Zing

He's still dead. Zing Lurks

"what are they doing about it anyway?" Uhm ... building a national museum of skydiving. Zing Lurks

But he'll still have the same mass. Zing Lurks

You'd know better than I do about Lodestars. I've only flown on one as a co-pilot, and that aircraft was not being used for skydiving. I have jumped out of a couple Lodestars in bygone years. I seem to recall one at Z-hills during a turkey boogie that got real close to stalling when a bunch of jumpers packed the tail way to early and the plane started wallowing in a nose high attitude, causing the pilots to start yelling at the jumpers in the door to go and for the rest of us to stay as far forward as we could. Like any other airplane, a Lodestar has to be resapected for the physical limitations of the aircraft's capabilities. Zing Lurks

Also, most dropzones have to extend the NOTAM for night jumps, and don't need or want to tie up the airspace all night when there are only one or two loads planned. Zing Lurks

Try "The Tunnels of Chu Lai" and "Soldier." Zing Lurks

The three out four Canadians was a Ghoulidge t-shirt ... after the Gulch closed down. I don't know if any of the bounces at the Gulch were Canadians. Seems like there were 7 at the Casa Grande Airport and 3 on demos in Phoenix during the two and a half years the Gulch was open. Ghoulidge had 4 bounces already when I became manager, and 3 more after I left. I had a few injuries happen while I ran Ghoulidge, but nobody (amazingly) died. The only trouble on a demo was the time I bounced up at Fountain Hills. I don't remember any fatalities while Larry Hill was there from 1986 to 1992. I know of 2 other bounces at the Coolidge Airport since Larry Hill moved his operation over to Elroy. CPS has a training jump operation at Ghoulidge now that isn't open to fun jumpers, and I heard a rumor that there is a tandem operation going now at Casa Grande. Howard, yeah, those flaps at near full down were begging for trouble. After this one, which I believe was the second of two pretty scary rides, they changed to dropping the gear to move the CG forward and used just the first notch of flaps. I think they also stopped trying to slow that airplane down on jump run. There are rumors the pilots flying the Gulch Lodestall were self-taught Lodestar pilots and didn't have the type-rating for the aircraft. There is an infamous tale of the feds looking for the pilot of that Lodestar after an aborted takeoff at Elsinore when it blew an engine right at rotation. Zing Lurks

Randy DeLuca took this photo at The Gulch in Arizona sometime in (I think) 1974. A few folks managed to get out, including the guy just above the tail, and the rest of the load rode it down to about 7000 feet before the pilot got it back under control. They don't call them Lodestalls for no reason. Zing Lurks

That was how I got shot the first time. Kid at school was firing 22s at the wall of the school building and one went off about five feet from me. Had to have the bullet dug out of my calf muscle. Zing Lurks

Well, accuracy was much easier with rounds when you pulled low. Zing Lurks

No, no ... at a grand you blew off the formation and tracked for the afterstar. Zing Lurks

I'm visualizing it already. Zing Lurks

Well ... okay ... can ya get me one too? Zing Lurks

That email isn't total nonsense. It will cost you more than the advertised $25 to go out to the skywalk. The site was "graciously" described by a Phoenix television report as "rustic," meaning crude. Take your own food. The road to the place will take a toll on your vehicle, so use a rental car. The Tribal officials overseeing the construction project another five years before the road and facilities will be finished. There is at least one crack in the glass already. Zing Lurks

REALLY! and I don't even drink that stuff ... but some traditions are incontrovertible. Zing Lurks

Unfortunately, the next race to establish a manned colony on the Moon, or Mars, will most likely be against the Chinese. There is growing evidence that China (and the US, for that matter) are already developing, have already developed, ways to weaponize outer space. Recently, like several months ago, the Chinese space program demonstrated their ability to "kill" a satellite in orbit. I read a space blog article that hinted that China not only intended to dramatically demonstrate their new satellite killer technology to the Western powers, but to also contaminate a particular altitude with thousands of bits of space debris. With that much additional junk whizzing around, along with all the other junk stuff in orbit, the Chinese have effectively eliminated that altitude for future orbital platforms. The race is already begun. Zing Lurks

"I am only 19 so I can't buy it." So what ... you still owe BEER ... so you take enough money with you for one of the "adult" jumpers to make a beer run for you. NO EXCUSES when beer is owed! Zing Lurks

Nah ... its more spare parts for some dropzone in the US when they haul the wreck out. Zing Lurks

Aha ... the second tier Adidas bots. My first pair were red uppers with black stripes. Never matched any of the gear I owned, but i jumped round parachutes with them until they finally fell apart. I got the new version while i was working for a fellow in Apple Valley. Still have the boots, but, unfortunately, Joe is no longer on this Earth. I'd swap those boots to get him back in a heartbeat. Zing Lurks

Hey Twardo ... you can still get them. They are now called a GS9 tactical boot. The sole is slightly different, but its the exact same upper. Check in the catalogs that sell law enforcement gear, accessories and uniforms. I got a pair for $149 just a few years ago ... and now they are black, instead of red like the original Adidas jump boots. Zing Lurks

Safe journey Skratch ... keep those nuerons plastic! Zing Lurks

Ya mean he learned that from his dad? Zing Lurks

"I tell ya, it's a very weird feeling after many, many years of packing both of your own to suddenly realize as you reach for the hackey at pull time that you didn't pack either one of the canopies on your back." Yep ... what he said! Zing Lurks

I'd have estimated it at about 50% ... and wouldn't have been surprised if that was on the low end for major metro areas. Zing Lurks

Of the times I've seen true terror in the eyes of skydivers, I'd say about 90% of the time it was when I told the ballast they'd be landing ... with me. Course, I've always been honest about it and I've said publicly, on numerous occasions, that I wouldn't get on an airplane with me flying it ... they seem to think I'm joking. Zing Lurks