chuckakers

Please don't push me out of the door while my PC is still inside the AC. If you haven't climbed-out and I see your PC loose inside the AC, I'm gonna try to capture it before it (and you) go out. I wondered who else would catch that. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

While we're on war stories... Hung my ass by my main from the strut of a 182 years ago. I was sitting in the "V" getting ready to chunk a 2-way when my bag fell over the front of the strut. Bailed off and came to a screeching halt a moment later. Jerked me 180 backwards and I thought my back was busted in half. Looked up to see my bag stuck in the crotch of the strut. Decided that rather than die I would cut away and pray for the pilot. Reached for my cutaway handle but the canopy slipped out of the bag on my side of the strut and dropped me free before I pulled it. Normal opening followed by a 2-way CReW. The beer seemed just a little colder that night. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If memory serves me correctly, there have been several incidents in which accident investigators determined that the use of seat belts minimized injuries and/or accommodated the pilot's ability to deal with the situation at hand. Even though some movement is still possible with a belt on, the outcome could be dramatically different than if jumpers aren't secured at all. The Perris crash is the perfect example. The plane came down from only a few dozen feet, yet all but 4 people died because they were crushed by their fellow jumpers when the entire load got smashed toward the cockpit on impact. The 4 that lived were in he very back of the plane and ended up on the top of the pile. Belts do work, even if only in a limited way. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Trying to get a thumb or finger(s) through a small ring while fighting a wild spinning mal would probably be a bit pf a chore. What "best" is there with pillow handles anyway? Anti-snag? The amount of unintentional reserve pulls on ring handles across the world in the last 20 years can probably be counted on one hand. I've been jumping for 26 years and don't personally know of a single one. On the other hand I got my cutaway handle stripped clean in freefall one day. It's a pillow handle, of course. Didn't an AFF instructor get killed on exit because of a floating reserve handle? That said I prefer the traditional handle. Could be, but as I mentioned in my post, I've jumped a ring reserve handle my entire career, yet it was my pillw-style cutaway cable that got stripped in freefall once. Based solely on my personal experience, rings don't get accidentally pulled any more often than pillows. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Trying to get a thumb or finger(s) through a small ring while fighting a wild spinning mal would probably be a bit pf a chore. What "best" is there with pillow handles anyway? Anti-snag? The amount of unintentional reserve pulls on ring handles across the world in the last 20 years can probably be counted on one hand. I've been jumping for 26 years and don't personally know of a single one. On the other hand I got my cutaway handle stripped clean in freefall one day. It's a pillow handle, of course. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I warned people about pillow reserve handles when they first came out for this very reason. The same thing could happen if a jumpers hands were disabled in freefall. I like the idea of being able to just get a thumb through the handle and yank. Same goes for a hard pull. It would easily be possible for a pin to get bent enough that extraction with a ring handle would be possible but not possible with a pillow. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

QuoteOk in fairness to Mr. Peek, I'm 110% sure that he has addressed this issue first hand before, we (Gary & I) had spoke a number of times about a lot of issues, this being one of them. Now you may think he is sitting on his ass doing nothing because he wishes to not engage you via a public pissing contest online. The truth of the matter is he is only but one BOD member, he is in the midwest and not on the left coast, he can only do so much as one voice. if this issue is of that much of hot button for all of us, then all of us need to speak up and voice this to ALL the BOD! And not sit back and expect Gary Peek to field the balls you keep hitting in the park aimed at him.Quote First, I have no idea if Mr. Peek is sitting on his ass or charging hard to deal with the issue, and just because you have had conversations with him about it doesn't mean he has taken any action at all. Why don't we let him explain that for himself. Second, his geographic location has no bearing on his ability or inability to act, nor whether his efforts - if any - would be productive. I also don't believe that responding to my questions and comments amounts to him participating in a pissing contest. Gary is a USPA Director and by posting on these forums he opens himself up to challenge, debate, and opinion by others. As a board member, I believe he has an obligation to respond to sincere questions. Cute little sports analogies aside, my "aim" is to solicit a response to my comments about what is truly a serious problem on the part of one of his peers and a leader within MY national organization. Third, I am not one to "sit back". I have already had several conversations with MY Regional Director on this and other issues you read my comments about here. I am VERY proactive about the things I opine on in these forums. I don't whine Strat, but I do voice my opposition where I believe it can influence things for the better. I think it's time we butch up and talk about the issues openly and honestly. The sport deserves it. By the way, MLK was only one voice. So were Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Abe Lincoln. The list goes on... Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not donations, sponsorships. As I said in an earlier post (http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_threaded;post=4206636;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;) , I don't get why USPA doesn't just fish where the fish ALREADY bite. Gear makers already gladly slap their gear on the backs of competitors, most of whom will never even be National Champions. Something tells me they would be equally excited about outfitting the folks that go to the World Meet. After all, gear makers stand to gain the most from placing claim to champion sponsorships. The US Team represents the US, not their home DZ or pre-nationals sponsors. USPA should simply tell potential US team picks that upon accepting a spot on the team, they will be sponsored by specific entities and will fly their stuff while actively on the team (swoop and CReW canopies not included for safety and performance). Team members would be welcome to sell the gear after the world meet as a means of funding their trips, or USPA could collect it and sell it for the same purpose. Jumpers would gladly snap up that gear, and everyone wins. It is beyond me how Jim Hayhurst and the board believe that having jumpers - champions or not - jump into airshows will somehow magically attract big-dollar sponsors. If that was true, those sponsorships would already be happening. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Which only demonstrates your ignorance. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

OP: “I couldn't get any serial #'s from him though.” Chuck: Just reply to the guy asking for the serial number and DOM. Wow, I actually missed something. Guess I should crawl under a rock, eh? Really? Dude......please. So you didn’t read it. Sorry, the original poster tried to do the right thing and I saw your crack “Easy there Dick Tracy” as belittling him for trying. So yes, really. You apparently don't understand the reference. The Dick Tracy comment was about his assumption that the rig is stolen. Just because someone is selling a rig cheap and knows nothing about skydiving gear is in no way evidence that it's stolen. In fact it could be quite the contrary. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

OP: “I couldn't get any serial #'s from him though.” Chuck: Just reply to the guy asking for the serial number and DOM. Wow, I actually missed something. Guess I should crawl under a rock, eh? Really? Dude......please. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Me too. June, 1985. Welcome to the jungle - and paradise. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

i agree with you that seatbelts are very important. BUT... If i am literally strapped into a plane, i want to be able to unstrap myself in case of any emergency. If the shit hits the fan, i do not want to be dependent on someone else unhooking me. Good point! I'm glad we are having this discussion. Others are glad we're having this discussion too, Mr. Peek. Care to participate in the entire discussion? http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_threaded;post=4216129;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC; http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_threaded;post=4216474;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC; Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Did you even read his post before your reply? Did you even read his post before your reply? Yes I did. It read: "Hey guys, get the word out fast, this is probably someones rig they are missing. I didn't see anything in the "stolen gear" section, but not every jumper is on DZ.com. Guy has no idea what this is and says his "brother" gave it to him. Looking to offload it cheap. I couldn't get any serial #'s from him though. It's a pretty distinctive tyedye pattern, right mudflap says STAFF. Looks to be a small rig, get in contact with me ASAP! " What's your point? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Easy there Dick Tracy. Just because the seller says his brother gave him the rig doesn't immediately mean the thing is hot. There's a sure-fire way to find out, though. Just reply to the guy asking for the serial number and DOM. If he gives it to you, check it against the stolen gear database (including one that USPA maintains). If he won't provide it you can figure it's stolen. If he does you might just score a perfectly legal rig for pennies on the dollar! Since it has some unique attributes (tie-dye fabric and "staff" embroidery) Mirage may be able to trace it to the original purchaser even without a serial number. That may allow a trace to any victim here. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Diablo speaketh truth. Ug. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Based on what? The DZO has a documented history of not properly maintaining his aircraft to such an extent that some have fallen out of the sky and that the FAA has levied close to $1million in fines. One of the problem areas was an inspection of the airframe where the wing attached to the fuselage. What do you think a cracked bulkhead looks like from the outside of the plane? Do you think it's an outwardly visible problem, where you can asses the severity of the crack, and choose to stop flying on that plane when it gets too bad? The truth is that nobody would see the crack forming, and the only way it would show itself is when the wing seperates from the fuselage. How about the over life-limit control cables. These don't run outside the plane, to where you can see them before boarding each time. These cables run through the hidden tunnels and channels in the airframe, the only outward indication you would have that there is a problem is when a cable snaps. Up until that point, it's busines as usual, with full, unrestricted control of the aircraft. Going there to 'take a look' will get you nowehere closer to knowing the status of the aircraft. The vast majority of aricraft problems are undectible to the outside observer until there is a failure. I'm amamzed that people keep going there, and that the staff/fun jumpers didn't beat the shit out of Bill when the lid came off this can of worms. I, for one, would be fucking pissed if I found out my DZO was sending me up in an airplane they knew was nowhere near properly maintained. Bill got lucky, and had no way of knowing that those ignored maintenance items weren't going to manifest themselves in an outright failure. Let's remember the failure of the drive splines on the fuel pump in that King Air incident up in Pitt Meadows. Also one of Bill's planes on a 'Bill approved' MX plans, I'm sure the plane made full power and ran like a top on the previous load. It was probably 100% on the run-up and take off on the incident load, everything was just fine - and then it wasn't. That's the nature of these types of failures, and the very reason that mandatory inspections and life-limits exist on certain components, they're designed to fix the problem before it becomes a problem. For the life of me I just can't fathom why anyone would put themselves at risk like that, and why they would continue to patronize a business that has no concern for their personal safety. It's just stupid. +1 Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Apparently DZ's in the Netherlands haven't learned from others' mistakes. Sport death, my man. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Might not be required, but.....http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/23/us/16-die-in-california-crash-of-plane-full-of-sky-divers.html Exactly why I wear my seat belt and choose to frequent dz's where everybody else does too. Shit hits the fan the after take off, you'll be happy you had it on. Agreed. Some people overlook the importance of making sure EVERYONE has a belt on. In the Perris crash, most of the fatalities were cause by people being crushed by those sitting aft of their position - and the fall was from only a couple dozen feet! A belt won't save you if others in the plane aren't buckled up too. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Might not be required, but.....http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/23/us/16-die-in-california-crash-of-plane-full-of-sky-divers.html Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

It would also be the right thing to do for USPA to forbid its board members from committing blatant FAR violations by jumping at drop zones where seat belts aren't even used. Given that USPA has removed people from the organization for blatant and repeated FAR violations and given that failing to wear a seat belt is a blatant FAR violation, it would seem to me that a USPA board member who repeatedly commits that violation should face similar action. Honestly Mr. Peek, how can we realistically expect our members to follow the rules when some of our own board members refuse to. The hypocrisy of some on the board (not you, Gary) is utterly mind-boggling. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So you could write an article about something completely foreign to you with no mistakes? You're too easily annoyed. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

People who take the more conservative advice in life tend to live longer. I think that's so they can live longer to give conservative advice. Besides, there's a reason they don't call those little gizmos "Go-Noobie". Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Of course, it also doesn't hurt if you use your planes during the down times to transport, uh, stuff. Or make money traveling the country giving pricey seminars to DZO's on how to make money in the skydiving business....while conveniently leaving out the parts about all the transport jobs. Not everything gets lost in the pages of the history books. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That was another consideration for me. Not including start-up and capitalization costs, we broke even almost immediately, but that was because my overhead was extremely low. Rent, utilities, student rig lease payments, and insurance were about the only fixed expenses I had. The plane, staff, rental tandem rigs, etc., were variable costs, so if we had a slow weekend or bad weather, those costs were reduced accordingly. With fixed expenses at just a few thousand a month, we were able stay in positive territory within just s few weeks. Keep in mind that we stacked the deck in our favor. We opened the doors in early April to insure we started operations going into the high season, we had a deal with a team that filled the plane about 60 times a month, we had mass media advertising for the cost of some fuel and a pilot for demo jumps, we took full advantage of the competition's failure to delivery a product experienced jumpers wanted, kick-started our student operations with a strategic mailing to USPA non-licensed members offering free refresher training and discounted AFF jumps, and countless other slick tricks designed to get us by on the cheap. Shoe-stringing is about thinking ahead and getting your mind into the trenches. There are an infinite number of ways to get what you need without cash. The trick is to find out what they are before you go broke. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX