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S AFETY
RECORD AT AEROHIO
Without a doubt, safety
is our primary concern at AerOhio. Our best
friends and family skydive here, so everything we can do
to manage the risks of skydiving...we do! What are
those things? We have extremely well maintained
aircraft and experienced pilots, well beyond the
industry standards. We have state of the art equipment
that is on a vigilant maintenance schedule. We
have some of the best Skydiving Instructors and Coaches
in the Nation. We are not kidding! AerOhio
has a learning environment that is amazing.
Please understand that no one anywhere, can
ever guarantee perfect safety because this is still skydiving that
we are talking about, and there are rare moments when even if you do
everything right, a person can still be injured or die. There
is no such thing as a perfect parachute, airplane or human
operator. When you
skydive you assume that risk and learn how to manage it through
proper training and with the use of good equipment.
A skydiver must always remember that anything can
happen on any jump and only the jumper himself can control human
error. What AerOhio's staff does for you, is give you the best
training and tools that you need as a new skydiver to know how to
avoid problems, and how to effectively handle them if that rare
emergency does occur.
Over the years, some jumpers who have trained at
other skydiving centers have visited AerOhio, only to find
themselves being quizzed and double checked as to their
qualifications, currency, equipment and knowledge. This, of course,
is done only to ascertain that they are current enough in skill and
knowledge to safely complete a skydive. Most of them appreciated it, but a few
thought we were 'too intrusive'. On more than just a few occasions,
our 'intrusiveness' has caught and prevented people from jumping
with out of date equipment, weak emergency procedures, and improperly
sized parachutes.
This story may be anecdotal, but take it for what it
is worth. Recently, a jumper who had not jumped in many years, came
to AerOhio for the first time in order to get back into
skydiving. He was thoroughly retrained and briefed, and given
two currency dives supervised by two AFF Instructors. His comment afterwards was 'You guys sure do a nice job
here, but I think you are overly safety conscious' Our
instructor's simple response nicely summarized AerOhio's safety
philosophy when he said: Yup, we sure are !
EQUIPMENT
Only a few short years
ago, "State of the Art" meant only that your equipment was something other than
the military surplus parachutes. It has taken on a new meaning today
and due to lack of familiarity, the first time skydiving student
often does not know whether his equipment, training or aircraft are
good, bad, or average. Our purpose in talking about equipment is to
educate first time jumpers before they head out to the nearest DZ
for their first jump.
A Parachute System consists of a main parachute, a
reserve parachute, the harness and container system which holds and
deploys these parachutes, and an Automatic Activation Device.
The Main parachutes used today are exclusively ram
air or "squares" as we commonly call them. 20 years ago,
there were only a few types of these available, but today there are
literally dozens to choose from, and the reliability and flight
characteristics have improved drastically even from 6-7 years ago.
At AerOhio, all of our student main parachutes are newer, many of them are new
in the last few seasons. They are all of
the more advanced airfoil design and will perform and land
considerably better than the older style square parachutes.
All of our reserve or backup parachutes were
purchased new in 1997 and are of the square or ram air design. The
round parachute is a relic from years past and few if any jumpers
use them today. Soft landings and easy steering are only two of the
reasons why we use square reserves. If rounds were as reliable we
would all still jump them as main parachutes too. The fact is we do
not use them at all because the square is simply a better parachute.
All square reserves are fitted with a deployment system called a
free bag which actually is designed to prevent them from becoming
entangled when they are deployed. Round parachutes can not be
retrofitted for using this important safety device.
The AAD (automatic activation device) is a backup
system that is installed on a parachute rig. These devices have been
around for 30 or more years and have proven valuable in saving
lives. They work by sensing airspeed and altitude of a freefalling
body. In the event the person passes through a preset altitude
(usually 1000 feet) at a high rate of speed, the AAD activates the
reserve parachute. Just like parachutes, this technology has also
changed. At present time there is only one AAD that is truly state
of the art. It is called the CYPRES. (Cybernetic Parachute Release
System) made by Airtec Corp. in Germany. It was designed and
engineered in the late 1980s and reached the American market in
about 1990. Since then, it has been upgraded and supported by Airtec
to the point where it is considered the only device most jumpers
will consider owning.
The old fashioned AADs, with brand names such as
Sentinel or FXC use simple on- off switches or spring loaded trip
switches to activate the reserve parachute system. The Cypres
actually consists of a small computer which analyzes hundreds of
bits of data that is sensed during freefall. It's hi-tech
microprocessor knows virtually for sure where you are and how fast
you are going and if reserve parachute activation is needed. This
type of reliability is simply unachievable with the obsolete analog
or spring loaded AADs found on outdated equipment. Although these
old AADs are better than nothing, there is little or no use for them
in modern skydiving. If you want the best in skydiving equipment,
choose only the Cypres AAD.
How can you tell which is which? The old fashioned
units look like clunky black boxes that are located externally on
the parachute container. They require calibration or resetting on
each jump leaving additional opportunity for mistakes when in use.
The Cypres has only a small control head visible under a flap or in
a window on the reserve parachute container. Ask any experienced
jumper which AAD they would choose and the answer will universally
be "THE CYPRES" For more information about the CYPRES, see
www.pia.com/ssk.
TRAINING
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Training has changed as rapidly as the equipment.
Back in the "not so good old days", the only way to make
your first jump was with the static line. Static Line First Jumps are
a fun, lower cost way to make your first jump and get introduced to
jumping out of an airplane. After that, this method has limitations
which make it difficult to teach modern skydiving technique. For this
reason, all freefall training at AerOhio is by the Accelerated
Freefall Method. The reason for this is that we have discovered over
the years, that there is no more important time in a student's
progression than his first few freefall jumps. It is during this time
that the student has the opportunity to feel in control and gain
confidence.
In the static line training method, a
student is allowed to freefall alone for the first few times after he
completes five static line jumps. At this time, the majority of
students experience a lack of control or a feeling of helplessness. It
is during this time that most students quit skydiving. The only way to
overcome this is for qualified instructors to actually go out and
skydive with the students - and be on each jump with the student until
he graduates. The student never freefalls alone until completion of
the program, when he is trained, confident and in control. AFF allows
students to learn far more rapidly. Your average static line student
would graduate from the old static line method with 25 or more jumps
and less than 4 minutes of freefall time and little or no coaching
while in freefall. The AFF student graduates after 2 5
levels
and has at
least 25 minutes of freefall time all of which have been with a highly
skilled coach freefalling with him.
Tandem skydiving has also revolutionized the way we
introduce people to skydiving. Some people are not comfortable with
the work load that is required of them on an AFF skydive for the first
time, or they just want to freefall one time to see what it is like.
Tandem offers these people the opportunity to go along for a freefall
ride with only minimal training. In fact, a briefing of less than 30
minutes is adequate to take a new person along on a tandem skydive.
Often, this student realized that this freefall stuff is really quite
fun and they want to do it again.
What are the options? A person can
choose at any time to start with AFF Level 1 or they can go ahead and
make additional tandem training skydives which include some of the
fundamentals that will be used later in the AFF program. Tandem, like
static line, has an obvious limitation as a teaching method as it
provides a very limited amount of freedom of movement for the student.
Regardless of which introductory jump method is chosen, the student
will eventually be doing freefall jumps
with instructors and coaches.. For this
reason, choosing a drop zone with plenty of staff is very important.
AerOhio has more licensed and highly experienced AFF instructors on
staff than any of our competitors.
SKYDIVE
UNIVERSITY
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One of the most bewildering times for a new jumper
is right after graduation from the AFF program. He knows how to
survive skydiving and flying a parachute, but really does not know
even the basics about flying his body in freefall with other people.
Until recently, just learning the basics would take a few years and a
few hundred skydives for the average person to become competent at
body flight. For this reason, few folks stayed in skydiving for very
long. It just seemed like it took forever to become accomplished at
this sport.
