NSEMN8R

I'm in the middle of trying to make a jump plane out of a 182 right now and I can tell you that, if I had it to do over again, I'd buy one that's already done. In fact, there's one in the classifieds right now that looks pretty bad ass and it's already on your side of the pond. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=134574 Good luck!

Lloyd, I think the problem with this idea is that it doesn't make anyone special. If it doesn't put any one person or little group of people at the top of the heap, no one has any real reason to push the idea.

The faa doesn't require a cfi's endorsements come from an examiner in order to give other pilots and CFIs the endorsement. They can get it from anyone who has both a CFI rating and the endorsements. I for one would be a lot less resistant to a system like this than the idea of handing control of all wingsuiting instruction to just 7 people. Would a similar system be enough to satisfy the regulationists?

My point is that it takes significantly more training for a pilot to earn a tail wheel or high performance or complex endorsement than it takes for an experienced skydiver to learn to fly a wingsuit safely. Yet the instructors that handout these endorsements need only have the endorsement themselves in order to be able to teach these skills to other pilots and give them the endorsement. They don't need an additional instructor rating. They don't have to take another check ride with an examiner. Why should the USPA require more from skydiving instructors to teach something simple than the faa requires for CFI's to teach things that are much more complex?

So the CFI that gave you the tailwheel endorsement-- Did he have to get special taildragger CFI rating and prove to an faa examiner that he can teach someone how to safely operate a tailwheel airplane? Or can just any CFI get a tailwheel endorsement from another CFI and start giving tailwheel instruction?

Assuming that training by a rated instructor is included in the BSR's (no need to create a program if it isn't going to be "mandatory"), the dzo would be in violation of that BSR by doing so. This is the attitude that is the problem - yeah it's a rule but I'm special so I'm not going to follow it. Add in the fact that USPA doesn't do a damn thing about BSR or FAR violations and we get the FAA stepping in to do the job that we are obviously incapable of doing. You couldn't be more wrong about my attitude skybytch. The statement you quoted has nothing to do with tandems. There's a huge difference between student operations and their attempt to further regulate experienced jumpers. When it comes to student operations we will follow all FAR's BSR's and the manufacturer's rules whether we're a GM dz or not. These rules make sense. They are there for safety, not to inflate egos and pockets. For what it's worth, my tandem gear will be adjusted properly AND have a Y-mod. Also, I doubt the USPA is going to make a BSR censoring I's and prohibiting them from talking about wingsuiting without the blessing of one of their 7 examiners. An instructor can share whatever knowlededge he wants with whomever he wants. If anyone in that hypothetical situation would be busting a bsr it would be the student, wouldn't it?

Are there any regulations against 2 licensed skydivers static-lining each other out of the plane without a rating or with out even any instruction?

Passing on group membership means you can ignore the FAR's and BSR's? Sweet!!!!! Where'd that come from? Everyone has to follow FAR's. Luckily this conversation has nothing to do with FAR's. Are you saying that a non uspa dz could somehow possibly be required to enforce uspa bsr's? At least I won't be sending them group member dues to fund this nonsense. Not that it's going to matter. I don't think there's any possibility of this passing anyways. I'm pretty sure we'll end up being a USPA dz.

Here's the thing, standardized instruction will not hurt your discipline. It can only make it better. What are you afraid of? .... that's not sarcasm, I really don't see what you are afraid of. Your argument would make some sense if they were new guys that didn't know they were supposed to exit with their wings closed hitting the tail. There's no reason to believe that if they would have gotten their initial training from a WSI instead of an experienced friend or a book they wouldn't have had tailstrikes. I think it's more likely that they all had the information but just fucked up. So, unless your WSI is going to be there on every jump, this isn't going to solve anything. What I'm afraid of is you guys making it more difficult and more expensive for new wingsuit pilots to get in on the fun. I'm afraid that you people might actually say that there are now only 7 people in the world that can give me the special blessing I'll need before I can teach any more of my friends to fly wingsuits. This is exactly what they're proposing! Actually, I'm not that afraid. I have faith that the skydiving community in general has enough sense to vote this down. I can't imagine 50% of us voluntarily requesting more regulations and another big bureaucracy even if billvon is right about 10% of us being completely retarded.

