DiverMike

Because we have to have someone pretend to be an adult and keep the rest of us in line. IMHO the most important moderators are those who moderate the incidents forum. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

You are making conspiracy theory not fun by responding to the issue on a timely basis and presenting facts in an organized manner. On another note, were you in Dallas in November 1963? For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I'll throw in a dollar to have you fill in your profile. Maybe if you could get everyone on DZ.COM to commit an equal amount you won't have a problem anymore. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

+1 Excellent Idea Goes something like this - "Hey Mister Pro Rated 'D' license, want to do a fun jump with me into my backyard? I'll pay for your ride and free beer when you land" For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I hope there were some missing tags in that post. If I were running a business that was being poorly reviewed in the largest forum in the industry, I would respond. I also hope your personal attack was in jest. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Your attitude will get you far. I am a software developer who was a 'victim' of the dot.com blowup. I took a job making half of what I was used to, worked hard, and am now well compensated. Cream does rise to the top. People who work hard and refuse to be 'victims' will always do well. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

My rigger just called me (I didn't even know he had my phone number). He too talked to Altico and confirmed the SB. I started talking about 'should' and 'could' and what was mandatory. He told me I spend to much time on DZ.COM and to just take it out. Bye-bye AAD. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

That doesn't help people (like me) who have an Argus already. I am still noodling over if I am better off without an AAD or using the one I already purchased. If I could climb into my wayback machine, I wouldn't have purchased a rig with an Argus in it. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the service bulletins I have seen indicate the AAD 'should' be removed prior to the next jump. Nothing I have seen indicates it 'must' be or that it is mandatory that it is immediately removed. Isn't it technically legal to use the AAD until the next repack of the reserve where it would be illegal to pack it? For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Thanks. Now I know what to look for. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Excellent point and I had thought of it. It is my understanding that Tandem Instructors do log their jumps as freefall. Is that the case? Do tandem jumps count towards cumulative jumps and freefall time awards? If they do, then drogue fall is the same as free fall and would count at night. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

And call it a Sport license? It already exists. Daytime VFR only, at most one passenger, and limitations to aircraft weight/performance. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I think you are misreading the bulletin. If the manufacturer approves it (Altico still has) then it is not in violoation of 65.129e, to wit: (e) Pack, maintain, or alter a parachute in any manner that deviates from procedures approved by the Administrator or the manufacturer of the parachute. In addition PIA is taking liberties with 61.129(b) since the FAA has not to date deemed any container packed with an Argus as being "not safe for emergency use". In fact, adding this hypothetical possibility to the technical bulletin was a poor decision. I can think of hundreds of other scenarios the FAA could implement that would make using an Argus illegal. Including a hypothetical possibility based on future FAA action is misleading. There is absolutely no reason pertaining to BSR's, FAR's or manufacturers procedures or recommendations that indicate a rigger shouldn't pack an Argus in a Dolphin. Yet. (... waiting for various shoes to drop- I contacted Altico and they haven't responded...) For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I finally saved up enough money to get a used Dolphin with an Argus. To date, Altico hasn't banned the Argus and I have a few options to consider: 1. Remove the Argus and a. Jump without an AAD. b. Don't jump at all this year until I have saved up to buy a CYPRES. 2. Leave the Argus in and a. Check it before every jump so I don't bring a plane down. b. Continue to pull high and decide by 2000' if I am cutting away and going silver (as I was trained). To me the AAD is only there if I am incapacitated or stupid. I can try to prevent stupid. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

OK - you are right it appears to be defined in section 6.1. I don't know why it isn't in the glossary. It is defined as: 1. Group skydiving, traditionally called “relative work,” may be described as the intentional maneuvering of two or more skydivers in proximity to one another in freefall. By that definition, a tandem skydive could be considered a group skydive. Both the instructor and passenger are maneuvering their bodies to remain stable. The question remains are two people attached to each other proximate to each other? Could be: prox·im·i·ty (prk-sm-t) n. The state, quality, sense, or fact of being near or next; closeness: Also - in case you were wondering, I don't consider a tandem jump as passenger as qualifying as a night jump for the passenger. I just enjoy picking the SIM apart. I'm bored at work. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't the Argus indicate it fired and/or was not armed? I check it before every jump, so I doubt I would be responsible for bringing the whole plane down. It does suck that the cylindrical cutter could kill me, but I would rather jump with an Argus than nothing. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

