Blanket in the door...

[tsisson 0]

SDAZ handled it very well...and the good news, the reserve was not contaminated/damaged. Reserve Pilot chute is toast, and possibly the freebag - but all is being handled.

Wasn't the end of the world - weekend wasn't totally wrecked, got to come home and watch an awesome ASU vs. Wisconsin football game!

And it's still warm enough that I don't have to worry about that damned blanket in the door for at least a month and a half!

[chuckakers 370]

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H-A-W-A-I-I

T-E-X-A-S....in A-U-G-U-S-T!!!!!!!

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[theonlyski 3]

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H-A-W-A-I-I

T-E-X-A-S....in A-U-G-U-S-T!!!!!!!

I've spent a few Augusts in Houston... I think I'm ready for FLORIDA this January!

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Damn!

Here I thought this thread was going to be about Dale Stuart and her "blankie" in the back of the Otter in winter...

[erdnarob 1]

Some Twin Otter door have air leaking above the door. Even in the Summer at altitude it can be cold for people near the door. I have seen at different places people using a 2 inches or so diameter tube of foam of about 4 feet long, the type used by kids in swimming pool. That tube is placed between the door top and the inside bar to apply pressure on the door and stop the air leak. That tube can be easily removed in case of emergency. Personally, I have never seen any blanket used for that purpose.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[Wings-n-Things 0]

Folks, I guarantee you haven't been cold on the ride to altitude until you've sat in the rear seat closest to either open door in a UH-60 BlackHawk or UH-1H Huey in winter. You get the drop in temp PLUS the relative wind and resulting wind chill directly in your face and if fact whole body. THAT is MOTHER FREAKIN' COLD!!! You can dress like the Michellin Man and still get chilled to the bone.

Card carrying member of the
Nanny State Liberation Front

[tsisson 0]

Here here...I fully agree, none of us have been cold enough on the ride to altitude to warrant shoving a friggin blanket in the door! If we're going to jump in the winter, I feel we need to be prepared to suck it up and deal with 15 mins of chilly air.

Dress for the weather...

[kallend 1,623]

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Here here...I fully agree, none of us have been cold enough on the ride to altitude to warrant shoving a friggin blanket in the door! If we're going to jump in the winter, I feel we need to be prepared to suck it up and deal with 15 mins of chilly air.

Dress for the weather...

Maybe you haven't yet been on a big way going to 18,000ft, taking a lot longer than 15 minutes to get there, and sitting in the cold spot across from the door on an Otter.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[erdnarob 1]

D license or D cup ?

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[theonlyski 3]

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D license or D cup ?

Having the second one could sure help for getting the first ones requirements signed off.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[rhys 0]

The caravan that I was jumping out of before returning home had a sausage made of cordura stuffed with foam or dacron etc. It was attached to the aircraft via a lanyard and was wedged between the door and the bar that runs along the top there. It was very easily removed via the lanyard by at least half of the people on the load.

A blanket sounds half assed to me.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[strop45 0]

I'm also aware of an incident where after the last jumper exited a mat flew out the door and jammed the elevator. Luckily the pilot had enough control to land the plane without elevator control. Loose items like blankets sound like a BAD idea to me...

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

[billvon 2,400]

>Maybe you haven't yet been on a big way going to 18,000ft, taking a lot
>longer than 15 minutes to get there, and sitting in the cold spot across
>from the door on an Otter.

I've been on an Otter with an unclosable door going to 18,000 feet in March! Was pretty cold.

[wmw999 2,121]

Otters didn't used to have jump doors. I never went higher than 15000 in those days, but I was thrilled to see inflight doors when I got back into the sport.

We were made of sterner stuff than this younger generation

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[azureriders 0]

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>Maybe you haven't yet been on a big way going to 18,000ft, taking a lot
>longer than 15 minutes to get there, and sitting in the cold spot across
>from the door on an Otter.

I've been on an Otter with an unclosable door going to 18,000 feet in March! Was pretty cold.

I've been on an Otter to 30,000 feet in August where it was -25 F. The door was closed, but it was still cold as hell in the cold spot across from the door -- my seat

[tsisson 0]

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Maybe you haven't yet been on a big way going to 18,000ft, taking a lot longer than 15 minutes to get there, and sitting in the cold spot across from the door on an Otter.

Or maybe I have! 250 lbs of natural blubber keeps me warm...

[happythoughts 0]

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I'm also aware of an incident where after the last jumper exited a mat flew out the door and jammed the elevator. Luckily the pilot had enough control to land the plane without elevator control. Loose items like blankets sound like a BAD idea to me...

Read my post above. When you get on jump run,
you pass the blanket(s) to the front of the plane.
They are put on the floor. I have done this repeatedly
and never had an issue with them blowing anywhere.
Realistically, that is the way it worked.

Even in Florida, in March, it gets cold on the part of
the ride from 14K to 20K.
With thermals on, your teeth chatter.

[lekstrom10k 0]

We used to use a water pipe insulating tube.It had a split length wise with the hollow for the pipe.It was cheap as i/2 or 3/4 size as needed easily cut to length. As with the swimming tube in various colors etc it was never out of season. The tube could be rolled on rather than slid over the top angle ed out part of the brace. If it was to tight use the next size up.
We nad a U-206 in Saginaw that the pilot called its stopper the "Dildo" ,we would pass to him just before "Door"

[ltdiver 3]

Elsinore used to have 2 fluffy stuffed snakes they'd use just for this purpose. Worked really well!

At Perris we'd use an old shoe. I donated one for a big-way one year. The alternate big-way didn't know what it was for and tossed it! I was in the cold seat and was not happy. Going up to 18K can be freezing! (btw, I don't have 250# of insulation as some have posted. )

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Elsinore used to have 2 fluffy stuffed snakes they'd use just for this purpose. Worked really well!

We've used those for the Otter up here at Kapowsin, too. I don't think it would even hinder opening the door in an emergency either.
One winter we had a new Caravan, no door, and no FSDO office that would approve the door design for a month or two. We had a lot of blankets for the jumpers to hide under on the way to altitude. I'd volunteer to sit by the door as long as Valinda got to sit up front. Chivalry can be a very cold job. One or two jumps a day, and we all would call it quits.