Aviatrr

Naw....I participate in pieing, so I figured it was my turn. Trust me, I've gotten my revenge on some of 'em, and still waiting for my turn to get the rest.. I can't wait until the dz.com boogie.....pies galore!

Happy birthday.. 27, wow, that's OLD! I mean, I'm only....wait a sec....hmm...I'm almost 28....DAMN, I'M OLD! I knew I was old when my 12 year old niece referred to the music I grew up on as CLASSIC ROCK!@#$% Mike

I didn't get pied for my 100th.....but they made up for it on my 200th. When I was turning final in the landing area, I saw about 20 people standing around with pies....DOH! Too late to land out. At least they let me get my rig and jumpsuit off.....but I barely took two steps(in a dead run at that point) before the barrage began. Mike

What is this office place you guys speak of? Sounds like some form of bondage to me. Hmmm....no wonder you guys are so excited at work. At least my office goes wherever I want it to....and the view changes, too! Unfortunately, they frown upon me exiting the airplane halfway to the destination... Mike

I'm not so sure I believe that.....well, in any case, I know they've been seen by some of us in....well....nevermind.. Mike

I hope you don't actually mean motorcycle helmets....but perhaps you mean full face helmets? A real motorcycle helmet is way too heavy - it could snap your neck on a hard opening, or at the very least cause some damage. I am also in a line of work that requires good hearing.....so I wear earplugs in the airplane, and take them out just before exit. I jump a Bonehead Mindwarp or a Velocity camera helmet - both do a good job of keepin the noise levels down in freefall. It is important, IMO, to be able to hear well once you are under canopy, so that's why I take the earplugs out before exit. I don't want to mess with trying it after canopy deployment - I'm kinda time limited there anyways, and have several other things to do immediately. I assume you're using a Pro-tec helmet for student jumps....see if you can borrow a Bonehead type open face or a full face helmet from somebody for a jump. I doubt your instructors would mind, as long as it doesn't interfere with your abilities and they can still see your eyes. Mike

I saw that a few years ago...there was a group of 6 of us. I was last out, and the guy in front of me was a tandem instructor....who hadn't done anything but tandems in nearly 6 months. As I followed him out, realized he was NOT diving....but just getting in a stable BTE position...and he pitched his pilot chute. I sailed by him close enough to see the look on his face just as he reached line stretch....and realized what he did. It took me a few seconds to figure out why he had done it.....and I spent the next 5000ft laughing so hard I couldn't concentrate on getting to the formation. Finally, when all hope was lost of me getting down to the group, I dumped(still damn near 10,000ft) and we did a bit of CReW. He still has not lived that one down. Mike

I'm looking for a used GTi or SF3 that would fit me. I've talked to Asaf at Birdman, and none of their used GTi or SF3 suits will fit me. Anybody have one for sale, or know of one for sale? PM me. Can't stand the thought of a 6-8 week delivery time on a new one! Thanks! 5'11", 190lbs, 33" waist, 30" inseam. Mike

I know exactly what that one is.....an accident waiting to happen! One of those things tried to kill me many years ago when they first came out. The demo pilot said....Yea, it spins great and recovers easily!....well, it does spin great....doesn't like to recover after a couple rotations, though. It started to flatten out, and we ended up in a 12 rotation spin with no indicated airspeed(damn near totally flat) before we could recover. We began the recovery after 3 rotations. The school I went to ordered a bunch of those after I left, and had several gear collapse incidents. That's right, gear collapse on a fixed gear. Those 'ole Cessna's had been standing up to those landings for 20+ years, but the Katana's couldn't take it 6 months! Mike

Hey. Well, first of all, speaking as a skydiver and a pilot.....I prefer pilots that skydive as well. Not pilots that PLAN to skydive, but pilots that are experienced skydivers. I also prefer pilots with a fair amount of experience(at least 1000TT - preferably some time as a CFI - for the smaller aircraft). I don't want to be in the airplane with a fresh commercial pilot with the ink still wet on their ticket. I've been there - he damn near killed me. Experience means a lot - regardless of how good of a pilot somebody is. With that said, the best thing to do is go in person to the DZ's around your area. If you can't do that(which I'm guessing you can't since you said you are moving, not that you have moved) - then call and see who to talk to(usually DZO at smaller DZ's) regarding a position. Talk to that person, let them know your experience level and when you will be arriving in the area, and then send a resume via mail or fax. Follow up in a week or two. If you don't hear anything significant by the time you arrive, go visit them in person. The first part of this was not to discourage you if you are a low timer....just letting you know what I expect - as a pilot and a skydiver. I fly for a living, so I don't fly when I go to the DZ - I just want to jump. I have flown jumpers in the past, but I don't anymore. Good luck! Mike

