peckerhead

Hmmmm? I have no problem stalling my Hornet with just the toggles. Sounds like your brake lines might be a tad too long. It stalls super quick with the rear risers. Also mine doesn't buck when pulling down the front risers. Sounds like you have a trim problem.

What do you expect them to say, we just changed the name and doubled the price? Having jumped both the Pilot and the Hornet they seem identical to me. I prefer the Hornet because of the fabric, much easier to pack.

I think it was this one....I have no idea what year it was made, probably late 50's or early 60's. I don't know what it was called but it was likely made by the government. It was big, and bulky, and uncomfortable. The straps had no padding at all and it weighed about 50 pounds. But man, I sure thought it was cool at the time!

The Hornet is not a copy of the Sabre. The Pilot is a copy of the Hornet.

Are we including rounds? 22 ft SAC reserve. but, it saved my life...Twice, I hit like a sack of potatoes thrown off a barn each time. The ragged out T-10s we used for mains as a student were not much better, just bigger. Squares? Compared to now they all sucked but the worst was a Kestrel with no crossports. After we took a coffee can and a hot knife to it....Not so bad. The strato stars were not very good either. We used to say a good flare meant you didn't get dirt up your nose. ...As I recall.

NSFW Drag em by the hair?

Why they were discontinued is the topic of this thread....If you know the answer why avoid the question? A few years ago a freind of mine was at the PIA symposium right after they discontinued production and he asked someone from Aerodyne why they quit making them. The rep said he had no idea why, they were very popular and they seemed to sell quite a few of them. Seriously, I love mine and it just doesn't make sense to stop making such a popular canopy. Sure, they are not for everybody but you can say that about any canopy.....

Remember Weekend at Bernies? Just because I am dead doesn't mean you can't still jump with me. I would not even need a rig, If I bounce so what?

I absolutely love my Diablo. I think it is the best canopy Aerodyne ever made. I have several friends that jump Diablos and they all say the same thing.... Why did they stop making them? I have a new one in my closet I am keeping as a back up for when this one wears out. You just can't buy then anymore..... A Diablo is not fully eliptical, it is square in the front and eliptical in the tail. Very solid and very fast turning but it shuts down and flares much like a Triathlon. Definetly not a swoop canopy. The material is the gelvenor which is so much easier to pack. And, the openings are soft and on heading. I love the Diablo for camera flying for this reason. I agree at your wing loading and only 30 jumps the Diablo is a bit too agressive for you but after some more experience a 190 Diablo would be a great canopy. Anyone who bad mouths Diablos has obviously never jumped one. The price you are quoting is about $1000 off the original price. Buy it! They don't make them anymore and they are hard to find.

OK...So in this case the judgement of the court was: ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ORDERED THAT:1.Respondent’s appeal is denied; and2. The 45-day suspension of respondent’s private pilotcertificate shall begin 30 days after service of this order.9HALL, Chairman, FRANCIS, Vice Chairman, HAMMERSCHMIDT, GOGLIA,and BLACK, Members of the Board, concurred in the above opinionand order.(..continued)8Cf. Administrator v. Reimer, 3 NTSB 2306 (1980), where wefound that, when a pilot’s purpose is to gain flight time and thepassenger’s purpose is to skydive, the two do not share a commonpurpose.9For the purpose of this order, respondent must physicallysurrender his certificate to a representative of the FederalAviation Administration pursuant to FAR section 61.19(f). In other words he got his private pilots license suspended for 45 days. Another judge might have waived it and he would have got nothing. In most cases it would never have been brought to court in the first place. Do you really want to bring every thing we do before a judge? Think long and hard about that one......

Towing gliders? WTF? Does that have to do with skydiving?

OK, well, why don't you go file a complaint and put your money where your mouth is. Please come back and tell us what action is taken against this pilot. What do you hope will happen? He will lose his ticket? You never said he was a bad pilot to begin with. I was taught that these sort of things were best handled at home. What ever happened to "don't shit in your nest?" Flame away people....It is officialy the end of an era!

Exactly! Is free stick time compensation? The pilot gets paid nothing. I always tell students the jump is free, all they pay for is the training.

Great, please post it in full detail. Also please clarify what you mean by "cases such as this" I am not trying to "feel better" I am just trying to sort fact from opinion. Private pilots have been flying jumpers for years and many continue to do so thinking they are legal. If this is not true then lets have the final word. Also, lets hear what, if any, penalties there are for private pilots flying jumpers. I don't know of one single case where a private pilot was penalized in ANY WAY for flying jumpers. If you have examples please post them. Do all FSDO's agree on all interpretations? In other words will the local FSDO have the same opinion in Southern California as a local boy in Arkansas? A defendant might try to argue that in a civil court, but it would NEVER hold water with the FAA. I can 100% guarantee that. The FAA may not agree but that does not mean a civil court judge would not over rule. It has been done many times. As I have already stated I think all jump pilots should have a commercial ticket. The legality of private pilots flying jumpers is still unclear according to the rules as they are currently written and interpretaded.

Tom, I really do respect your opinions based on your experience and qualifications. However you continue to use terms like "It is my continuing understanding of the regulations" As a 25 year uspa member, 20+ year plus instructor, senior rigger, and student pilot I also have my own understanding of the regulations. The FARs are clear to me that you must have a commercial license if you are getting paid to transport passengers. The question is does free stick time equal payment? The only reason private pilots fly jumpers for free is because they can build hours. If they have good spots and don't fart in the plane we might even make them a sandwich. (is a sandwich payment?) It is a dirty thankless job but many small cessna clubs simply can't afford to pay pilots. If they do it is usually a token fee. Where is it specific that free stick time is compensation? So far all I have heard is OPINIONS! One judge after an incident may agree while another may not. I honestly don't know of any private pilot that was penalized for flying jumpers. I have known some great jump pilots that only had a private license, and I have also known some real scary pilots that had a commercial rating so I don't equate a piece of paper to safety. Can you give me a credible reference that states clearly under every single circumstance that free stick time equals payment? You could say a tandem student is paying for the aircraft ride or you could say the ride is free and all they pay for is the training, equipment, and the field to land in. The rules are always up to interpretations, we never fly too close to clouds do we?

If that is true then it is the only case I have ever heard of. What action was taken against this pilot? I found nothing on google.

Can you? The suspense is killing me.....

If you are going to make an accusation that a crime has been commited you really should have all your ducks in a row. I have made hundreds of jumps with a private pilot at the controls. It used to be common for PPs to build hours flying jumpers. I know many of these guys went on to get their commercial rating and they now have real jobs flying as professional pilots. Drop zone brats who grew up flying at the DZ. It may not be as common as it once was but it still happens. Believe it or not there are still small clubs out there with private pilots and some of these guys are awesome pilots. I would really like to see some credible reference that clearly states that free flight time is equal to compensation. Tom or others please post it here for all to see. As with most federal regs the wording is usually chickenshit like "may be" or "can be" Either the regs have changed, or they are now being enforced, or they are still up for interpretation. I have been told by numerous DZO's that free stick time does not equal pay. As far as saftey you could have a very experienced private pilot with thousands of hours flying jumpers or some young buck who just got his commercial rating....Sorry, but I would rather have the old sage. Now before you all get pissy I agree that jump pilots should have a commercial rating. But not having one does not make you a bad or unsafe pilot. I am not even convinced it is illegal under every circumstance. Kinda like the 100 jump wonder with a coach rating. When shit hits the fan I would put more faith in the 1000 jump D license guy with no rating.

Sounds like a snooze alarm. Beep!= Pay attention! Beep Beep! = really pay attention Beep Beep Beep= Pay super duper attention! No thanks! I will just pay attention all the time. Geez, kids these days and their gadgets.

I like it! They could each keep on head butting until one of them falls down. Then we could kick them in the nuts.

This is my buddy from Motueka New Zealand. He is not much to look at but his wife gets us free beer at the golf course.

This has been suggested many times before and I think the time has come. I would submit the best way would be to have feedback on each persons profile....If you buy and sell through the classifieds you could have the feed back listed in your profile. Positive or negative...PM for details...etc. No profile, no sale. Verified seller status...etc. This could be available only to "premium" membership to pay for the extra cost. I would gladly sign up. Think of the money going to Ebay that could go to this site instead? PLEASE, Please consider this. I have literally bought and sold thousands of dollars worth of gear through Dropzone.com in the last few years....... It would sure be nice to not have to convince each new person I sell to that I am a Real person and they are safe dealing with me. Geez strangers on Ebay trust me...... Git er done!

How about one of you put on a protech and the other put on a mindwarp and then I kick you both in the nuts? We could video it and send it in to Jackass #3 What do you think?

OK, I understood almost none of that. Jet man, not rocket man....I get that part.

Sorry if this is a repost, please don't tell the search police. Rocket man Several questions.... How does he deploy the wings after exit, and how does he retract them after opening?