weid14

hey, you said you weren't any good with directions!!!!

it's about the same....

I'll actaully be in town that weekend, so am willing to organize something if people are interested.

ahhhhh, skydive orange, home of the naked people!

Deland's Aiport is very very large, there is a student area north (Andrea, if your walking to the boarding area, that is the northerly direction

Heathrow is a really nice area, as are areas of Orange City (there's a brand new golf course/housing development going in right off I-4 south of DeLand). If you're commuting to Orlando though, the I-4 rush hour (or anytime for that matter) suxs.

Well it could mean a lot!!!! depending on what you're talking about, but I was defending you, dont' forget that.

well, Andrea can hold her beer pretty well, I wouldn't bet on that (see there was this guy at the new years eve party who thought the same thing, and .... well, it's her story)

the landing area is NOT flat IMO, there is a smaller section that is fairly flat, but a lot of the grassy, non-farmed area is more like typical rolling countryside.

i think this is the one..... from wreck.dot The original question was: "Is there anything inherently unsafe, illegal or immoral about using a Raven II that has 300 jumps but is in otherwise good condition as a reserve? Obviously, the Raven was used as a main. The reason I'm asking is that I recently bought a new container. I took the Ravens out of the old container and put them in the new one. I've been thinking about setting the old container up as a backup rig, and one of the local jumpers has a Raven II for sale. She took good care of it so I personally would have no qualms about using it as a main or, based on your input, as a reserve. So, what do you think?" IMHO, the best answers were given (in no particular order) by: 1)Tim "A canopy that is TSO'D as a certified canopy can be used as a certified canopy, regardless of the number of jumps as long as it is deemed airworthy by a certified rigger... 2)kleggo "inspect it,if it passes ... jump with it..." 3)David S. Clarkson "...follow the manufacturer's instructions (It may be used as one or the other [if FAA approved for use as a reserve] but it is not to be used as a reserve if it has been intentionally jumped as a main canopy. One familiarization jump is allowable prior to packing for reserve use.) Right, David, excellent observation. That comment in the Owner's manual is intended to encourage our customers to exercise good common sense in choosing which container to pack their Raven into... Notice it says "not to be used"... does that mean it can be legally packed but not legally deployed? (big troll here) 4)bill von "when's the last time a well-maintained F111 7-cell main just "blew up?" 5)rrrockey1@aol.com "The guy who seals it has to determine its airworthiness" My response to the customer was: When a Raven canopy leaves the factory as new, it is placarded to be certified under the authority of the TSO process. What this means is, the design has been tested to a certain standard, and the design of this particular canopy is consistent with a similar canopy which has been drop tested successfully. The parallel scenario in general aviation would be a Cessna aircraft which leaves the assembly line in Wichita is dispatched with an airworthiness certificate. A Raven Reserve is only certified to be airworthy 120 days at a time, just as the Cessna undergoes an annual inspection before it is "in license" and declared to be airworthy. Your question to me would be like calling Cessna Aircraft Company to see if your used airplane can pass the annual inspection. In the case of a parachute, it is the Parachute Rigger's discression and responsibility to declare airworthiness for a given canopy. There in no magic number of jumps which would subjectively disqualify a canopy for use as a reserve, on the basis of "number of jumps" only. This is strictly a question of judgement.... both your judgement (as the person putting the canopy on your back), and your rigger's judgement as to the airworthiness of that particular canopy at this pack cycle. Most people seem willing to jump any old rag as a main canopy but they want their reserve to be a pristine virgin. An acceptable range of reality may reside somewhere in between. If you were to ask me if I would exit the aircraft with a 300 jump Raven packed in a single canopy pilot's emergency rig, my answer would probably depend on how close the aircraft fire was getting to the fuel tanks

hey Bill, I remember seeing that over on wreck. a few yuears ago... maybe a goggle search?

as long as no one sings "You lost that lovin feeling" we'll all be OK...

believe it or not, one of the guys working at Skyventure has an open air one for sale (very similar to the one featured in Dropzone). It's in Georgia on a semi truck (he used to travel around with it). diesel driven DC-3 prop.

this is a target rich environment, is it not

It's a nice DZ, DZO(s) are very friendly, very laid back place. (they dont' get started to early). teh DZO only schedules like 20 students per day so everyone can fun jump. They were jumping a king air, but a caravan was there when I was (4way meet).

There was an add in skydiving some time ago for creepers, and they were excellent, I think they were lighning bolt or somethign like that. All I know is when we had them at nationals in Perris we were very popular. If you make them yourself, you need really good wheels, they aren't cheap (like $15 each). I've seen some with in-line skating wheels that were really smooth.

Orlando? one word -- tunnel!!! but you'll need a job to pay for it.

and then there was this time at band camp.....

that's true, they left out all non-essential items. like insulation - to make it lighter. It's a fast plane, but the "is it safe" comments are exactly why there has been talk of re-painting it. The FAA always pulls it over (in a manner of speaking) when it flies through a major airport.

crap... file was to big -- go to http://www.skyventure.com/nsl1/it's fairly obvious which picture it is (thumbnails are on the left).

George captured a good picture of frankenotter last weekend.. I know some were wanting to see it. so I'll see if I can attach it.

I know there is an event in utah - blade running and then right after that in Venezuala (or however you spell it)

trying to understand the whole dive pool is quite an undertaking, but in block 13 (hammer/hammer) the finished hammer looks the same as the start, except the tail and point have traded directions (point is now in the cat postition and the tail is now being sidebodied). the cat piece (two way in the middle) does a nifty little 180 degree turn (or there about). Of note, when looking at the dive pool the arrows indicate which direction you must turn (obviously an arrow head on both ends means you can go either direction - but there is one that is usually more efficient).

I couldn't resist.... was a long day at work (again)

1 cow in field -- bad many cows in field... watch your step after landing.