NoShitThereIWas

As usual the burden is placed upon the persons least responsible. Many DZs do comply and spend the necessary time and money to meet the required standards, it is the few whom do not that create and support the problem, this problem is perpetuated by the support of the student public and their local jumpers, If you want to see safety and change, don't jump at these locations, stop sending your friends to train, you can be much more effective by withholding your cash than the government can be with increased survaillance. I heard people state! Well I didn't know there was a problem? I'am sorry this is a poor excise and not a reason, if you wish to play the game of risk, you are foolish if you do not arm yourself with knowledge before you walk into the fray! And no it is not USPAs responsibility or the DZs to force you to exersice some common scense! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Well no shit Chris, I used to buckle up in that airplane all the time wondering if this thing crashes what good will this belt do? Quite frankly I don't know what a belt in any crash will do with an otter configurated like N203E. You are sitting on a bench facing aft with a long belt coming out of a rail on the inner wall or on the floor. It is impossible to tighten it short of tightening yourself to the wall which would make it impossible to sit on the bench. So no matter how you buckle it, the slack is still there meaning in a crash or violent movement situation you will not be held in place but rather a rag doll attached to a single point of attachement. Quite frankly, QL's otter is just one of many jump ships out there that I have ridden to altitude in with the same exact problem. If we look at safety restraints in a car, their design is way more effective. Lap and chest restraint. I think that was one of the contributing factors for the pilot surviving the Freefall Express Cessna crash. Had that pilot been wearing a safety restraint like the jumpers on N203E, I don't think he would have been so lucky. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I just wanted to respond to part of your post in reference to the shoddy DZs getting more business based on the fact that they are "cheaper" in a competing market. The whole purpose of this NTSB "project" is not to make the good guys go bankrupt. It is to make the sport safer for people like you and I from DZOs, A&Ps and/or engine/parts manufacturers who cut corners trying to make an extra buck at the expense of our lives. Those people need to be weeded out of our industry and will be in the event of more stringent regulations. I used to be a California jumper and was raised on the SoCal NorCal playground. Some of you folks are used to the Skydive Monterey Bays and the Perris/Elsinore DZs. My experience at some of those DZs is different from some of the things I have witnessed out here. I'm not into publicly mentioning any DZs or pilots in particular but I can tell you that I have found out first hand about all kinds of FAA regulations and pilot requirements swept under the rug to promote a DZ or two and bad things happen because they get away with it. Just like breaking the law, you are good until you get caught and then you are in trouble... You can cut corners or cheat the system until something bad happens and it catches up. I hope the "little guy" DZs are able to stay in business if their pilots are properly trained and their airplanes meet regulations. But sorry to say, if you are or have been operating with pilots without commercial licenses, tainted fuel to save a buck, shoddy maintenance or mechanics who are willing to just sign off on something because they are too lazy to fix it or a DZO decides himself that his pocketbook does not warrant it as a necessary repair or inspection... I am sorry. I guess not enough people have been affected. Maybe the better idea is to just let things go and become more widespread. More airplane crashes, more dead people, more bad media and more allowable negligence that is obviously becoming more mainstream. That seems like a much better idea to me. The NTSB was absolutely correct in their statement that it does not matter whether you are using an airplane to travel to Europe or to get you to 14,000 feet safely on jump run. We are paying customers and we deserve to know ahead of time that our expectations for safety are being met. The skydiving industry has relied too much too often on that whole concept of "You signed the waiver." Our waiver at Quantum Leap should have read: The airplane you are about to get on has engines well over their TBO/inspection/whatever you call it in "airplane terms" and our mechanic is highly incompetent and cannot effectively maintain airplanes. Still want to skydive??? How many people are going to sign that waiver? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

