chuckakers

It's working better than anything anyone has done or is doing aside from banning high wing loadings or swooping altogether. Also, I never claimed my strategy will end every accident. It just ends accidents caused by unqualified pilots allowed to act recklessly. I don't know the details of Bob or Pat's incidents, but in the case of Roger's it could be said that there was a culture there that was contrary to common sense, much as there was at many DZ's in that era. Staying with the OP's subject, all of those you cited would have been fully qualified to fly what they were flying under a licensing system or something even smaller. Accidents do and will continue to happen. Local enforcement of common sense helps keep them to a minimum and completely eliminates the reckless types from cratering on DZ's where it's employed. What do you suggest? More rules WITHOUT local enforcement? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I ran a DZ for several years and I can assure you we had absolutely no problems in this area. Every jumper knew we would send them packing for doing stupid shit, so there wasn't any. Word spreads like wildfire in the sport, so the morons knew their shit wouldn't fly - literally - on my DZ before they ever tried. We even had a hit list of known ass-wipes who would be turned away on arrival if they ever showed up. We had very few rules at Skydive USA, but number 1 was "no stupid shit". Serious, that really was a rule and everyone from FJC students on up knew it and could recite it on command. We all know what stupid shit looks like, so a definition was never needed. It really is that simple. There will always be jumpers who choose to push things beyond reason, but if they have no place to jump they can't be a problem - at least not to us. It worked then and it works now. DZO's just need the balls to apply it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Or...... it could entangle with the reserve and leave you powerless to manipulate it since your risers are no longer within your reach. Hmmmmm. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"We" aren't really doing that. There are countless examples of idiots who get banned from jumping their death machine of choice at one DZ and simply go DZ shopping until they find a DZO that either doesn't care or is so clueless that they too fail to see the potential for carnage. That's why I insist that safety - whether swoop-related or otherwise - is only achieved through local enforcement of common sense. Staying alive while hurling our bodies at a planet is an inexact science, but we do have a well-established pattern of successes and failures to know the difference between calculated risk and sheer dumbassery. But what do I know? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Make that happen everywhere in a consistent manner, and you've got a winning plan. It's already a winning plan where employed in a consistent manner. That should make the sport-wide solution pretty obvious, but there are - and unfortunately probably always will be - places where perceived cool takes priority over logic. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Local enforcement of common sense. Nothing more, nothing less. It works every time it's tried. When will all you professors figure that out? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I've got to call BS here, sir. I only reply to this because it's a topic that I cover with students frequently. I reject this train of thought and demand proper flight planning. Landing out is not an emergency - it is a result of either poor planning or poor execution. Every off landing that I have personally made, witnessed, or heard about has been preventable. This of course, excludes true emergencies such as a bail out or cut away. If we dissect the chain of events, as you have, the mistakes become evident. IMO - No emergency, just a failure to perform as required. D Sh*thouse legal statement follows..... No BS. Legally the jumper would likely win that battle, even if the situation wouldn't be classified as an emergency. A skydiver has no ability to extend glide beyond minor manipulation of glide ratio and thus at some point is faced with a landing whether it be where originally intended or not. The FAR's are pretty clear that an airman - which skydivers are as defined by FAR's - is not only allowed to but responsible to land safely if possible. The regs even include a "disclaimer" of sorts that an airman can deviate from any other regs necessary for the purpose of the safety of him or herself and any passengers. "Mistakes" or not, this airman (according to the OP's account) was faced with an other-than-intended landing location. Given those circumstances, the airman did what was necessary to insure a safe landing. If the situation became overly repetitive the feds might want to look at alternative solutions. Otherwise the airman would probably be considered to have the right of way over the property owner. One caveat - the airman might still be responsible for any property damage or personal injury caused by his or her decision to deviate from normal procedures. Remember this. We are "airmen" as defined by the FAR's. What we see as common sense is often different than what is reality. I've had this conversation with FAA folks a dozen times thanks to a McNasty when I ran a DZ. Worked every time. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I wouldn't suggest sending beer. There are folks that would be offended by that gesture and it could just make the situation worse. Consider people who are very religious or alcoholic. The best move for an individual jumpers is to make DZ management aware of the situation and let them handle it. Chances are they've already dealt with McNasty before and know best how to cool him down. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

