diverdriver

You can also open your local yellow pages and look under aircraft/airplanes/aviation Instruction. There should be a number of schools listed for flight instruction. Go to all of them and look at the operation. See what they give you as far as paperwork for learning to fly. Compare them all. Talk to the people there about why you want to learn to fly. What do you want to do with it? They will have a better idea on how to help you get the most out of your instruction. Edited to add: DOH!!! You're in the UK. Nevermind. Do you all have yellow pages? Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Bill, that summed it all up and it's what I've tried to say too when comparing canopy pilot training to aircraft pilot training. NO ONE is born knowing how to fly anything! You have to train. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

No, the pilot should not be skidding the airplane either. If he does then the airflow around the plane (and around the jumpers about to launch) will be changed. Most likely there will be less airflow right out the door and I think they would want to present the bottom of that raft to the relative wind pretty quickly to not get it too vertical right out the door. Then again, coming out of a tailgate it goes a bit vertical and still flys out. So, I don't know. I just know that trying to get skydivers to launch on the same timing the pilot shoves the controls sets up a potential for injury to the jumpers. They should not do it. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Dude.....it's not as easy as you make it sound. I downloaded the software. Now where do we put all this? I can't seem to figure it out.

Download mIRC where?

Couple years back jumpers told the pilot to launch the raft out of an otter by giving them some negative Gs. They launched and some jumpers hit the tail. Bad deal. Could have been worse had someone gotten killed. Fortunately no one did. So let's not give advice when we haven't done it before. So, since I have flown a raft dive out of an otter I will say that you don't need to float anything. They can plant the raft on the door frame slightly angled aft. When ready the outside jumpers just leave and drag it out. Seems to work fine. There's no guarantees but it's a safe exit rather than floating anyone into the horizontal stabilizer. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

You're gonna drink your drink. You're gonna say goodnight. You're gonna go home and jurk off. And that's all you're gonna do! [/pulp fiction]

Dude, glad to hear you are ok. Don't worry. There are more planes out there.

How true.

July 21st.

Oh, I like that shot.

Yes, hit door 5 times in 10-way practice. Left knee to ankle was black. Hurt like hell but did not break anything.

Oh yah. That's a sure fire pickup line if I ever heard one. LOL

We won't because why would we? Does the issue go away? Just because the numbers go down doesn't mean we have learned really. Just means the rule had an effect. We haven't repealed pull altitude but the number of fatalities per number of jumps made has gone down. Why not repeal that rule since it isn't as high a percentage of fatalities anymore? Because we see the rule as necessary as a good guideline. Why are we going to 500 jumps for a "D" license? Because we seem to recognize that things have changed and that the maturing process that once came with 200 jumps is just not the same anymore. There is more to learn and you can make 200 jumps in the first year of your skydiving career like it's nothing (money permitting). Many on here have said that time in sport is just as important as jump numbers. So, by increasing the amount of jumps necessary to qualify for certain privileges makes you spend more time in the sport. This, as I see it, is a good thing. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

A better decision to prevent canopy collisions is to never have another canopy in the air at the same time as you. So, since we know it always takes two for a collision to happen we should just ban all aircraft that carry more than one jumper at a time. Right? It's not the hook turn, it's the collision hazard. But we all know that is impractical and not going to happen. So how do we prevent people from colliding in this case? That's the question we are trying to answer. We know the geni is out of the bottle and high performance landings will never go away. To those that believe everyone should be able to do whatever they want without regulation: We live in a society of rules. They exist mostly because people have been shown to not be able to control their actions. Remember, this wingload BSR is not to say you can NEVER be able to fly certain wingloadings. It is to say that there needs to be a graduated progression towards heavier wingloadings. Teenagers in many states now have to go through a graduated program when they get their driver's license. As a society we recognize that the world we live in is NOT the same as in the 50s and 60s. There needs to be certain guidelines to keep teens alive while they learn and mature. The canopies we fly now are nothing like what we (skydivers) flew in the 70s and 80s. We must recognize that the world has changed and that there may need to be a graduated progression for the PRIVILEGE of flying certain canopies. Remember, skydiving is not required for normal living. It IS a privilege. Since many have spoiled it for the rest and many of us are tired of seeing broken bodies on the ground and going to funerals and memorials I say we do need a graduated program for wingloading. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I said it before and I'll say it again....... WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!!

Sorry Jack. I'm really not trying to do that. But you know me. Gotta speak my mind.

