freakflyer9999

I've pretty much done everything on my bucket list except one. I want to fly an open cockpit airplane from coast to coast. This has been on my list for quite a while. Guess it is time that I start working on gitting 'er done.

I learned to fly at the same municipal airport where my home DZ was located. I had my D License when I started my flight training, so I was familiar with jump operations. I often heard the jump pilot announce jumpers away, but I have yet to see either a skydiver in freefall or an open canopy while flying in the area or pattern. Even if you know where to look jumpers are still difficult to see. I did have one jumper land at mid runway just as I was touching down for landing. I immediately killed the engine and was able to stop the aircraft with approximately 50 feet to spare, but it was way too close. Unfortunately, she had put herself in a position where she had to choose landing in trees/fence or on the runway. We had a nice long discussion, the next time I saw her. It would have been very unfortunate had I hit her with a spinning prop, but I would have walked away most likely unscathed. I doubt that the results would have been pretty for the jumper. The jumper is the one with the most at risk. It is really up to the jumper to take whatever precautions are needed to insure their own safety. Always, assume that the aircraft pilot can not see you, does not know that you are there and may turn at any time in any direction. This may not leave you many options at some airports. Fortunately, most of my jumps have been at airports in rural Texas with lots of landing options.

You won't be able to fly in a wind tunnel at your weight without a huge jumpsuit. When I was at 300 lbs I could barely get off the mesh at the fastest speed available at the Orlando tunnel with their largest jumpsuit. Though I understand that Dennis Rodman did fine at the same weight but with a 8 or 9 inch height advantage to distribute that weight.

Actually, unless you are calling the gym for a trainer on Monday, I don't think you're getting it.

Mike, I am a morbidly obese experienced skydiver though I am not anywhere near your weight. I no longer jump for a number of reasons including my weight. First of all, these threads about overweight wannabe's generally contain a lot of prejudical statements and frequently just incorrect information, but so far this one is pretty accurate in the facts stated. Listen to what has been said in this thread. You are not in excellent physical condition, no matter what you've convinced yourself of. I am just a little over 100 lbs lighter than you and I can guarantee that I am not any where near "excellent" physical conditon. You have stated that you aren't a body builder or some other exception to the rule. You are just plain fat (and "big-boned"). Sorry, but that by definition is not excellent physical condition. Is it possible for you to fall out of an airplane and survive? Yes. They drop tanks and shit out of airplanes, but I'd venture that those tanks are in much better physical condition than you are. Let me make a few suggestions if you really think that skydiving is absolutlely necessary at 420 lbs. Put a 50 lb backpack on, climb to the highest safe rung on a 6' ladder (designed to support your weight) and jump off. Modern parachutes are designed to provide nice soft landings when loaded properly and maneuvered properly. Even if you buy a large enough parachute to provide the proper loading, you still have to perfectly judge your landing to get that nice soft landing. Even the best of us make mistakes on landing, but especially students. It is a very common sight to see a student stall their canopy 10, 15 or even 20 feet above the ground and then "FALL" that distance. When you land, try to stand up without the use of another object as a crutch. One of the most difficult things I have experienced in the sport is standing up with the rig on when I fall to the ground. The rig changes your center of gravity significantly. Next, go out to a nearby dropzone and see if they will let you simply crawl around inside their airplane. Try it with the 50 lb backpack from the previous experiment. Then imagine the plane filled with a full load of jumpers and everyone trying to maneuver around as jump run begins. I think that you will find most aircraft difficult if not impossible to simply maneuver in without a full load much less with a full load of jumpers who have paid to get their ride to altitude and don't really care about dealing with the fat guy up front. Yes, up front. Due to weight and balance issues as well as standard practice for student jumpers you will almost always be at the front of the aircraft away from the exit on most larger aircraft in use at dropzones. Yes there are aircraft that wouldn't be a problem, but unless you live near one of the few DZ's that routinely fly one of these you will most likely be stuck in an aircraft that has some type of height, width limitation that simply can't be changed. Don't even think about trying to utilize something like a Cessna 182 that has traditionally been the workhorse of the industry. I doubt that you will be able to sit in the normal "student" position and get the door closed. Then when it is time to exit a 182, you have to draw your legs up and swing them out the door. Not an easy task for many fit people. Several posters have mentioned that you will most likely find it difficult to find AFF instructors capable of staying with you at your higher fall rates. Static line has been mentioned as an alternative, but it is rare to find a DZ set up for static line out of any aircraft other than a C-182 or similar. I have only personally encountered 1 DZ that charged extra for overweight experienced skydivers, but have discovered that it isn't that uncommon in the sport now. Most DZ's will have a policy that limits tandem weights and many charge a per lb fee over a certain weight, but it is becoming more common for those fees to be charged to experienced jumpers as well. In your case it would almost be mandatory since you are at least twice the weight of the median skydiver. I usually encourage larger people to find a DZ that can accomodate the extra weight safely and to give it a shot. Unfortunately, there is a limit to what the gear and aircraft in use at today's dropzones can handle. As many have stated, lose weight. At an absolute minimum lose 85-90 lbs and there is existing military gear floating around that would be right at the edge of legal if not wise/safe. Losing 100+ lbs would be preferable and even then you would still be overweight for most DZ's and gear that they have and personnel that they have. I know from my own personal experience that it isn't easy to lose it and keep it off but it can be done. There isn't a magical diet, simply burn more calories than you consume. Dieting is really a state of mind more than anything else. I was motivated after my first jump to lose almost 100 lbs. If you truly want to be a skydiver maybe that is the motivation that you need. Take some of the money that you are willing to throw at gear and utilize it for a personal trainer at the gym and a dietician. Someone mentioned paying for liposuction. That would at least assist in creating a more normal body size for the harness that has to support all this weight and therefore keeping the harness geometry relatively the same. I don't think anyone really has any idea how the change in geometry to accomodate your size would affect the harness. One last thing. I know that you stated that your doctor doesn't see any reason why you couldn't skydive. In general larger individuals have various physical ailments that require medication. You didn't state that you were on any medication, but if you are please make sure that you understand how any medication (including over the counter) might be affected by altitude. Remember that the altitudes that we skydive at are not the same as flying in a commercial pressurized cabin. In either case please be sure that you are aware of the symptoms of hypoxia. I generally have no difficulty breathing on the ground, however, at 10,000' and above I do begin to have problems. Not just with breathing but with getting sufficient oxygen to maintain full awareness. When I was significantly lighter (185 lbs) I made a high altitude skydive from Mike Mullins King Air. For whatever reason our oxygen supply was turned off just prior to jump run and then after a go around, my buddy and I exited at 24,000'. My buddy passed out almost immediatly. I chased him till he recovered at about 12,000'. The strange thing is that we both knew we were hypoxic before exit, but one of the symptoms of hypoxia is euphoria and in our case at least a general sense of we don't care if we're hypoxic we're going to jump anyway. With all that said I really don't recommend you skydiving until you have lost weight. But what do you care about the opinions of those who have experience not just skydiving but with the weight issues as well. Bottomline is before you invest in gear that is likely to cost closer to $10K than not, you need to make sure that there is a DZ with instructors that can handle you. I know that having the gear in hand makes you believe that they will take you serious, but it still may be impossible unless you also supply the aircraft and instructors that are capable of supporting you in this endeavor.

