Aviatrr

ALMOST?! And you call yourself a Texan?! You disgust me!

Dutchboy wrote: What kind of airplane are you building? I'm planning on buying a kit before long, just haven't decided which airplane yet.. How many hours would you say you put into yours? Quick build kit, or standard? Tell me a bit about yours, maybe it'll help me to lean in one direction or another.. If you want to send it via e-mail, my address is Aviatrr@aol.com.. Mike

Damn.. What commuter did your buddy fly for that he had to worry about his job so much? I have been flying for 7 years now, and I still love what I do for a living.. As far as the job being boring and highly stressful, I must disagree.. There's an old joke amongst pilots.. "Flying is hours of sheer boredom punctuated by seconds of absolute terror".. Remember, though..It's a joke.. I get paid (and paid well) to play with multi-million dollar high tech toys.. Yes, as the Captain I am responsible for the lives of all my passengers and crew.. Does it stress me out? Nope - not a bit.. I am totally confident in my flying and decision making abilities.. Yes, it's a lot of responsibility to shoulder, but not excessive.. As far as any mistake costing you your job....well, certain mistakes (read: major mistakes) certainly can, but they can also cost you your life - and the lives of your passengers and crew.. After over 5,000 hours of flight time, I have not made one of those mistakes, and believe I never will.. Don't get me wrong - I screw up as often as the next guy...it's just that those mistakes are minor.. There is no such thing as a perfect pilot, regardless of what some of your jump pilots may say.. Which is better, flying or skydiving? Hmmm.. I would have to say that I'm not the best person to ask.. Flying is what I do for a living - but it is also great fun.. I love it.. Skydiving I do for fun.. I love it as well.. If you ask me what I'd rather spend my weekends doing, well....no contest, skydiving all the way.. I fly every other week - enough for me.. If I flew EVERY day, I'm sure I would burn out.. If I jumped EVERY day professionally (and had an equal amount of experience skydiving as I do flying), I'm sure I would burn out.. The key is moderation.. There are two types of people in aviation.. Those who do it because they love it, and those who do it for another reason.. That other reason may not be totally obvious - it is often masked by the "I like to fly" cover.. Sometimes people are pushed into it by a family member who is a pilot.. Some people heard about the kind of money that pilots can make, and figured they'd get in on that.. Well, don't be fooled....not all of us make the big bucks.. After a few years, most people make more than the average office worker, but certainly not the $200k+ a year that senior airline Captains make.. Your buddy may have been one of those people either pressured into flying(knowingly or not) by a family member or friend, or one of those who got into aviation so he could "make the big bucks".. If he felt like a bus driver at a commuter, there are plenty of other types of flying he could have done.. Firefighting, EMS/Lifeflight, corporate, instructor(even the military uses some civilian jet instructors now), etc... Good luck with your choice.. Mike

Well, a couple more points.. If it's a high wing, it's probably something along the lines of a Citabria or Decathalon.. If so, I wouldn't hang off the strut - they may not be as strong as Cessna struts.. The other point is that you may have a hell of a time getting out to the strut.. You would need to have the door removed (try opening a forward opening door in flight and climbing out), and have something to step on during the climbout.. It'll be much cheaper and safer to pay for a ride from an airplane equipped for skydiving.. Mike

I wouldn't try it, if I were you.. Legally, there is nothing wrong with it.. Well, that is assuming that he notifies ATC of his intentions to drop a jumper.. Is it safe? No way.. Too many potential problems.. What happens when you open the canopy in flight? Chances are it goes away completely.. Open cockpit? Ok.. What happens when you bail....hit the tail, perhaps? Get caught up in tension lines between the wings on a biplane? Hit the tailwheel? Did you see the episode of Senseless Acts of Video when Troy "ejected" from the L39? In reality, all they did was had the pilot push a couple negative G's and Troy pushed off from the seat(with the canopy removed).. See how close he came to the tail? Pretty damn close.. It's a big risk.. A few years ago, I was flying a Pitts S2B.. I was over a lake, beyond gliding distance of the land.. (A common comment from Pitts pilots is..."to establish the right glide attitude after an engine failure, throw a brick out and follow it down"..) Well, guess what? Engine quit.. I wasn't about to ditch that airplane when I had a perfectly good parachute on my back.. I tried re-starting the engine - no dice.. Around 3,000ft (engine quit at 7500ft), I cut the canopy loose, and prepared to bail.. The canopy nailed the tail after it separated - and broke into a few pieces.. Damn, I was not looking forward to bailing out - trying to miss that tail.. Ok, coming up on 2,000ft.. Try the engine one more time.. Well, it finally caught as I was passing 2k.. I poured the coals to her, leveled off at 1800ft, and made a bee-line for land(about 2 miles away).. The oil pressure was 0.. The engine quit again about a minute after passing the shoreline, and I put it down in a nice, long, smooth field.. The tail had a bit of minor damage from the canopy, but other than that, all was good.. I thank God I didn't have to bail out of that one.. Do you want to end up like that canopy? Mike

It's called Forty Fathom Grotto. Owned by a world record deep diver. Check out their website at "www.mrscuba.com".. So are you interning at Skydiving mag right now? I sent in a subscription(via their website) there almost 3 months ago - so far no issues and no charge on the credit card.. I just realized that yesterday.. Do they check the website? Mike

Hmm.. Now that sounds interesting.. Could mean a whole new form of "air hockey", eh? Let's give it a shot! Mike

Wreck diving rocks.. That's about all I've done, with the exception of a couple of shark dives.. Down in the Keys, there are wrecks in as little as 30 feet, and as deep as 120 feet.. Most are in the vicinity of 50-70.. There are even a few wrecks that you can do some serious penetration dives.. I've only done a couple of those, it can be pretty dangerous if you're not very experienced.. I'm gonna go do a refresher course here soon, and then get back to it.. I really want to dive an area off the coast of NC.. There is an area with 5 or 6 ships and a submarine in about 90 feet.. Pretty impressive from what I hear.. Florida has quite a few wrecks, too.. Not many in Central and Northern Florida, but Southern Florida is packed with 'em.. There's even a sinkhole up near Ocala that has some decent diving - or so I hear.. Motorcycles, cars, mini-subs, small boats, caves, airplanes... It's got all kinds of things.. It gets as deep as 250ft in some places, but under 100 in most.. Mike

Yea, Icarus has a wind tunnel for testing their canopies.. If you go to their website, then click Technological Superiority, it mentions it there.. I think that most canopy manufacturers use wind tunnels, but Icarus owns theirs.. Hell, anyone can rent a wind tunnel...if you can afford it.. Mike

Is that because you kung fu guys are always getting your asses kicked? Sorry man, couldn't pass it up.. Mike

How experienced a diver are you? I've been out of diving for a while, but I am getting back into it.. There's so much awesome diving down here that I can't resist.. There's a group of us planning a trip down to the Keys in a couple months - probably 5 or 6 people - for some wreck diving.. If you may be interested, I'll update ya when we make firm plans.. Mike

I normally tell 'em that I'm just practicing... "Ya see, I'm a really bad pilot.. I'm just practicing for all the times I'm gonna have to bail out when I screw up.." When I recently did some contract work, I got to take my rig with me.. We were going to an airport with a DZ on the field, and staying for a couple days.. Should've seen the looks I got (and the comments) from the passengers when they saw my rig sitting in the forward baggage area.. Mike

Nope, I sure didn't get to jump yesterday....or today.. Nasty weather yesterday (didn't clear up when they said it should) and blistering winds today.. The weather better be good this weekend.. I'm going nuts here.. I live in Daytona Beach -- only lived here 2 months now.. I moved down from Ohio.. I'll be down in Sebastian this weekend for the rec.skydiving boogie.. I've been to SDB(for one weekend in Jan), DeLand, and SSC.. I was sorry to see SDB go.. In the minimal time I spent there, I got a great vibe.. The only part I didn't like was the bus back from the LZ.. I just don't like taking my canopy through the doorway where there could be sharp points to snag on and tear.. I'm just paranoid..

That reminds me of something I saw last summer.. There was this chick that was there for her AFF Level 1.. Well, a couple of the JM's recognized her as a stripper from a local club.. They talked her into doing her Level 1 naked...and the JM's both went naked also.. Well, as is the normal seating arrangement, on the ride to altitude, one JM sat behind her, and one in front.. The whole ride up she kept saying... "Hey, would you mind not poking me in the back with that thing?" Mike

My sentiments exactly.. People often have knee-jerk reactions when something goes wrong, and that's not the right way to correct these problems.. Education is key.. Of course, if somebody doesn't want to learn...they won't.. Mike

You have to keep in mind that there are people that, with 10 jumps a month, can fly a canopy just as well as those who jump 100 times a month.. Everybody is different.. I believe that most jumpers are totally aware of the dangers of hook turns, but everybody that does them thinks "it can't happen to me".. Those that believe they will hurt themselves doing hook turns....well, they just don't do 'em.. Good for them.. Granted, there are a lot of people doing them that probably shouldn't due to their experience level...but who am I to say who has the experience and who doesn't? I would love to see all hook turn injuries/fatalities come to an end.. I would hate to see new regulation where it is not needed.. If you don't want to see hook turns, or subject yourself to the possible trauma of watching somebody hook it in, jump at a DZ where hook turns are not allowed.. Mike

Fair enough.. Hook turns are, however, by nature, low altitude maneuvers.. A hook turn at a higher altitude is, well...just a turn.. I don't 'hook' turn, but I do sometimes do front riser turns to build up speed for landing.. If I choose to hook, I do so with the knowledge that it can kill me.. Honestly, I believe that most jumpers are very aware of the statistics regarding hook turns.. I believe that most jumpers know that a hook turn gone bad often results in serious injury or death.. Anybody that has been in the sport for any length of time certainly knows that.. Most people, however, are under the impression that it can't happen to them.. "It only happens to people with bad judgement, so it won't happen to me".. I know there aren't people out there thinking.. "I'm probably gonna die during this hook turn, but..what the hell.. here goes!".. I agree that better training will help, and the new ISP focuses more on canopy control than AFF/SL has in the past.. Hopefully it helps.. Mike

