skydived19006

I understand that some fellows out of KC did a demo into the KU game Saturday. The wind was gusting to 30 MPH, and all the area DZs were down for wind at the time (to my knowledge). One of my folks was on the phone with someone at the game. My response was "Have them call back when they're on the ground, I'd be interested to know how that works out for them." I guess everyone got down ok. No problem then? I've been involved in a couple of "interesting demos", but god damn! Jumping a stadium with strong gusting wind? As an S&TA, the term I'd apply to that is simply "STUPID. " Well maybe "FUCKING STUPID!" Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

If you want to be a Tandem Instructor at 16 with say 50 to 100 jumps, I'd suggest that you purchase a nice Eclipse rig, I own four. Advantage is that the manufacturer is defunct, so no manufacture to "give you shit!" Again, just like not being a member of USPA, do your damn own thing!! You could be like a little Dirty Harry of the skydiving world up there! It would be interesting to see!!! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I tend to read before I post, then post, then see revisions, especially when I'm being funny (defined by the fact that I'm laughing while writing). I’m 43, but you write a whole lot better than do I!! And, no it was not intended to be constructive. My attorney refers to our waiver as a participation agreement, must be some sort of legal mumbo jumbo term. If you're going to do things that do not adhere to USPA suggestions, you won't want to be part of the USPA. They'll just get all pissy with you. May even kick you out, in that case you can sue, and potentially end up with a very nice "package"!! That's a whole-nother-story tough. Most DZOs are not business men, just skydivers, that's why some can't do their own advertising, and end up doing business with criminals. Why not the other way round? Martin Edit: See, I'm doing it again!! I figure that once my post has the "edit.." note, It doesn't matter if I edit once or 5 times. That's just how I roll! I'm laughing again! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Hey Krobin, You’ve obviously done your homework, and are more educated than any zero jump adult (as defined by being of the legal age of majority) I’ve came across. Sounds like you have your stuff together even have what sounds like a kick ass job! All that said, you may have to set your own rules/destiny. Do what I did when I wanted to have control over the DZ I jumped, I bought it! If you’re as financially fixed as you are intelligent, meaning you have an extra $50,000 lying around, just buy a Cessna 182, and a student rig. Then all you have to do is find an Instructor or two to “work for you”, a Commercial Pilot, and an airport that will allow you to do your thing. Shit, hang out a shingle, and start flying fun jumpers, at that point you can just about sit back and wait for the money to start rolling in, and retire by age 20!!! Martin Edit to add: Once you’re in charge, and the one (or the primary one) on the line with all the liability, you can do whatever the heck you like! To hell with participation agreements all together! You don’t need USPA, once you’re comfortable, you can start instructing students yourself! As far as the FAA is concerned, there is no age minimum, nor requirement to instruct others in the art of skydiving. You can start throwing 10 year olds out on a static line! There’s no law against it, go for it!!! Once again Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ok, you can have "Tallest Skydiver" as far as I'm concerned, you got me! Here's a funny (maybe only to tall guys) little thing. When you go to the doctors office, they stand you on the scale to weigh and measure. As soon as the nurse starts to extend the "measuring stick", I say "it doesn't go high enough", the nurse will generally give you a look like you're stupid, or totally ignore the comment. She keeps extending, then the thing comes in two, and falls off or she catches it. Now, I get to give the "look", and she says in defeat "Ok, how tall are you?" and writes down whatever she's told. Anyway, you can be the Giant, and I'll relegate myself to the 6'8", 220 lb, little buddy sidekick roll. That's funny to me! Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread into freaky tall guy stories. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I have no issue at all with sticking out in a crowd, it's just the way it is! So, TallGuy, how tall are you? I'm 6'8", but were I a pro basketball player, I'd be at least 6'10 since they fudge the numbers. Attached a pic of me doing a tandem with Jen Sharp who's 5'3. She really was pretty much just along for the ride as a rig adapter with me in front. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

There's a 6'8" skydiver geek'n in a camera suit (attached). Is there pay, or just a chance at launching me as a world renowned celebrity? Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

