diverdriver

Copied from the Talk Back section: Here is the NTSB link for the Conway, AR crash: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020422X00562&key=1 After reading it (and it is preliminary) I am struck by the comment about the pilot being a PRIVATE PILOT!!!!!!!! Have we learned nothing? Why are dropzones still using Private Pilots to fly jumpers? Why are we skydivers getting in these aircraft? Why does the USPA do nothing to stop this? This is totally unacceptable. The FAA has ruled that NO dropzone is allowed to use Private Pilots to fly jumpers. The "Club" exemption does not exist anymore. I'm just glad all people on board survived this botched go-around. Chris Schindler ATP/CFII D-19012 www.DiverDriver.com

Here is the NTSB link for the Conway, AR crash: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020422X00562&key=1 After reading it (and it is preliminary) I am struck by the comment about the pilot being a PRIVATE PILOT!!!!!!!! Have we learned nothing? Why are dropzones still using Private Pilots to fly jumpers? Why are we skydivers getting in these aircraft? Why does the USPA do nothing to stop this? This is totally unacceptable. The FAA has ruled that NO dropzone is allowed to use Private Pilots to fly jumpers. The "Club" exemption does not exist anymore. I'm just glad all people on board survived this botched go-around. Chris Schindler ATP/CFII D-19012 www.DiverDriver.com

Oh, they know enough about the country to figure this number but they can't come up with the where about's of Osama? I think this number is slanted or a blatant lie. "No one won a war, by dieing for his country. He won a war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." -George S. Patton Uh, we killed a lot of civilians in WWII and not too many people protested that. Guess times have changed. Ahh hell. I'm probably gonna get flamed for this response. And this relates to skydiving how? Chris

When you use a toggle you are turning by inducing drag. When you induce drag you will lose some speed until your attitude changes to pick up speed again. Using front risers to initiate the turning descent you aren't bleeding speed. Also, when using toggle a new hooker may be too agressive and then "come over the top". At that point you are totally commited to letting the canopy plane out. Hopefully you have enough altitude to swing through. When using the front riser for the turn you need only let it up and go to toggles to start the flare if you find yourself too low. Chris

Pot calling the kettle black, eh professor?

Cheryl, my website has a lot to do with death. I don't want that king of celebrity. I want awareness so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past. I want a website so pilots know what they SHOULD do to keep safe. And to know what perils lay out there. It is not.....so I can be more popular. I know what you mean. I just want people to understand that the site is what is important. Not me. Chris Schindler ATP/CFII D-19012 www.DiverDriver.com

Hey Andy, don't know what accident you are talking about but according to the NTSB the Beech went down in Sept. of 92. Not 91 as would be 10 year anniversary last september. It crashed AFTER the otter went down at Perris. Just looking at what the NTSB website says. Chris

Nice article. Many changes in attitude came from this and another crash later that year. Let us not forget the lessons learned as it would disrespect the memories of our past brothers and sisters. I got interviewed for the article out of the blue because of my website. Nothing was used from the interview other than my website was listed at the bottom. The word is getting out. Chris Schindler ATP/CFII D-19012 www.DiverDriver.com

Clay, Are you pulling hard on the front riser and snapping the turn over the top and then gliding through or using the double fronts to keep the dive going? I wouldn't recommend that if that is in fact what you are doing. The best way to build speed and keep it is to do a long carving, high arcing turn. It keeps the front riser pressure from building up tremendously. I am certainly no swoop expert. I haven't won any swoop contest. But, I have learned from quit a few jumpers I feel are aware and safe in what they do. Jaimie Paul and Rook Nelson. To start my turn I set up between 200-300 feet and well off the the side of where I want to land. I never fly directly over where I want to swoop. This allows me to carve longer and pull out of that turn should I decide I am too low to continue the turn. I have held that ONE front riser until I let it up to start my plane out. It maintained the highest speed to the lowest altitude and in an ATTITUDE that was fairly flat. So, I hope I am just reading your post incorrectly. Swoop safe. Chris

A trip to the "shoe store". Uh oh!!!!

Umm, if you see the freebag of a Reflex in flight and it has the Catapult still attached you may not want to try and catch it. It has TWICE the drag. I did this once and I told myself I won't try to catch it inflight again. I'll follow it. But I won't grab it again. Chris

rgoper: I am a USPA member. D-19012. I choose to travel around and SDC requires membership to jump. USPA Nationals requires both items. D-License and membership. I choose to protest the GM program in different ways. But, that still doesn't change the fact that Phree has the right to protest in the manner that he does. Plus, I like Parachutist cuz I'm in there every once in awhile. It's all about me. Last word from you on this? Ok. I just feel you are mixing membership and safe, law abiding skydiving. They are not the same. If the DZ doesn't think it's worth it for their jumpers to have the third party liablility insurance then so be it. They'll have to deal with the consequences. If I owned a DZ it would be a non-GM and I WOULD require individual membership to jump. But that's me. Chris

It's not rediculous. It's the system that USPA set up and if that's how he wants to deal with it he can. USPA is a VOLUNTARY organization. Just like AOPA. Your comparison to my following FAA rules is invalid. AOPA does not set FARs. In kind, USPA can only set forth "Guidelines". Of which, I happen to think that all jumpers and DZs should follow them whether they are a GM or not. But the GM program is very useless for the members of USPA. So, if Phree wants to protest the GM program in this manner by not renewing his membership then he has that right. He does not need to be a member at the NON-GM DZs he jumps at. Those NON-GM DZs could require USPA individual membership if they want to. I don't think I ever read Phree saying that he wouldn't follow the safety rules of skydiving. He just doesn't like the GM program. I also seem to remember him saying that he would rejoin if the GM program went away. So, tieing his USPA membership to him following safety rules for skydiving isn't proper. Chris

Who says he has to travel to other DZs? Maybe the two NON-USPA DZs he's mentioned are all he needs. And he's right. A USPA license if for life. A license never expires. So, if he wants to compete somwhere then he can do a temporary membership for a reduced rate rather than pay the full membership rate that he obviously doesn't need. Chris

Dang, I should have ended the post with: At the end of the day a whole bunch of us went out and found both main and freebag. Like I said, we were about 5 rows to short in our first search. Aparently, Rainbo and I both saw the freebag and went for it and like circled the main the whole time and never saw it. NO, I don't get target fixation. Just never saw it for some reason. We both thought that funny. Everyone saw us circling down to chase stuff and they saw the main but the two of us circling down never realized there was a main. Weird. Chris

Funny story.....Summer Fest last year at Skydive Chicago. I'm jumping on the 40 ways. I see a chop. Follow the free bag. We're over corn. See a narrow strip of grass. Swoop my 107 in there nicely. See my buddy Rainbo land near by doing the same thing. Look up and watch person under reserve fly back to the landing area. I jump into the corn. Ranibo and I search for about 45 minutes looking for that dang thing. Row by Row. (we were about 5 rows short in our search) Never found it. Never saw a main. We decide to hike out finally figuring we are losing our slots on the bigways. On the walk back we curse the jumper who just flew away with no care for their gear or us that had tried to follow it. We cursed him repeatedly cuz it was hot and humid and searching in corn alone sucks. Especially when it's not my gear and the owner isn't helping. 20 minutes later we walked up to the hangar and they are dirt diving the next big way. Jim Wallace yells out "We saved you guys two slots so get packed and you're on!" We're beat, we're pissed. We want to know who the YO YO was that didn't follow his gear. We want to know why no one ran a golf cart out to pick us up on the north end of the airport. Then, our fearless leader, local jumper/organizer Max Meijer (aka Poppa Smurf) calls to us "Did you find my gear?" Rainbo and I are floored. But just like good troopers on a big-way not wanting to lose our slots we said "Oh Max! That was YOUR gear? Can we walk back out there to find it again while you guys go up again without us? Really, we don't mind." All was forgiven cuz it was Max. I don't think he knows how much we cursed him on that walk back. Very funny for Rainbo and me. Chris

Some times the Anti-Aircraft Artillery opens up on yah and you have to take evasive action. Oh wait, that was a dream I had.....nevermind.

Ann, I think you can get a temporary membership for a reduced rate. You don't have to pay the full 45. I could be wrong but I know I payed that years ago one time because the paperwork hadn't shown up yet. Chris

He's not handing out orgasms Betsy. Wrong line.

HH, any chance a button could be added in persons post to go direct to a PM instead of clicking on the profile and then going to "send private message"? Can I have that for Christmas Santa? Chris Schindler

Course, with the increased weight of equipment for the landing you'll lose performace with today's wingsuit so it's a step back. I KNOW!!!! STAY PUFFED MARSHMELLOW MAN!!!! Aim for the white dude!!!!!!!

[smirk] I'm only hearing negativity here. No adventure. No explorer's spirit. Seeing the glass as half empty. [/big smirk] Oh sure, now you have to get technical on me. DD

If the space shuttle can come in on a 22 degree approach and still flare out to a soft touchdown I don't see why a suit couldn't be designed eventually to accomplish this. Wouldn't want to be the first to attempt the landing. But neet idea. DD

Well, not sure a dust devil is the only thing that can pick up debris. Some sort of wind mechanism is necessary to get something off the ground but it could be straight line winds. Once above the ground the conditions could be right for keeping it aloft. I have passed all sorts of things inflight in my airplane. Seen black trash bags the most. Any altitude ranging from 3,000 all the way to 6,000. There's more junk aloft than most people realise. So, please, don't litter. Chris

Why is there enough loose brake line out that it can be caught on anything? I think that's an issue you need to address on your risers too. If it can get caught on the slink tab than it can get caught on any number of other things causing the same mal. Chris