chuckakers

17 Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I've been jumping slinks on my main since they were first introduced and have never tacked them. I have experienced no problems after 2,000+ jumps with this configuration. I wonder how important tacking them actually is. Looking at the slink instructions on PD's website I see nothing about tacking them. One would think the manufacturer would add it to their "official" instructions if it was vital to safety. I also wonder if tacking them could cause a loss of tensil strength and/or improper tension on the unit if tacked incorrectly. Input is appreciated for this crusty old jumper that doesn't crack manuals very often any more. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

How is that different that your attitude, jackass? Just because you only seem to direct your smart ass remarks towards more experienced jumpers, or jumpers you feel are 'not being nice', doesn't change the fact that you're just as much of an 'internet tough guy' as anyone esle. Except for the fact that most of those other guys are tough enough to at least identify themselves in their profiles. You spout off with all your shithead opinions, but then hide behind the anonymity or your incomplete profile. People don't deserve repsect, people earn respect. Case in point - you, me, and this subject. You're a hypocrite, and you hide behind your computer while doing so. As such, I'll extend you no respect becasue you 've done nothing to earn it. You haven't made any real contributions, just bitch and complain, and aren't even man enough to indentify yourself, so there you have it, no respect for you. Anyone else who comes across the same way will get the same. If you want to act like a shithead, you'll be treated like a shithead, it's not that hard to understand. Yeah, what he said. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Back off, jackass. Your words - as uneducated and assinine as they are - also include a personal attack. You know absolutely nothing about me. That's obvious to anyone who does. I could care less if you say I, or anyone else for that matter, has a God complex. While it's clear to anyone who can read that you don't have enough information to objectively make that call, it's the incorrect conclusion you have reached nonetheless. However, calling me dangerous is a personal attack. Moderators? Hello? Oh wait. You don't even identify yourself in your profile. You say you're an instructor but I guess no one knows for sure. Guess that makes every comment you make completely invalid. Nevermind. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If that's all you're looking for, get yourself a Mr. Microphone. You'll have loads of fun listening to own drivel, and you don't have to repack. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I know more than a few people that would disagree with you, but it would clearly be wasted words. Can't wait to get to Skyfest again this year for some young-jumper organizing! Maybe you should come and show the noobs what you got! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

You have no clue what you're talking about. I've spent more time with students and low-timers in the last quarter freakin' century than most skydivers ever will, making sure we don't raise a bunch of wannabe skydivers. And I don't need to hide behind the internet either. If the noob was saying the same thing at the DZ, I'd give him the same advise. Based on Nooberville's post, he doesn't get it. If you think I was just being an asshole, you don't get it either. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Butch up, Sally. You're never gonna make it in this sport if ya can't out-dickhead the dickheads. On the other hand, you're doing a damn fine job of out-whining the whiners so far. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Dave is 143, but that's more like 65 in rigger years. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

No one wanted to get good gear wet back in the day either, but when I made one it was required to get a Jumpmaster rating. We solved the problem by rigging up some old student rigs with PC mains and old-yet-airworthy reserves. We jumped into a local lake with a small outboard boat as our pick-up crew. It was actually kinda fun. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Good to hear. This state and/or local regulation crap surfaces every once in a while. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

