obelixtim

27%. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

A bonfire?. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I thought you were kidding with your previous post, but no longer. I won't say what I think of you here, out of respect for your age and medical condition. I thought the "we are rough tough ex military paratroopers who spit in the face of officialdom and death" types of individuals who dominated the sport in the 60's and early 70's were long gone. Skydiving became much more fun after those types departed, when their limitations as jumpers was exposed when RW took off. The death defying daredevil image did a lot of PR damage to our sport, and took a hell of a lot of time and effort on the part of many individuals to overcome, if it ever did. So you would advocate a completely unregulated free for all, "do what you like" selfish attitude to prevail because a couple of individuals apparently did you wrong. Did you maybe consider that the JM who put "your" girl out too deep simply got the spot wrong. I've done it, and I've spotted thousands of loads. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out the result of such a policy, with impact holes all over the planet. Skydiving would have been shut down by the authorities a long time ago. As it is, winning and retaining acceptance has been a long, difficult and continuing battle. Most rules and regs are a result of bitter experience, often repeated. They are there to keep everyone safe and alive. And for safety officers and DZO's around the world who make skydiving happen, it minimises the thoroughly unpleasant job of dealing with dead bodies. Not something anyone should be called on to do. Encouraging the idiots, as you are doing is irresponsible and certainly not clever. Not impressed with your arrogant attitude, at all. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You are missing my point. You should be pretty certain that you can do something as basic as saving your own life. Many other variables in skydiving make things less than certain. Pulling a reserve ripcord should not be one of them. The original poster despite having 30 odd jumps, is expressing doubts over whether she has the strength to pull her reserve handle. She wouldn't be the first. It prolly comes down to poor instruction in the first place. Getting out the door must be a difficult experience for her. If I was jumping without knowing if I could do something as basic as saving my own life, I'd be terrified. Yet it is easy to solve this by simply practising in a hanging harness. You can easily simulate hard pulls by adding resistance, in fact she could practise with pulls that are more than 22lbs, thus removing any doubts about her ability to physically do so. Dumping some real reserves on the ground when they are due for a repack also helps engender confidence. In the harness you can also practise emergency procedures using one hand only. Its free and you can spend as many hours as you want to. Some people are afraid of looking uncool, thinking harness drills are only for students. Far from being unique, there are many cases where a low time jumper has been afraid to ask for advice, for fear of being thought stupid. Its why a lot of people quit the sport. I have come across quite a few who lack confidence, and been happy to help them overcome their fears by clearly explaining what to do and making them practise their drills till they are happy with themselves. Its far easier to do this, rather than pick up the pieces later. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Smartest thing you've done. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Ah, so loading another set of rules to make the DZO more responsible for you absolves you from using your brain. It would be easier for you to quit. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Not being a requirement, and fudging your jump numbers is all well and good, but skydiving means responsibility to yourself, and to your mates on the DZ. Breaking the rules means jack shit when your mates are at your funeral. Being cool and dead is definitely not cool. Common sense is what keeps us alive.. Best you get some. And don't come to my DZ until you do. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

So you are telling me that you are quite happy to get in an aeroplane and fling yourself out the door not being sure of how your gear works and not being certain of how to to use it??. You have bigger balls than me. This is basic stuff. Best you quit now. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

This guy has proven nothing. And advice on an internet forum, or over a beer even, can be accepted by people who know no better. Be very careful about giving advice, and if you are going to do so, err on the side of caution. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut. Unintended consequences hurt other people. BADLY, especially when we are talking skydiving. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

WTF????. I'm wondering why people who are not sure whether they can pull their handles are even getting in the plane. You can practise these things over and over on the ground until you are certain of your ability to do such basic things. Do not get into the aeroplane until you are certain about such things. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

