diverdriver

Just remember these pictures the next time you (anyone) wants to bitch about the price of tickets and the awful rules we have to follow.

Well, if that happens, experienced jumpers need to NEVER go to Skyride dz. Yes, they will still be tandem factories, but they won't be able to support large aircraft. Then, our dropzones can advertise our otters and king airs and whatnot. Just some thoughts. Brainstorming. Those guys really piss me off. Many people go to the DZs that have been known to be involved with Skyride for a long time. I doubt you'll convince them to actually stop going there. If they aren't outraged by now they won't ever be. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Guess not. Ouch.. Harsh. LOL.... GO CARDS!!! WOOOWHOOO!!!

So you're saying that only men vote republican? That women in the republican party don't count? I doubt you mean that but that's how your post just came across.

I'm voting Kerry...but if Bush wins I hope you are exactly right. We really don't need another 2000. It is so dividing to our country when one side feels that they have not been heard. No matter what party you come from everyone should push vehemently for all votes to be counted. If we don't make sure that all votes are counted and counted correctly our system is a failure.

By increasing the number of divisions that we employ. Not everyone who applies to be in the armed forces gets in. I think we could easily fill another 2 Divisions of the voluntary army. It's all about what you want to pay for. You're implying that Kerry would be the one to bring back the draft. You don't need a draft for 2 Divisions.

Those really are good pitures of her. Always smiling. Blue Skies Lisa. Be at peace now.

Misskriss is old? Nooooooooooooo.... I don't believe it. You certainly couldn't tell by looking at her. And she sure doesn't "act" old. Happy birth day Kristen what's your last name?

That's the equivalent of stealing. If you don't pay for the coverage, but you get it anyways, that's like taking a car you didn't pay for. It also makes others insurance go up when you didn't pay for the services you received. Denying my coverage for kidney stone visit to the ER is STEALING FROM ME!! Don't get me started on how "pure" insurance companies are.

"Part of playing chicken... is knowing when to flinch."

What? And you want to meet with me at ORD tomorrow? Who's watching the house while you're gone? Brave man. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Hope so. Yipes.

You've seen 30-35 Cypres fires THIS YEAR!!????

That's for sure... she had a great smile. I know she helped out building the DZ too. When electrical cables were being layed for the campground she was out there helping Scott A. She had sweat equity in that place too. I really wish I could go to the funeral. See her one last time. I don't have a picture of her so if anyone does have one it would be nice if you could post it. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

An announcement has been made on the SDC forum that our dear friend Lisa Zimmerman has passed away for an unknown (non-skydiving) reason. Arrangements info has been posted there. http://www.skydivechicago.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=914 Lisa was a wonderful, sweet girl. I got to teach her how to pack years ago. She was a good skydiver and a warm personality on the DZ. And she was WAY too young to pass now. My heart is fairly heavy now. Lisa, you will be in my thoughts and prayers for some time to come. Blue Skies to you and fly free now. God Bless you. Chris

Jon just called the joker with the bow tie a "dick" on live TV!!! ahahahahhahahah!!!

deleted because I'm just getting my blood pressure up and accomplishing zero. People will believe what they want to. I know what I see.

