miked10270

HI Gus, Yeah... 'phone Allan Hewitt on +441980 844130 to talk Powered Parachutes... He did the "Toys" for the Bond movie. Look at Ram-Air "kites" (effectively 3 or 5 cell ZP Ram-airs) for your Canopy. Good luck, you can sell me one when you've got it sorted... Mike D10270.

Hey Zennie, Nice one... Unfortunately, knowing Scotty as I do (BTW did he get the badge for his chef's hat or do I gotta fly out to AZ with another one?) I feel It falls on me to confirm whether yo got the points... or did you accept a "sip" of Scotty's "Orange Juice" on the way up?!! Just checking you didn't do the 20 point 80 way out of a C-182,206,000 with a purple & orange sky with 79 smiley faces... Say "Hi to Scotty from me (althrough I doubt he remembers me from '00 @ Coolige) & reassure him that if I ever get famous he's STILL my Readers Digest "Most Unforgettable Person". Mike D10270.

Greeting (again) oh Lord & Master, BTW, In the meantime please feel free to "clean - up", mutilate, etc...(change beyond recgnition) my posts & use them as articles... One condition... I WANT ALL THE CREDIT!!!!!. Mike D10270.

Hi Skreamer, What do you mean Police Brutality.... I've viewed the "Rodney King Video" and if you play it backwards you can clearly see the police tending to his wounds and helping him to his feet so where do you get the idea of police brutality. Greetings oh Lord & Master, I hd thought of posting (sending?) you something along the lines of "news 'from' the world - a "Mikeist view of world events"... but I'm honestly not sure of keeping up with sufficient current events on a weekly basis. Plus my "satire" leans a little haevily towards use of language, rather than pure satire. OK... maybe an occasional column... But I've gotta think about it, & the news has to be "Mikeable"!!!!!!. Mike D10270.

Hi Gus, Would I be correct in guessing this is going to be used as a teaching aid? If so, then construction is going to be EXPENSIVE for an accurate & functioning Ram-air parachute! For display purposes, I've used a small (6") wood "artists model, risers, slider & suspension lines from steel wire onto a curved steel plate as the bottom skin. Furniture foam above the plate cut to shape, & covered with ripstop nylon. I've also seen display models made from various grades of plastic card (available from model & hobby shops). For Canopy Control lectures I've used an oblong of laminated paper with a small figure suspended from it (technical accuracy isn't as important as an approximate image). Then again, one of the best Canopy Control demos I saw was given using an alti and an empty VHS Video box with a figure suspended with 4 pull-ups!!!!!! Prof that it's the teacher, not the aid that's important. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Just my $0.02 on fatalities. Personally, I'd like them off the front page & perhaps an additional (restricted) forum. Something on the lines that only, say, Sangiro, Bill & Alan could make a new post on, but we all could post a response on. That way it doesn't leap out to people from the home page, but it's there & open for discussion (even by "Sucky" people like Skreamer). The point is that Dropzone.Com is many peoples FIRST contact with our sport, and "Perception is reality". For a potential ex-whuffo to search for & visit our homepage only to find our news seems to consist largely of "Absent Friends" must be offputting - certainly "at the margin". Would you continue into a pastime that you were considering if your first research into it consisted of the message "If you're gonna do this you're gonna die just like all these people..." Mike D10270.

Hiya Non, It all depends on the individual state - some (Californica-?) allow at 16 but I dare say the parental consent & waiver forms wording will be sufficient to deter even committed skydiving parents!!! I'd assume in these litigous times that your parents will effectively have to give the DZO & his representatives permission to kill you without any comeback on them (!!!) 'cos that's effectively what the waiver that skydivers sign means. At this point you run into a "wilful risk, neglect & harm by custodian" issue! In the UK (there's 2 lies for the price of one abbreviation) the "legal" age of 16 is nOT strictly speaking set by the sport governing body (The BPA), it's effectively set by The Children & Young Persons acts (in Scotland specifically by Section 12 of The Children & Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937. In short it's a criminal offence for a person over 16 years with custody, charge or care of a person under 16years to expose them to unneccessary injury to health. So... If a child gets hurt skydiving EVERYBODY who had anything whatsoever to do with the childs injury gets prosecuted (& believe me they WOULD be convicted!!!!!) Thats Parents, DZO, Instructors, Pilot, Jumpmaster, Ground staff, Packers..... Any "adults" out there still want to let a "child" jump? Mike D10270.

Whoops... Sorry.... When I saw the title "White Puffies" I assumed it was another post about Texans (hi Jessica...). ANyway, since it's about clouds.... Yeah, I've jumped through cloud once or twice & it's best described as indescribable, wonderful, & wierd! It's just a shame that if done deliberately it's illegal. Perhaps "deliberate" cloud jumps should be made (administratively) possible in the smae way as night jumps. Personally I'd love to jump (with GPS) in a zero visibility environment once! Mike D10270.

