pilotdave

I don't think any credentials are really required. It should be obvious to anyone that low level, high speed helicopter flight is just not the safest way to fly. Would I take a ride like that? HELL YES. Looks like sooo much fun. But do I realize the hazards? Yep. We're not in this sport to do everything the safest way possible. I mean, sure, we try to make what we're doing as safe as we can, but we still do it. If we were all so concerned with always being 100% safe, we'd never leave the ground. Nothing is completely safe. I learned yesterday that people have lost their heads inflating aircraft tires. Who knew that if ya overinflate them, the rim will tend to fail, and the tire will launch off at extremely high speed? That doesn't stop us from inflating tires. It just means we take precautions first. Dave RAH-66 Comanche System Safety

A great question to ask the credit card sales people is whether or not they have the card. Of course they don't, so ask why not. My roommate and I were talking to one guy, some college kid, about a credit card he was offering to me. It was a card where they put your picture on the back. So my roommate started asking about the picture. He asked if he could use a picture of him and his girlfriend. The guy said no, they will supply the picture. My roommate asked how they'd get a picture, and the guy said they'll hire a private investigator to take one when you're not expecting.

I'd think media player would do it, but mine won't at work. Dunno if it needs a codec... can't install em here. Dave

Why hang up when you can have so very much fun? My roommate and I used to like to conference telemarketer calls so we could harrass the person together. My favorite things to do are ask where they're calling from, what company they actually work for (no, they don't really work for credit card companies, they work for telemarketing companies). Lots of them are college students so I find out where they go to school. My roommate usually likes to put them on hold, but leave the phone so they can hear... then he starts talking about the ASSHOLE THAT JUST CALLED. The only time they really bother me is when they wake me up. But remember, never just hang up. Always tell them to put you on their "do not call" list. If they call back, you could theoretically sue. The college students are funnest to just chat with because they dont usually care very much. They'll enjoy a little break. But the older people can be really fun to fuck with. They're usually not allowed to hang up first (unless you're really being a jerk), so they keep trying and trying to read their stuff. But you can just keep going off topic. So very much fun, unless you're busy. Dave

Only if it's a clean white jumpsuit! You can tell the fakers by the grass stains on the butt. Dave

Quick photoshop, but at least its on topic... Dave

Thats hilarious. That one was on tonight here. Some of my (non-skydiving) friends call me Flaming Flying Dave cause of the ...ahem... bright color of my rig (which I bought used, from a man, for the record. He tells me it was a popular color in 1996. What the hell is wrong with you guys that bought gear that year?). You do not have permission to call me that though. That goes for ALL of you! If you must, you may call me the alternate version, Fabulous Flying Dave. Dave

Damnit. You mean I need to go buy a new jumpsuit now? Oh heck, maybe I'll just go back to the hot pink student suits to match my skill level (and rig!)

That is, if the dirty laundry that was mistakenly packed in there doesn't come out instead. Dave

Yep, hypoxia usually comes in 2 different forms. Some people get really relaxed and feel euphoric, and other people get nervous or feel sick. Pilots are trained to realize that when they're flying along up high and everything just seems perfect and ya couldn't be happier, get down ASAP. An article in AOPA Pilot or Flying (cant remember which) last year or so was about a new portable blood oximeter (or however it's spelled). It's the thing they clip to your finger in a hospital to measure the oxygen in your blood. They found that the oxygen level dropped way below normal as low as 9000 feet for prolonged periods. A quick breath of pure oxygen raised the level back to normal for a few minutes, then it would start to drop off again. I wonder if we only like skydiving cause the alititude is like a drug...

If it's a homebuilt (experimental category) helicopter, it couldn't be used for commercial operations. Kinda rules out jumping, unless he wants to pay for it. Dave

My favorite is the "random" security checks at the gate. I dunno about other airlines, but it's pretty clear that Southwest bases their "randomness" at least in a big part on one way tickets. They assume terrorists are too stupid to buy return tickets to look less suspicious. My former roommate flew across the country the cheapest way he could find, which ended up having like 4 stops. He "randomly" got searched at every single stop. Eventually when they handed him a marked boarding pass he said he didn't like it and asked for another. In the end his conversation with the guy in charge almost got him kicked off the flight.

