Best Jump planes (small dz)

[AggieDave 6]

Its a cool plane, but its a tail dragger. So same problems with pilots and insurance as a Porter.

Still a very cool plane, though.


Or have one on floats with a HUGE swoop pond on the DZ...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[bob.dino 1]

Forgive the naiveté, but why such insurance problems just 'coz it's a tail dragger? Surely they're not that much harder to fly?


edit: we jump 2x skyvans, an otter, a turbine-conversion beaver (away at the moment), and very occasionally a chopper. Can you spell 'spoiled'?

[AggieDave 6]

I'm not a pilot, I couldn't tell you if its harder or not, but what I found out when we looked at insurance options for a porter is that insurance companies HATE insuring tail dragger jump AC, so they make you pay for it.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[billvon 3,119]

>Surely they're not that much harder to fly?

They are traditionally associated with more ground-loop accidents. A taildragger is inherently unstable in terms of ground operation dynamics (but stable aerodynamically) and tends to want to "switch ends" until you get it in the air.

[SKYWHUFFO 1]

js,

You ned to also take into condideration 2400ft runway, but TREES 200 feet off the end by the hanger that are of good size. That field is tight at that end, so you would be stuck taking off and landing downwind the majority of the time. Your DZO knows planes probably better than 90% of the DZO's out there, and there and is a great guy, but conservative to change. Case in point, AFF at your DZ? The Helicopter that is setting in the hanger ready to fly jumpers but isn't. I suggest pushing on him to put this into the air before forking out the money for more planes. A helicopter will draw more jumpers since only a handful of DZ in the US jump one, where as practily everyone has a Turbine. More jumpers equals more jumps, more jumps equal more loads, more loads equal more money in Richard's pocket, More money equals him itching to buy more toys, More toys equal you getting a bigger plane posssibly. Push on the Helicopter harder than the turbine and promote it!