Well, that was certainly not MY experience with the two canopies, but that may be because of the wing loading. As I said, both were loaded at approximately 1.5, damn near the upper limit listed for both canopies. At a much lighter wing loading, it may be true....but a couple of us actually flew them side by side at the same loading, and the Spectre had to be rear risered to keep up with the Sabre2 in full flight. Slight rear riser pressure not only flattens your glide, but increases your speed slightly as well. With both in full flight, the Spectre flew almost the same airspeed(but slightly slower), but sank at a noticeably higher rate. The one thing I really liked about the Spectre over the Sabre2 was the recovery arc. The Spectre has a longer recovery arc, which allows the pilot to build and maintain a higher speed for great swoops. Mike

Much easier to bag the canopy using the psycho pack method than the pro pack method. For info on how to do it, see.... http://www.precision.net/psycho/psycho_pack.htm Mike

That is one of the things that really freaks people out about the psycho pack....when you flip it over to roll it. I have accidentally left that twist in the lines a couple times, and it resulted in a 90 degree off heading opening....not bad at all. I psycho pack all the canopies I jump, and get great openings and not a single mal on any psycho packed canopy I've jumped. Just like any other pack job, control the lines, keep 'em in the middle, and you're golden. Mike

It was done at a DZ in Florida early last year....with a rig that had not had a reserve repack in over 10 years. The Cypres fired when it should, and the reserve opened beautifully. Unfortunately, the dummy lost a leg on landing.... Mike

(note to self - stay ABOVE the formation if JT is in it) DOH! I'm looking forward to it! It'll be great to see everybody again...and meet some new people, too. I'll be there either the 25th through 31st(if I can't get any extra vacation time), or the 25th through the 4th(if I can). Mike

1,4,5,6,7,8,10,13,15,17,19,20,23,24,27,28 (well, as close to space as I'll ever get.....55,000ft!) ,35,37,42,44 (well, it was a horny guerilla....does that count?!),47,48,50 (mean, aggressive bastards!). Mike

Damn....this boogie is sounding bettery every day! I'm really looking forward to it! Even better, I'll be staying on the DZ.....so chances of getting lost on the way to bed in a drunken stupor are much less! Not eliminated, of course....but more in my favor! Who knows....I might even manage to make a few jumps between parties. Mike

I used to fly a Spectre at a 1.5 wing loading, and now fly a Sabre2 at roughly the same loading. Back when I was jumping the Spectre, and the Sabre2 came out, I demoed one in the same size/loading. I consider the Sabre2 a copy of the Spectre with 2 extra cells in most regards. Openings are pretty much the same(soft and on heading for both canopies), they will both do a decent swoop(at least at the loading I was at), and they are both very stable canopies in all regimes of flight. The biggest differences, IMO, are....1) the Sabre2 has a flatter glide(7 cell vs 9 cell) and when you use the rear risers the better glide is even more obvious. The Spectre comes down steeper, and won't glide as far. 2) The Sabre2 has a larger pack volume than the Spectre. The difference is noticeable. Packing a Spectre 150 into my 120 container is not difficult....but the Sabre2 150 in the same container is a pain in the butt. I evaluated both canopies, and sold the Spectre to get the Sabre2. I got tired of not making it to the main landing area on long spots when everybody else could make it....or at least get closer...now I can ride the rear risers and make it further than just about anybody else. Mike

First of all, that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Does the jumper also have to come over and cock the pilot chute? Setting the brakes is part of packing. If they are not set when you pack a rig, what do you do - set them, or leave them as is assuming the jumper wants to jump the rig in that manner? It's a rhetorical question, BTW. Mike

Gaffers tape. That fixes anything. I just set mine where I needed it, layed the excess strap back onto the rest, and wrapped a small piece of gaffers tape around it. 150 or so jumps on that piece of tape and counting...no slippage yet. Plus, if I need to readjust it for any reason(like somebody else jumping it), it will take me a minute to take that tape off, adjust it, and put another strip back on. I always carry a roll of tape in my gear bag. Mike

Switch to BOC as soon as possible.....that's what you'll be jumping eventually anyways. I started out with an ROL throw out - but BOC was pretty new and sparse then. Mike

Well, the container is sized for a 120/130(they built it so that it was about halfway between a 120 and 135 main tray)...but the D bag is a 135. Watch me stuff that 150 in a 135 D bag once or twice(hell, you may have seen me this past weekend wrestling with it if you were at Sebastian) and you will probably change your mind.

Want to find out first hand? I'll be at Sebastian again in a couple weekends....and if you want to try stuffing a 150 into a container built for a 120 main, you're welcome to try it out with my rig....though, I'm sure you won't want to after watching me stuff a 150(Sabre2) into that same container. Trust me, it's a real bitch - and I have done many hundreds of ZP pack jobs. I actually psycho-pack mine just to get it into the bag. Mike

Must.....not.....make......smartass......commment..... Mike

I understand your pain....I lived in that area for a year for work - moved away about 3 years ago. I still spend too much time up there for work(we're based at Cuyahoga County airport over in Richmond Heights). At least you have a cool DZ nearby. Jumping at Aerohio? Mike