chuckakers

>>1. My only complaint after the jump was a nose or sinus "injury". I felt like I had to sneeze for the next three days, and had to take allergenic nose drops to make the feeling go away. I'm sure this was normal, but how do I keep that from happening again? Should I jump with a clothespin on my nose? Should I train by going to a gas station, driving up to the air compressor, drop a quarter in the slot, and stick the hose in my left nostril?>2. Should I get my own training chute, and if so, does the cost include the reserve and an AAD? What is the best? Lake Elsinore offers their own complete rental package which I am sure is excellent. Should I train and certify first, and then get my own chute?> 3. I watched Joan Lunden this weekend on A & E and her training with the Golden Knights. She was incredibly unstable in the wind tunnel, and I'm worried about my ability to be stable on my own with the AFF program. Should I opt for a program with a wind tunnel, or do these things work themselves out with the standard AFF program? I learn fast, I just would like to know your collective thoughts.

The cost of demo insurance (or any other) is in direct proportion to the cost of claims filed. It therefore stands to reason that if premiums are rising, so are the claims - either in quantity, cost, or both. I'll bet that the vast majority of claims involve infractions of FAR's, BSR's, or common sense, ei. high winds, insufficient skills, poor canopy selection, landing technique, etc. If I remember correctly, claims can (and should) be denied if the cause of the claim involves violations of FAR's or BSR's. Assuming this is true, maybe we should go to our insurance folks with a new deal. An example - require all claims to be investigated by a knowledgeable and objective third party such as a skydiving professional hired by the insurer. If it is concluded that any BSR'S, FAR's, or other restrictions (no hook turns, no wing loadings over a certain amount, etc.) were violated, the claim is denied. This would reduce the cost of claims for the insurer, which should reduce the cost of premiums. We've sat around for years watching dumbass demo jumpers make the news bouncing off everything from parked cars to parked people. It was only a matter of time before these idiots cost the rest of us money, and it looks like that time has come. . Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

QuoteYou should read Missy Nelsons safety tip on the chicago site. Now there's a bit of irony, eh? . Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

>>When I was jumping at a smaller DZ (4 canopies in the air), I used s-turns to burn off altitude quite a bit when flying my pattern. Now that I'm at a big DZ, I just don't want to do something people aren't expecting, both as a service to other jumpers, and to keep myself from getting hurt.

>>Here's the reality check situation: 4 canopies approaching landing area. Lead canopy performing irratic maneuvers on downwind at 800' forcing other canopies in the pattern to turn to avoid minor possible collisions.>Creates fixation on lead pattern canopy so other canopies do not notice canopies around them.

Please tell me that's a yes!?!?!?! . Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

What Chuck influence? In case you don't remember (and who could) most of the really good stuff happened after I had already left the DZ - at 4am. C'mon, I just ran the DZ and hosted the parties, so...uh....uh....oops - guilty as charged Your Mistress, heh heh. Reputaions Earned and Repeated as Necessary, . Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

*** >>I heard from Clint this weekend that some of our adventures almost kept another DZ from opening on that airport.

Quote Uh Oh!!!! I figured my jumpsuit needed washing and after the machine finished,,, only then did I realize that my Alti III was still in the pocket of the suit..... damn......( at least now the altimeter is clean ) damn.... what should I do..?.. Take up scuba? After all, you now own a depth gauge. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I'm not sure of the hard numbers but I do believe SUSA had a fairly high retention rate. I suppose one reason was the atmosphere and attitudes of the jumpers. SUSA was about the people and I think new jumpers felt that. Or maybe it was the killer parties and naked ladies! Chuck Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

QuoteWharton was the 1 DZ in Houston where it didn't matter if it was your 1st time there or you were a regular you felt the love. They really had that family atmosphere and was a place you knew when you got there you were with friends. Aw shucks Kelli, yer gettin' me all choked up.

How funny - I originally named SDH "Houston Skydiving Center", or HSC for short. Nice to see the name back in use. And nice to see Wharton back in use too. Best layout in the area for a DZ, especially for students. CA

whatcha think?

Jus' wonderin' if there's any chatrooms for us these days

Don't feel too bad, it happens more than anyone wants to admit. I've seen... a rigger on the plane with mis-routed 3-rings... improperly fastened chest straps ON THE PLANE... same thing with a few legstraps... The list goes on and on, but there's one thing for sure. A COMPLETE gear check before boarding and again before exit will solve this problem 99.9999% of the time. Or you can use my personal method. Before boarding, I check my own gear including main and reserve pins and flaps. Before boarding and again before exit, I always check for 3 rings, 3 handles and 3 connections (3-rings properly assembled, 3 handles in position, and 3 connections properly threaded). This is easy to do when wearing your rig. It's been working for me for 18 years without a miss.

Actually the location wasn't the issue. The DZ is 63 miles from downtown Houston, a lot less if you're coming from the west side. As everyone knows, jumpers will drive waaaay past one dz to get to the one they prefer, and our jumpers routine did so. To set the record straight for all who care to know, we chose to close because... 1. Growth was flat, very flat - a problem the entire industry has been dealing with since summer of 2000. 2. Changes to the environment in the houston industry demanded that we invest a ton of money to stay competitive, ei. our own plane, fuel stations to buy fuel wholesale, more facility improvements, etc. Given the problem stated in item #1, the risk vs. return math simply didn't work anymore. 3. We were badly burned out on 7 day workweeks, and realized that we lived for the DZ instead of for ourselves. Our committment helped make SUSA a great place to jump, but that also meant it would lose the special atmosphere it was known for if we were no longer committed. Those who called SUSA home know that better than anyone else. SUSA was a one-of-a-kind place, thanks to the people who jumped there. I believe that's because everyone involved was more concerned about having a great (and safe) place to jump than having a big pile of money to sit on. Somebody bring me the Booze Luge and a "Wharton Wave"!!!!

We'll stop up there soon. Great to know there's jumping at Coulter again. Some of my best experiences in the sport came from there. Like the night we painted...uh I mean the night someone painted the plane. Maybe I should shut up now. Chuck Akers Houston, Texas

That question creates its' own stalemate. If I had to give up the social interaction involved with skydiving, the jumping wouldn't be any fun. If had to give up the skydiving and keep the social interaction, the guys I hang out with every weekend would be a bunch of whuffos. Oh no, my head is starting to hurt... Chuck Akers Houston, Texas

Gonna be a long haul for a turbine, but the Beeville DZ is nice and the people are very cool. Gary Morgan owns it - runs 2 182's. They would be great to jump with when you can't do the road trip thing. Chuck Akers Houston, Texas