TK, I can understand your fears from an operator and a jumper's perspective. I do feel for DZOs who will be financially affected by this. Not the ones who are running a shoddy business with shoddy staff or pilots, but the ones who run a safe operation and don't cut the important corners but they also don't really enjoy or look forward to the FAA breathing down their back either. I begin to see patterns with human behavior at times. It seems like sometimes we get a warning that something needs adjustment. We prolong fixing it until it becomes so severe that we have to deal with it, dealing with it means changing the status quo to which humans will naturally rebel and the initial change will cause the sink or swim effect putting greater pressures or stress on the participants to succeed. No one likes to have to sink or swim. However, generally if handled properly, the end result will be a greater improvement for the greater good. It is a difficult crisis that needs attention and while we once had greater freedoms, maybe if the skydiving industry does clean up it's act the FAA will not see the need for continued increased oversight. My belief is that whether DZOs want to hear it or not, safety, above costs and all else should be held paramount. If it costs $400 to do a tandem skydive because collectively as an industry that is what is needed to make it safe from these types of problems, my guess is that most tandems (being they jump once and don't come back) will just have to save a little more money to get the experience; just like nowadays, when you or I want to travel by air, we now have to save extra that we didn't use to have to for things like checking a bag or two on, fuel costs and any other costs or surcharges that are successfully passed down to the consumer. Will sales hurt? Initially yes, mainly because skydiving is not a necessity like air travel might be for business and such. But for as long as people want to do it and there is a calling for it, business will continue to thrive. Initially DZOs may sustain some blunt force trauma to their pocketbooks and that sucks if they aren't able to stay afloat. Hopefully though, in the end, the shoddy outfits will not exist because they won't be able to afford to make their DZ safe, leaving the business to the surviving DZs who can can show a pattern of real safety. Those DZs with the demand for the sport can then pass their incurred costs to the consumer as well. I worry more for the experienced jumper if they need to pay $50 a jump vs. an average of $23 a jump. It may suck and you can still die doing it even with the increased costs but if I could pay a little extra "insurance" for a jump ticket for the peace of mind that your ride to altitude has been properly maintained and is being flown by someone who is rated and competent, I certainly cannot speak for all skydivers but to me, that piece of mind is way more worth the extra costs. Think of how much business you could lose if skydiving continues to get the rap and continued media attention for airplane crashes due to negligence and/or lack of regulation. That my friend is a slippery slope with ramifications that are final, irreversable and extremely detrimental. I am sure the financial impacts may be more complex and severe than I have illustrated above and each DZ and situation is different but I can assure you when these kinds of tragedies happen, it is not good. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

First off to Chris, my initial response to you is THANK YOU FOR THE LINK, THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. THE ANSWERS. Now for Skymedic, I did not hear the NTSB conclude with any conviction that restraints were "not used" but rather that they had failed because they were single point restraints attached to a side bar rail vs. double restraints or single restraints bolted to the floor. The NTSB concluded that even though they could have been tightened PROPERLY on that fatal jump, they still were not sufficient in preventing the jumper from violent forceful movement or total failure. This is what was shown by use of the crash test dummy. And now, thanks to my "dead Quantum peep friends" as you so distinguishly referred to them, people like yourself will now benefit as that part of skydiving (safety restraints) will soon be changing to become safer. Secondly, thinking about "Scott blowing off the obvious safety rules flying a -20 on a hot day" as you also mentioned, that was one of the concerns and questions I addressed in an earlier post of mine as did I address his mistake to utilize only half of the runway. So your comments directed at me about what "I need to realize" are pretty redundant. Trust me when I try to explain how disturbing it is to come across these findings; findings I have been waiting to understand and hear about for a very long time for an accident I probably should have been even closer to than I already am. On the other hand, those Quantum Leap "peeps" WERE my friends so why don't you show some respect. I only hope you never have to witness or come close to seeing your jump plane with your skydiving family perish like I did mine or consider the thought that your only child could have become completely parent-less because of someone else's negligence. I am more angry about everything because I was so close to it all and it initially turned my life upside down but even so, my family and I were some of the luckiest people that day because I wasn't on that airplane. There are many other people who I care a great deal about who suffered way more than I did or ever will. I never said the NTSB "obviously" made a mistake either, but I never heard them conclude only mention that Steve could have been a trajectory and so could Rob. Being that they may have been getting a shot, it is possible they weren't wearing their seat belts but the NTSB did not focus or create a huge point out of that, moreso they focused on the seat belt "FAILURE". And, to add, I never said it was "impossible" for us Quantum Leapers to not be wearing a seat belt but that it wasn't standard operating procedure. I have been on hundreds of loads with Rob and Steve and have ALWAYS observed them to wear seat belts until 1,000 feet. Rob was a stickler about gear and aircraft safety, Steve was an accident investigator for the airline industry. No it is not impossible, yes it is improbable without good reason. I have a much clearer understanding now, watched almost the entire 5 hours and when I do have the time to sit and watch the rest of it I will. It also sounds like although the auto-feathering system was inoperable, the engine was "slightly" feathered before impact so I was merely trying to shed light on the fact that in the midst of all the other catastrophe surrounding the event and it is not my idea or desire to defend Scott by any means... but Scott may have done some things right. In my conclusion, I was very impressed with the NTSB and all of their findings. I was very glad to get to watch their presentation narrated vs. just looking at the power point notes like I did earlier. I agreed wholeheartedly with everything from their findings to their points made, the only thing I may have question over was the seat belt issue with Steve and Rob. I wasn't convinced that they were 100% conclusive there. The NTSB is taking the approach that things have been overlooked for too long and perhaps it is time for change... I couldn't agree more. If my friends lives weren't worth at least that then what can we gain from any of our lessons? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Chris, What video are you talking about? I was informed that ALL of the seatbelts failed. I never heard anything about someone being thrown into anyone because they weren't wearing their belt. At QL, everyone wore seat belts as was mandatory by the DZ rules to follow the regulations for take of landing and taxi. We had to wear seat belts until 1,000 feet. The only thing I can think of is if someone unbuckled themselves after witnessing the problem. But I can assure you that was not standard operating procedure. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I voted for take off. I am hoping one day to get back into skydiving hard core like I used to. I was visiting Perris yesterday to see some friends and stop by to check out the 100 way camp. The energy there was so awesome and contagious. I miss that. After our N203E crash though, getting on a jump plane is harder than it has ever been. For me it is almost like holding a cat over a bathtub full of water. I hope that will go away sometime in the future... The NTSB findings of our own jump ship, how it was used and maintained has scared the shit out of me so now I question more than ever how jump planes are maintained, flewn and the dangers each possess. Too much scary action for me in the past 2-3 years with airplanes and pilots. I am hoping the FAA makes DZOs change their ways to make our jump ships safer for us to jump out of. Until I see those things happening and becoming mainstream, I don't know how many more jump ships I will be boarding or exiting. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

So is the Final Report out yet on the 203E crash? Then NTSB website still only has the Factual. This one is starting to irk me more and more... probably should have concerned me more in the past... folks not belting themselves in or not belting their helmets in if they choose not to wear them for takeoff AND getting pissy if someone on the load asks them to put their belt on and/or belt their helmet in if they're not wearing it because the thing could turn into a projectile in a crash, if not. Evidently the Perris Crash and the Sullivan Crash wasn't enough to teach us this? Hey Zigzag, After reading this, I wanted to respond. I am not sure if you are referring to Quantum Leapers and Perris people as not wearing their seatbelts. I have often wondered myself while sitting on an airplane, just how much is this belt going to help me out in a crash situation? Apparently, in ours not too much because they failed. I was reading the article which stated the FAA may begin to adopt a direction toward greater safety restraints that are dual. I don't know what happened with the safety belts in the Perris crash but if they are failing us I think something needs to be done if it can help save lives. Driving laws require us to wear seat belts more than likely based on statistics and evidence to show there is a benefit in lives saved. I think it is a good time for the FAA to regulate jump planes if we are unable to regulate them ourselves to make sure if we are going to go through the trouble of wearing them that they are going to do their job. I don't know how much they would have helped in the QL crash. Many of our friends were dead on impact which sucks. A couple survived long enough to make it to the hospital. One made it through all of that but his quality of life deteriorated so rapidly that he is no longer with us. Could a seat belt have made a difference in Steve's life? Possibly... I can see as the videographer strapped to the tail of the plane he may have just been able to hang instead of impact, who knows but I think if we have to wear em they should have to work. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Totter, With regard to the engine "life" or what is considered to be under the manufacturers warranty for airworthyness... Is it true that let's say a -20 has a life expectancy of 30,000 hours. If you make modifications to that engine lets say with newer parts or something, can the life be extended? Is there gray area there or is it cut and dry? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hey guys and gals, don't take my word on the whole -21 engine thing. When I think about it, they may very well have been -20s and not -21s. Like I said earlier, I really am not an engine expert on this sort of thing and have myself just started learning and trying to educate myself on how these things work. I'm sorry if I confused anyone. I am still trying to understand how it all happened. I have heard all of these terms and most of them are a different language to a layman. Things like hot sections, VMC, Vyse, "the P factor",V1, V2... I am starting to get it more but still don't understand exactly what happened. What I do understand is that Scott made a mistake to take off short field and not utilize the entire runway for an out. OK. I can see that. I have been on many short field take offs in that otter and never understood them myself but figured there was a good reason for it. My guess was always to save fuel? There was mention of Scott not keeping up his airspeed on the left engine as a pilot error. But then I heard that a -20 or -21 whatever it was, was unable to climb in an ambient temperature that exceeded 80 some odd degrees. Then there was mention of air density and I still don't really get what that is. Is air density like humidity or how much air is in a given area??? And, how does it affect aircraft performance? Sorry to sound dumb. I am also still unclear on the whole spinning prop blades that "came off", "burnt off", direction of spin or how that causes things to happen. So I tend to have a hard time explaining or grappling with what seems to be ignorance in engine mechanics of airplanes. I'm hoping Chris S. will have a couple minutes to help me out here with some simpler explanations. Did the prop blades sever and enter the hot section of the engine causing the fire? I also heard that there not being a fire on the ground was evidence that Scott did the right thing and shut that engine down immediately. I am sure that since the engine was on fire not even 50 feet off the ground that is evidence that Scott was doing something right. Since I am not a pilot or a mechanic, I am sure I will have to go and reread several times the whole prop direction of turn in relation to engine failure, feathering (what does that mean vs. shutting it down), countering the planes yaw by increasing speed with the other engine??? I think skydivers should understand more about this. I feel like I need to understand more. I was thinking about it the other day. Being a rigger, I kind of understand what it means when someone comes up to me and asks me to pack their reserve parachute. I know how much skydivers place importance and trust in their rigger. But statistically, when you think about it, you only need your rigger when you need your reserve. Your chances are small if you can pack your main decently enough. Your need for your pilot and your aircraft are immediate and necessary on every jump. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Nope, I think both engines were -21s. But not sure. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hey Buzzer, I do have a question you may be able to answer. With regard to maintaining airspeed with the left engine... what about V1 and V2? I was under the understanding that the left engine was unable to climb because it was a dash 21 model. I am not an expert with aircraft or engines and will definitely run your post among friends who are but I was told that a dash 27 or 34 would have returned them home safely and been able to continue a climb, increased airspeed and turn-around for a safe landing. To answer the question about the pilot, he was a very experienced pilot with close to 30 years under his belt, also flew for American Eagle as an FO, was a DZO and on the World Champion Crew team. Knowing him the 2.5 years I did, my experience of him was that Scott was very well respected and trusted as a highly competent jump pilot among skydivers. I have flewn on many of his loads, Cessna and Otter. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

My personal thoughts on this from being directly involved... I have gone from a completely liberal minded, easy going, laid back skydiver mentality to an uptight, ultra responsible and concerned staunch conservative skydiver. Can there really be such a thing? Maybe not and maybe that is the main reason I don't skydive hardly anymore. It used to be when I signed my rights away on a waiver, I was nervous about owning my own responsibility for my actions and behavior to make a life threatening sport safe. I saw it as signing my name to everything that I was in control of with the chance or potential for true risk or danger from unforseen circumstance or chance out of my control or the control of others. When I sign a waiver now, I am not afraid of whether or not I will remember my Emergency procedures from a malfunction, or whether I will have a malfunction or whether I will be able to get that landing without injury or whether Joe Shmoe is going to take me out on exit. I worry about how the airplane is being maintained, who is flying that day... How much experience does that person have? How much control as skydivers do we really have over really knowing the true ins and outs of the particular airplane engine we are using to get us to altitude or that particular pilot's history and/or training? Call me scared, call me traumatized but after the first 9 years of skydiving with the occasional fatality usually caused by a snowball of bad happenings or error by the jumper, the following 3 years it seems the number of plane crashes and deaths due to pilot/maintenece error is astounding. We have had 2 here in Missouri just recently, one my home DZ and one our sister DZ. It seems like over the last couple of years the number of fatalities before people even left the airplane were considerable. I used to think that skydiving should be "self regulated" so that we could enjoy our freedom in the sky. I like to regulate myself. I pack my main, I pack my reserve, I take responsibility for myself. But when I can't jump because I have an issue signing away my life to the potential negligence of a pilot or mechanic who I don't know from Adam and that fear outweighs my fear of skydiving, to me there is an issue. Let's face it, skydiving is not a money making venture for the most part and most DZOs without other forms of income or start up capital struggle financially. If they are doing things right, they should definitely be poor. Airplanes aren't cheap to maintain or fly... Most pilots who fly jumpers are building time, are cheap or convenient. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of talented and good jump pilots out there who know exactly how to effectively fly jumpers but there are a lot of pilots out there who don't. My personal experience has jaded and changed my views to hoping that the FAA more strongly regulates A&P work, maintence logbooks, maintenence in general, pilot/mechanic credentials and flight ops for sport parachuting. I know there are many out there who disagree with me and that is OK. I used to feel the same way. I now believe when people get shafted due to negligence, money, laziness, maintenece issues or improper pilot training there needs to be regulation to prevent that. When I no longer fear skydiving itself but the ride to altitude so much that I don't skydive... that is different from signing my rights away on a waiver for taking responsibility for my own actions and not doing anything stupid or careless to injure or kill myself or anyone else. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

NTSB finds flaws in skydiver aircraft safety 9/16/2008, 2:19 p.m. EDT By SAM HANANEL The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety investigators called Tuesday for better government oversight of commercial skydiving operations because of too many recurring safety problems with the aircraft and pilots that fly skydivers to their jumps. The National Transportation Safety Board reached its conclusion after conducting a special investigation into 32 airplane crashes that involved parachute jumpers since 1980, but were unrelated to the risks of skydiving. Those accidents, which claimed the lives of 172 people, were caused by inadequate inspection and maintenance, pilot error or insufficient oversight by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, the agency found. While parachutists assume the risks associated with jumping out of airplanes, the NTSB said those risks should not include preventable hazards involved in flying and maintaining the aircraft itself. "You expect to be gotten to your destination, whether it's jumping out of an airplane or landing at your destination," said NTSB member Steven Chealander. "The biggest safety problem that the jumper faces is getting in that airplane, it seems to me." NTSB officials said they are concerned that parachute jump operators who advertise to the public are allowed to fly aircraft under FAA regulations that require little oversight and surveillance despite carrying millions of skydivers each year. The agency is recommending that the FAA work with the United States Parachute Association — an industry group — to develop guidelines for parachute jump operators to beef up maintenance and inspection programs and improve pilot training on the aircraft used in skydiving. After the NTSB expressed similar concerns in 1994, the FAA decided to perform more ramp inspections of aircraft used in skydiving operations. But NTSB officials said they were disappointed to learn in several recent cases that FAA inspections often were not taking place. NTSB member Deborah Hersman said she wants to make sure this time "we don't get the wool pulled over our eyes again." "There were a number of accidents in the report that if adequate surveillance would have been performed, those maintenance discrepancies would have been detected," Hersman said. Alison Duquette, an FAA spokeswoman, said the agency "would take a hard look at the recommendations and get back to the board as soon as possible." The NTSB was prompted to launch the special investigation of aircraft safety in the skydiving industry after the July 29, 2006, crash of a skydiving plane in Sullivan, Mo., that killed the pilot and five passengers. Two other passengers were seriously injured. A separate NTSB report on Tuesday said the probable cause of the Missouri crash was pilot failure to maintain air speed after losing power in the right engine of the DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter airplane. A contributing factor was the lack of effective seat belt restraints for the passengers, which might have enabled more to survive the crash. But the report also found such serious maintenance defects with the aircraft itself, that it decided to examine whether those problems were more widespread in the skydiving industry. The engine, for example, may have failed because it had not been properly overhauled according to the manufacturer's requirements. Investigators also found that the pilot flew the plane with a propeller system that had been defective for more than two months. © 2008 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Send To A Friend | Print This Share: Reddit | Digg | del.icio.us | Google | Yahoo Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Gosh, what a horrible tragedy. I could never imagine going through something like this. It is my worst fear. I am so sorry for yours and your family's loss. I hope you are able to find some kind of peace and keep Shannon's memories alive. Peace and strength to you and yours. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Geez Shark, what a sad weekend for your skydiving family and ours too. Two great people gone. I just wanted to post on this page to wish the Elsinore family strength and condolences. It is very sad that he left a wife and children behind. I did not know Shindig but it sounds like he was an incredible man. I am sorry for the loss of your good friend. You are all in my thoughts. Blue skies. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I have some more pictures of Jose to share with you all... Man, this is really tough. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Do you know that song, Only the Good Die Young, by Billy Joel? Well listening to that song the other day made me think of Jose. What a vibrant, energetic, fun guy to be around. Jose was very popular at our Drop Zone and very well liked by many. He was always one of my favorite people and I can still remember him coming out to Quantum Leap to make his first skydive. I taught his First Jump Course and took him on his first skydive and we instantly bonded as friends. It was funny because he went so far as to ask manifest for my "digits". Yes, he was a bit cocky now and then but that was Jose. He had a great personality and he will be missed by so many people. Jose was killed in Bowling Green, Missouri on Saturday June 21st when he struck the horizontal stabilizer of the Beech 99 after exiting the airplane. This tragic event left us without yet one more good friend who originated at Quantum Leap Skydiving Center. He not only was a good looking guy and full of life but he was also a heck of a lot of fun to be around. I for one will miss him dearly. I am trying to dig up some skydiving pictures of him to post, but in the meantime, here are some family pictures sent to me by his brother in law Pete. Blue skies Jose, I will miss not sharing any more good times with you in the future. Your death leaves me feeling so sad. I wish for peace and strength for the Connelly family and to send my sincerest condolences. The family has expressed an interest in spreading Jose's ashes from the air in freefall. I think the best place to do this will be at Bowling Green, MO. Anyone wishing to participate who knew and cared about Jose please contact me at [email protected]. OK, I tried to upload the photos but they are too large. I will have to upload them in a separate post after I find Jimmy Tavino or anyone else who can downsize my photos. If anyone has this program or can help me out with that please let me know. Thanks and blue skies. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I have seen a couple errors on reserves... One would have been fatal and the other one, I am not sure but it wouldn't have been fun to land. For the amount of pack jobs I have done, I think I have seen a couple too many. The first one I found while doing my Rigger's training, I was still a riglet. I found it doing the line continuity check. A couple of the lines were crossed (out of order). The second one was one that would have more than likely ended up as a line over on the reserve. The lines were wrapped around the pack job instead of straight up and down the middle of the pack job. That one would not have been too pretty. I have also heard about but not seen an instance when a pack job went through 4 cycles until someone found the molar strap still attached. That result would have had obvious consequences. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Fletch, I came by and looked for you on Saturday night, asked a couple folks where you were and they said you were editing videos upstairs. I never did get to see you or give you a big hug . We partied until 4 am, (you might have heard us--The super loud music near the fence). Anyhow, I was a little sad and disappointed that I didn't get to say Hi and hang out a bit but Dakota and I were only there for the night and the following morning. I hope you had a great weekend, I had a blast seeing everyone. I guess your big hug will just have to wait for next time. TTYL Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Well I thought last night was an extraordinary finale. I think watching Cook in his element with ZZ Top was a real treat. I didn't think Cook performed that well in the final round, but am not displeased to see him win the title of American Idol. I was unaware of anything going on with his brother though. Someone mentioned something about his condition, is he sick or something? I did not like seeing skunk lady again. Her voice is offensive to me. Is anyone going to see Idol on tour? They are coming to St. Louis on July 19th. I wonder how expensive tickets will be Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Thanks Chris, you are always so helpful Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I think both artists are talented with definitely different styles. At first I couldn't believe that Archuletta could win the American Idol title and thought Cook would much more fit the bill and that America would probably see it that way too. But like others have said, after last night... Archuletta just did a bang out job and I think it was one of Cook's just mediocre nights. It is a shame for Cook because I think he may have just had an "off" night but it wasn't the time for that to happen. Some of his songs were pitchy and off key whereas Archuletta was nailing it. Cook is definitely the most original and Archuletta did have other nights (like when he forgot the lyrics)... if that had been last night, I think Cook would have won for sure. I really think it is a toss up but I kind of hope Archuletta wins at this point. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

For those wanting to know more about services for Steve, you can view his obituary at: http://obit.baue.com/obitdisplay.html?id=544343&listing=Current Sorry, I still do not know how to make that a clicky so if someone wants to they can or just copy and paste. The memorial service is at Baue funeral home in St.Charles (off of Cave Springs Rd). It's on Saturday May 31st, beginning at noon and ending at 3 PM with an open microphone forum. There is also planning for an after hours social function but nothing has been set up as of yet. Futher details should be available on Baue's Funeral home website later today. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Sadly and with a heavy heart, I am here to inform the skydiving community that Steve Parrella passed away this last weekend in his home. For those of you who did not know Steve, he was a great guy, caring father, good friend and to me, one of my 4 Way teammates on Quantum Leap's 2004 team, "Crazy Pants". Steve worked for American Airlines as a captain and accident investigator and he worked at Quantum Leap as an AFF instructor, coach and S&TA. Steve was always willing to take the time with students and he was an inspiration to the sport of skydiving. Steve was one of the only two survivors to come out of the Quantum Leap crash which incidentally, is coming up on it's 2 year anniversary on July 29th. Steve survived the crash but sustained severe injuries including damage to his spinal cord. After battling for his life in ICU and in the hospital, Steve got to go home but ended up paralyzed from the chest down. I do not know yet how or why Steve died, I do know that his life after the QL crash changed drastically. Steve was a fighter and accomplished many great things in his lifetime. He was very respected in our community of skydivers and we will remember him always. Blue skies Steve, I hope you are in a better place now and that you are jumping once more with our old friends Scott, Robert, Rob and Dave. Dakota, "the prettiest girl in Sullivan" was so sad when I told her the news today Blue skies Steve. Love, "Alfredo" Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."