pilotdave

MySQL + PHP + lots of time creating purty web pages. Access is great since it makes some things really easy, but it just sucks for multiple users (especially in multiple locations... major speed issues). One option is to put the tables into MySQL or something and leave the front end in access. Pretty simple that way, but you still need everyone to have Access. Writing a PHP script to connect to the database and do everything you need to do is much more time consuming, but much more reliable, without any of the Access quirkiness. Edit: Check out phpMyAdmin. Makes it very easy to run a MySQL server. Dave

Hard to see much of anything from this video, and I won't even think about commenting on whether or not it was done properly, but here's a really boring video of a double front riser approach: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=154 Dave

Like this? Dave

Well when you look at the overall engines, not just one piston, they aren't so different in that respect. Here's a thermo difference... They do both compress, ignite, expand, and exhaust (the 4 stages as far as thermo is concerned), but they don't do it the same way. The piston engine combusts the fuel/air mixture at a constant VOLUME (the piston is approximately at top dead center at the point when the gases combust...barely changing in volume during the process). A gas turbine combusts the mixture at constant PRESSURE... the volume is allowed to change, but the combustion itself does not increase the pressure inside the engine. But what's similar is that the (positive) work is done during the expansion stage. Dave

I was having a hard time figuring out that baton pass. First of all, when they climbed up onto the wing, did anyone see any kind of safety line? I didn't. And no rigs on either. It looked to me like they just climbed up there and then hooked on. But I can't believe they'd let anyone do that. The part that really got me though was landing and taking off while sitting on the wing. Imagine what woulda happened if one of those planes nosed over. That was some dangerous crap! Not that I wouldn't have done it in a heartbeat if I had the chance! Dave

Since I used to work for a major engine company's turbine vane department, I shoulda mentioned that vanes don't compress, they just redirect the flow. The compressor has multiple stages, and it's important that the flow hits each stage at the proper "angle of attack." Same idea with the turbine... to generate power, you've gotta properly direct the exhast flow at each turbine stage so it hits the blades at just the right angle. Blades do work, vanes just sit there.

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=241 Dave

What class is it for? That might make a very big difference to the types of answers you get. Thermodynamics or history? There are a lot of ways to answer the question. If ya don't care about Otto Cycles and Brayton Cycles, we'll stay away from em. Can't find my propulsion thermo textbook anyway. Ok, you asked for pilots, not engineers. I'll say they both make a lot of awesome noise when attached to an aircraft, but turbines are waaaay cooler.

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=161 Pretty much a textbook PLF... though a round canopy. But a PLF is a PLF. http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=72 (ok that one's not so useful but kinda entertaining) Dave

Square3 at cross keys.... 20 mins or something outside of philly. Dave

Why? Don't your arms get tired?

Your instructors that have seen you jump and know you can give you the best advice about what's right for you. But I think the best advice is that you can always go bigger. My instructors recommended a zero-p 135 for my first canopy. I went with an F-111 150 (loaded at about 0.87 or so). I was a little scared I had bought something too similar to my student canopies (PD-230s) and I'd get bored of it right away. Turned out to be a great first canopy. MUCH faster and more agile than my student canopies, but still not overwelmingly fast. I went to a Sabre2 135 about a hundred jumps later (still loaded a little under 1.1), but I'm really glad I didn't go so small (and fast) right away. It just would have been too big a change. Much much faster descent rate, much faster approach speed, and totally different flare. I definitely needed an in-between canopy. If your container will hold a 170, go for it. Find a used one. If you get bored of it after a while, move down to a 150. By the way, I never did get bored of my 150. It was plenty of fun and I woulda kept jumping it if I hadn't demoed a sabre2 at a boogie. Actually I was demoing a javelin that happened to have a sabre2 150 in it. During the opening, I was thinking "oh, so that's what a snivel is..." and then the flare sold me on it. Dave

Pretty boys are supposed to jump purple mirages! At least you got the right brand... Dave

No the brake wasn't stowed.... I don't know what it was stuck on, but it happened after unstowing. I had a brake fire....I swear it was the right brake that fired, putting me into a left hand spiral (but it's definitely possible I mis-remembered). Grabbed the brakes, came out of the spiral, and made a right turn toward the DZ. I was already too low to make it back (long spot, took too long to get the spiral stopped), so I started heading for a back yard. I was at 1100 feet when I first tried a left turn. I could get the toggle about down to my shoulder and no further. Too late to mess with it so I just grabbed the rear risers, did one practice flare on downwind, and set myself up for an open area. Didn't prepare to PLF and landed very hard, twisting a knee (no serious injury), putting me out for about 6 weeks. Not sure if I flared late or flared too hard and stalled, but either way it was as if I hadn't flared at all, but I was expecting a softer landing so I wasn't ready to hit so hard. I'd DEFINITELY suggest PLFing whether you think you need to or not....it all happens very fast. I just got lucky that an old paratrooper happened to be standing there watching the landing. He didn't seem overly concerned.... looked like a normal landing to him! His first comment was "you're lucky you missed the dog shit." Dave

