Max weight of tandem passengers

[sinker 0]

Hi y'all... I have a friend who wants to make a tandem. The only catch is that he is about 6'5" and weighs 312 pounds. The guy is just a huge linebacker of a guy. The local DZ says max weight is 230 for the passenger. Is this a DZ limit or is it a tandem standard? The DZ has a 520 sqft canopy and the TM is about 150... Both jumpers and gear bring it right up to about a 1:1 wing loading, right? Is this just a really bad idea?

-the artist formerly known as sinker

[billbooth 10]

In a word...YES... It is a bad idea.

[sinker 0]

Thanks for the word Bill. So what would be the
max poundage then, is this DZ's 230 limit the standard?

-the artist formerly known as sinker

[PhreeZone 20]

From the man himself... Bill Booth



There is a total limit to the system, and then there is the risk presented to the TM if the passenger does not cooperate under canopy in terms of landing. Look up the numbers for the different systems but there is total limit and that tandem is very close to it or not over it. Unless your friend is fast on his feet and athlethic there is a good chance of ankle injury during a run out landing too.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Jessica 0]

It's not about tandem, but check out this, this and this.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[rickfri59 0]

I'm far from being an authority on the issue (and beat me down if you want), but

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and the TM is about 150

is this 150 lbs? If so, I'll bet the JM is nowhere near 6'5". There'd be an issue if the guy freaked. Not to mention, upon landing, whose feet touchdown first? Could be a nasty mess in a tumble.

[sinker 0]

thanks for the clickies. helpful.

-the artist formerly known as sinker

[KATO33 0]

PiggyBack Question? is there a weight limit for aff???

Blue Skies Black Death

[markbaur 0]

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Is there a weight limit for aff?

One limit is set by the gear. Until recently, the max suspended weight for most equipment was 254 pounds. Some newer equipment is certified for 300 pounds, which allows for a 265 pound jumper if the rig weighs the typical 35 pounds. There have been some very large students (300+ pounds) who've jumped modified tandem rigs.

A second limit is set by individual instructor ability: an instructor needs to be able to fall with the heavier student, and also needs to be big enough to control the student in freefall.

A third limit is aircraft. An extremely large student will not fit comfortable inside a Cessna, and there isn't much room on the step, either. Otter/Caravan/Skyvan work okay.

Mark

[slotperfect 7]

The sport does have some limits . . . he exceeds the upper limit for tandem passengers (for any Tandem Master), IMHO.

John

[riggerrob 643]

Yes! That would be a bad idea.
Strong 520 canopies have a reputation for HARD openings. I have torn up so many Strong 520s that I lost count!

The biggest question here is whether the main canopy will survive opening shock. Most tandem systems are certified for 500 or 600 pound all=up suspended weight. The comfort limit is 400 pounds of suspended human flesh.

As for the landing, forget about trying to stand it up or run it out. Brief the student on a butt slide landing.

The biggest student I have ever hauled was a 270 pound rugby player. I want to emphasis that the only big students - weighing more than 220 pounds - that I will take are athletic big students. My experience has been that big guys have better ears. Big guys know instinctively that they can kill T/Ms - who are smaller than them - so they listen carefully and are very cooperative.

Fat-bottomed girls over 200 pounds need not apply!

[sinker 0]

my 312# friend is going to lop off his legs so he can jump...thanks for the advice.

-the artist formerly known as sinker

[AggieDave 6]

Some DZs can do an AFF jump with a converted tandem rig. For example, with just a little bit of rigging a Vector Tandem can be converted for AFF use. This may be an option for you.

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

[markbaur 0]

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a Vector Tandem can be converted for AFF use

Yes, this is an easy conversion. Given the opening time of the reserve, you might want to keep the tandem Cypres (firing altitude 2000 feet) and raise your malfunction decision altitude, and in turn raise your planned deployment altitude.

It remains a tandem rig, though, which means that rental costs will be considerable more than rental for standard student gear.

You'll still need a helmet (might be one your size at the DZ) and a jumpsuit (probably custom).

Mark

[buzzfink 5]

<<>>

Sorry. That is not the big question. The big question is what the passengers harness is rated for. I believe all systems are rated for around 254 pounds for the passenger harness.

<<>>

That violates the TSO rating for the system. Specifically, the harness.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not throwing stones. About 9 years ago our DZ took up a 275 pound person. We were not aware of the harness limit. Now we are. Take this as I did. A lesson learned.

Blue Skies!


Buzz

[freema22 0]

Take it from personal experience, don't let him jump. I am 6' 6" and at the time of my tandem jump weighed between 285-295. I was concerned about the weight limit, and the school, SKYDIVE HASTINGS in Hastings, MI, was like, "No problem, we jump a 325 pound guy here all the time." So we are coming in to land, and it seems like we are coming in really fast. We crash into the ground, and I shatter my right leg between the knee and ankle. I had to ride for 3 hours in an ambulance to a hospital where they could do surgery to repair my leg (40cm titanium rod and 3 screws). Since I was in college at the time, I couldn't get a summer job, so I was pretty much broke for the whole summer and into the start of the next semester. My advice is not to believe what the school says if it sounds like what you want to hear. I am of the opinion that SKYDIVE HASTINGS would have said whatever it took to get my money from me, and now I am scarred for life.

