Exit's position?

[thelittlevoice 0]

I just signed up so please forgive me if this question has been discussed before. I already did go through like 6-7 pages but didn't find it. Also sorry if I don't use the right terms :)

I did 2 tandem jumps last year, one in Italy and one in New Zealand and had a blast. Will probably sign up for an AFF course soon now that the dropzone near Pattaya reopened again just a week ago :) Anyway, I'm hoping to do my 3rd tandem jump in Dubai in a few months. I checked out some videos on YouTube and noticed that they were standing when they were about to jump. I sat at the edge of the plane on both jumps I did earlier so I wonder if there's any difference? Thanks.

[pchapman 279]

Depends on the type of airplane & the size of the door.

Also depends on the dropzone, and depends on the instructor.

Some exit methods work better than others in different ways, but there are many variations that are all acceptable.

[promise5 17]

Can you request exiting a certain way? I've seen some video where the tandem exits facing away from the door.

No matter how slowly you say oranges it never sounds like gullible.
Believe me I tried.

[pchapman 279]

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Can you request exiting a certain way? I've seen some video where the tandem exits facing away from the door.

Again it depends on the DZ. I don't know what a 'typical' DZ allows, but some may consider backing out not acceptable -- more of a risk of snagging something on the doorway. Some DZ's might have a more standardized exit, while others allow more flexibility. (E.g. one DZ I'm at has a strict 'no flips' policy -- since manufacturers typically state they want a stable exit with a customer. While at another DZ they are more liberal, if you want a front flip diving out, or gainer facing aft, no problem.)

[promise5 17]

No matter how slowly you say oranges it never sounds like gullible.
Believe me I tried.

[riggerrob 643]

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... they were standing when they were about to jump. I sat at the edge of the plane on both jumps I did earlier so I wonder if there's any difference? Thanks.

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The first variable is the height of the door.
The second variable is the height of the student.
The third variable is whether there are any steps outside the door.
The fourth variable is the strength of the instructor.
The fifth variable is the strength of the student.
The next variable is the flexibility of the student.
The next variable is how well the student listens and cooperates during ground school.
Do they even speak the same language?
Are they being filmed by an outside video-grapher?
Is the instructor videoing the skydive with a hand-mounted camera?
What is school policy?
How flexible is school policy?
How many different airplanes does the school use?
How many handles are inside the door?
How many handles are outside the door?

[riggerrob 643]

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... I've seen some video where the tandem exits facing away from the door.

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Backing out the door fell out of fashion back during the late 1980s ... after several tandem parachutes deployed pre-maturely ... half-way out the door. Some of them missed the tail of the airplane, but they also bent a few airplane bent tails!

Pre-mature deployments are far less likely with modern tandem containers, but since we learned that lesson the hard way there is nothing to be gained by repeating that mistake.

Trust me, we did a lot of silly things during the early days of tandem (1980s). These days, you could not get me to repeat half those things ... for love or money.