Merrick 0 #26 February 10, 2003 Quote I hope you know I was just thinking out loud and expressing my own opinions Yeah, and when she gets goin, she gets me goin too! LOL I really appreciate all the responses, even the ones I didn't agree with. This is just something that's been eating at us for a while now, and it was time to get other opinions. Thanks guys. Quote I believe that safety is not only a gear check. Safety =awareness & ability to properly react in dangerous situations. All this comes with experience (jumps numbers) and currency. Just wanted to address this, tho in essence I agree.. I disagree too! lol I think that the ability to respond to a dangerous situation depends on the individual, Some people are just SLOW, and others simply don't have the common sense to recognize a dangerous situation, much less be skydiving. If you're typically an 'aware' person, you're aware no matter where you are. Granted, I do agree that someone like Chuck or John, will be 10X more aware of things in the air than I am simply because of their currency & time in the sport, but there are always exceptions to the rule... every jumper knows one of 'those guys,' the one that everyone expects to have very very bad karma. Even with the few jumps I do, I know every (well, maybe not EVERY) little twitch my canopy makes, and can generally tell when I'm a 'target' OR an 'arrow,' and adjust. I am a very heads-up, conscious jumper/individual, and I'd resent anyone saying that I wasn't safe.... simply because, how stupid would I be to predominately jump with the one person that means the most to me in this, or any other, world if I were putting her life in danger!!! Blues! Merrick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #27 February 10, 2003 Anyone have the Feb-Mar-April-ish issue of Parachutist from... I *think* it was 2001. Right after the winter where there were 3 or 4 fatalities in Florida, I think all visiting jumpers. I still remember that article about currency. Anyway - if you have it, read it again. Was an excellent article. One big point I've remembered since reading it was - let's say you take a couple months off (like winter up north) you get back that first warm weekend, and you're super-careful for the first 3 or 4 jumps. That's not usually when people get hurt. it's number 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.... right about the time you start thinking "Yeah, I remember how to do this" and get too comfortable. Anyway... good article, I'll see if I can find it tonight...it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #28 February 11, 2003 Interesting thread. Thank you for posting this, since I have thought about posting it, but just never did. I know there are others like me out there, who due to finances and personality hover on the outer margins of currency. I think the key here is to ensure that those like me (with little experience and who jump regularly but not often) aren't doing things beyond their safe means. Allow me to expand. The jumper with 200 jumps, but who hasn't jumped in 3 months, probably has no business doing certain things. Much like the jumper with 4,000 jumps, who hasn't jumped in 5 years, probably shouldn't come out of retirement to do a big-way record attempt. Those of us on the edge of currency should be identified, and then there should be some form of supervision or assurance that people like me don't end up in a situation where we can hamper or take up the airspace of those doing more complicated things. Perhaps every student should have to give briefings on ten incidents that the S&TA selects before being cleared to solo. "This guy tried to make it back off of a long spot and hit powerlines instead of landing in the open field." "This guy chose to turn at 100 feet instead of PlFing downwind." "That guy collided with a 4-way in mid-air because he wasn't paying attention." This person mught not be as current as is ideal, but the person demonstrated knowledge to handle problems. And, this person will be instructed on how to keep the airspace safe and clear by other control measure (like high-pulling low-timers jumping last). --- My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #29 February 25, 2003 Hi Pammi, Good post. I think that when it comes to currency, it's all relative. I've been averaging 200 a year for 18 years, weekends only. By the standards I'm judged by, I'm SUPER CURRENT. But 200 dives a year doing AFF, Tandem, social 4 way, 10 way speed, some sit, some head down, some camera, social CRW.... and you're starting to talk really thin slices! These days I'm doing around 400 a year,(We gpt a turbine..) of which about 250 are AFF, 75 are Tandem and the rest are "fun" I'm feeling quite comfortable in the air - but am very aware that we're all students. All of us. All learning new stuff every single weekend. Most of my freeflying is being taught to me by former AFF students of mine. I think its all quite cool. tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
