Aviatrr

Naw, if it comes to that, the pilot will just turn on the exit light, and tell everybody to get out.. Instant chaff! Mike

When I spoke with Sandy Reid, I believe he said the V4 was sized for a PD160R, DM181, or Tempo 170.. I know from experience that a Tempo 210 will fit in the same container as a PD160R.. I'm hoping that Sandy will start making a container for a 135 or 120 main and a PD160 reserve....I like small mains, but small reserves scare the shit outa me.. Mike

Damn close, but outside.. Hopefully jumprun is supposed to be NE to SW or SW to NE.....because it looks like it's going to be, like it or not! Mike

You guys must have known that the ban was going to be lifted merely a few hours after you posted this, and you just wanted to tease us.. By the time I saw this, you guys were closed....and I called this morning, but, alas, back to regular prices.. I was gonna take a stock main and reserve off your hands....but at regular prices, my DZ gives me a much better discount.. Mike

Which airport are you guys based at? I don't see any airports right under the eastern edge.. SAN Class B has some funky boundaries.. Then again, the only program I have shows only airports with IAP's - not VFR only airports.. Mike

This is text from the actual NOTAM issued by the FAA.. What, you might ask, is the enhanced Class B airspace? What the above means is this....if the DZ is within the lateral limits of ANY class B airspace, operations are still prohibited.. Most DZ's fall outside of any Class B airspace, but there are a few that fall within.. To find out if yours does, call the DZ and ask.. If nobody in the office knows, ask for one of the pilots - they will know.. Class B airspace is what exists at most large airports - San Diego International, LAX, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver International, Salt Lake City International, Chicago, Detroit, most of the NYC area airports, etc.... Class B airspace extends, normally, a maximum of 30NM from the primary airport in all directions.. On the downside...... For those of you that are either CFI's or students, you are still grounded unless you go IFR.. Hopefully they will lift this VERY soon - many flight schools won't be able to take this much longer.. I wouldn't be suprised to see many go out of business, unfortunately.. It's definitely nice to see that skydiving is SPECIFICALLY addressed in the section of operations allowed - that leads me to believe that USPA has, indeed, been quite active in this whole situation.. Good job, guys.. Mike

I guess that means you'll be getting rid of the FX sitting in your closet, eh? Mike

They obviously didn't have the door securely closed when they took off.. The Challenger has several safety devices on the main cabin door that is supposed to keep the door from opening while the cabin is pressurized.. The emergency exit will not open while the cabin is pressurized, due to the fact that it comes inside, and with the cabin pressurized, there is an enormous amount of pressure holding it in place.. The baggage door, under the left engine, has one safety device to keep it from being opened in flight(the baggage compartment can be accessed from the cabin in flight).. Both the main cabin door and the baggage door have annunciators in the cockpit that should be lit whenever the associated door is not fully closed/latched......they probably just didn't look, or the bulbs were burned out.. As an old boss of mine would call it.....Stupid pilot tricks.. Mike

Well, this looks good for us.. I've emailed USPA to get their take on this, and to see whether they have gotten an official ruling on whether skydiving ops are included in this or not.. Hopefully I get a response soon.. Mike

Yes, some sightseeing flights are governed under 135 - but those are usually the ones that go more than 25NM from the point of departure, or land at a point other than the departure point.. There are even some sightseeing companies(Grand Canyon tour operators) that operate Part 121.. The point that I was trying to make is that most, if not all, skydiving operations do not do anything that would make them have to operate under Part 135.. Mike

Tandem: 500 ram air jumps, 3 years in sport, tandem equipment manufacturers training course, BIC(or whatever it is now).. AFF: 6 hours of freefall time, AFF JM certification course, BIC, and be able to fly your ass off.. Mike

Skydiving ops are governed by Part 91 and Part 105.. Aircraft operations are conducted under Part 91 - but there are requirements in Part 105 that must be complied with as well...such as communication, cloud clearance(basic VFR stuff, though), airspace requirements, etc.. Remember - flights that do not go more than 25NM from the point of departure, and do not land at any other point, are Part 91, commonly referred to as sightseeing flights.. They are not any form of air taxi.. Mike

