your pocket or strap it to your leg for technical detail and log book records, but don't use it for altitude awareness yet. That's my opinion.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor (AFF, SL, IAD, Tandem)
S&TA
Author, JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[tictoc 0]

If you have goten this far. Scroll back up for my thoughts.

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Some one must go to the edge for others to be able to find it. But if you go be sure you can make it back.

[riggerrob 643]

This early in the game, a Pro Track will be just another distraction.
Learn to recognize pull altitude with your eye balls.
Besides, jumpers go deaf when they are truly scared.
Far better to stuff it in your pocket.

[JYorkster 0]

I agree with the other posts. I will not allow my students to use and audible. Once they are licensed, it's up to them, but they need to learn to pull WITHOUT the aid of a crutch first.

Rock

[nightjumps 1]

I have been wrestling with this for about a year now. What's made me consider adding a single tone old-style Dytter and incorporating that in the training is that in the past two years, I've seen two static-line students on ten second delays grappling for their main ripcord handle until the AAD fires. In one of the cases, the student pulled the main as the reserve was coming out resulting in a two out situation.

While they have received excellent training and are a significant minority, it still made me think. If I stick a single tone Dytter in there, incorporate in the training that "IF" you here this and you are still in freefall, pull the silver handle.

What's prevented me from doing it is; I don't want to be reactive to the minority and perhaps get another minority who hears the tone with a good main and pulls silver.

Another reason for my thoughts on incorporating this is... we're changing the equipment for students over time... a lot of DZ's are going to throw-outs, ZP canopies, AFP, etc. So why not use all the tools given us... but right now, I'm on hold with this idea because I teach like old school... calibrated eyeballs, the count method, etc. and don't like relying on mechanical devices for making decisions. Unfortunately, good training is trumped by panic and adrenaline.

Another thing I'm toying with is adding a small radio receiver to the student for verbal commands associated with the nonverbal hand signals we use. So if I give the "Arch" signal... back it up with a verbal in the student's ear. As we get to the bottom end... a "Pull" signal with a verbal "Pull" could help.

This too, is in research and your feedback is appreciated.

Keith

[sundevil777 102]

I think an old style dytter is bad for students because it activates regardless of vertical speed.

A new style dytter can be set to only have the final tone.

Why does a student aquire better altitude awareness when they will probably never hear this tone?

They should still be taught that their emergency procedures should be executed and they should be under reserve before the tone is heard. The dytter would just wake them up that they have to do it now.

I just don't get it.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[betzilla 56]

When I was a student, my DZ had time-outs in the student helmets, set to beep at an altitude BELOW where the student was to pull. So if the student heard the audible and hadn't pulled yet, it was a "failed jump." The sucky part was that the instructors had to rely in some cases on the student's sense of honesty, to know whether they'd pulled at the correct altitude (on short delays, where the JM watches from the plane, for instance).

Since then, that DZ has switched to Pro-Tracks in the student helmets, with the same warning altitude. But now the instructors can definitively bust students on pulling low.

It's definitely very important that students (and experienced jumpers) rely on visual cues, rather than audibles, but when they can be used as a secondary aid, rather than a cue, I think it's a good idea to use them.

[pilotdave 0]

Is there harm in setting it for the hard deck instead of opening altitude? I mean, I agree that learning to pull without any help is probably a good idea, but is there anything wrong with a backup just in case? Could prevent a cypres fire or something....never know.

Dave

[G5fh84 0]

You know I think that if the student heard the tone he or she may pull the cutaway even if they had a canopy opening!!!.......lets say theres a delayed opening or a slow opening but it is opening??......they might cutaway a good canopy..my old canopy sometimes took a 1000' to open but when I looked up it had line stretch and the slider was straight and coming down but if I heard the tone you may have told me to chop? then what? I think the students should stay away from audibles til maybe 40 jumps when they know what an opening canopy looks like.

Just my .02

[WrongWay 0]

I'm not an instructor or anything, but I agree with the other posts. You gotta get used to the visuals bro.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[Harksaw 0]

I'm not an instructor, this is just an idea, but how about setting it for 500 feet below the hard deck, and telling the student that they should NEVER EVER hear that tone go off, and if they do, they have screwed up and should pull IMMEDIATELY?

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I started skydiving for the money and the chicks. Oh, wait.