Hi Max, OF COURSE YOU OWE BEER!!!!... YOU OWE BEER IN INDESCRIBABLE QUANTITIES!!!!!! YOU OWE BEER IN SUCH QUANTITIES THAT YOU CAN FLOAT A LINER IN AND THE ICE IN THE BEER IS SUFFICIENT TO SINK THE TITANIC!!!!!!!! BTW... What was the original post about?? Mike D10270.

Hi Jessica, Don't get me wrong, there's things I like about Texas... Like... Errr..... Oh yes. It's a Loooonnnnnggg way from the UK, so sending a "hit man" (that's like - a Texan but with only one gun) out to get me becomes financially impracticable. The other thing I like about Texas is that it provides a sort of half way house between Civilisation (South Carolina) motto: "Don't drink the water - drink the bourbon" and Mexico (!) motto: don't drink the water, don't eat the food. What I like most about Texans is their "forgetfulness"! I remember that Texas used to have a Navy (Yes they did), but they "lost" it & it took a guy from Colorado (Clive Cussler) to find it for them!!! Now... In terms of things to "lose", while a soldier, even a tank or a warplane can be lost in times of war, losing an entire navy, especially losing an entire navy while there was no war on........ Mike D10270.

Hi AndyGrom, Waht about an AN-2!? OK they're not the fastest or climbiest 'planes in the world, but for you they're local & probably a "best alternative" to a Porter (which has to be the best DZ aircraft bar none?). I heard of one DZ which got an AN-2 for a week & apparently instructors had to be physically threatened before thay'd get back into a Cessna after it went back. WHile the BN-2 (Islander) in either piston or turbine form is an adequate aircraft, I'd reccomend that you avoid multi-engined aircraft like the plague. Unless you're operating a large operation with several aircraft available & maintenance on site then a multi can easily break the operation. First they're more expensive to run, and 2 engines means there's twice as much to go wrong! Take the example of 2 DZs: One runs an Islander which takes 10 skydivers per lift, the other runs 2 C-206s - 2 times 5 skydivers per lift. Lift capacity (all being well) is the same... UNTIL... Say an engine fails (yes it happens). The DZ with the Islander has just lost it's entire lift capacity, while the DZ with the 2 C-206s has lost HALF it's lift capacity. So... my suggestion is to go small - if not a Porter / Beaver / AN-2 then 2 C-182/C-206/Cherokee-6. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Personally I got the first part of my handle in similar circumstances to Greg... ONLY I DID IT BEFORE HIM so I'm claiming his lines! The second part - I got "a while ago" as I was comong in to land (after keeping my logbook wellaway from prying eyes for w few weeks). Unfortunately I was "grassed up" by Iona so my landing was a disaster - which I blame on the "flak" of potato peelings, greasy water, cold tea & god knows what that was thrown at me as I flared! Mike D10270.

Hi Mountainman, Of course P-Tiger isn't a cop... Any cop worth the name can make cofee & donuts last 12 hours... Then go back to the shop & book 4 hours overtime! Hi Jessica, Just 'cos someone "WANTS" to go to Texas doesn't mean they actually like Texas... It's probably more attractive than The Aleutians, Bosnia, or The Gaza Strip.... You know, more guns but strangely slightly more peaceful! Mike D10270.

Hi Zennie, Personally I Wolmari-Pack my Sabre 170 - don't roll the nose at all, slider quartered & well forward, tail rolled LOTS. With the Wolmari-Pack I get the air out & canopy bagged fast. It gives me nice smooth openings (not the "succession of bangs) & on heading. Try it. Mike D10270.

Hi Geoff, To the best of my knowledge you're correct. I've also heard of ZP canopies with A LOT of jumps... One PD Sabre with over 13,000 jumps which PD has taken to re-lining every 600 jumps for free - just to see how the canopy is doing. I assume that once the canopy is knackered (if ever) then they'll probably want it for display & advertising! THat said, nylon does deteriorate, particularly if exposed to UV light for long enough... SO, I suppose that if it was jumped in AZ & left out in the sun for long enough... Mike D10270.

I'm afraid it was me.... Mea Culpa. You know how it is... Someone asks for advice... You give it - in the sure & certain knowledge it'll probably make little difference in the end... Then you're completely blindsided by it actually working!!!!! I refer of course to my actually suggesting to PLFKING how he could land without maiming obese children or acting like a Kamikaze pilot on finals to USS Yorktown!!! With hindsight I should have behaved consistently & just laughed at him! Still... Now that he can land two things will happen... First... The median american child will be fatter without his darwinian selection of a landing target. Second... He will have to get a new username here & thus suffer the ignonimity of being a "newbie" again. So... The (PLF)King is DEAD! Long live the "StandingMeister". Mike D10270.

Hi FFF, No ofense taken... I'm NOT a virgin!! (shame about you & R-Chic... but then... you know... I supppose it must have been the rain that attracted her) Mike D10270.

Hi FFF, I see Shark's not answering - so he must be really, reeeeeaaaaalllllllyyyyyyyyy p!$$ed off with BASE jumpers!? Mike D10270

OK... Now I'm a bit confused... What did BASE jumpers ever do to Sharks to get them so pissed off? Mike D10270.