Although nobody in their right mind would try to claim a tandem jump as a passenger as a night jump for a D license, there is nothing in the SIM that says you can't. The SIM already recognizes that all tandem jumps are not student jumps since Demonstration jumps into Level 2 areas require a D license with a USPA PRO Rating for all jumpers, including both tandem jump participants. In theory you could do the group jump as a tandem passenger assuming you could talk someone else into doing it without being killed by the drogue in the dark. Some 'C' skydivers have ridden at night as a passenger to become more comfortable before soloing at night.(The search button is your friend). I doubt they did it in a group jump and it could not be counted as solo. Interestingly enough, 'group' is not defined in the SIM Glossary, so I suppose you could argue any tandem is a group jump. It is theoritically possible, but likely has never happened. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I agree we should (and usually can) trust S&TA's to make safe decisions in the field. I also agree we don't want any more rules and regulations than are necessary to keep the FAA from absorbing us. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

If everything in the SIM outside of BSR's is just a recommendation and there are no license requirements, can someone please issue me a 'D' license, and make me an AFF-I with a PRO rating? I would be willing to pay for it with a couple of cases of beer. It would be so much more convenient than actually gaining the experience and being tested on my knowledge. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

This does not make sense to me to totally disregard the requirement as stated in the SIM. It does not say "should' or "may", it says "must". It really is not open to interpretation. The USPA determined that a solo night jump is different than a group night jump and is a requirement for a 'D' license. You don't have to do a solo night jump before performing a group night jump (It says you "should" in the SIM), but you absolutely 'must' do a solo night jump to get a 'D' license. From the SIM: The main question is if by saying "must" is otherwise stating you must do it and it isn't just a recommendation. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

They don't waive the labor when installing a glow face, but do when installing a custom face. Last spring I got a custom face that made the alti difficult to read. I sent it back in to get a standard face and they wanted to charge me more. I had to take a standard face, add a tiny JPG to it, and submit it as a custom face to get the free custom face. I was willing to pay the extra $4.00 for a glow in the dark but they wouldn't do it without charging me $54.00 to put it in. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

He is probably talking about the face. On a confusing note about the Alti - they have a 'free' program to create a custom face. All you have to do is send in your altimeter and pay $12 for shipping and handling. If you want a glow in the dark face, it costs an additional $60.00. I even tried to get a stock glow in the dark, but the quote was still $60.00. It doesn't make sense to me how they will take your artwork and create and install a custom dial for free, but charge you out the ying-yang if you want a glow in the dark face. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

I must admit you would not have been on my list of DZ.com people I thought might be tolerant and understanding about chicks who used to have dicks. You would , however, be on my short list of people who might refer to themselves in the third person. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

You are defending how the policy should be implemented. I would like to see someone defend the policy. DZ's are not marketing the possibility of doing a tandem - they are marketing and selling the activity of skydiving. I have yet to see a website say "give us a couple of hundred dollars and if all things go well you can skydive". A tandem is not like AFF or a Belize Boogie. It is a single event that must be paid for in advance. If the DZ for very valid reasons chooses to not allow the event to happen, it should refund the money. Rainchecks are just a way of saying, "you came here once, I'm not sure you are going to come back, so I will hold onto your money" Can somebody point out how this is the honorable way to handle the situation? For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

They are already trusting the DZ with their life. It may be legal in most states, but not refunding due to weather hold is a breach of trust IMHO. I see no ethical justification for keeping money for a service that was not performed and the person you took the money from did not in any way prevent the service from being performed. It is just plain sleazy. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.