It does send a message to other jumpers that loss of altitude awareness will not be tolerated. The ground doesn't tolerate it. Why should we? Pull at the right time, every time, or get out. Being down at a 1,000 feet during opening on the main is unacceptable. If something goes wrong with the main deployment you have zero time to access the situation and take appropriate action other than chopping right away and pulling reserve and most people don't think that fast. I'm glad to see a DZ take a stand and draw a line. It's your freedom to pull low but it is their business you are jacking with if you go in due to loss of altitude awareness. 30 days is nothing compared to the rest of your life. Nothing is so important on a skydive that you should stop thinking about how high you are above the ground. If you stop thinking about how high you are above the ground then you need to re-evaluate your participation in a sport that has zero care how careful you were on the last skydive. THIS skydive is the only one that matters. It's been said before: The sky's not the limit. The ground is. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Knowledge is power and knowledge can also be confusing. Hopefully I will empower you here. 182s make fine jump planes. They are simple, robust aircraft that can provide just as safe a ride to altitude as any other aircraft. You will see many 182 jump plane accidents over other planes because there are more 182s operating with jumpers than any other aircraft. However, we seem to make very simple mistakes that cost us dearly with our 182s. I don't know how many times a year (way to many) we see accident reports made about 182s running out of gas after dropping jumpers and crashing off field. This is simply unacceptable considering we are 100 years since we learned how to fly! The regulations say we need to have enough fuel to taxi, takeoff, fly to our destination, land AND then be able to fly for 30 minutes more at normal cruise during the day and 45 minutes at night or IFR. What's hard about this is that 182s are very tight on gas when you fill them with a pilot and 4 jumpers. You can read the jump plane accident reports I have for every year since 1982 on my SITE. Now, after reading them you may have the impression that jump planes are falling out of the sky all the time. This is not the case. You need to be aware of things that are going on around you and if you don't like something you see ask. If you feel your question has been blown off and you feel uneasy ask someone else the same question. Compare the answers. Right now in general there are twice as many jump plane accidents per 100K hours of flying jump planes as compared to all of general aviation (other student pilots, private pilots and commercial pilots). This is something I have been saying for quite a few years now. This year, 2004, has been a slow year for accident reports (some accidents go unreported or under-reported) but we also have flown fewer hours because of the economic downturn compared to other years. There is no exact answer as to how many hours jump planes fly each year. It is an estimate at best and a SWAG at worst. My suggestion to you is to talk to your jump pilot when he/she has time and ask all the questions you can about the ride to altitude. Ask what kind of training they received to fly jumpers. Ask how much total time they have and how much time they have in that type of aircraft. Get comfortable with who's driving. If you can't, you may want to choose another DZ or bring your concernes to the DZO. As for pilots wearing emergency rigs I would be more worried about an operation that DIDN'T have their pilot wear a rig while flying 182s. If a premature deployment and take out the tail then it is highly advisable to wear a rig. The requirement for wearing a rig comes from a form that is used to certify a 182 for flying with an "inflight door". It states in there that the pilot should wear a rig. It doesn't come from Part 105 of the FARs or from the POH. Now, some "337s" (the form used to certify the door) don't require a rig on the pilot and so they choose not to wear it. I feel this is a poor decision as it does happen (a 182 was taken out by a premature and the pilot made his first jump a couple of years ago). Look for signs of a dirty aircraft. Does oil coat the underside of the plane? Do they have to put oil in the engine every few loads? Does the underside of the wing look like it has blue streaks? (this is caused by fuel leaks) Does the engine sound right? Does it cough a lot? Do the people that run the DZ seem to have a cavalier attitude towards safety? What does your gut tell you? Listen closely. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I didn't say you were an idiot. An idiot would look at what I see happen every day at work and think everything was fine and dandy and different since 9/11. It's not different. Only the alphabet soup has changed. We just had a series of security screener tests and guns and simulated bombs got through screening! Russia just had two airliners blown out of the sky. People think that can't happen here but it can. This is what I am talking about. We are not safer now than we were on 9/11. The only real inprovement I see in the airlines is that passengers won't sit idly by during a crisis. They are going to get very personally involved to try and save their own life. That is the only real change since 9/11. Again, my opinion as someone who works full time in the transportation industry.

Winsor, I whole heartedly agree with you. This IS a big deal to pull low like that. It's not like Cypres is set to go off at 3K! If you have a Cypres save or two out your are in the basement pure and simple. There is no excuse for loss of altitude awareness and a highly critical review of the incident is mandated by a Cypres fire. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Good for them! They should also add another line that if after reviewing the incident they have the right to ground the jumper for longer. Not that they need permission to impose a sanction but it may lead to fewer arguements down the road. I watched a friend have a two out because he dumped low. We gave him so much shit! If he had not had the attitude that he made a huge mistake we would have worked to have his ass grounded for awhile. As it was, he grounded himself for a short time. Not 30 days but he did take it seriously. Good for Perris! Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Other than happening to Tiger Woods which only magnifies the issue I don't see how this is funny. Our borders are more porous than most people think. Not enough money is being spent to increase security along ALL of our borders and not just the checkpoints. This boat had actually docked already and could theoretically offloaded anything they wanted to (i.e. terrorist stow aways). This stuff needs to be caught away from our borders. 95% of shipping containers are NOT inspected before entering the U.S.A. and that's 3 years since 9/11! WTF. Anyone who thinks they are more safe now than they were before 9/11 is kidding themselves. I'm not picking on you Rhino. It's a general rant that I have and the perceived humor of the situation was the catalyst for me posting it once again. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Prayer sent for both of you.

I am a pilot and I DO like the '56 182. I think the 182 RG is a bad idea. Not ideal for putting out static line / IAD students or tandems. Retract gear does not give you advantage in the climb and costs more when it stops retracting after over use. My opinion. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125