We're in contact with ATC, they always will give us any traffic in the area, obviously regardless of radio, frequency, listening, broadcasting, transponder, etc. We're also close enough to a class C airport that most anyone flying above 1,000' will be on either CATF, or talking with ATC, which for us is Approach Control at ICT. For us, it's the little ones down low that can tend to cause an issue. Then there's the loads when my pilot gives two minute notice to ATC, and CATF, two minutes later calls "jumpers away" and ATC responds with traffic. One of my pilots once told me that he gives "jumpers away" a bit before opening the door for this reason. We had just this situation a couple of weeks ago. "Jumpers away", "82X you have traffic at...", they were able to turn the approaching aircraft away a before he was over the airport. One of these, that under canopy with a tandem student, we see, I talk with him about it etc. The airplane was enough below us, that it wouldn't have been an issue. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I wondered about that as well. The damage at the bottom of the pictures was due to them being stuck to the glass. I removed them in order to scan, nothing written on the back, or notes in the frames. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Those pictures came to me from the estate of Lori Love, and I'm fairly sure that it's her. That said, just because I got them from Lori's cousin, and there were a few more 8/10s in the stack, doesn't necessarily mean that it was her. Also, I was guessing Nevada, simply because the two other photos were of her in Nevada at the Reno Air Races, or at least one was at the air races. The mountians in the background looks similar to the Reno pictures. I picked the following information up here: http://aafo.com/hangartalk/showthread.php?t=5236 "Lori raced #31 and #38 IF1's in the eighties." "Lori first raced in 1983, flying the #31 "Scholl Spl." for Chuck Wentworth, with an all-girl crew. She later raced the #38 "Flying Dutchman" for Tommy Aslett. She proved to be a fine pilot who enjoyed her time in air racing, but moved on to other flying adventures. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, and hope for the best. Last edited by Tosg : 08-23-2007 at 03:27 PM. " Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ok, I know the "who" but nothing else. I have a guess as to the "where", as this picture relates to a couple of others, and a guess to the decade. What do you think? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I recently chopped my first tandem main (going on 2000 tandems, me not the canpy). My Vectran lined Icarus 330 had both center A/B lines break just below the cascade, right where the inserted line stopped. Was this a failure "at the cascade point", or below the cascade? I've decided to make an attempt to keep a better eye on my Vectran lines. I'd guess that this canopy had in the range of 300 to 400 jumps on it. We're in grassy Kansas, not much sand abrasion. About 7 years back, I had another Vectran line break on an Icarus 365. That failure was at the top of the A/B cascade on the center cell. I lost the B line, and landed the canopy. Was that a failure of/at the cascade? Martin Air Capital DZ Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'm not a fan of the Group Member Program, but in this case it's not a bad thing. The fact that the USPA has the GM program gives DZOs collective bargaining power with the government. Most of what the USPA does under the osposis (sp) of the GM Program, could just as easily be done with no GM Program. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I suppose it depends on the DZ policy as to which is less expensive. At my DZ, you're a student until you have your A license. As such you'll jump with an Instructor, or possibly make a few with D licensed skydivers, so all 25 (minimum) are "student jumps." The argument that AFF is cheaper, or the same it seems assumes that after the seven AFF jumps, you're free to jump on your own to finish your progression. As GW would say it's "fuzzy math." These days another option to speed your progression is to spend some time in a wind tunnel. Regardless of your training method, this is an excellent aid!!! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I tow the line, and don't cut corners on my airplane, or pilots. That said, the day I'm required to comply with Part 125, my DZ closes, and I'm sure that the majority if not all of the small weekend operations will do the same. It may not totally kill skydiving in this country, but you might have to drive to Eloy Arizona to make a jump. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Yes, in that it's a 2 seat high wing Cessna, other than that no. This aircraft was designed specifically to meet the new Light Sport category. LSA has different pilot and medical requirements than a Private. That said, as I understand the FAA is considering changing the weight number for LSA, and if so the Cessna 152 and others will qualify as well. So, like Dave said, "Kind of, but not at all." Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Yep, it's Cessna's new Light Sport, it's in the certification process. It will be manufactured in China, put in a container, and shipped over here, or elsewhere. There will be a handful of Cessna Service Centers in the US assembling them. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'm fairly sure that Mark Follin packed the emergency rig (Cessna has Butler rigs). Through connections we're making sure the test pilot knows that he owes beer! Regardless, this guy gets the distinction of being the first to jump this aircraft. Crash was about 10 miles from my DZ. Lots of concerned folks when they hear plane crash, pilot jumps, and the location is near the DZ. Martin Federal investigators are on their way to Douglass, Kansas to investigate the crash of a Cessna Skycatcher LSA prototype Thursday. The pilot of the test aircraft was able to parachute to safety and was reportedly taken to hospital with minor injuries. Cessna media relations personnel were unable to immediately respond to AVweb's request for more detailed information, but KAKE Television is reporting the aircraft crashed into a treeline near the boundary of Butler and Cowley Counties. The television station is quoting witnesses as saying they heard a loud pop and then saw sparks and the plane spiraling down. The pilot landed in a field about 400 yards from the aircraft. The TV station quoted a Cessna spokesman as saying the crash aircraft had about 150 hours on it. The prototype first flew on March 8, and Cessna is planning on delivering the first customer aircraft in the first half of 2009. What the crash does to that schedule is unclear. There are close to 1,000 orders for the aircraft, which will be built in China and reassembled in three plants in the U.S. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Two standing orders in this platoon. One, take good care of your feet. Two, try not to do anything stupid, like gettin' yourself killed. Forrest Gump: I sure hope I don't let him down. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

This is a fun one to memorize, and throw down with the right inflection when folks start doing movie lines! Carr: Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box. There's no playing grab-ass or fighting in the building. You got a grudge against another man, you fight him Saturday afternoon. Any man playing grab-ass or fighting in the building spends a night in the box. First bell's at five minutes of eight when you will get in your bunk. Last bell is at eight. Any man not in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box. There is no smoking in the prone position in bed. To smoke you must have both legs over the side of your bunk. Any man caught smoking in the prone position in bed... spends a night in the box. You get two sheets. Every Saturday, you put the clean sheet on the top... the top sheet on the bottom... and the bottom sheet you turn in to the laundry boy. Any man turns in the wrong sheet spends a night in the box. No one'll sit in the bunks with dirty pants on. Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a night in the box. Any man don't bring back his empty pop bottle spends a night in the box. Any man loud talking spends a night in the box. You got questions, you come to me. I'm Carr, the floor walker. I'm responsible for order in here. Any man don't keep order spends a night in... Luke: ...the box. Carr: I hope you ain't going to be a hard case. Luke: [Smiles, shakes head] . Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I am a low time pilot, with zero twin time. Is it not also important to maintain minimum controllable single engine airspeed (I forget the V?? for this), until at some appropriate altitude (300', 500', more)? Otters generally climb at 90 +/-, but from looking at the airspeed colors, the single engine speed is something well above 90. Correct me if I'm wrong, but keeping the airspeed up while low would give the pilot a little more time to react. I'd also think that our Twin Otter pilots would have sim time. The only way to practice these procedures, and I'd think impossible to insure a plane without this training. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Excellent technique. I was seriously considering chopping from line twists about a month ago. I had a drogue bridle knotted around the drogue (another thread). Deployed at about 8'000' with basically no drag, so very slow. We ended up with huge line twists, I worked and worked at it, then remembered reading this thread. I asked my student to "stand up", I did the same, and just let the canopy unwind once we got our knees out of the wind. BTW, I've had line twists before on Icarus tandems, something like 1800 tandems, all Icarus. As you say, I typically feel a shoulder drop in the trap door, then the deployment "snatches" us into the twist. This only happens maybe once in 50 to 100 jumps. Best help with this problem is altitude! I always open at or above 5,500'! To date only one cut away due to both A/B center lines breaking at the bottom of the cascade. Canopy really didn't like to act nice with those lines gone! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I think that SDAZ advertises some 350 or more days a year with "good" weather. Other than the fact that it's hotter than hell out there in the summer. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I do love the school girls! That shit is sexier than naked! Not necessarly more "exciting", but surely sexier. Was that you I was admiring from behind at Loading Jenny? I didn't even make the connection, it's been a long time since I'd seen you. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Let's name names! I don't even know who's on the EC, other than Bangs. I assume also Buterher, and Worth, who serve as puppets for Bangs. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