I thought Missy's speach was very moving too. She got up there and told everyone that she was not Roger. Roger could speak so charismaticly that she didn't know if she could find the words at that time. But she did beautifully well. And the comment I remember most was something like "One legacy has ended. And a new one has begun!" I believe that was a standing O. It was so right on. Chris

Here's a pic of those FB hats. I hope to hear soon what my FB number will be.

Yes, Donovan, Orion, Dan, Bill Hughes and many other volunteers deserve a lot of credit. Nice job guys. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Oh YAH YAH!!!...that was a good one. I can't believe I forgot that one......definitely one of my favorites.

Thanks Andy.

You forgot "The Right Stuff". Man....I love that opening. [suthin drawl]"They called them.....test pilots."

"It's going to be huge." My quote when asked what the memorial was going to be like. And it was. People from all over. The Herd, the Freak Brothers, Team Funnel, The Pink Mafia and many many more were there to show respect and pay tribute to a man who touched so many lives. "This is the big-way Roger always wanted to build." Laurian's quote about Roger's love for all of us and why he drove himself so hard to build something for people to gather in. It was beautiful to see all the people there. And I know so many more wished they could have been there too. I felt all of you. And I appreciate your vibes. And then something interesting happened. You all know that in the Memorial announcement it said that "Roger wanted balloons at his memorial." Well, I printed out many of the words posted here and on other threads for Roger. They were rolled up individually and put in a balloon. Renee and other Team Funnel members helped out with the whole process. I wanted them all grouped together to show the massive support from those who could not be there. We tied the balloons together in the front lobby. As we did this some others wanted to have their balloons tied in. It grew. And it grew. So we moved it out into the hangar before we weren't able to get it through the door. Once in plain sight everyone was coming up and asking to put their balloons in with the group. Balloons with memories of Roger. Condolences to the family. Everything very personal. And each balloon was filled with their own breath. As though we all were giving CPR to Roger one last time. Filling him up with life again. And I know it worked. You had to see all the people in the hangar. Roger's influence is not gone. It will be felt for decades. You know why? Because we each take a part of Roger forward and use it to help our fellow man. "Pay it forward." Whatever you want to call it. Roger is still alive in each and everyone of us that he influenced. And his request was that we all take the time to help each other. Pastor Laurian did a wonderful job (if not a bit long) of getting Roger's message across. That his faith in Jesus was strong and that he hoped for all of us to find Jesus and try to live as Christians treating each other with respect. Roger had to find his path and he hoped that all of us would find our own path to a happy, fulfilled life with Jesus involved. Many people gathered long before the service. It was amazing to see so many people that I've gotten to know over the years just because I worked for Roger. The service began at noon and a couple minutes into it a voice from the heavens spoke and said "THE MEMORIAL SERVICE IS STARTING NOW. WOULD YOU PLEASE GO TO THE MAIN HANGAR TO JOIN US. THANK YOU." Oh Eric. Your timing could not have been more perfect. It gave us all a chuckle and lightened the mood in this heavy time. It reminded us that life does go on and there will be laughter in our lives as hard as that is to believe during the sad times. Laurian spoke to all about life and death but that the spirit does not die. He asked us to gather on the north side of the hangar and line the driveway down to the ramp to say goodbye one last time to Roger. We all quietly walked out and I got in N10EA. The Enterprise. Uncle Jimmy's plane. Ready to take Roger on his eternal flight. Missy, Rook, and Laurian walked with Roger down to the ramp. Laurian said a few words that only the 3 of them heard. And then they boarded. As I started the right engine everyone had moved more towards the ramp and started clapping and cheering for Roger. Man, I wanted to hear that cheering for ever. The turbines spooled up and the noise we love so much as skydivers took over. We were going flying. Off the ground I contacted ATC to go to 18K. Chicago Center is so good to us. No problem. It was such a quick flight. The controller expressed his condolences to us (they knew it was the memorial jump) and wished us "Good day". It was a good day. It was perfect blue with no clouds at all. The view from 18K was tremendous and the winds were light all the way up. We approached the airport and gave them the door and exit light. And he was gone. "It is finished." But it is not the end. Chris I've attached a pictue of the balloon bouquet but I assure you that the final form was twice the size you see here. The DZ.com section was started on the left side of the bouquet and it grew out to the right. Everyone wanted to be a part of it. Thank you all so much.

And above all else....remain calm.