What part of wingsuiting do you feel is so difficult that you couldn't read about it and understand what is meant? I can't think of one single thing about flying a wingsuit that is confusing enough to need someone to explain it instead of just reading it from a flight manual. Yes, not getting it right can kill you but that could happen with or without an instructor watching you. If your out there "not getting it right", it's not like your WSI is going to swoop in and stop your spin or pull for you like an AFFI.

Why not? That's how I and hundreds of others learned to do it. I doubt I would have been any safer if I'd had an instructor read it to me. It really just isn't that hard.

I can honestly say I read and understood the manual that came with my Bird man Classic before I jumped it. Everything you need to know for a safe first flight is in there. Maybe uspa can come up with a quick written quiz to verify that you know the basics?

I agree with alot of what you said and I see the benefit of having a standardized ffc that we all use. I just don't think requiring a special instructional rating to teach it is necessary. Why not just make a little booklet out of it and have the Group Member dropzones make everyone that's flying a wingsuit sign a statement saying that they've reviewed and understand the material? I'm in the middle of opening a new dz right now. I don't want to sound rude, but if the uspa is going to make it a rule that I can no longer teach people to fly wingsuits out of my airplane until spot or whoever says I can, I think I'll pass on the group membership.

I got my "rating" from Nick Rugai at Nitro Rigging. You can download the course materials here http://nitrorigging.com/documents. It's a good thorough course. I've probably taught 30 or so people to fly and nobody's hit the tail yet.

Sorry man. I was hoping for a break from the snow or something. Got work to do around here in the summer.. Good luck with your event! Abedy- thanks for the link. There's one more place this stereotypical american can pick out on the map. Hope to see it in person one day.

When are you planning on having your event?

I dont know where malta is but if you're paying for the trip and it's warm there and cold here when you're doing it, I'll do it for free. Just give me an extra couple days there and let me keep whatever handcam money I can make and I'll bring my rig and you won't even have to pay me for jumping.

Why legalize it? Medical Marijuana has become a nice little cottage industry in Michigan. Let's keep something for the common man. Right now we have people making money as caregivers and opening dispensaries and hydro stores... If we legalize weed it all goes away. Phillip Morris will grow it and Walgreens will sell it and the little guys get screwed.

Anyone know a good mechanic that can do a pre-buy on a '57 182 near Heber Springs, Arkansas? I'm planning to fly down in my 150 and fly back in the 182 so if there's someone between MI and AR, I could pick them up on the way.

Check Craigslist for your stuff bro. My store got hit Laborday weekend. We found it on craigslist and got it all back and then some. Even made the news for it. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/09/caledonia_man_takes_crimefight.html

So you really think they handled this the right way? A tank through the living room is over the line, but kicking in the door with guns blazing is ok? If they had been watching the guy, they had to know there was a kid in the house. Every one of them should be charged with reckless endagerment at the very least. What they did was completely irresponsible.

Karma can be a bitch. Hope those thugs get what they deserve.

Like many states, it sure has its own unique character; but as far as I know (and I invite correction), it's the only state where a civilian is allowed to back-shoot a criminal suspect, even if he's unarmed, when he is in the process of running away from committing a strictly property crime. (While I don't approve, it's not really a bash; more of a clinical observation.) If ALL states had such laws, we would see practicallly an end to break ins! Apparently the criminals haven't yet received the memo: http://www.prsearch.com/crime/texas/ They're 44 of 50, 1 being best. Texas Crime Statistics for 2005 With a total population of 22,859,958, Texas had a total crime index of 1,111,384 or 1 crime for every 20.57 people. Of which 10.90% (121,091) were of a violent nature while 89.10% (990,293) were crimes against property. SO MUCH FOR DETERRENCE. 89.1% of the prisoners are theives and the rest are violent criminals? Sounds too good to be true. Don't you guys down there lock people up for weed and other bullshit victimless crimes like we do?

EG/NitroRigging does have an instructional course. It cost me $1200 but it came with a free wingsuit. ;) Here's a link: http://nitrorigging.com/EGI.htm

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/05/dea_agent_lee_lucas_indicted_o.html Is it just me or does it seem like this kind of shit is becoming more and more common? It makes me wonder how many other innocent people are in jail because of this failed war on drugs. Something really needs to be done about these corrupt "task forces".