Re: [poohbeer] What to do?

[GroundRush1 0]

What Im doing is tandem-2 jumps until I learn how to find the ripcord. Thats really importand before you go to AFF. Do the tandems first, get that down, then go to AFF. Being able to execute everything with confidence makes averything go more smoothly.

On my first tandem jump, I was horrified at dropping down thru mid air, that was a major adrenaline rush, heart beating at 140 bpm, shallow breathing, ect. That was tandem-1, no rip cord simulations, excersises, ect.

On the second tandem, tandem-2 jump where you are doing excersises, there was no adrenaline rush at all. I was completely relaxed during the freefall, as a matter of fact, so relaxed, I started daydreaming and lost altitude awareness. I became much more aware when the instructor started banging on my altimeter, to say "wake up, youre supposed to be doing ripcord simulations".

When we got down, he kept saying "I dont know where your mind was". It was on the nice, cool air rushing past me on a hot day, the fantastic scenery over the mountains, and wishing that freefall would never end. He had to pull the ripcord because I decided I was tired of trying to find it and wanted to enjoy the ride. Then that chute opened and ruined everything, that always sucks when that happens. He throws the ripcord at 4500, after it blew open we were at 3000. Not much time for relaxation!

When you exit from the plane, just worry about getting your waist forward and your head up, everything else will follow. That is the most importand thing, if you can arch hard in mid air, you have nothing to worry about. Arch, waist out, head up, exit into the wind, arch hard and count to 5. You will slowly roll into a nice smooth position, nothing scary about it. Just dont start daydreaming.

Dont waste time with static lines, it is easy to get wrapped up in one if you dont exit right. Save the Cessna wing strut routine for when you have more experience, if I were you. Whats really a good rush is hanging off the wing strut, then looking down, that is really cool. If your DZ teaches poised exits instead of hanging exits, I suggest you go to another DZ, poised exits are easy to slip off the wheel.

My two cents worth. Im not experienced skydiver, but I learn quckly from experience.

[skymama 37]

For anyone wondering what this thread is about, it was removed from the Introductions and Greetings Forum. I think it's better suited for this forum.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[billvon 2,991]

>Dont waste time with static lines, it is easy to get wrapped up in one
>if you dont exit right.

I've put out a few hundred SLers; never seen one "get wrapped up in the SL."

> If your DZ teaches poised exits instead of hanging exits, I suggest
>you go to another DZ, poised exits are easy to slip off the wheel.

Many DZ's use otters, cargo door cessnas or normal cessnas with covered wheels; these work well with poised exits of various sorts.

>My two cents worth. Im not experienced skydiver . . .

No problem, just please be careful who you give advice to. Some people you talk to/write to may not realize your level of experience, and may not have the experience themselves to judge the advice accordingly.

[mofo554 0]

I won't claim to be an expert by any means. However, the things you're claiming (i.e. getting wrapped up in a static line or slipping of the step on a Cessna) are absurd for somebody with as little experience as you. If static line was so dangerous, why has it persisted as a method of training for all this time? Maybe you should read up a bit and get more experience before dispensing advice. Not trying to insult you....

[mofo554 0]

With only 3 jumps (according to your profile), how can your preferred discipline be freestyle? Aren't you still on student status? Just curious.....

[pilotdave 0]

Quote

If static line was so dangerous, why has it persisted as a method of training for all this time?

A quick search of www.skydivingfatalities.info shows a LOT more deaths associated with static line than AFF and tandem combined. That says nothing about accident rates, so maybe it really isn't any more dangerous. Anyone know the percentage of students doing static line vs aff and tandem since 1995? I know there are a lot of static line fans out there, and I can't say I've ever even witnessed an actual student static line jump, but I just don't get it. I fully understand why a DZ would offer static line... It's a whole lot less expensive for them. But why any student that has other options would ever choose it is beyond me. Ok old people, go ahead and yell at me!

Dave

[quade 4]

It's obvious isn't it?

He saw Betsy!

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[riggerrob 643]

"If static line was so dangerous, why has it persisted as a method of training for all this time?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

Because s/l is the least expensive method for doing your first jump. It also involves the smallest investment in aircraft, equipment and instructors. For many small DZs, it is the only way they can get students into the air.

"A quick search of http://www.skydivingfatalities.info shows a LOT more deaths associated with static line than AFF and tandem combined. That says nothing about accident rates, so maybe it really isn't any more dangerous. Anyone know the percentage of students doing static line vs aff and tandem since 1995? I know there are a lot of static line fans out there, and I can't say I've ever even witnessed an actual student static line jump, but I just don't get it. I fully understand why a DZ would offer static line... It's a whole lot less expensive for them. But why any student that has other options would ever choose it is beyond me. Ok old people, go ahead and yell at me! "

Oh boy this is tough one!

First of all we are dealing with an incomplete statistical base.
I can only quote you local statisics. Since 1999, the percentage of students doing IAD(similar to s/l) has dropped dramatically at Pitt Meadows. Now about 80% of students do tandem, less than 20% do IAD and less than 5% do freefall.

The simple answer may be that more students have jumped with static lines than any other method.
The second answer may be that static-line students are dumber than other students and the third answer may be that static-line instructors are dumber than other instructors.

Since static-lines were invented at least 60 years before the other methods, millions more static-line jumps have been made than all other methods combined. Since skydiving was started by retired soldiers who had learned to jump in the army, they brought their military surplus mind-set to the civilian world. This military surplus mind set worked well as long as they were training civilians to do static-line jumps with military surplus round parachutes. Unfortunately, military surplus teaching
methods were never very good at teaching freefall skills ad when the skydiving industry converted to sport-specific gear during the 1980s, most of those military surplus attitudes quietly fell by the way side.

When AFF was introduced during the 1980s, they raised the bar for entry-level instructors. Ergo brand-new AFF instructors had more flying skills than new s/l instructors. In the long run I doubt if method makes much difference. We have AFF instructors who are too arrogant to teach and s/l instructors who pour their heart and soul into their students. USPA's new ISP Program is designed to level that playing field, with all instructors starting with the same teaching skills. What individual instructors decide to do with those skills ultimately determines the success of any program.
There is a certain economic filtering among skydiving students. Since static-line is the least expensive, it attracts the lowest common denominator. Correspondingly, since AFF is the most expensive, it only attracts the wealthiest and brightest students.

As for how bright tandem students are ...hee! hee! let's just say that I would allow 1/3 of them to exit an airplane on their own. Fortunately, the dumbest/least physically fit 1/3 of tandem students admit that they are not bright enough to exit an airplane on their own.

Oh and there is a small percentage of homo-phobic young guys who refuse to jump with another guy touching them. These are the same loud-mouthed guys who insist on jumping with the only female tandem instructor on the DZ. We have lots of fun messing with their minds. Hee! Hee!