Passenger opening the chute too early can make for a nasty off dropzone landing if the winds were getting up there. There are times I spot over a mile away based on opening at 5000. If i am open at 10,000, I would need to spot 2 miles away. There is now a good chance to land up to a mile off the DZ due to being open too early. Do I believe in providing the student w/ a drogue release? YES. It's all in the training. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space!