Aviatrr

Especially for THESE GUYS! Right click to save, or just let it play in a browser. Big file, not for dialup. Mike

Why? Size or release date? If you're thinking a Vel120....I hope you have a big container.. Mike

I don't think it would qualify as a "landing" if I just cratered in as if I were in freefall(in a stand, I guess).. I don't think I would even attempt to land a canopy I'd be loading at 10:1. I'd have just as much luck with that as with landing my pilot chute. Mike

You mean like the inflatable guy. Does the Flight Attendant have to "blow" you up every so often? SHHHHHH! Don't tell! Next thing ya know, everybody will want to be a pilot and jobs will be even harder to get! Mike

Thankfully some of 'em have short term memories, and quit calling every friday and sat night.. I haven't been bombarded for the past month or so. Maybe it's cuz I started turning my cell off at night when I'm on the road working and trying to get some sleep for the next day.. Mike

So you must be one of those autopilots, then? That would be me. Don't expect nice landings, cuz autopilots don't go for style points. Mike

NVG's will do more harm than good if the conditions are not right. Cockpit lighting can really play hell with a pilot wearing NVG's. The Sea King is an old design - 30 years old, at least....before NVG's were around...so they didn't design it with that in mind as they do current military helo's. Most carrier based helo pilots are NVG qualified, but there aren't all that many H-3's in the US military anymore, except in a VIP or SAR configuration. I'm pretty sure the SAR H-3 pilots are NVG qualified, but who knows what mods had to be made to allow their use. Mike

The LAST weekend....definitely.. The first weekend isn't gonna be as cool, so I chose(uh, yeah, that's the ticket) to work that weekend instead, and show up on Monday.. Mike

It's not exactly my dream canopy.....but I'd really LOVE to jump THIS one.. Mike

My first street legal motorized vehicle was a 1986 Honda Hurricane 1000. My first car was a 1984 Camaro Z28 with T-tops. 305HO with....uh....a few modifications to it.. Mike

I'm not a figment of your imagination....I'm a fignewton of my own imagination.. Nobody has any photographic or video proof of me that I acknowledge, therefore I don't exist. Mike

Actually, it's quite frightening what they are proposing. The CAPPS II system will check your banking records, credit report, criminal record, and medical records. You will then be assigned a status. They are Green, Yellow, and Red. Green means you pass through security with no additional screening beyond the "normal". Yellow means you get additional screening. You get searched and all your bags checked. Who knows what else. Red means you are not allowed to fly. Period. Ever. Once you attain a rating, you will always retain that rating or a more restrictive rating. They don't even specify WHAT will cause a Red or Yellow. Maybe if they see a large deposit in one of your bank accounts a couple days before you fly(like you just sold a house), you get tagged as a potential threat. Maybe if they see that you have had a lot of hits on your credit report lately(maybe you've been looking at cars, and seeing what interest rate various places can get you), you get tagged. Maybe you have a bunch of speeding tickets, and you get tagged. No telling. They won't say WHAT will tag people. Of course, it's a "security issue" if they disclose what will tag people. I, personally, think this is BS. Everytime you fly, there will be a hit on your credit report....so if you plan to buy a house, don't fly much before you apply for a loan! Mike

I had a guy try to rob me several years ago. He had a knife, I had a gun. Not too smart to bring a knife to a gunfight. Mike

The coldest I have ever seen on the ground is -55C(-67F). Several hundred miles north of Thule, Greenland. I don't even want to guess what the wind chill was. The wind was blowing as much as about 70mph one of the days. If you had to go outside, you had to be 100% positive there was no exposed skin, or you would have instant frostbite(or worse). Mike

I psycho-pack my Sabre2 loaded a bit over 1.5. I push the nose back into the packjob, and make sure the slider is quartered - but other than that, nothing special. I found that pro-packing it gives me faster openings on WS jumps. Mike

If I add THIS and THIS to my suit, can I fly it into the controlled airspace? Mike

No, no, no.....that was Deuce, not DaGimp.. Mike

Actually, they all had audibles....but stated that they never heard them. I heard somebody say "goddamn those guys are low", and when I looked up I saw freebags clearing the reserves. It was an impressive, and sickening, sight. I heard somebody say that they were using audibles that go off after a set time rather than altitude, but I'm not familiar with any of those, so I can't say for sure. Mike

No problems for me on XMas day going to Eloy. MCO-DFW-PHX. In MCO, they stopped the xray machine while my stuff was in it....called somebody else over.....then asked me if it was my bag. I said yes, they said they were going to have to search it...turned out they were looking at my suitcase, NOT my rig bag.....and saw a pair of fingernail clippers, so they had to see if there was a file attached.. Just make sure you remove any hook knife and put it in checked baggage. Mike

So what happened to the 4 way team out at Perris while practicing for Nationals about 5 years ago? I guess their sense of "timing" was not so great. If just ONE of them had checked their altimeter, there probably would not have been 4 Cypres fires. They got out lower than they were used to(somewhere around 7,000ft, IIRC), and did their routine right up until the Cypres fires. If anything, I think doing 4 way(or anything competition related) requires an altimeter more than fun jumping - JUST BECAUSE of the fact that people are so focused on the task at hand. Mike

I normally wear an altimeter, but I won't hesitate to jump without one. I did about 25 jumps last week without one because the face shield on mine shattered halfway through the week. The eyeballs should be the #1 "altimeter" for experienced skydivers. Everything else is just a backup. For students and those that are still relatively inexperienced, an altimeter is absolutely necessary until they develop that visual sense of altitude. Mike

10 days, 40 jumps, 1 reserve ride(). Duece even got video and stills of the reserve ride. Mike

So.....when is the innagural party? Mike

Congrats! As others have said, look at other canopies besides the Triathlon as well. I've heard good things about the Pilot. I was going to demo an A-Max while I was at Eloy, but the weather didn't cooperate that day....so I can't say anything about any of the Aerodyne canopies other than what I've heard. Mike

Something that most people don't take into account is the number of people on board the aircraft(SWA has a max of about 150, whereas Delta 777's are around 300 people) and the value of the aircraft(777's cost a hell of a lot more than 737's). Mike