Dropzone Pilot on a PPL?

[quade 3]

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So FAR 103 classifies the ultralight, but does it, FAR 105, or any other FAR prohibit a non compinsated ultralight jump. We are not talking an organized DZ. 103 states the ultralights may be flown by single person only, but if you are a BFI ( Basic flight instructor ) or a sport pilot with an N-number ultralight, you can carry passengers. I am asking because I get the answer "it is ok" from a ultralight instructor (now called S-LSA FAA instructor).

Well, all I can say is that when I was active as a flight instructor and had contact with them on a fairly regular basis, this would have never been allowed by the FAA Inspectors that I dealt with.

I have a VERY hard time believing that things would be different now.

I've already cited chapter and verse why. There's nothing to interpret here; it's in plain english.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[av8rdav 2]

The main things an examiner is looking for in a commercial pilot applicant is mastery of aircraft control and good judgment. Flying must be second nature for a commercial applicant.

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-Benjamin Franklin-

[orribolollie 0]

Ok somone suggested looking at the ops manual...always one! Good idea.

A careful read reveals (for the UK) that yeah you can fly parachutists with just a PPL; as long as you go through a series of BPA tests both practical and theory.
Im think Im reading it right..no mention of commercial licence, just a licence appropriate to the plane you intend to fly.

Other requirement are 100 hours PIC; 75 hours if you have your red 'C' parachutists licence! Job done!

Instrument and night ratings as appropriate/required for normal parachute operations.

Im thinking if your in the UK and you want to build your pilots hours up, you approach every UK dopzone and tout your flying for free, see who bites?

Seem a fair idea? Anyone out there interested??!! Id have thought some smaller dz would go for this offer considering the pilots fees they could save.

I bet some killjoy like Insurance fucks this idea up.

[tombuch 0]

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Id have thought some smaller dz would go for this offer considering the pilots fees they could save.

I bet some killjoy like Insurance fucks this idea up.

The killjoy that “fucks it up” is dead friends.

There have been far too many accidents involving jump planes. Flying skydivers is a tough job that often involves airplanes loaded to or past their weight limits, moving ‘cargo’ that tips the plane out of balance, slow airspeeds at exit that place the airplane near a stall, jumpers hanging on outside the airplane that add asymmetrical drag, rapid turn-times between loads, low fuel levels to keep the weight down, poor maintenance, pressure to fly through clouds and with strong crosswinds, risks from premature deployments, and a thousand other things that make it a very dangerous kind of flying.

I’m a commercial pilot with single and multi-engine ratings, and more than 4,500 jumps. I want the most experienced pilots possible flying my jump plane, and won’t deal with a DZ that hires beginner pilots just trying to build time. Flying jumpers takes significant flying skill and experience, tremendous judgment, and the willingness to stand up to a DZO who is pushing limits.

I hate hearing discussions like this one that seem to focus on how to beat the rules to make it easier and cheaper to fly jumpers. The fact is that our lives are far too valuable to trust them to well intentioned but inexperienced pilots.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[orribolollie 0]

I feel told off...but it seems fair enough.

[TomSpoon 2]

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Can you pilot a jump plane with just a PPL?



Ollie

Q;Can you pilot a jump plane with just a private pilot certificate?
A; YES

Q; Can you pilot a jump plane with just a PPL if you are being compensated?
A; No

Q; Can you pilot a jump plane that is being operated for compensation with just a PPL?
A; No

I figured someone had to answer the poor guys question properly.

[LearningTOfly 0]

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Im thinking if your in the UK and you want to build your pilots hours up, you approach every UK dopzone and tout your flying for free, see who bites?

Careful with this attitude... it'll make ya popular in all the wrong ways within local pilot circles. No-one likes the slut.

There's no easy and fast way to get into flying for hire. Any way you look at it, its going to take a lot of time, and a lot of work (which equals money, IIRC).

Best of luck

[diverdriver 5]

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The killjoy that “fucks it up” is dead friends.

There have been far too many accidents involving jump planes. Flying skydivers is a tough job that often involves airplanes loaded to or past their weight limits, moving ‘cargo’ that tips the plane out of balance, slow airspeeds at exit that place the airplane near a stall, jumpers hanging on outside the airplane that add asymmetrical drag, rapid turn-times between loads, low fuel levels to keep the weight down, poor maintenance, pressure to fly through clouds and with strong crosswinds, risks from premature deployments, and a thousand other things that make it a very dangerous kind of flying.

I’m a commercial pilot with single and multi-engine ratings, and more than 4,500 jumps. I want the most experienced pilots possible flying my jump plane, and won’t deal with a DZ that hires beginner pilots just trying to build time. Flying jumpers takes significant flying skill and experience, tremendous judgment, and the willingness to stand up to a DZO who is pushing limits.

I hate hearing discussions like this one that seem to focus on how to beat the rules to make it easier and cheaper to fly jumpers. The fact is that our lives are far too valuable to trust them to well intentioned but inexperienced pilots.

Tom you are so right! Dead friends is what drives the insurance rates and requirements. They figure if the FAA won't regulate it they will. They know what their risk is. Now, does every DZ have insurance? What standard are they being held to? What required training are they getting to be DZ pilots? There is no way to tell in today's environment.

In my 3,000 hours flying skydivers I've had:

5 engine failures.
3 forced landings.
1 jumper main bridle/seatbelt entanglement
Fuel flow problems
Carb ice
Pencil whipped annuals/100 hour inspections
Jumpers climb on top of my tail for the "photo op" without telling me
Over 10 friends die in jump plane accidents
Been owed thousands of dollars in back pay
....etc....

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[Zing 2]

"In my 3,000 hours flying skydivers I've had:

5 engine failures.
3 forced landings.
1 jumper main bridle/seatbelt entanglement
Fuel flow problems
Carb ice
Pencil whipped annuals/100 hour inspections
Jumpers climb on top of my tail for the "photo op" without telling me
Over 10 friends die in jump plane accidents
Been owed thousands of dollars in back pay
....etc.... "


It's been my experience that if you keep doing it, that list will get longer.
At a SoCal dropzone around 1994, an about to be retired airline guy with 30 years on the line picked up my logbook and after paging through it for a few minutes, came over and asked, "How many engine failures have you had?"
Bob had three times the amount of flight time that I did at the time and claimed he'd never shut an engine down except in the simulators.

Zing Lurks

[diverdriver 5]

That was over a 10 year period. Why should the list get longer? We don't make new mistakes in skydiving. We repeat the old ones with great regularity.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125