I've started writing notes to my kids and taping them to the bottom of the things that I cherish the most and want specific kids or grandkids to have. Generally the note tells why the item was important to me and why I want that person to have it. Currently I'm in my early 50's and I don't plan on leaving this world any time soon, but we don't always get to make the call on when that day will be. As I get a bit older, I will most likely start handing out the things that I want the kids or grandkids to have Of course most of my stuff is just that, "stuff", and nobody will really have any use for a lot of it.

Most RC Hobby Shops carry foam like this. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL430&P=7 or http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL431&P=7 It usually comes in 1/4" and 1/2" thickness.

I'll be going through CO to Jackson (from TX) in July. I've sent a PM with some more info and phone, etc. if you're interested.

Haved you tried Petfinder? They list quite a few English Bulldogs in the Dallas area. http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?animal_type=&pet_breed=English+Bulldog&location=dallas%2C+tx&startsearch=Search

I've done the samething on hiking boots and I'm considering returning my Osprey Exos pack I bought for last summer's major trip. It worked, it was lightweight, but the narrow waist strap really gave me fits and I'm pretty sure that with the weight I put on this winter it ain't going to fit any longer. I'll get it out in a few weeks to see.

Naaaa, he wasn't a Bozo, he was just goofy. sure thats where I got it from. Jerry was definitely not a Bozo. At least to me, he was a skydiver that I have the greatest respect for. When I was first learning to jump, Jerry went out of his way to make sure that I and all the other new jumpers on the DZ had quality organized jumps that met our individual skill levels. He was friendly and never did I hear him say a harsh word except when he observed unsafe acts that endangered the lives of others. Jerry was also a pioneer in the sport. He made his first jump in 1959, the year after I was born. I did not know Jerry when he was a DZO and my experience with him was limited to a brief time during my student days, but I can not fathom how anyone would ever call him a Total Bozo. Nick, Obviously he rubbed you the wrong way some time over the years, but at least when I knew him, you couldn't have asked for a friendlier individual to be on the DZ. Now, I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of Sherry as President of USPA, but she was also instrumental in helping me to learn as a student and during my early jumps. She often would provide advice on accuracy. Utilizing her tips I was definitely able to improve my landing skills. Both were generous, caring individuals at the DZ where I met them.

I've lived through 2 teenagers and I am in the midst of a 3rd. They have all presented unique challenges. The youngest is 16 and has been banned from the computer (other than supervised homework) for about 3 years since I found her using the search term "naked" with a list of young teen idols. She will continue to be banned until she is at least 18, living on her own and able to purchase her own computer and internet service. She is also currently banned from all phones and was recently banned for over a month from all electical devices. This one doesn't seem to understand that my professional life involves being a Computer Security Analyst and that there isn't anything she can do, that I can't see. Let your daughter know in no uncertain terms that you are in control and that what she may believe are rights are mere privileges that can be removed either temporarily or even permanently. BTW, if you do allow her to use the computer, keystroke loggers (physical or software) will provide any information that you want to know about her activities. I also monitor router/firewall logs at home for unusual activity. I started this due to some hacker/malware issues on a computer in the house, but it is how I discovered the "naked" search. I know some folks might think that this would be an invasion of privacy, but in today's world 13 year olds are being enticed by sexual predators on the internet all the time. In my opinion it is part of protecting our children from the things that they are too young to understand.

