FunBobby

Hmmmm. Very observant. Good on 'ya. You're right... the landing area is fouled. They launch all those planes before recovering the aircraft that have returned. Thanks for your good words. Funny thing as that a lot of the guys in my line of work hope to be in yours..... FunBobby

Very nice. That's an adversary A-4 too - Topgun? FunBobby

Chris - Very nice. My views aren't quite so pretty and the cockpit isn't nearly as nice. You have a cadillac and I have a beat up jeep. But the views are interesting nonetheless... Dash four Sunrise section Overhead In the groove FunBobby

Can you make another one like this? FunBobby

One for the ladies.... FunBobby

Dangit. Why don't I ever know about good deals like this until I'm thousands of miles away? For years, I wasn't that far from their home base whilst I was stationed in Jax, FL. But ya know, I will be there in Jax on Veterans Day this year.... Hmmmmmmmm. FunBobby

Cool! Are they going to jump into opening day into the new stadium downtown? It's awesome! FunBobby

Well, venison ain't bad either. It's actually very, very tasty, and there's no threat of catching mad cow disease from it!!!! Regarding co$t - the mad cow scare has driven down the price of beef significantly. Also, I shop on base at the commissary, where food costs much, much less than out in town. I typically pay 30% less for steak, and it's a huuuge bargain now. Cheers - FunBobby

So you jumped the fokker? Niiiiiiice. FunBobby

Warm Middle Eastern flatbread with tomato basil hummis Romaine lettuce / cucumber / tomato / onion salad Grilled marinated NY strip steak Broiled Seasoned potatoes A nice cab in a big glass.... Mmmmmm. FunBobby

Kris - Wow. You make "transition" sound like a vasectomy or something. I admit that the Hornet F painted in Tomcat colors just doesn't look right. And any F-14 guy will tell you "... it's a really nice airplane, and it can do a lot of cool, awesome stuff, but you know, it's just not as sexy as a Tomcat." That airplane will take some getting used to. As far as the fliers go - even with all the swagger and bravado that characterizes just about any and every guy who flies the Tomcat (and you know what I'm talking about), it's nice to see those guys breathing some new life into the strike fighter community. Tomcat guys work harder at having fun than most other folks. They're still Tomcat guys, and I hope their traditions never go away. Anytime, baby. FunBobby

Yeah, the Otter does look awesome. But it wasn't their Otter that I saw out here - it was the Fokker . . . the other plane. The larger one (see attachment). Anyone know if and where they're jumping here in the San Diego area? FunBobby

So here I am in SoCal, and today, it’s actually not raining. In fact, the skies are blue and gorgeous. A little while ago, I was going to a meeting on the other side of the base (Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego). My drive took me past the transient flight line. On the line, parked next to a VFA-41 “Black Aces” F/A-18F Super Hornet, was the Golden Knights’ Fokker. A whole bunch of dudes in black, members of the team, I presume, were stepping out of the aircraft. Good to see 'em. Only makes me want to skydive even more, especially after having been rained out last weekend. The Knights' website makes no mention of any events in Feb. Anyone know what they’re doing here in SoCal? FunBobby

Haha. I simply made an observation. I have no intention of filing a suit or adding my name to one. I rather enjoy that addiction, ya know. FunBobby

As others have hinted, I think that the skydiving industry, sooner or later, will face a large class action lawsuit much like big tobacco. I've read the waivers, and I've signed 'em, just like all of you. They document all sorts of dangers and risks associated with skydiving, save one..... The likelihood of developing an addiction. FunBobby

King Arthur - Wassup with this? FunBobby

4u, Sarah... Clicky I'd like to think that people call me "Fun Bobby" as a compliment. Of course I have been called a$$hole too.... I don't think the moderators would appreciate my using that as my dz.com identity, tho. FunBobby

Here's one I took a little while ago of a buddy of mine about to land his Hornet. He did an awesome 360 to set up for his approach... and man, even at that speed, his accuracy was amazing! Clicky FunBobby Edited - damn typo.

Anyone know if the gypsy jumpers even ventured to Perris this weekend? Sorry Steve and Barb - I just didn't feel like making the drive... (1) I didn't think I'd get any skydives in (2) I figured the rain would discourage others like me and few would actually come (3) SoCal drivers so easily forget how to drive in the rain; the roads were not only a mess, but dangerous!!! Oh well. See you next time. FunBobby

Holy smokes, Michael. I remember that. I also remember a whole search party of folks cutting through thick brush (with poison ivy!) slugging through the muck of the swamps trying to find you guys. And you say it started raining... well, we were also concerned because there was thunder and lightning in the distance; we were afraid that your student might get zapped. I got one for you, too. Today, a couple shows up to do tandems at the drop zone where I'm jumping now - Skydive San Diego. This guy is worried sick - literally - when he shows up, because he's secretly planning on proposing to his girlfriend when they land. I wasn't ont the load, but those who were tell me he asks her to marry her just before he and his tandem master jumped. He lands first with his tandem master and power pukes his lunch out. Still green in the face, after being released from the rig, he sprints to manifest where they're holding the ring. He grabs the ring, grabs a bottle of water, rinses his mouth out and runs back out into the landing area - and power pukes again. Just then, his girlfriend lands and he drops to a knee holding the ring up to her. God Bless her - she says yes, and her boyfriend, now fiancee, kisses her deeply. Ewwwwwww. How's that one for ya'? Bobby

Almost every graduate from USNA, USMA, and USAFA will claim that they had the last real plebe year. Oh, that's right... what do they call your freshmen? Doolies? I agree that much of the harshness that had previously characterized the freshman year of service academies has been done away with, and, in fact, outlawed. Some of that was pure nonsense, but much of what I remember was arguably beneficial. I can't quote him exactly, but during a lecture to the entire Brigade of Midshipmen at USNA during my time there (and with the entire staff present as well, from the Superintendant all the way down) Ross Perot asserted that that a certain amount of hazing, applied in the right manner and at the right time, is good. The true mark of a man is not where he stands and what he does during times of peace; it is his stance and his actions during times of adversity that define him (or her). Such adversity was to be expected during freshman year, and I believe thousands and thousands of Cadets and Midshipmen learned a great deal about themselves and each other and grew tremendously from facing and overcoming that adversity. By the way, be careful about complaining publicly about the lack of discipline in the freshman ranks because freshman year is too easy. Some graduates, while they may agree, may not be so sympathetic. God Bless Bobby USNA 1993 Edited - typo.

A good friend of mine sent it to her friend Sheli; Sheli is a wonderful woman but kind of intense sometimes. When the face popped up, she screamed and went through the roof. She then promptly called her friend who had sent it to her and began the phone conversation with "You mean bitch..." Of course, the two of them are such good friends that they were laughing about by the end of the call. Yep. Sheli was still laughing until she went to find her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Carly, who, unbeknownst to Sheli, had been watching her when she picked up the phone. So Sheli tells me that for the rest of the day, her lovely 2 1/2 year old daughter was walking around the house saying "Mean bitch mean bitch mean bitch mean bitch . . . ." FunBobby

Hey, Ivan... this one's for you. Yes, this has been posted here before. Look at the links to media articles and the one to the video of the cockpit camera (looking aft). Actually, this picture is not a fake. With regards to the problems you have about the picture: 1. Any decent camera can catch an ejection. There are dozens of pictures of actual ejections and test ejections from the sled in the desert - look at ejectionsite.com. 2. The air aft and above the aircraft appears disturbed because the aircraft was pulling out of a, ummm, "reverse half cuban eight" - okay Duckwater, I still have a hard time saying that one, but I'm not a civilian aerobatic pilot, though I've done thousands of aerobatic maneuvers in military aircraft. I digress. The back side of the maneuver that the pilot was trying to complete is the same as the back side of a loop, and the disturbance you see behind him is simply caused by the aircraft (and its jet exhaust) passing through that air in its flight path. 3. You refer to zero zero seats and their shrinking envelopes of performance as higher rates of descent are factored in. Yes, every seat has its envelope, but you'd be amazed at how large those envelopes are... with many modern seats, you can have a significant descent rate and adverse aircraft attitude as the seat leaves and still survive. 4. You made a comment about the leading edge flaps. F-16 guys, help me out here... in most modern combat aircraft, many control surfaces are automatic - they move automatically as the aircraft's flight control computers direct them to in certain regimes of flight. Hell, I flew A-4's in the training command, aircraft designed in the 1950's. The A-4 had leading edge flaps (actually referred to as SLATS) that deployed automatically under certain aerodynamic conditions. 5. There was another comment about the canopy. Every aircraft has a different ejection sequence that is initiated by the pilot pulling the ejection handle. Many things happen simultaneously, but there are a number of events in that sequence. In some aircraft like the F-14 and F-16, pyrotechnics jettison the canopy before the seats fire; in the Harrier, the seat goes through the canopy but detonating cord blows a sizeable hole in it as part of the sequence. In the EA-6 and S-3, the seats go through the canopy. So in this picture, the pilot initiated ejection by pulling the handle and the canopy left before he did - as it was supposed to. Modern aircraft are amazing things. So are ejection seats. I've ridden one. God Bless. Bobby

I check airspace - above, below, and around, and wave off. As I'm starting my pull motion, I say a quick prayer; I reach for the hacky with the right while simultaneously bringing my left arm up and checking my altimeter. After a good throw of the handle, I get a quick sec before the initial snatch - during that time, I concentrate on staying stable, symmetrical, and in a damn good body position (I jump a stiletto 135, ya' know). I think to myself "Please open..." and look down at the spot on the ground where I'd probably impact if everything failed. I fly through the opening, watching the canopy to make sure it inflates fully; I have my hands on the rear risers and rapidly scan the airspace around me for any canopies that have opened a little too close to me, ready to put in some rear riser input to steer clear. Oh, every once in a while, the canopy will do a turing dive after opening but a smooth but positive rear riser input will correct that nicely. Once I'm sure I'm clear of any other traffic, I recheck the canopy, say a quick prayer of thanks, and collapse the slider. If everything still looks good, I unstow the brakes and try to be ready for any surprises there, too; after a quick control check, it's time fly to intercept a good profile to set up for my approach. If there's lots of open air and I don't have far to go, it's play time!!!! That takes all of what, 10 seconds? FunBobby

By the way, Darcy, I'd be careful about taking any advice from this guy "crutch." Check out his avatar - anyone with a head that big and with face that goofy can't be all there..... Where does "crutch" come from anyway? That can't be good. Just kidding, Art! You da' man! And if I hadn't given us all such a s#*tty spot that day , maybe you'd have a different name on dz.com. Say hi to C & A for me! Bobby