Aviatrr

Definitely stop. You're either so enthusiastic about skydiving that it's the first thing you want to talk about(and nobody but another jumper will want to talk about it for more than 30 seconds), or you're using it for the "cool factor". Either way, it won't do you any good. I don't tell people that I skydive unless the subject comes up. I dated a woman last year for over a month before she ever knew I jumped...and that was because I told her I had plans for a specific weekend, and she wanted to know what I was doing. It's just not important to whuffos. Most people will say "that's cool" or something to that effect, then think you're a weirdo or have a deathwish. Mike

What I did wasn't so bad....I left the airplane at a decent airport and told 'em where it was...even though it was 1500 miles from home.. There was another guy that did something...well...not so nice... He was working for a cargo company flying a Learjet. He had been abused all week....long days, short nights, lousy hotels, and total lack of sleep. Finally one day, he told 'em he was stopping where he was...he wasn't flying any more that day.. His boss basically told him to fly one more leg or he was fired. That leg was about 90 minutes. So....he loaded up the airplane with 2 hours worth of fuel, and took off...there are still conflicting stories about whether he actually took the First Officer with him or not(the airplane legally requires 2 pilots)...flew the airplane 90 minutes(not to where he was supposed to go, though), and landed at this little, tiny airport that he was barely able to stop the airplane on the short runway. They didn't have jet fuel there, and the airplane had 30 minutes fuel remaining(minimum legal reserve). He researched all this beforehand, obviously.. He then parked the airplane on the ramp(where everybody was absolutely amazed to see a jet in such a small airport), and ran the engines until there was NO fuel left in the airplane. He left the battery switch on, which drains the battery in 20-30 minutes max. He then closed the door, locked it, and hid the key somewhere on the airplane. Then he called his boss. He told him the airplane was 90 minutes from where he took off, but wouldn't say which airport - or even which direction. He then followed it with "I quit". Makes what I did look tame.. Mike edit: Supposedly, it took the company several months to find the aircraft...and then they only found it because the airport manager looked up the registration number and called the owner to ask them to move the airplane because it was sitting on a ramp they needed to re-pave.

Shhhhhhh!!! Didn't anybody ever teach you not to say that too loud?! I wouldn't worry about it...it's not like when you get a filling and there is trapped gas underneath it..you just need to prevent any bleeding from the gums. The dentist should've given you something for that...or told you how to prevent it.. Mike

I just saw the last two....I see AD.....probably his fiance....some slow ass turtle....and a chick that was pretty cool to me one night in Eloy(at the bar...she was probably drunk, like me )...but blew me off the next day and didn't even say goodbye... The third one...uh....same as the first, but with that same chick that blew me off the next day.. Mike

Ok...in the first one...I see....Steve....Derek...Kelli...and some chick I met at the bar one night().... and in the second row....some punk that went to Thailand recently....and...well...I dunno who the kid at the bottom right is.. Mike

So do you feel my reserve is my "worst case" scenario? My reserve is a PD160R loaded at about 1.4...while my main is a Xaos 103 loaded at almost 2.2. I certainly don't agree with your reasoning(for a 20mph downwinder on your reserve), but you already know that. You made a statement once that everybody should be able to land their reserve downwind in 20mph winds....or they shouldn't be jumping that reserve. I still stand by my original assesment of your actions in that regard. I won't land my main intentionally downwind in 20mph winds...nor my reserve. Of course, you'll say I shouldn't be jumping in 20mph winds because of that. I said I won't do it INTENTIONALLY....there's too much risk involved..it's kinda like chopping a perfectly good main just to be able to say you had a reserve ride "under controlled circumstances" before it happened for real. If I end up downwind under my reserve....well, I'll be happy it isn't my main...and take the downwinder...hell, I've landed my main downwind in 10mph winds....I am confident I can do the same(even with stronger winds, if necessary) under my reserve. I've been doing this long enough that I know when to stay on the ground. I hope others have good enough judgement in this area as well to not do intentional downwind landings with 20+mph winds...or to jump at all when the winds are that high.. Mike

I started feeling old a couple years ago...when they started playing the music I grew up listening to on the "Classic rock" stations......and I'm only 28!! Mike

Would I clone my pet? Well...she hates it when I call her that...so....uh... Mike

The most beautiful thing I ever saw under canopy was a PD126R....fully inflated....at about 300'....nothing ever looked SO good in my life.. Mike

And you have a place to crash in Orlando, if ya need it....and I'm sure you have a place to crash in any major city in Florida should you need it.. Mike

Is that kinda like a perverted statement? Mike

I don't own my own business.......yet.....but I'm in the planning stages of one.....hopefully these are the final few months of planning.. I've worked for cool people, and worked for schmucks.. Both situations sucked.. I need to work for an asshole(myself) now.. Mike

Movin to Florida, eh? Why would you want to do that? It sucks down here....really...nobody should move here...we have lousy weather all year...and no decent DZ's...yea...that's it...(shhh...just trying to keep everybody from overpopulating the state) nothing to see here...everybody move to California...they have Perris and Elsinore...and Byron if you prefer NorCal...just go there...not Florida... it sucks here.. Mike

Dude, I have no clue what day it is....I started drinking at 1400 today... I'm stuck here at home with a fucked up leg.. Mike

Damn...and people say I wait til the last minute... Mike

Count me in! You have to load your canopy at least 2 to 1, though, so we can do CReW after opening...and so the downplane flies OK... Mike

You want to hear extreme? It's not quitting your job when you have nothing else....I've done the most extreme of extremes...[whisper] I've jumped out of an airplane! [/whisper] Seriously...the most extreme I've ever done on the job front....is quite a job..when i had nothing else line up...because my boss was a total prick...and when i quit... i left his airplane 1500 miles from home.. Mike

I LOST MY RIO! Oops... Mike

Nope....my heart is still beating normally on jump run....it's when I hear "SET!" that it starts beating faster... Mike

There have been a couple different theories...one that it was fuel exhaustion, and one that it was fuel starvation. I've done several flights of aircraft with special fuel tanks added for ferry flights over long stretches of water, and can see transferring becoming an issue...so I tend to believe the fuel starvation thing more than exhaustion. Then again, the systems I used had triple redundant fuel transfer capability...so it could possibly be user error more than an equipment problem. Mike

If it showed up past the guaranteed delivery time, you should definitely call and get your money refunded. Be sure to check out the delivery time on the FedEx website before you do though...that's what they go by. The driver won't lose his job...it won't go against him...he won't even know anything about it. Mike

Nope. New Zealand. Mike

What? Nothing to see here....move along... Mike

Yep....amazing how they always seem to find seats via Sabre when the airline websites show nothing available.. I've often been amazed at how people that bought their tickets months in advance get bumped off an overbooked flight, but when my company books a flight 8 hours before departure time, I always seem to get a seat....hmmm....wonder why that is? Mike

Is this the same type as the one that was lost somewhere between Hawaii and the mainland(I think that's where it was) a few months back? If so, any word on the cause of that? Mike