When I ran a DZ I had only 2 rules for every jumper, swoopers or otherwise. 1. No stupid shit. 2. No hook turns (my definition of a hook turn was any low altitude canopy maneuver that resulted in an injury) The problem with folks who want to downsize at a dangerous pace is that typically the same motivation that feeds their desire to downsize is the same one that feeds their ego. Advice seldom slows those people down. In my experience these folks won't listen to logic and seldom care to get educated. They want to go fast right now. For those folks, only strictly-enforced limits will work. I'm a swooper and my kid is a comp swooper. This shit is dangerous. We don't need to coax anyone into safe behavior. Put limits on them - period. If they don't like it they can crater somewhere else - as many have. We will not beat this problem until DZO's and DZ management REFUSE to take money from morons. It's not that hard, folks. Rule number 1. Get it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That's a 2-way street. By the same token that a used Vigil will cost more and be less available, it will also hold its value better and last longer when YOU own it. It's a wash unless you just want a cheap price and an AAD that will time out and need replaced sooner. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

How so? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

But apparently some don't. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

It doesn't matter where the conversation came from. The OP is soliciting comments about the *safety* of the noob jumping a wingloading that seems too high for his experience. 1.4 loading at 30 jumps = stupid. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

In the case of people who die without an RSL, it is usually from low EP's - skydiver error, plain and simple. In the case of people who die with an RSL, it's often from an RSL induced mal. Big difference and not really comparable as stats to make a stat-based decision. They are still dead, regardless of the reason. You have quite a grasp of the obvious. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Snakes don't have hips. lol Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Yeah, everyone had the cash for a brand new Cessna Caravan in '85. Yours Truly, 95870-024 I don't have any first hand knowledge of that. Cowboy was a business man and fairly successful at that from what I heard and he was leasing the Caravan out to DZs for boogies. Point taken though. Really? Can you describe his success as a "business man"? I met Cowboy and Andy during their 1985 "Cowboy's Caravan" boogie tour. They were joined at the hip and the best of "best friends". Jus' sayin'. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Tried it. It does change it to threaded, but it's un-threaded again when I open a new topic. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

In the case of people who die without an RSL, it is usually from low EP's - skydiver error, plain and simple. In the case of people who die with an RSL, it's often from an RSL induced mal. Big difference and not really comparable as stats to make a stat-based decision. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Yeah, everyone had the cash for a brand new Cessna Caravan in '85. Yours Truly, 95870-024 Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

My default forum view recently changed to un-threaded and I can't figure out how to change it back to threaded. When I open a thread it's in list form, but when I change to threaded it removes the "new" posts indicators, making it impossible to tell old posts from new ones. I followed the instructions in the help menu but can't find the option to change from unthreaded to threaded. Am I blind? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I built a collar for my GoPro that closes the gap between the helmet and the camera and anyone can do it. Take an "old fashion" thick rubber kooozie (not the thin neoprene ones) and cut a slice of it the thickness of the gap between the helmet and the camera. The inner diameter of the koozie is exactly the right size to snug over the camera housing and into position below it. It fills the gap up very nicely and can even be trimmed to hug the shape of the helmet and camera housing. Works like a charm and has no hard attachment to mess with. Cost effective as hell, too. Almost everyone has old koozies stashed away or you can get the old rubbery ones at many convenience stores for a couple bucks. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Wrong. He's defending his design ideas just like he's done his entire career. John has always had the need to do things differently and then dis every other design out there. Just his way I guess, but it's become a broken record. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Agree on the flip up visor. Disagree on fit. If you get hit hard enough to be injured by the face shield or chin area of the helmet, having an inch between it and your face isn't gonna make much difference in the outcome. BTW, I've been jumping a Z1 for 15 years and love the snug fit. I also especially like the one-handed face shield operation. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

A radio is for instruction. A camera is for distraction. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Spaceland's rule - except in the well-separated pond area - is that everyone follows the tetrahedron. When the wind is too light to position it a staffer anchors it in the direction of the prevailing wind or in a default direction if winds are so light they wander or are absent. It works very well, but does require someone to be diligent about actively monitoring the winds. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX