Navajo tandem exits?

[riggerrob 643]

Any TIs who have jumped from Navajos .... will you please share with us your favorite exits, cautions and gotchas?

[Deci 0]

I have about 60 Tandems from our Navajo(s).

Get the student to sit with legs in front before getting to the door. Get the student to slide on their bum towards the door, both legs dangling outside, bum on the very edge of the lip. I'm usually in a crouching position behind the student, as the door width doesn't accomodate two sets of legs + the student's bum. Roll out the door with an intentional left hip dip towards the earth to present sideways (head away from aircraft) into the relative wind. Don't catch your legs on the way out! Don't catch any part of the rig on the way out (which is why I tend to roll out)

I'm 5'7" 140lbs, and this works for me most of the time. If the student doesn't tuck their legs right on exit, we sometimes end up flipping over on exit.

We have a range of TIs that jump this aircraft from 130lb girl all the way up to 200+ lb TIs and they all love it compared to our other aircraft which is a cessna 182!

To see a bunch of exits from the Navajo - see the new site and new promo video at www.goskydive.ca

CSPA D-1046 TI Coach2 RiggerA JM SSI SSE GCI EJR Canadian 102-way record holder
bard.ca

[Squeak 17]

Quote

I have about 60 Tandems from our Navajo(s).

Get the student to sit with legs in front before getting to the door. Get the student to slide on their bum towards the door, both legs dangling outside, bum on the very edge of the lip. I'm usually in a crouching position behind the student, as the door width doesn't accomodate two sets of legs + the student's bum. Roll out the door with an intentional left hip dip towards the earth to present sideways (head away from aircraft) into the relative wind. Don't catch your legs on the way out! Don't catch any part of the rig on the way out (which is why I tend to roll out)

I'm 5'7" 140lbs, and this works for me most of the time. If the student doesn't tuck their legs right on exit, we sometimes end up flipping over on exit.

We have a range of TIs that jump this aircraft from 130lb girl all the way up to 200+ lb TIs and they all love it compared to our other aircraft which is a cessna 182!

To see a bunch of exits from the Navajo - see the new site and new promo video at www.goskydive.ca

All the TMs that I have seen exit the Nav have done similar to this, BUT with the inclusion of getting the passenger to heel kick the under side of the plane, this puts them in an arch from the start.

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[swoopgaz 0]

I have a lot of Navajo exits, I used to either have the students legs outside the plane and bend them underneath the plane or just get them to kneel in the doorway. As for myself I would put my left foot in the corner of the doorway and be on my right knee. As I go I would make a point of pushing out and around the corner with my left leg and ride it down the hill. I would get a very nice ' dive exit' from this.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I tried a few different ways. I mostly ended up with the students' feet out and me on my knees with a dipped left shoulder.
You doing tandem again Rob?

[Deci 0]

Thats's interesting (heel kick)... It's not part of our routine here, but I guess I'll have to try it. Our Navajos have a secondary "step" below the door lip, and some TMs have the pax put their feet on it, but I don't like it as it put the knees up in their chest...

CSPA D-1046 TI Coach2 RiggerA JM SSI SSE GCI EJR Canadian 102-way record holder
bard.ca

[pchapman 279]

Quote

Our Navajos have a secondary "step" below the door lip, and some TMs have the pax put their feet on it, but I don't like it as it put the knees up in their chest...

Fair enough, but at least that's not uncommon for tandems in general. At C-182 DZ's it is very common for tandem students to put feet on the step, so during the exit they are knees to chest. No big deal, that's just the way it is without a huge clear doorway. Or even for Caravans, exits can be squatting in the doorway. So there are plenty of ways to exit that are "scrunched up", where a little effort is needed by the student to actually extend their body & arch.

[koppel 4]

Approx 800 TM from Nav's

Student sits in lap. Slide both sets of legs out door. Both sets of legs back Nader plane, student arches, pop out with back to relative winds, back lay out, set Drogue.

Student gets no air early so no opportunity to give you troubles :)

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