Hi Moose, Californica is a better bet than Az at that time of year... Firstly Eloy is "Feckoff hot" & I'm pretty sure it closes for part of the week in the summer. Eloy & Coolige really take off September thru May (October 1st onwards is especially good 'cos BA do their "World Offers" (cheap flights) then. One point if you do fly BA... Make sure you've got transport when you get to Pheonix - NOT a hire car... Not after 13 hours that starts with "Welcome aboard, would you like a drink while you find your seat? Now you've found your seat would you like a drink while everyone else finds theirs? WOuld you like a drink while we're waiting to start engines? would you like a drink before we taxi? would you like a drink while we're waiting to takeoff? Stop drinking for takeoff... Now that we've reached an altitude of 100ft would you like a drink while we're climbing?.... I love BA - I know WHY it's the (alcholic) worlds favourite airline. Mike D10270.

World leaders skydiving together... Sounds risky!!!!! Firstly, who would be JM? I suppose it'd have to be Dubya 'cos he's the most experienced (by one jump!!?). Then it's getting the aircraft. I suppose that the entire supply of C-5s & AN-72s "should" supply the lift capacity for our great leaders AND their bodyguards!! WHat really worries me is the post dive debrief!!! Remember these guys control armies!!! Germany accuses France of going low, France hotly denies this saying it was Holland that "went low" (little Euro joke there). China tries to blame the American bodyguard for the freefall collision & won't give the US their main or freebag back. Saddam exits & doesn't even get the first point 'cos he's too busy tracking away from the video guy in the "UN blue" jumsuit. No-one will dock onto the Brits 'cos of fear of infection from the pigskin gloves & Cowhide frappe-hat. Gaddafi spends the entire ride up farting in the 'plane. Columbia wants to do a "smoke" jump but no one will let them take their "white powder" canister on the 'plane. Castro INSISTS on doing the pre-jump brief at dawn & they still haven't emplaned by midnight. Canada wants the key in Frence first, then in English (that's why the French guy went low on everybody else... No... Perhaps not such a good idea. Mike D10270.

Hi there, rounds were good in their day, I jumped Aeroconicals, T-10s, PCs ... Landings were a mater of "Assume the position & wait"... "Front landing to the Right... Feet & knees to the left" or Rear landing to the Right... Feet & knees to the right" Etc... THey got you down to the ground in a fit state to jump again, which was good.... Apart from that, Ram-airs were such a total leap forward, from doing little more than hanging there waiting for the ground to actually flying down that the round was obsolete on the second day of ram-air canopy flight. At that time the PC was the hot canopy of the day & it was thought to be the final evolution of the parachute (lets face it... any more drive vents (holes) in it & it may as well not be there). With the Current range of Ram-air canopies available now, it seems that the ram-air canopy has also reached it's "final stage of evolution". Perhaps the sport is due another "eureka" moment & in 10 years time someone will be posting on "Ram Air jumps" & getting similar feedback! Mike D10270.

HI there, This reminds me of a discussion a while ago about "Pull-Height". from the days of front mounted reserves, we've "pulled" at about 2,500ft, to be open by 2,000ft. this has never changed. Yet, modern canopies seem to be designed to open "slow & smooth", particularly the "new" elliptical & semi-elliptical canopies. From the Stilletto through the safire & silhouette, 800ft from deployment to open seems to be the norm, not counting any problems / nuisances that occur. As such deploying at 2,500ft - under canopy around 1700ft strikes me as "a bit tight" if you consider your decision height for reserve to be 1,500ft. Yet altis & audibles all still seem to be marked & set assuming a 2,500ft deployment height. Perhaps it's time for a change of attitude to "the norm" for deployment height up to 3,000ft minimum. Mike D10270.

Hi there, Some folk have posted in favor of the death penalty "if properly administered". This may not have made the news much in the US, so I'd like to draw your attention to the cases of terrorist bombings in the UK in the 1970's (not so long ago) that involved "The Birmingham Six" & "The Guildford Four". Not only did these "terrorists" confess to the bombings (in very accurate detail), but they were also conclusively convicted by the best forensic scientific evidence of the day. The fact they withdrew their confessions was ignored in the face of the totally conclusive forensics. In the US they would have been killed. One small problem (or two)... While they were known terrorist sympathisers their "confessions" were what could be most charitably termed as "assisted" by police officers who were under enormous pressure to "get a result". This was compounded by the forensic scientist who decided to "help the police" when he gave his "irrefutable" evidence. While I firmly believe that "life" should mean life (not 20, 30 or even 40 years), I cannot agree with the death penalty simply because an innocent man can be later released from prison, but a dead man cannot be brought back to life! Innocent people HAVE been convicted of terrible crimes, convicted "beyond reasonable doubt" and have later been found to be innocent!!! The justice system is not absolutely infallible... It may be the best we can come up with but would any of you be willing to "Bet Your Life" on it, 'cos that's what the death penalty entails. Mike D10270.

Hi Dirtsucks, So finally you realise you're "Clinically Sane"!!! If we all didn't have our insanities to fall back on we'd all go mad. Mike D10270.