diverdriver

High bank angle in descent gives you little advantage. The coefficient of lift is low at high speed. What makes a plane descend at low power and high speed is form/prop drag. Spiraling just loads the wing up needlessly. In a plane I flew (twin otter) I descended at near 6000 feet per minute (fpm) with wings level and 160 knots (top of the green arc). I got down to pattern altitude in 2 minutes. So banking and yanking is going to save me what? A few seconds? Many jump planes are 50 years old. I tried to take could care of.the planes I flew. And I was still able to fly 30+ loads a day. Why? Because fuel efficiency and turn time (takeoff to landing) is reduced by how well you climbed! Not how fast you descended. When I started flying jumpers I was taught "you gotta do a 60 degree bank to get it down". This is total bunk in a Cessna 182. It's hard on the plane and considering many 182 jump planes were built in the 50s and 60s I'd worry about metal fatigue. I developed a box pattern approach and never, EVER try to spiral down "with" the jumpers. That's the fastest way to running into them. We just saw another collision between a Caravan and a 3 jumpers. It killed one jumper. You are the jump pilot. The lift operator. You are not part of the show. And this is an amazing line of questions from someone who registered in 2003 but only has 80ish posts. Why the sudden interest? You almost sound like a reporter. Just curious. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Point Break, Dropzone, they're all good. As good as Top Gun is for Naval Aviators. Technically not correct. They're just plain fun stories! Fandango has to be my all time favorite. But Dropzone is cool because I got some time flying Mr. Douglas which was in the movie. Not me. The plane. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I don't think the fuel reserve rules depend on what level of pilot certificate you have. Even PPLs have to fuel up. Maybe they should then lose all certificates and start over. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

No one in particular and everyone. 9 or 10 fuel incidents in last 24 months. Fueling your aircraft is one of THE MOST BASIC THINGS ON THE COMMERCIAL PILOT CHECKRIDE! Get it together folks. [Rant continues] Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Hey put some damn fuel on your planes already! ENOUGH! Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

DiverDriver.com is offline now. And if it comes back it will be without a forum. I had no time to chase down the spam porn. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

If it said Zute Suit it was hers. I know she worked her ass off then finishing them up. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Neat. I've always lusted over a turbine 206. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Yah that was the first thing I noticed. Flat strut. Might I suggest landing first notch of flaps only when empty? I'm sure you already figured that. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

The left prop is bent aft as though it was out of feather but low power. The right prop shows S bending which looks like it was in feather at least or not running. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Yes, the DiverDriver.com website is off the air. I'm not sure when / if it will come back. Not exactly the way I wanted it to go but I had to prioritize my bills. It was not high enough. I want to apologize to those who have used it as a resource and to those who helped me keep it going over the years. I have not updated it in many years and had major problems running the forum side of it. I was tired of the constant porn spam attacks. I have, however, continued to give input to USPA about jump plane accidents and my thoughts for the future though. USPA has adopted my jump pilot training syllabus into their documents and that is most gratifying. If I have disappointed anyone I am truly sorry. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Then yep I knew him. He came up to KC for AFF evals. What a character! Sorry to hear he's passed on. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Was Curly out at Skiatook, OK too? Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Thanks for the danish Terry. Blue skies friend. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Hey tell Terry that Chris Schindler says hey. And I still appreciated that danish after the engine failure forced landing. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I actually saw it in the hangar getting put back together. Glad I got to jump it a couple of times at Quincy. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Shit. I've known Dennis since my first year in skydiving. Man he was a character and the world was better for it. Blue Skies Dennis. See yah later. Ok I have to edit to add: Dennis, you did this to me on purpose. Just yesterday my wife (skydiver) was telling her daughter that the drive to the airport is more dangerous than skydiving. I said well, I've seen an accident happen at the entrance to the airport (Greater Kansas City Skydiving Club where I met Dennis when he visited) but that it really wasn't apples to apples. Well, hell, Dennis it seems driving to the airport is way more dangerous than skydiving. I am feeling more hurt in the chest each minute now after learning of your death. You are truly one of the reasons so many found skydiving fun. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Until what year was Mark in Frankfurt, IN? Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I've heard the old way of doing things even if approved one thousand times can no longer be done. I've heard several DZs have trouble getting approval for 182 inflight doors for jump ops. Even if they are making an identical door to one that is approved and currently operating. Not sure what to suggest for you other than look at the hoop they want you to jump through and decide if it's worth it. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

It's 18 years not twenty. But that milestone will come soon enough. Many people were directly affected by this crash. This one and the one at Hinckley the same year did change the sport of skydiving. But not for long as a rash of crashes in the mid to late 90s showed we did not head the warnings. And as for the wrong engine being feathered by the pilot lets also ask what was the training program like then for a check-out and what is it like now? I believe you will find them vastly different being more detailed now. The twin otter is a docile plane but it will kill you and has fatal corners of its own. When I think of this crash I remember more the family members and fellow skydivers left with the aftermath of survival. I've visited Perris on a few occasions and got a personal visit to the crash memorial park. For me it's quite sobering and stokes my fire to continue work on DiverDriver.com. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Tom, all skydivers and flying public oh you a debt for your efforts in this task. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

Chris, You need to refresh yourself on the Wing Tank System of the Twin Otter by reading Supplement 8 to the AFM. ........ I missed stating "No Fuel Fillers on the wing" in my original post. Should have read "No need to use the fuel fillers on the wing" Ah. That's where I got misremembered. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

The Twin Otter wing tanks are pressure refuelled. There are no Fuel Fillers on the wings. There might be some twin otters with single point refueling (which would be pressure refuelled) but most are definitely not pressure refueled. And there are long range tanks that are fueled over the top of the wing. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

I knew him when. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125

The new security directive seems to be changing by the hour. I can't keep up anymore. Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125