Aviatrr

You will definitely find that you will meet a skydiver from just about every profession. Here in Florida, I have met many people in the space industry(yes, even real rocket scientists), somebody from just about every facet of the medical profession(nurses, brain surgeons, ER docs), lawyers, stock brokers, TSA employees, pilots, aircraft mechanics, car mechanics, students, unemployed, professional skydivers, teachers, housewives(and househusbands), etc... It's a VERY diverse group...much more so than I see in other sports I take part in. Glad to hear about all the help you've gotten while looking for gear...I kinda lost faith in skydivers as decent people for a while after a couple incidents, but my faith has been restored since then.. Mike

Which airport are you referring to? IAH or HOU? I get into HOU quite often....but IAH is kinda rare. Mike

Nice thing is....I get paid to do one....and spend that money on the other... Holy shite! That's a lot of damn flight time. It's taken me 10 years since I started flying to hit 6,000 hours....at this rate, I would be 82 years old before I hit 39,000 hours. I'll definitely never get THAT high on the flight time...maybe 20,000 hours, but I'll be ready for retirement WAAAAY before that! And it will be for at least several more years.. Unless you are current, and have a good deal of time, there's probably not much of a chance of getting a job - especially with all the out of work pilots right now. A government job is an option, though....they generally don't care how much time you have, as long as you meet the bare minimums they require...such as Customs. Being dual rated sure helps with them, though. Mike

I doubt you're really flaring that low.....you may have been told that so that you flare when you think you are that low....but may really be 5-7ft off the ground. The more experienced you get, the better you'll be able to judge height. Get sombody to video your landing....and see how high you really start your flare... If you're flying a skyboat of a main, you may be able to get away with flaring at a foot or so...but if you do, you are more than likely "stabbing" the landing....meaning you yank the toggles down quickly, rather than a smooth, slow motion. Mike

Don't forget the pilots.....I don't think they'll get a break all day with that many people and one airplane, in addition to all the tandems, students, and other fun jumpers that show up. Mike

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding what you wrote here....but the wind speed/direction at altitude makes absolutely no difference if you have a device that measures AIRSPEED, and not GROUNDSPEED. The wind speed/direction would be a necessary component if you were using a device to obtain groundspeed(such as a GPS) and you wanted to derive airpseed from that. One other thing....any type of airspeed measuring device(such as a wind meter) will give you what is known as INDICATED airspeed, which will be lower than TRUE airspeed. True airpseed is the actual speed at which something is moving through the air(in a no wind situation, the true airspeed and groundspeed would be the same) while indicated airspeed is the speed at which an aircraft(or BM in this case) "thinks" it is moving through the air. The higher you go, the "thinner" the air, so the less air molecules there are to turn a wind meter or go into a pitot tube(in the case of an aircraft)....therefore, the higher you go, the lower the indicated airspeed would be for a given groundspeed. I think what you would find in the case of a BM is that the "indicated" airspeed would remain roughly the same throughout the flight, but the true airspeed would decrease as you descend into denser air. If wind remains the same at all altitudes, groundspeed would decrease as you descend, but vertical speed(fall rate) would also decrease. I hope this is at least somewhat understandable.. Mike

It's been there every year.....you just haven't seen it.. Mike

Well, according to the "Calendar" on the Sebastian website, on the 28th of this month it says.... "Reopen for 7 DAY WEEK Back to our winter season schedule, 7 days/week 8:00am- sunset"...is that right? Mike

That's an awesome airshow....I went to it every year from about '80 to '94. Mike

I haven't gotten zapped with one of those....but I have with the old style original Taser....that hurt like a bitch! It did give me a serious adrenaline rush after I recovered from it...but not something I care to do again.. Mike

You're a student pilot....and soon to be jumper....and you think you have any idea what either group is like? You won't have an idea of either for years. I've been a professional pilot since '94, skydiving since '96....and I see things just a little different than you do. Mike

Hmmm.....methinks Denise is talking about something other than packing here... Mike

That little Tonka Toy....? It had better be stick roflmao..... Damn...I been busted down a peg! Well, you're gonna hate my real truck then....only need a half ladder to get into it, instead of an extension ladder like that other truck.. DOH!@# Mike

Funny thing....after half a dozen myself, I wouldn't go with anything but a pillow type reserve for a freefall rig. CReW rig, another story.. Mike

Good to know....I'm sure I'll need a ride back from Hirams Friday night....or maybe you'll have to drive my truck back if we have to take my it over to Hirams... Oh, BTW...a couple pics of it are attached...think you can drive it? Mike

I haven't been able to give blood for years due to business trips to various countries(mostly South America)....even though I usually don't even leave the airport! One year rule applies for travel to many foreign countries. Mike

I'm looking forward to seeing your patented muddy ditch landing technique.. I missed it that day.....but I sure HEARD about it when I got back a few minutes later! Mike

I have had a few cutaways with a soft reserve handle(I do not use an RSL), and have had absolutely no problem pulling the reserve. People say that a big danger with the pillow reserve handle is that it can be tucked under the harness if your harness shifts violently during a spinning mal....well, haven't had that problem either, but the highest wing loading I have chopped was 1.8...might have happened at a higher loading. I think the key here is harness fit and adjustment. My harness is built for me, and I adjust it very tight(leg straps and chest strap). It only shifted an inch or two during my worst spinner. Mike

I'm just about old enough to join POPS....I'll be able to join in.............13 years! WOOHOO! Mike

More importantly....look at the shirt she was wearing when she took the pic! Just one hit on the crack turns ya into a full blown addict. Mike

I'm sure it's all psychological. It's something new....something you're not used to...so it will probably feel pretty strange and uncomfortable at first. Your pilot really shouldn't be doing any outrageous maneuvers - it only stresses the airplane and its occupants. 2G's is not much, and most people can withstand 2G's nearly indefinitely without any adverse effects. Personally, at around 4G's I really need to "bear down"(tensing abs and leg muscles) to be ok for more than 10-12 seconds. At around 6G's, I start to get a headache and start to have a difficult time flying the airplane. At about 7G's, I start to get tunnel vision - and that's WITH a G-suit. I'm ok for a few seconds at 8G's or so, but after 5-6 seconds I black out. Most I've ever seen was 8.8G's, and I was out like a light in 3 seconds flat. As you can see, it takes quite a bit to see the really serious things start to happen. Mike

NICE! Who is that flying with the plane? Mike

Count me in for the race, BIAAATCH!!!! Mike

Elevator surfing....ever been? Myself and a buddy of mine went tonight....second time I've ever been....but we were drunk and on a 3 story building....tomorrow, we go sober and on a 20 story building! WOOHOO! Mike

Q: What's the difference between a rental car and a Hummer? A: There's some places you won't take a Hummer. Mike