Ok, ok.. I get the point.. I'm an old fart.. Well, hell.. I already live in Florida.. I guess now I just need to start driving 35mph in the fast lane.. The 21st is a big one.. After my 21st birthday, I started getting carded for booze.. Before I was 21, I rarely got carded....but after turning 21, I got carded all the damn time.. Kinda strange.. Hope ya have a good party on your 21st.. I know I'll never forget my 21st bday.. Damn, this group is just a bunch of young'uns.. Now where's that damn AARP application? Mike

What happened? Just a slow opener, or did you get a streamer? Congrats on the downplane.. I've been wanting to try some CReW, but haven't done it yet.. My canopy isn't quite designed for it, so I may have to bum a Lightning from somebody for a few days.. I hear they have a CReW school out here at DeLand - I may go pay them a visit soon.. Mike

I have taught a few people to pack, but have never tried to charge anybody.. I guess I can, in a way, understand when an instructor charges somebody - it's their way to make a living.. I don't like it, though.. On those days that I can't jump, or those nights after jumping ends, I don't mind helping somebody out.. I think most jumpers feel that way.. Hey, just don't let anybody to teach you how to pack on free beer night.. You may also want to consider buying one of those packing videos.. That way you will have something to keep at home that you can refer to if you go a while without packing.. Damn, 20? You're over the hill.. Just give it up now.. In another couple months, you'll be too old to enjoy skydiving.. Within 6 months you'll need a walker.. May as well buy a big ole' tank of a car, dye your hair blue, and move to Florida right now.. Hell, you still have at least one more birthday to look forward to.. It's a big one.. After my next birthday, on the 28th of this month, I'm just gonna quit having bdays then.. I'll be a good age, and I refuse to get any older.. Hey, my car insurance goes down this year.. About damn time.. The insurance guys really screw the 'under 25 unmarried male' category.. Hey, pretty soon I'll be able to order from the Senior's menu at resteraunts.. Anybody seen that AARP application? Mike

Thanks Craig.. Very interesting.. Just a modification to the PRO-pack, but it seems to help keep all the D and steering lines straight.. I'll have to give this a shot, see what kind of openings it produces.. The PRO-pack always seems to yield off heading openings for me, so I psycho-pack.. I'll try this out tomorrow.. Mike

Trent- For psycho packing, it is a good idea to add a bridle extension between the canopy attach point and the 'ring' that rests against the grommet in the bag.. The main reason for this is because you roll the canopy from top to bottom, thereby putting the bridle attachment point(that is on the top of the canopy in the middle) in the middle of the rolled canopy.. You then have a short length of bridle that leads to the 'ring' that is supposed to rest against the grommet inside the bag.. Since the bridle attach point is in the middle of this bundle, you have to route the bridle out the side of the bundle.. If you don't have enough bridle, the ring will not be resting against the grommet.. Well, what happens now is the problem.. During deployment, as the canopy is pulled out of the bag, the ring is being dragged across the canopy, over time causing canopy burns.. This may confuse you more than you were originally.. Ask a rigger or JM to show you this.. A rigger can make you a bridle extension in under 5 minutes.. Mike

Well, unfortunately, I won't be taking my rig on the trip.. I won't get to spend more than 18 hours in any one city(except about 48 hours in Perth, Aust.), and only about 6 hours in Tel Aviv.. I'll spend most of my time in those cities hanging out at the airport.. If we're there long enough to leave the airport for very long, we'll be playing tourist..

Lazerq3- One more thing..If you, by chance, have a wind tunnel nearby, or will be in a city with a wind tunnel, stop by and get your wife in it.. She'll have a great time.. Then tell her to imagine it with a bunch of other people, the awesome view, and the canopy ride afterwards.. Who knows, maybe you'll get her to give it a shot.. Mike

Iflyme wrote: Ok, let's ban hook turns.. While we're at it, we better ban skydiving altogether.. You see, when you choose to jump, and you burn in, you affect the lives of all the people that respond(EMT's, Fire Dept, Police, and God forbid, reporters), whom would probably have nothing to do with skydiving otherwise.. And think of all the people that have to read about your untimely death in the newspaper, or see about it on the news.. Damn, look at all the grief you caused? ESPECIALLY if you burn in outside the DZ....like a Wal-Mart parking lot.. Think of all the traumatized families that had to witness and/or see the aftermath of your choice to participate in some stupid sport.. As you can see, the above seems totally ludicrous.. Well, that's exactly how your statements seem to me.. By your reasoning, we need to ban any unnecesary activities that can cause others trauma when things go wrong - such as motorcycle riding, skydiving, bungee jumping, auto racing, the list goes on.. People will always witness things going wrong, and there will always be somebody that has to clean up.. When you decide to participate in this sport, you are accepting all the risks.. Some of those are witnessing things that you don't want to see.. Just like you taking the risks by skydiving, those who hook are knowingly taking the risks by doing so.. I'm not trying to put you down here, so please don't take it that way.. I'm playing devil's advocate and trying to get a point across.. We don't need more regulation - we need information.. Mike