Even in recent years, with many more people starting
skydiving than ever before, the same thing happened: They would start,
breeze through AFF, jump for another few months making maybe 50 to 100
jumps and then quit because they never got any good at it. The fact is
that anyone who tells you that you can learn to skydive with solo
freefalls and then jumping with your friends and other beginners does
not know much about the theory and technique of modern training.
Teaching skydiving is no different than teaching any other sport. It
takes a professional coach who has an extensive training background in
not only the technical side of training but also sports psychology and
effective teaching technique.
At AerOhio and other progressive jump
centers throughout the country, the need for a more comprehensive
approach to student training was recognized and implemented.
With AFF training to start, then having the option of Skydive
University to continue training, we are presently producing entry
level skydivers with excellent survival skills, and the basic flying
skills to build on for the next several hundred jumps. Although it may
seem slightly more expensive starting out, there are literally
hundreds of jumpers who will attest to the fact that there is nothing
more expensive than starting skydiving, buying equipment, jumping
a hundred times and then quitting in frustration after spending
thousands of dollars on gear and jumps. We have had many jumpers
migrate to AerOhio who already have hundreds of jumps but want to
start over and relearn with proper technique from a professional
Skydive U. coach. Our goal is to produce, safe, knowledgeable and
skilled skydivers who can enjoy the sport of skydiving for many years
and thousands of jumps to come.
AIRCRAFT
& PILOTS
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Many people who have jumped in the past will
remember beat up small airplanes as the norm. Jumpers often had good
reason to be afraid because the "perfectly good airplane' they
were jumping from often wasn't. AerOhio and many other progressive
skydiving centers have changed this. We fly a a 4 person Cessna 182.
It has also been specially modified to allow for
a greater safety margin with better climb performance and other safety
and comfort features. These modifications include a weight increase kit which
allows a greater safety margin for heavier loads, and a 260 hp engine
upgrade which allows for faster climb times. Both of these
modifications
make this airplane far faster and safer especially on hot days, when
other light aircraft really struggle. No other Cessna in our region ha s been
upgraded to incorporate any of these same added safety features.
A good way to determine a skydiving center's overall
attitude towards safety is to look at their planes and talk to the
pilots. If the planes are filth y, beat
up and abused or look like a
poorly kept antique,
that should tell you something. If the pilot conducts himself as a
weekend warrior in the sky,
or performs aerobatics and erratic flight maneuvers, that should tell
you something too.
. On the other hand,
aircraft that are clean outside and look presentable usually will have the
same degree of care in the rest of it's maintenance as well. A
competent pilot will conduct himself like a professional at all times
and treat the airplane and it's
occupants with care and courtesy.
At AerOhio, nearly every time one of our planes goes up, it
carries one of our own wives, husbands, or loved ones. This is not a
responsibility that we take lightly.
MANAGEMENT
& STAFF
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A skydiving center's owner and staff are really the
best representation of a skydiving center's attitude towards safety.
Some things to consider:
Is the drop zone affiliated with United States
Parachute Association and do they actively participate in
training programs and
require membership of jumpers?
USPA is the only representative of
skydiving in the US. Being active in USPA is the only way to be in
touch with
progress in the skydiving world.
Is the staff licensed and current and what is their
experience level? Are there enough staff to adequately serve the
customers? Are they genuinely interested in providing you with quality
instruction?
AerOhio has on record at the drop zone all of the staff licenses and
qualifications. You may ask to see them at any time and you may rest
assured that we have chosen not only highly qualified people but only
the seasoned, experienced skydivers, from the many qualified
applicants who wish to work here. We also have many AFF
instructors and Coaches. This means less
waiting and more knowledge for you to draw from while learning. We have chosen our staff
carefully to guarantee that you,
our student and customer, are the focal point of
the staff’s endeavors. You
are the reason we are here.
Is the drop zone
clean and well organized? Is the staff courteous, professional
and efficient? The only way to answer this
is to visit the competition and then visit us.
We already know what
you will find.
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