Personally the next time I can't steer or flare properly with toggles, I'm probably cutting away (unless I've recently done a lot of practice on rear risers). I tried landing on rear risers once when one brakeline was stuck and it didn't go so well. I know another jumper (much more experienced than me) that broke his back trying to land on rear risers after a steering line broke. Not something I plan to try again anytime soon if I don't have to... not without specifically practicing it first anyway. Dave

All wings produce vortices. But as far as I know, only delta wings actually use vortices to create lift. Ground effect is basically what happens when a wing flies so close to the ground that the ground interferes with the vortices and the downwash coming off of it. Less downwash and weaker vortices means less induced drag. Now the question is, how far around the canopy is the air affected as it flies by? Think any canopy moves the air under your feet (or a ways behind your feet actually)? I kinda doubt it... at least to any really significant degree. Vortex strength is very much related to weight (along with planform, tip shape, etc). I just doubt a canopy produces very strong vortices or a whole lot of downwash. But it's possible. Dave

Delta is just a slow, inefficient tracking position. It's taught to students because it's more stable than a full track. You'll use it until you get good at it, then never again.

Only flown with my rig a couple times but never needed to show the card. I think its probably pretty useless in this post-9/11 world. If the TSA doesn't like what they see on their screen, they don't tend to ask you for an explanation. All the card shows is a quick explanation of what a cypres is, what the components are, and a picture of what it looks like on an x-ray. A shoe bomber could just as easily bring along his step-o-meter card that explains what the bomb shaped thing in his shoe is for. They're not gonna pay much attention. Dave

It is MUCH harder to judge that moving up or moving down sensation when looking off to the side. Probably impossible. Knowing when to turn in toward your target just comes from experience. Finding that non-moving spot works great for judging where you'll end up on a really long spot when you're not sure if you're gonna make it where you need to or not. But really close in, you'll pretty much know where to turn based on the winds and your last jump, etc. Dave

Interesting. http://www.Ecubit.com is registered to Cary. They're an IT company. I'm guessing he knows his shit when it comes to computers, like many have said. Not sure why he didn't do a better job of hiding his personal affiliation with skyride, but hey, makes my life easier. Another way we might be able to do something. It seems that many of the skyride non-existant dropzone websites are registered through http://www.enom.com. On their "about us" page, they say: "Please send notices of Copyright Infringement to eNom's legal department: eNom, Inc. Attn. Legal 2002 156th Ave. NE, Suite #300 Unigard Park, McKinley Building Bellevue, WA 98007 USA Phone: 425.274.4500 Email: legal@enom.com" Anyone have SPECIFIC instances of copyright infringement shown on a site registered with enom? You can find where their sites are registered at http://www.betterwhois.com. If it comes back at the top with ENOM.com, it can be included. Same kind of thing can be done at network solutions where other domains of theirs are registered. Dave

Marketing? What is ASC, a cult?? Skyride is the exact type of thing that prevents LEGAL marketing from being effective. Dave

Google doesn't know how many hits a web page gets unless the hits come from google. Gotta get the site to come up when someone searches for skydiving. Hell, it's hard to find 1800skyride when you do a google search for skyride. Dave

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1838. Only 22 megs. Won't take most people more than a few minutes to download. Dave

I dunno about anyone else, but I almost never maximize a browser window. I don't like having to move my head to see a whole webpage. I run at 1280x1024, but my browser windows are a whole lot smaller than that. I don't think much about designing for a specific minimum resolution. I design so my site looks alright on my screen when I get it about as small as I'll realistically use it. Everyone else can deal. Actually on my site, my original plan was to work on functionality first then make it look good later. I'm between stages now.

http://www.skydiving.com/test/skydivinglocations/skydive_arizona.shtml 5 DZs all so close by in Arizona. How's Eloy gonna survive all that competition?? Ya know when I looked at skydiving.com before, I couldn't understand how it fit into the skyride scam since it links directly to real dropzones. What I hadn't noticed is that it shows locations for many of their fictional dropzones as well, and leaves off a huge number of apparently non-participating DZs. And of course the fictional ones are often located right in major urban areas, much more convenient for many people to get to. Well, until they're told to go somewhere else. Dave