ElviDan63

i've worked with more than one instructor who yells at his passengers to "get your legs up!" before landing, but this is a terrible practice as i've witnessed many passengers get their "tailbone" messed up. they simply need to keep their feet out in front of them for light wind landings, and underneath them, slightly bent, to use as shock absorbers, for straight down/high wind landings.

like my comrade Chuck eluded to and FlyBabeAU confirmed, FEAR of the unknown and SENSORY OVERLOAD are the enemy. having worked at Skydive Chicago, i am very familiar with tandem progression. my advise would be to have the AFF candidate do a "working" tandem on their first jump. one of two things are going to happen, either they perform and move on to AFF, or they lock up and you have a "do over" until the senses kick in. there is no point in 5 hours of instruction and practice, just to tumble out the door on a shitty count, wrestle with them for 40 seconds, then dump them out and get to talk at length about their failure. plus they will get advise under canopy at least once, on how not to hit my car in the parking lot, etc.

I have a lifetime membership and you still have to pay for and meet the requirements to renew your instructional ratings every year, Pro as well I believe. Otherwise I would still be a Coach, AFF-I and T-I. Exactly, you only get the membership portion. i doubt i'll be renewing my tandem rating,(unless i find myself a widower), but God willing, i'll be using the AFF and PRO. if we had it in the past, then it should be that much easier to reinstate it. apparently, the idea got shot down a few years ago, and costs were cited as the reason. THEREFORE: USPA could set up one a those trust fund dealies, and the many charitable folk that we are blessed to have in this community, can fund the thing...done and done. then we can continue to include guys like Mr. Baumchen.

i just read the "letters" section in the January Parachutist and i have to agree with Christian Navarrete regarding awarding members who have reached 50 years of membership with an honorary Lifetime membership. i only have 30 some years in, but i know i've paid out a ton of cash so far. (ya, i know, shoulda paid the $500 back in the day...shoulda bought a bunch of gold too) now i'm no Scott Smith or nothin, so we need to get someone with a voice who can rally the members and make this happen. its our organization so we should have a say so. ask your representatives to bring it up at the next USPA get together. i hope this is something we can do, and i hope i live long enough to take advantage of it. Cheers