Yep, that was the first time he packed for me, and he offered to fix it for free after rantoul. That just means I probably can't jump the next couple weekends. Not really a big deal for me because I'm not sure I'll be able to jump anyway. Dave

Part is her, part isnt. I'll let you decide which is which.

Depends what ya mean by those... if it's nekkid pictures of skybytch, nope, but I can make as many as ya want. :-) If it's photoshopped pictures, yeah. Here are a few more that I've posted before but I like em.

eh, probably not 100% work safe but not horrible. Dave

No need to photoshop it when it's the real thing. Photoshopping is for seeing boobies that aren't really there...or at least not showing. Remember bytch's nekkid tandem with skreamer? Dave

My understanding is that the cypres recalibrates itself all day long. I don't think it needs to be shut off and turned back on to deal with pressure changes throughout the day. Am I wrong? Dave

After getting my reserve repacked, the reserve pilot chute started coming out from the spring after jumping. I had the rigger stuff it back in and tighten the pop top down, but it came out again after each jump. I tried stuffing it into the spring before a jump yesterday, but between putting the rig on and getting into the plane, it came back out. I ended up getting kicked off the plane because it didn't look right (which is good... I don't want to jump it like that. The rigger suggested I keep stuffing it back in there and try to massage the reserve a bit to fill the gap under the pop top so it can't come back out. But, thats what I tried before and it didn't seem to work. He said the pop top is tighted down as much as he could get it. He's off to rantoul now, but he said when he get's back he'll call...umm... I think they're called Trident now... and ask if he can get a shorter reserve closing loop to get it tighter. This hasn't happened before so I don't think anything needs to be changed. Anyone have any short term advice (ie, before I actually have him repack it)? By the way, I just jump on my belly and don't do anything crazy so I'm not sure how dangerous a situation it really would be to jump with it the way it is. Also, for the record, the dark spots on the pop top (hard to see in those pics) are beer stains from cross keys.

Dunno if GI Joe's a security hazard, but it sure could be a choking hazard! Just imagine it... pilot opens the cockpit door to use the bathroom, turbulence hits, 2 inch gun goes flying... Them airport people are thinking hard about this stuff. My favorite post 9/11 security story so far is the world famous conductor that got his fancy balanced wooden baton taken away by security. He had to check it. Dave

Although I agree the security sucks, I don't really care. If someone wants to blow up a bunch of people, they probably wont use airports anymore. There are plenty of other places where there are lots of people together that have no security at all. I don't understand why they bother searching cars at airports at all. It seems so pointless. I think the real security joke is the screening to get on the plane. After 9/11 I think we all understand the need for airline security a lot better, but I still don't think there's a whole lot stopping anyone from getting a weapon on a plane. The difference now is the law abiding passengers we're relying on to fight back have been disarmed of their pointy anti-terrorist weapons like nail files. Dave

I always figured the easiest way to do it in a 172 (with the door on) is to have the jumper sitting in back and someone else up front to hold the door open. It's kind of a tight squeeze getting out of the back but I think it could be done that way. Not sure how hard it would be to push the door so I don't know how necessary a 3rd person would really be. I'd be most worried about all the snag points around the doorway. But if it looks safe to you and your husband and you really wanna do it, I'm sure it's possible. If you're renting, or if you aren't sure about your insurance covering it and all that, you can either try to get the proper permissions or just go ahead and risk it. Just be aware of the consequences. After getting your license, take your husband up and have him open the door to see what it's like. Might change both of your minds. Dave

1 (time I got kicked off the plane cause my rig didn't look right):3:1 (First helicopter flying lesson.) At 10 jump tickets per hour, helicopters are a bit out of my price range, but I had to try it once. Lots of fun. Dave

If you go through all the steps, it's legal but I personally wouldnt do it. I'm not a jump pilot by the way, just a 172 driver. If you yaw a little to the right I don't think it would be too hard to open the door enough to jump, but there would be plenty of stuff to snag on and everything. Just doesn't seem worth the risk to me. Dave

I work at a helicopter company. No, I don't get to fly at all. Two summers ago I worked at a company across the street from an international airport. Great view. I dunno how I got work done. Here I sit next to a window but the blinds are always closed. Never know whats going on outside. I'm a few miles from the main plant, so there are no actual helicopters here to look at. Just lots and lots of pictures, all of the same one. Interesting stuff though. Yesterday I read the proposals from subcontractors to build the pilots seats. Who knew they could be so complicated?