This was back in, oh '97ish. Don't think he was a director then. Might of, but don't think so. $99 to jump as many times as you could over the course of a weekend (Sat. - Sun.). A GO AROUND meant lose of money. During a boogie till ya puke, the airplane pretty much runs constantly, so a go around is neither a loss nor a profit. It's just the loss of a fraction of a load for the paying customers. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Hello USPA. Hello? Hello????? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"get the f@&* out or your comin' back down with me!" I assume you mean when conditions caused hesitation on the part of otherwise law-abiding jumpers. Kinda sad, given Mike is a USPA Director. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Both 105.43 and 105.45 have language that requires an AAD to be maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions. The manufacturers that require maintenance have statements that their devices will not be considered airworthy unless the maintenance is performed at certain time. Therefore, there is a date beyond which the AAD cannot be legally used until the maintenance has been performed. An AAD in that condition must be brought into compliance or removed from service for the rig to be used legally. I'm familar with the requirements to follow the manufacturers instructions. That's valid for any kind of certificated parachute equipment. I could swear I remember a time when Cypres allowed their units to stay in service until the next repack. Was that a change or a misunderstanding in the field. Seems in my memory it was that way for a while. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not exactly. It is legal for a rigger to pack a rig with an AAD that will need service before the end of the pack cycle, just as it is legal for an aircraft mechanic to sign off an annual even though there will be scheduled maintenance due before the next annual. It is not legal to jump with an AAD that requires service. If the required service falls during the repack cycle, the rig is no longer legal to jump until the service is performed or the AAD is removed. Think of it this way: at the time you plan to make your jump, ask yourself . . . reserve inspected and packed within the previous 180 days? . . . AAD meets manufacturer service requirements right now? . . . other parts of the rig also airworthy? The date on the packing data card is not a forecast of serviceability for the next 180 days. It is simply a statement that on that date, the rig was airworthy. It is up to the owner to bring his rig to a rigger whenever it needs scheduled service (like a repack, normal battery change, or AAD replacement), or unscheduled service (like runway rash repair, or battery change because of a low battery indication). Mark Sounds like you are taking the long way around to say that if the AAD maintenance comes due mid-reserve cycle that the rig is no longer legal to jump. I'd like to see that regulation, because if it's true there's a lot of grounded rigs on planes in this country every weekend. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Logically, I'd say yes. There was a time when Cypres units didn't even have an expiration date, and the expiration is arbitrary to begin with. Additionally, (unless something has changed since I switched brands) it is already acceptable and legal to install a Cypres that is in date for maintenance purposes and continue to jump it after it's out of date until the next repack cycle. That fact means it's possible to legally - and presumably safely - use the unit for up to 6 months after its' mandated maintenance due date. That's obviuously not the same as a unit exceeding its' total life limit, but the premise is the same. Yes, the time limits placed on the units were supposedly determined after a lot of use in the field and subsequent inspections, but the specific time limits were still put into place by the company and those decisions IMO can not be considered impartial nor subjective. While we're on the subject, does anyone know if a Cypres has ever been found not to operate as designed do solely to being past its' life limit? My guess is no. But I don't sell AAD's for fun and profit! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Like anything else in skydiving, rigs are pretty much "get what you pay for". With that said, the Dolphin is a perfectly capable piece of equipment that had to pass the same standards as every other rig in the US at the time of manufacture and is every bit as safe as any other rig, so long as you use it within its' design parameters. If you are looking for an entry level rig, I suggest you look at the Genera by Rigging Innovations. It's made by the same company that builds several other higher-end rigs and incorporates a lot of that technology. IMO, dollar for dollar the Genera is a much better value. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not sure if a dearly departed has be a skydiver to get posted here, but this guy deserves a mention anyway. Mean Gene was a very talented blues musician. He had played with all the greatest blues artists and even opened for ZZ Top earlier this month. More importantly, Gene was a very giving man. His brand of music was a hit among the biker community and he often headlined biker events from the very biggest to little fundraisers for fallen riders. Gene would often go out of his way and play for gas money and beer when the event was for charity, or would comp his fees entirely. Gene's list of professional accomplishments is pretty remarkable, but he will be missed more for his good deeds than his skills behind an axe. Guess I'll always remember the last day of 2010 as the day I found out my friend died. RIP Gene. The world is a better place because you spend time here. http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/29/2733843/guitarist-mean-gene-kelton-killed.html A fixture on the blues-and-biker-bars scene, guitarist "Mean" Gene Kelton was killed this week in a collision on a Harris County farm road with a school bus carrying a girls basketball team, authorities reported. None of the bus passengers were seriously injured, authorities said. The wreck occurred about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday on Farm Road 2100 outside Crosby, northeast of Houston. Kelton was driving a sport utility vehicle northbound on the two-lane road when a vehicle in front of him slowed to turn left, Sgt. Glen Wolverton of the Harris County Sheriff's Department said. Kelton swerved into the southbound lane and collided head-on with the Crosby High School bus. Twelve people on the bus -- nine basketball players, the coach, the coach's daughter and the 69-year-old driver -- were taken to a hospital, Wolverton said. The team was returning from a tournament in Liberty, and the coach had just told the students to start calling their parents to come pick them up as they neared the school, Crosby school Superintendent Keith Moore said. Moore was headed home from Humble when he drove up on the scene minutes after the collision. "I didn't see any serious injuries," he said. "I've been the superintendent here since June and we had a cheerleader killed in a car wreck on this road the third day after I got here," he said. "This road is extremely dangerous. It needs to be widened. There's no median, no turning lane." Kelton and his band the Die Hards were based in Houston. They were booked for Saturday at a club outside Crosby. The long-haired, bearded Kelton was known for such songs as Too White to Play the Blues, Tears on My Guitar and My Baby Don't Wear No Panties. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/29/2733843/guitarist-mean-gene-kelton-killed.html#ixzz19iKpR1qo Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Remember to pencil-pack before showing up at a boogie out of date. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I have no inside knowledge of this situation, but I have worked with Billy and have some opinions of my own. I rented turbine aircraft from Billy when I operated a DZ. In my experience, Billy was a gruff sort of guy who didn't waste a lot of words and had no desire to candy-coat anything. Billy was also a man of his word with whom I conducted business on a handshake. He never failed to have the aircraft I needed, even if he had to shuffle birds around to keep me in a plane while taking one out of service. He worked with me on per-seat pricing and never complained when iffy clouds made for a weekend full of second, third, and even fourth passes. His planes were in great condition and maintained better than most. When there was a problem, Billy made sure it got fixed in short order regardless of what it cost. I'm not trying to piss on the anti-Billy parade. I just wanted to pass along my thoughts too. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Please do. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Hands down, Art Ingrao at the "old Spaceland". Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Might wanna pack for a bit of extra snivel. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX