michaelmullins

Don Zarda: I was simply stating all the pertinent rules. I have not looked at the area. It is entirely possible the area met the rules or not. However, your original post was that this complete jump was wrong because it was a "Tandem Demo", etc etc.

FYI: From the BSRs Extraordinary skydives 1. Night, water, and demonstration jumps are to be performed only with the advice of the local USPA S&TA, Instructor Examiner, or Regional Director. [NW] 3. Demonstration jumps into Level 2 areas require a D license with a USPA PRO Rating for all jumpers, including both tandem jump participants.[E] 5. Tandem jumps into stadiums are prohibited.[E] Above conditions appear to have been met. From the SIM, Exhibition Jumps: 1. Open Field and Level 1, as defined by USPA and accepted by the FAA (all of the following): a. USPA C license or higher b. minimum 200 jumps c. 50 jumps within the past 12 months d. five jumps within the previous 60 days using the same model and size canopy to be used on the demonstration jump e. for tandem jumps, the above requirements do not apply to the tandem student Table 7.A-Size and Definition of Landing Areas Open Field 1. A minimum-sized area that will accommodate a landing area no less than 500,000 square feet 2. Allows a jumper to drift over the spectators with sufficient altitude (250 feet) so as not to create a hazard to persons or property on the ground 3. Will accommodate landing no closer than 100 feet from the spectators Level 1 1. An area that will accommodate a landing area no smaller than at least 250,000 square feet up to 500,000 square feet 2. Or an area with the sum total that equals 250,000 square feet, up to 500,000 square feet) with a one-sided linear crowd line 3. Allows jumpers to drift over the spectators with sufficient altitude (250 feet) so as not to create a hazard to persons or property on the ground 4. Will accommodate landing no closer than 50 feet from the spectators 5. Many Open-Field athletic areas constitute a Level 1 area. If you will read the above you will see that it is perfectly legal to take a Tandem Student into an Open Field or Level 1 area. For instance, an Open Field (500,000 sq ft) could be an area that is 500 ft wide and 1000 ft long. A Level 1 (250,000 sq ft) could be an area 250 ft wide by 1000 ft long. So, I would certainly think that a golf course could contain one or the other of these areas. It is unfortunate that the Tandem Student was injured but, after all, this is skydiving, not golf. Mike Mullins USPA National Director Member, Safety & Training Committee

USPA Group Member Dropzones are allowed by USPA to jump 16 year-olds. Don't know why you think otherwise. Each dropzone is an independent business and may set their age limit higher. Most dropzones set their minimum age at the age of legal majority for the state they are in which is 18 in most, but not all, states. It is 19 in Alabama, for instance. West Tennessee Skydiving will let you jump at 16, Tandem or AFF, with fully rated USPA Instructors and whether we are a Group Member Dropzone is irrelevant to this discussion. See http://www.SkydiveKingAir.com Mike Mullins Tandem at 16? Really? Forget about the USPA GM stuff. The manufacturers have made it pretty clear that 18 is the legal age to do tandems Yes, Really. There is a USPA BSR that USPA TI's must comply with the tandem rig manufactuers age requirement. We completley comply, we have Tandem Rigs that do not have any age requirements on them. We are totally USPA legal, FAA legal, and rig manufacturer legal. Mike Mullins

USPA Group Member Dropzones are allowed by USPA to jump 16 year-olds. Don't know why you think otherwise. Each dropzone is an independent business and may set their age limit higher. Most dropzones set their minimum age at the age of legal majority for the state they are in which is 18 in most, but not all, states. It is 19 in Alabama, for instance. West Tennessee Skydiving will let you jump at 16, Tandem or AFF, with fully rated USPA Instructors and whether we are a Group Member Dropzone is irrelevant to this discussion. See http://www.SkydiveKingAir.com Mike Mullins

We have no idea. Mike

Starts Friday, 27 May, at noon, and all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Mike Mullins Super King Air, $26.00 to 14,500'. Les and Cookie from Aerodyne will be onsite with demo canopies and rigs. Special events: Saturday: Show your 60's style all day long. Best style earns a free jump! Peace Man! Sunday: Chair Style - Free jump to the most unique or designed chair! Show your creativity! (If you are not a "chair person" you will probably have no idea what this is about). Monday: Memorial Day - What else but Patriotic Pride. Red, White and Blue could earn you another free jump! Accuracy Landings: Free Jump for the winner. Coach Jumps: As always, free coach jumps to those working on their A License. Mike Mullins

West Tennessee Skydiving supplies free coaches to all students on self-supervision who have not yet earned their A License. We even supply free coaches to visiting students who did not train with us. The student pays no fee to the coach and the DZ pays the cost of the slot for the coach. Mike Mullins

For further clarification, Tandem night jumps are totally USPA legal as long as both jumpers hold a USPA License. As for the FAA, there are no rules specific to tandem night jumps. Mike Mullins USPA National Director

I win!

We test all of our staff's drugs to make sure they are fully potent before we allow their use.

I guess you could just ask me. My particular King Air will probably go to about 41,000' but I am unable to exceed 30,000' due to a certification limitation with the original B-90 King Air which has an operational limitation of 30,000'. The reason for the 30,000' limitation is that when originally certified that is as high as they could get it with the original 550 hp PT6-20 engines. The FAA was willing to let me go higher if Beechcraft would say OK, Beechcraft said hell no. Mike Mullins

Saf-Air flush mounted drain valves: see: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ap/fuel_drainvalves.html Do NOT cut a hole in the door unless you wish to appear on "white trash repairs".

30 & 31 October, 1 November. See: http://www.skydivekingair.com/halloween/

I did read your letter and I personally have not responded to it as the issue is completely the purview of the Competition Committee and it does no good for every director to respond to and become involved as that would surely confuse the issue. According to the list of addressee's on the letter, you did not send it to the person who would be directly responsible for this issue: Bill Wenger, Chairman of the Competition Committee. His contact information, as published in the front of Parachutist, is: Bill Wenger, Mountain Region Director & Chair of the Competition Committee 545 Struthers Loop, Colorado Springs, CO 80291 Work Phone: 719-333-2356 Home Phone/Fax: 719-488-8250 Cell: 719-200-8947 fredrick.wenger@usafa.al.mil acc_coach@msn.com Michael Mullins USPA National Director

The one on the site is info@skydivekingair.com I just checked it and it worked for me. Mike Mullins West Tennessee Skydiving

Just as a follow up on my previous post, my O2 supplier just delivered 4 bottles of O2 for the 30,000' jumps we have scheduled this weekend. I had ordered 4 bottles of Aviator Breathing Oxygen but he had only 3 bottles on the truck so he asked if it was OK to give me 1 bottle of Medical Oxygen "as it was exactly the same and came out of the same hose". Of course, I said OK. As a practical matter, oxygen suppliers make sure that their oxygen always meet the highest standard so that they can use it interchaneably in all their bottles, regardless of the end use. It does not make economic sense for them to use different standards. As medical o2 is safe for a breathing gas, I would be leary of what a driver or counter person says about gas mixtures. I just had a driver deliver me a argon mix (c02/argon) for my stainless steel welding shop and the driver said it is the same gas as 100% argon which is what I ordered. They are not the same gases and WONT work on SS. The biggest thing you want to be careful from the medical o2 and the aviation o2 is the moisture content. Just from the o2 flowing through the flowmeters could cause the gas to condense and could crystalize. The aviation o2 gases are hyper-filtered. I have seen them fill the bottles. Same hose goes into whichever bottle they fill whether it be Aviation, Medical, or Welding. They simply use the highest standard which automatically meet all the standards. There is definitely no difference in moisture content between the three. Don't know anything about Argon, just oxygen.

Just as a follow up on my previous post, my O2 supplier just delivered 4 bottles of O2 for the 30,000' jumps we have scheduled this weekend. I had ordered 4 bottles of Aviator Breathing Oxygen but he had only 3 bottles on the truck so he asked if it was OK to give me 1 bottle of Medical Oxygen "as it was exactly the same and came out of the same hose". Of course, I said OK. As a practical matter, oxygen suppliers make sure that their oxygen always meet the highest standard so that they can use it interchaneably in all their bottles, regardless of the end use. It does not make economic sense for them to use different standards.

At least in the US, there is absolutely no moisture in medical oxygen and there is no difference between aviator breathing oxygen, medical oxygen, or welding oxygen. Hospitals or other medical entities may add moisture to oxygen to prevent drying out the patient but in every case the moisture is added after it comes out of the bottle by bubbling or otherwise running the gas through water. When oxygen is required by the FAR's what you are allowed to use is oxygen, and oxygen is oxygen. Glider pilots routinely use welding oxygen and so have I. I have seen oxygen delivered into tanks. There is one delivery hose and if you want medical oxygen it goes into a tank labeled "medical oxygen", if you want aviator breathing oxygen it goes into a tank labeled "aviator breathing oxygen" and if you want welding oxygen it just goes into a tank labeled "oxygen". I once needed oxygen at a remote location and went to the local gas dealer who did not carry aviator breathing oxygen. I asked for medical oxygen and was told I needed a doctor's prescription for that. So I just got oxygen, which you would refer to as welding oxygen. If breathing "welding oxygen" (which is really just pure oxygen out of the same source as all the others) would kill you I would be dead long ago. As a practical matter, I normally just buy aviator breathing oxygen as the cost difference is minor and the bottles look more impressive to the naive. Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins. kids Charlie (8,000 jumps), Joel (3,000+), Jeff (4,500), and Zachary (3,000+) all started at 11 or 12. I had the pleasure of jumping with Charlie when he was 14 and 15, and with Jeff when he was 11. Totally dialed in, more methodical, conscientious and procedurally safety-conscious than almost all adults. Plus I learned that we all look like 11-year-old kids in freefall... then we put our adult faces back on after we land, whereas Jeff... well, he was 11 in the air and on the ground too. Jeff no longer looks 11. He is now 24 and 6' of solid Marine muscle 1st LT F-18 Hornet Fighter Pilot. Charlie is 32, Captain on Falcon Jets for International paper in Memphis. Joel is 27 and a 1st LT Army Guard Helicopter pilot who just completed a tour of Iraq flying a Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopter. He also flys EMS Helicopters for Hospital Wing in Memphis. Zack is 19 and will soon follow Jeff into the Marines. Matthew will turn 12 on August 4. He has 220 jumps and still looks like a little kid.

The Super King Air flies every weekend and it is the only aircraft that we use. If you jump here, you will jump the Super King Air The calendar says the same thing every weekend because we are open every weekend. If someone told you that we don't usually jump the King Air they are full of shit as that is all we jump. All our jumpers are up jumpers as we all jump from 14,500' each time regardless of experience. If you want to know if we have a lot of licensed jumpers we do indeed. We support all our jumpers. Read our reviews in the Drop Zone section. We are very friendly. Mike Mullins DZO West Tennessee Skydiving

Hell no... Thats what H&P's are for! At West Tennessee Skydiving if we bring you down for weather we do not charge you. We do not wish anyone to be pressured to jump in bad weather for a monetary consideration. Mike Mullins

West Tennessee Skydiving, near Memphis, TN. http://www.SkydiveKingAir.com 901-759-3483

If you will send me a private email at michaelmullins@skydivekingair.com I believe I can fix your problem.

Look in your Pilots Operating Handbook, or the aircraft manual, or whatever it is called in your country. There will be a section on "Limitations". If there is no altitude limitation specified then you may fly the aircraft as high as you like (or as high as it will go). The service ceiling is a performance parameter that is not a limitation, unless it is in the section labeled limitations. Mike Mullins

West Tennessee Skydiving provides the aircraft and DZ for scheduled tandems to either 28,000' or 30,000' (altitude varies with airspace restrictions at the actual time of the jump). Kevin Holbrook of halojumper.com provides the equipment and training. We have taken many "paying, unexperienced civilian tandem customers" on these jumps. We have taken tandems as high as 32,000'. Mike Mullins West Tennessee Skydiving http://www.SkydiveKingAir.com