How do you figure? I know of NO DZ's that operate under 135.. If so, they'd have to do weight and balance on every load on multi engine planes.. They'd have flight and duty time limitations.. They would have Ops Specs.. Do any DZ's you jump at have these? Not any that I have been to.. Some DZ's have airplanes/pilots that are 135 certified, but they certainly do not fly jumpers under 135.. Maybe RIGHT NOW they will be - IF the aircraft and pilots are 135 qualified, but most are not.. Quote to me regs that specify that skydiving ops are Part 135.. Mike

There were hangliders flying over the beaches of LA(Muscle Beach area) on Friday and Sat - and I suspect they've been flying since then, too.. Mike

I don't really agree with that.. Part 135 VFR is allowed, yes - but allowing Part 91 VFR would allow many thousands more aircraft in the air....I just don't think they're gonna do it anytime soon.. Honestly - I expect another week, maybe two, before they allow all Part 91 VFR flights to resume...and then probably under severe restrictions.. I wouldn't be suprised to see Centers turning jump planes away for a while, too, if their workload is high.. Who do you fly for out there? You based out of PHX? I spent a while flying out of PHX there for a 135 freight operator flying UPS contracts.. Mike

I wish I got frequent flier miles for all my flights.....I average around 35,000-40,000 miles per month.. That'd be a lot of free tickets to get all my friends out to the big boogies.. Mike

Actually, you need to add to your body weight all your gear.. If your rig weighs 20 pounds, you would have an exit weight of around 185 - which would put you at 1.1:1, which is pretty much an accepted wing loading for a first canopy.. Talk to your instructors about canopy sizes, though.. Mike

Congrats! The only problem now is....that 6 weeks will seem like 6 years.. The Voodoo is a sweet rig - you can't go wrong.. I'm gonna demo one when I go out to Arizona next, probably in a month or so.. Sandy Reid(the owner of Rigging Innovations) rocks! Any time I've had any questions(many) or problems(one), he always talked to me for as long as necessary.. You'll definitely be happy.. Mike

Thank You Mike

Hey - I'm in! We'll have to make 'em night jumps to be safer, though.. Oh, and since clothing has high radar reflectivity, they will all have to be naked jumps.. Where are you going to school? Several years ago, I did a lot of freelance flight instruction out in the LA basin.. You have any of your ratings yet? Mike

I load my own ammo, and I have....uh, nevermind.. I don't think I want guys in suits knocking on my door when they find out how much I have.. Mike

My first thought - after reading your profile - is that I can't give any credibility to somebody on issues pertaining to gear if they don't even know what size reserve they have.. Mike

This was forwarded via e-mail...I like it, thought others might too.. Dear Osama Bin Laden, Yasser Arafat, and Sadam Hussein, et. al., We are pleased to announce that we unequivocally accept your challenge to an old-fashioned game of whoop-ass. Now that we understand the rule that there are no rules, we look forward to playing by them for the first time. Since this game is a winner-take-all, we unfortunately are unable to invite you to join us at the victory celebration. But rest assured that we will toast you -- LITERALLY. While we will admit that you are off to an impressive lead, it is however now our turn at the plate. By the way, we will be playing on your court now. Batter up. Sincerely, The 270,000,000 citizens of the United States of America Mike

Unfortunately, I have a feeling you're right.. I wouldn't be suprised to see a week, maybe two, before VFR flight is allowed.. If they decide to re-structure VFR, it could be much longer.. If this occurs, we'll see some DZ's closing down due to no income.. Flight schools, cropdusters, offshore helicopter ops, etc., are all in the same boat....grounded indefinitely.. Mike

DON'T ADMIT IT! Admitting your addiction is the first of the 12 steps! Do you know what happens at the end of those 12 steps?! DON'T TAKE THE FIRST STEP! Mike