riggerrob 643 #51 August 16, 2004 Quotei liked it better then a king air, but not as much as an otter. its got a really low ceiling like a cessna or a kingair... i got a lot of new scratches on my helmet. the middle bench seating is nicer then sitting on the floor like a king air. its got a wider door then a kingair, more places to float outside, and a safer tail. at WFFC they did a very good job spotting in it. and its got a nice climbrate. I see it as a nice step between a cessna and otter. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ... and that is the market it is aimed at: DZs that have out grown their Cessnas, but cannot afford a twin turbine. For example, Pitt Meadows is too busy for our three Cessnas, but not quite busy enough to fly our King Air every day. The boss freely admits that a 10-seater with a turbine engine and fixed gear would be the ideal size, but he cannot afford the million-plus dollars for even a used Caravan. So we picked up a decent 1967 vintage King Air for a fraction of the price of a single turbine. Hundreds of other DZs face the same dilemma and Pacific Aerospace is trying to fill that niche. Some children are just Super Otter spoiled. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adrenalinejunki 0 #52 August 16, 2004 I jumped the PAC 15 times at Rantoul. When I first jumped it the spot was way off, it was cramped, and the floor was slick. After a few people gave them some feedback every single one of these problems was fixed. They got better at spotting, they put friction material on the floor and started taking fewer jumpers per load. I really enjoyed this jumpship. The pilot said they were getting 1500ft per minute fully loaded until about 8k and then it dropped back to 1000 ft per minute. Everything was great except for the low ceiling which they can't do much about. __________________________________________________What's the worst that can happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
larsrulz 0 #53 August 16, 2004 I jumped it saturday (first one) with about 6-7 people and I was watching him climb at 2000 fpm, 1500 by the time we leveled. My jump out of it tuesday was not so lucky. It was filled to the brim (they said it could hold 18, we had 15 and were CRAMPED), and the climb rate was no better than that of a caravan, i.e. 5-700 fpm above 8000'. My only complaint is the door is short. Tried to launch a two-way train from it and we really had to lean over to stand *in* the doorway. Outside or inside is fine, but standing in the actual door is a pain. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #54 August 16, 2004 Gotta say, having jumped this A/C now, I love it.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fast 0 #55 August 16, 2004 Jumped it 3 times. 1st jump was 10 people on the plane and I was really wondering how they could fit 17 in there like they were claiming. Floor was really slick and it just seemed cramped. 2nd jump was the 1st sunday and it was quite horrible. 15 people and they hadn't turned the copilot seat around yet. I was 1 of a 2 way and the rest was a 13 way. Was one of the three jammed up front, and honestly i couldn't feel most of my leg cause it fell asleep till I pulled it up and put it on someones lap. Watched people trip and fall over trying to exit the 13 way, didn't look fun. 3rd jump was 2nd saturday and they had things worked out better but it was not a full load and I still didn't really like it that much. 85% of my jumps are from a king air or a caravan, probally 10% out of a 182, and maybe 5% from an otter. I much prefer the caravan to the PAC. I guess I like sitting on the floor more (which is how the KA/Caravan I am used to is set up) and it just didn't seem as comfortable they way they had the benches set up as I am used to. I wouldn't say that I'm biased to the size of an otter because I just don't have that many otter jumps. Maybe I am in the minority of saying its not that great, but I can at least say the person that did the 2-way with me agreed with my sentiments. I can't complain about the climb rate or the operating costs because they are good. (and yes, the pilots did get MUCH better at using the GPS as the convention went on)~D Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