For all the young budding experts out there who think the old timers are just trying to hold you back and prevent you having such fun, here's something for you to do. Next time one of these oldies has to go and deal with a mess of raspberry jam splashed across the DZ, ask to accompany them. You'll find scraping smartarse ex skydivers off the ground isn't much fun at all. As an "oldie" its not something I go to the DZ to do, but its happened a few times, and I can tell you that the reality of a smashed body will perhaps make you appreciate that experienced jumpers are not talking out of their arse. There is plenty of time to do what you want to do in skydiving. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Remember Janice and her sister Ruth as students at Manawatu Skydivers. A lot of Kiwis at Elderslie back then, almost regarded as a NZ DZ. RIP Janice. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I call bullshit. Having been in this company on day 1 back in 1992 thru till 2000, and seeing what is posted as FACT by the marketing manager which I know is bullshit, nothing that is claimed by them can be trusted. The place is owned and run by a proven bullshitter. 1000 tandems a year would be max in Taupo, simply due to the weather, and the place is not as busy now as it was 10 years ago. Any of the TTS old timers will tell you the same. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Kiwi skydiver Darcy Perry passed away April 13th, aged 57, after a battle with cancer. A member of the NZ team in 1974/75, from the Manawatu Skydiving club. A good mate gone too early. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Yeah, from what I remember he went aft, and could have jumped at any time. That plane could have covered a lot of ground in the time between them last seeing him, and discovering he was gone. If he wasn't a skydiver then he had big cojones, for sure. It seems odd that part of the money turned up but not all....maybe he dropped some of it. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That was one of my points....and was ALL you needed to say..... The KISS principle needs to apply.......which makes for much more effective understanding.... I don't really give a rats arse if the terminology isn't 100% accurate. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I agree with all the others...tell him if he wants his rigs packed to pack them himself. He is obviously an idiot.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You did fine......only you could have made the decision at the time, and you made the correct one. Have no doubt about it. Way to go. And as for the beers.....thats out of the way...you can drink someone elses from now on to make up for it.... Plus you learnt a whole lot about decision making, the mechanics of a cutaway, and riding and landing a reserve. All of which adds to your experience level and will serve you well in the future. You've also done something that a lot of people with more experience than you probably haven't done yet.....you found out how you react to an unusual situation....there's quite a few jumpers out there still wondering what it will be like.... Take some confidence from your experience..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Apart from the semantics of whether clouds "suck" or "don't suck" (which is just playing with words anyway, and don't warrant the slagging that went on here), I think every tandem master should have some basic knowledge of meteorology, and the causes and effects of weather on airfoils. When you are rapidly gaining or losing altitude when you don't WANT to...you have a problem. Whether its a minor or major problem can change in a very short time..... I find it amazing that some seemingly "expert" skydivers on here have no clues about thermals, turbulence and other weather related factors that can adversly affect your health and life while under canopy.....and yes it can hurt you badly or even kill you AND your passenger. Every Tandem Instructor should be able to look at the sky and assess whether conditions are suitable for safe jumping, its not often these situations sneak up on you. There have been some good explanations given on here, although the technical terms used might bamboozle a few who read them. Ask someone who knows to explain them clearly if you don't know. And remember...the skydive ain't over till you are safely on the ground.... I'm absolutely NOT impressed with the individuals who decided to turn this important topic into a slanging match about whether clouds "suck" or not. There are plenty of people out there with low jump numbers who know a hell of a lot about different subjects than I do. I'm willing to learn off them....not rubbish their views. If you don't know about the effects of weather I suggest you go and FIND OUT. It could well save your arse one day..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You just said it..."in my mind"....the benefit of drawing on more experienced jumpers is the fact that they've been around long enough to see most things tried at least once....and they'll look at a bright idea and immediately pose questions you probably never considered... Nothing wrong with good ideas, but they need a fair bit of analysis before becoming reality.....especially when you are gambling with your life. Second opinions cost nothing.... BTW, a thin line, under tension, will cut through tape like a hot knife because it is very abrasive and generates quite a lot of heat......grab a piece of line, clench it in your fist and pull it out rapidly.....you'll see what I mean.... Snags on a helmet during opening shock can also break necks quite effectively.... Re evaluating is a very sensible idea....there is plenty of time to do the camera flying you want to do.....everyone starts off inexperienced... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

To all the young roosters out there who think us old blokes don't really know what we're talking about, consider this....we didn't get to make thousands of jumps over many many years without learning and sticking to a few basic rules. Especially about breakoff and tracking.... Barrel rolls were never part of the deal..... If you think they're OK you won't be on any dive that I have anything to do with.....and if you are on the dive, I'll be the one opening furthest away, and lowest on the load. Top rooster today.....feather duster tomorrow.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I've seen a line snag on the edge of a grommet....which probably stuck out less than 1/2 a millimetre..... Line worked its way into the grommet so far we had to cut the grommett to get it out....reserve entangled with the main....jumper landed in shallow water and walked out without a scratch.....he was lucky..... Remember Murphys law.....if it can......it will...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Kallend, you are correct, peoples personalities are very well developed by the time they reach adulthood, but people who enter our sport enter a whole new realm of emotional and sensual influence. I don't think any skydiver would disagree with that...hell peoples personalities change....overnight.... Also, I don't think anyone would disagree that they were influenced to a tremendous degree by their instructors, and whether they did one jump, seven jumps or seven hundred jumps they carry a lot of the attitudes of the people who first influenced them as they entered the sport...that applies to whichever discipline AFF, SL, or Tandem people used to get into the sport. Most people in the sport reflect a lot of the attitudes of their idols. And quite a few (not all) AFF, instructors I have come across have absolutely no time, let alone understanding of SL. Most of these have come exclusively through AFF programmes. It seems to me a lot of AFF influenced people have an attitude towards SL training that is neither justified nor reciprocated....and I've been involved in this sport for 33 years now and have seen a hell of a lot of change in that time..... Of course there have always been arrogant arses involved, thats the nature of the sport. But once upon a time it was enough that someone was keen to share the skies with you.......there is a snobbery (as someone else put it ) that wasn't there before....but you'd need to have been involved for a long time to have seen it evolve.... But you'd have to agree, from the point of view of numbers alone, AFF has no chance of matching the numbers of people who tasted skydiving via SL....thats why I gave an example..... Todays students are the instructors of tomorrow, and with less of them coming through via AFF, well, you figure it out...... You'd have to say, and from what I've seen in my travels around the world, that AFF now dominates training programmes in most countries....and as the decline in SL operations has occurred, it has been matched by the decline in the sport..... Thats all I'm saying..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The "bad attitude" and lack of committment is, I feel a reflection of those who have come up through AFF....by its very nature it means people who come through that system do not interact with as many students at the same stage of their jump career because there are less of them around. Sharing problems with peers at student level, I believe, leads to jumpers much more willing to "share" themselves later in their careers. By its very nature AFF learning is a lot more "self" centred, and this attitude seems to stay with AFF graduates throughout their careers. AFF is a relatively complicated and difficult way to learn to skydive, as well as being far more expensive. This is not conducive to "growing" the sport in terms of numbers. This "attitude" I'm talking about coming mainly from AFF graduates is simply one of arrogance towards SL student training as being "old fashioned", "not real skydiving", and even "its dangerous". I've seen many times in the last 10 - 15 years deliberate efforts to belittle SL training, to the point where attempts have even been made to legislate against it in favour of AFF. Total nonsense of course. Yet I've found AFF trained students surprisingly lacking in general knowledge about skydiving. (things like spotting and canopy control for instance). Understandable I suppose seeing AFF involves a lot more intensive freefall training. SL trained students also seem to becaome a lot more independant a lot quicker......because the learning occurs in much smaller steps which are easier to assimilate. These days I can't be bothered with these battles, because I know that a lot of the people who make the biggest noise don't contribute much to the sport, and don't stay with it for long anyway.... Its far easier to sell "parachute jumping" to the masses rather than skydiving, as I believe most people who enter our sport initially don't intend becoming skydivers, they just want to experience something thrilling rather cheaply and easily, which SL allows. Once hooked however, the skydiving follows naturally. The complexity and cost of AFF is a huge negative, and far outweighs any positives that the system entails. I'm not anti AFF by the way, I just think SL is a much more efficient way to produce skydivers.....and I see a lot less students being trained these days. As an example: One time I trained and jumped 53 first jumpers on a single weekend, with one jumpmaster to help me. Of that group of 53, 32 did a second jump and six managed 5 jumps in that same weekend. 9 of that group of first jumpers graduated with an A licence later that season. I simply cannot see the AFF system producing those sorts of results in that sort of time frame, with only 2 personnel involved...... And for those knocking tandems....tandems have made our sport a lot more acceptable in the world today. Anyone who went through skydiving in the 60's, 70's, and 80's will tell you of the constant battle it was to skydive, with the prevailing attitude towards skydivers back then. It was NEVER easy, and todays hotshots have no idea how much they owe to the jumpers of yesterday who fought those battles to make skydiving acceptable. Just getting aircraft and places to jump was an ongoing and difficult battle. It doesn't really matter though, because today people spend time in a wind tunnel......then come out and call themselves skydivers...... Yeah......right!!!. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I've been saying for the last 15 years that skydiving is slowly dying, and the single most important reason for it is lack of numbers of people coming through from first jump courses..... The lack of these jumpers can be attributed to one thing only..... The advent of AFF!!!. Too many skydivers who had only been involved in the sport a short time seemed to think that AFF was the only way to go, was the way of the future, and had the attitude that SL training were very "uncool". They forgot the simple factor of cost, and of the time and difficulty factor involved with AFF training. Personally I've trained over 10,000 people to do first jumps over my career, and if I had had to train AFF I doubt very much if I would have trained 10% of that number.... The chickens are coming home to roost, and as more and more of the "dinosaurs" and older jumpers retire and get out of the sport, then the decline is gonna go into freefall. I don't see the same dedication and love of the sport in todays young generation of jumpers....they lack the organisational skills and committment of the older jumpers....and like people have been saying on this thread....if you are an older jumper you often get negative vibes from todays young hotshots, who just can't accept that some of the older jumpers have something worthwhile to say... But what do I care, I've spent 35 years giving people great experiences, and I've had a hell of a lot of fun doing it.....but the attitudes I come across too often these days just leave me cold..... To hell with them....... Skydiving is a dying sport........period. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....