Right side. 4th row up, yellow label in the middle sure looks like a Shiner.

It's been 10 years today, since I last saw you gliding across the sky. It's been 10 years today, since I saw your crumpled body lying there on the ground. It's been 10 years today, since I heard that laugh that everyone knew was you. It's been 10 years today, since the pain of grief began. Blue Skies Black Death

The Falcon is a reserve canopy (that can be jumped as a main) and can open extremely briskly. I purchased one because it was cheap. I quickly got rid of it after some of the hardest openings I'd ever had. The gent who bought it planned on doing demos with it and didn't want to ever take it to terminal. Yes, people have jumped Falcons for years. Yes, you will probably survive most of the jumps. Will you like it. I doubt it.

Be extremely careful about the gloves that you select. In Jan 1999, the fatality list started out with two glove related incidents, one of which was my best friend. Each got a hand trapped in the lines due to the gloves that they wore. I'm sure that neither of these people ever gave their gloves a second thought until they were trapped and unable to get loose.

Technically speaking a rigger could repack and sign off on a rig with a Cypres and/or battery due to expire tomorrow. The rig would be airworthy for 1 day regardless of the 120/180 day rule. The rigger is attesting to the rigs airworthiness at the moment, not any particular timeframe into the future. Any number of things could cause a rig to become unairworthy in the future. The rigger has no control or legal responsibility over those issues. If you disagree, show the regulation that states differently. Now for the real world, a rigger has a responsibility to his customers to address issues of Cypres expiration, etc. Your rigger should be your partner in maintaining your gear. You and your rigger should both be aware of known issues that may affect the air worthiness of your rig.

My one and only balloon jump came as a result of volunteering to crew for a balloonist who I saw flying over my house one day. Chased him down and asked his crew (wife) if he ever took up skydivers. She called him on the radio and he said that he had done it before and would consider it. I got to know him fairly well volunteering for him over the next month or so. He usually allowed his volunteers to take turns taking rides. When it came my turn, he let me jump. I think he was as excited as I was. We went to 6000 foot and he put the balloon into a terminal descent. A balloon's terminal is a lot slower than ours. The air wasn't quite as still when we exited as I've heard others describe. I assume that our descent rate was faster than most. The pilot told me later that the balloon's descent gently stopped immediately after my exit. No bounce or any deformity of the balloon envelope. I opened somewhere above 3500 and was able to make it back to the balloonist's ranch. This was primarly possible due to a 180 degree shift in the winds beneath us. When we took off we headed east and as we climbed the winds shifted to the west. I ended up exiting about a mile to the west but was able to fly my canopy in the east bound winds below. This reminds me that I need to call him. He was trying to sell his house and move out of state. I need to see if he ever did. If not, I may try to get another balloon jump in.

I've come back several times after breaks of upto 5 years. It was just like riding a bike. The door opened, I climbed out on the strut and went. Really felt as though I hadn't missed a day of jumping.

You, Sir, owe me another keyboard, but Ill accept a cashiers cheque. Well I have a box full of keyboards. Just send me a cashiers check for $5000 to cover shipping and I'll return any money that is left over as cash packaged with the keyboard. And should we ever meet I'll buy ya a beer. Unnacceptable! You will send me the change via Western Union wire transfere and I will have a courier pick up the keyboard absolutley nowhere near where I live. But seriously, I like beer. Ok....Here's how it is going to be. You ship me a case of beer. I'll take what I need and ship the rest back to you with the keyboard.

You, Sir, owe me another keyboard, but Ill accept a cashiers cheque. Well I have a box full of keyboards. Just send me a cashiers check for $5000 to cover shipping and I'll return any money that is left over as cash packaged with the keyboard. And should we ever meet I'll buy ya a beer.

I jacked around with this same guy myself. When I told him that I was "my son" and I'd been reading through my father's email after his death in a "tragic skydiving accident". The guy didn't even offer his condolences, he just started right back to his scam. I screwed around with him for a while asking for skydiving references, since I couldn't sell a high performance canopy like my Navigator 280 to just anyone. I guess that I need to send him another email and tell that I recovered from my untimely death.

It is impossible to average 60 MPH for both laps.

My son had one when he worked 2nd shift. Perfect match. The biggest problem is that unless you have their musk glands removed, the males can smell pretty bad. They are pretty messy too and will piss and shit on anything and everything. If you're really interested, check out one of the Sugar Glider rescues. There are plenty of them that someone bought and then decided that it wasn't the pet for them.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2062800;search_string=Bob%20Chaffin%20;#2062800 Bob passed away a couple of years ago. BSBD