Mike F

[Raefordite 0]

We stick to the 230 lbs. for both student and tandem customers at Raeford. We even keep a bathroom scale visible in the school to those customers a little questionable. Age limits and weight restrictions- some times it is tough, but it only hurts to bust'em.

[nubain1 0]

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We stick to the 230 lbs. for both student and tandem customers at Raeford. We even keep a bathroom scale visible in the school to those customers a little questionable. Age limits and weight restrictions- some times it is tough, but it only hurts to bust'em.

I did my tandem at Raeford and even though I knew I was around 160 I still had to get on that scale.They made my ex get on there also before her tandem and she was around 105.So I know that they are serious when it comes to the weight restrictions for tandems.

[Raefordite 0]

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We stick to the 230 lbs. for both student and tandem customers at Raeford. We even keep a bathroom scale visible in the school to those customers a little questionable. Age limits and weight restrictions- some times it is tough, but it only hurts to bust'em.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did my tandem at Raeford and even though I knew I was around 160 I still had to get on that scale.They made my ex get on there also before her tandem and she was around 105.So I know that they are serious when it comes to the weight restrictions for tandems.

I hope you get a chance to come back to Raeford and join us now that you are a cool skydiver! It is always fun to meet jumpers that started here and come back with all their stories.

[nightjumps 1]

There's several variables to consider...

Student Harness weight-maximum
Total weight for reserve canopy (I don't like to press it too close to the 500 # limit).
Total weight for the Main Canopy.
Shape the person is in - in this case, round is not a shape.

I'm a big guy myself at 6'6" 235#... 277 out the door with tandem gear on... Therefore, the max I'll take is a 200 pounder. (no pun intended)

[nubain1 0]

I hope you get a chance to come back to Raeford and join us now that you are a cool skydiver! It is always fun to meet jumpers that started here and come back with all their stories.

[robskydiv 0]

in reply to:" fat bottomed girls need not apply"
Yes but they make the rocki'n world go round...

[wrightskyguy 1]

Don't let him do it! There is a weight limit on the harness that he is definetly exceeding but, more than that, he would probably be more than what the jumpmaster could safely manage. There are alot of tandem "tough guys" out there that will take anyone, regardless of weight or physical limitations but I think that these guys think with thier wallets. 475 lbs + gear is alot to handle. My rule has always been that if I didn't think that I could fly the canopy and flare it effectively with no student help, then I won't take them. It has been my experience that the bigger the student is, the less useful he is at flare time, it is for that reaon that I now have all my passengers simply hold onto thier harness for landings and leave the flaring to me.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

[skyeyeskydiving 0]

*** I'm a big guy myself at 6'6" 235#... 277 out the door with tandem gear on... Therefore, the max I'll take is a 200 pounder.

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in that case I have a couple of questions for you if you wouldn't mind.

1) How do you're co-workers feel about you only taking up to 200 pounders (as you'll get all the chicks all the time I'd guess)?

2) How do you respond to those that bitch that you only carry half the weight they do on a busy day (do they get paid more than you)?

These are serious questions from a DZM that would like to hear from someone that I'm sure has been confronted by these situations.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Blue ones,
Stay Safe.

Martin Evans.

For further information about Sky-Eye Skydiving Services & Skydive Delmarva please visit our websites:

http://www.skyeyeskydiving.com/

http://www.sk

• Quote

[slotperfect 7]

I am also a large lad. My exit weight for tandems is 270lbs, making my max passenger weight 230 lbs. Now on to your questions:

*** 1) How do you're co-workers feel about you only taking up to 200 pounders (as you'll get all the chicks all the time I'd guess)?

2) How do you respond to those that bitch that you only carry half the weight they do on a busy day (do they get paid more than you)?

Nobody bitches, because 1) the manager of the school respects each TM's personal limits for TM/student size mismatch, and 2) he also equitably distributes the large and small students to keep from burning out his TMs. If I make 6 tandems on a Saturday, and all of them were 230 pound barrel chested freedom fighters, it's very likely that I will not show on Sunday, giving my shoulders, triceps, and back a rest. Then again if I jumped 2 biguns (!), 2 average Joes and 2 small chicks (your words), I am game on for Sunday.

With regard to pay, I personally would not ask more money to jump with a big tandem student.

Two more comments:

-from my experience thus far, big people know they are putting a heavy load on me, and are even more thankful for the ride when we get to the ground.

-a 230 pound athlete is a much easier student to deal with than a 230 pound person that is just plain fat. The physical condition of the student (i.e. how much help they will be to me) makes a difference in planning a safe jump as well.

Thanks for the great questions.

Arrive Safely

John