velvetjo

On windy days you can sometimes get PIREP's (pilot reports) from aircraft with actual winds aloft. A good site to do so is ADDS, which Eule already pointed out as well. Click the PIREPs tab - the interactive Java tool gives you a nice little map which you can zoom to your location. PIREP codes can be found here. If your jump pilot doesn't give PIREPs regularly when the weather is quirky, they should. Smack 'em around until they do - it helps everyone who flies, and not doing it is just lazy. Don't forget a really simple but powerful tool available in most aircraft today for determining winds - the GPS. As the plane circles, the largest delta between higher airspeed and lower groundspeed means you're pointing directly into the wind at the current altitude, and coincidentally it's also the windspeed. Ask the pilot to repeat this simple exercise a couple of times on your way up, and you should have a pretty good idea of what will happen after you leave the aircraft. If you really want to get nutty and go old school, ask the pilot if you can drop a wind drift indicator. Just remember, they don't call the first load "wind dummies" for nothing. Lance

how do you make it mandatory, yet valid? If they can't manage to involuntarily PLF, they're doing a better job of flaring that I was and an acted out PLF doesn't quite resemble the one when you need it to suck out the kinetic energy. An easy way to make a PLF "mandatory" is to have the student perform crosswind landings in winds over 5 knots. Most people can't run too well sideways, so a PLF is a safe alternative under most student canopies. We teach this as an additional requirement for the A license signoff. Landing crosswind also gives some sideways momentum, which usually makes a PLF easier to do. I agree that downwinders should be part of any skydivers' bag of tricks. We teach a baseball slide method, which seems to work well and minimizes the chances of back & tailbone injuries compared to a butt-slide. If you've never tried a downwinder, you're missing out. They're fun! Lance

I'll throw in another recommendation for using a Dremel tool when drilling a helmet. They're great for the funky slots you'll need for cable ends and other stuff. If you have a shopvac, keep suction on the work area while you drill and your cleanup will be a lot simpler. One thing you might want to do before you drill anything is load up the camera(s) you'll be using in whatever boxes/brackets you have, then tape them in place to find a balance point that you like. You can also eliminate a lot of potential snag hazards by easily modifying this temporary version of your final setup. Have fun & take your time - you can always cut more later, but it's harder to put back! Lance

This is pretty ironic after listening to so many Euros bitch about "sue-happy Americans" over the years I lived there. I guess the dark side of human nature (greed in this case) isn't limited to just us Yanks after all. Sure hope the waivers were tight. If memory serves, a plane crash a few years ago in MO - which was clearly found by the NTSB to be pilot error - led to a major vacuum pump manufacturer leaving that business for liability concerns after they got tangled in a similar shotgun lawsuit. Lance

I agree - we also get much better performance than Rob mentions above. I know that the DZO's talk about their previous 206 as having been a lot slower than this modified 182, so maybe it has something to do with the specific engine or mods to install it in a 182. Fuel injection may make some difference vs. a carbureted engine as well. Not too many pygmies in Pennsylvania though! Lance

4 on the right side (3 rear face back and front person faces forward) and 2 facing backward behind the pilot. It's tight, but it gets the job done. Back on topic, it just shows what an economical & versatile plane the 182 can be. They're all fun though! Lance

Huh? I don't think so. There is no way you can be in balance with seven adults in a 182. I don't care how many horses you have or how long the wings are. Where is the approved seatbelt location for the sixth jumper? Believe whatever you want, but it can be done legally and safely, at least in the US (not sure about Transport Canada's regs). You might want to do your homework on what STC's are actually available for 182's before you make any other assertions like the one above. Cessna Pilots Association would be a good place to start your research if you're into opening your mind a bit on the subject. You might also want to check out info on FAA 337 Field Approvals while you're at it. Happy flying!

Ron, that sounds a lot like this program. I understand that CSPA's PFF is also similar in concept. I mostly trained in a straight S/L program, and I wish that I had the advantages of all three methods like the students I work with now. The big advantage of IAD instead of S/L in an integrated student program is not having to change student gear rigging for any type of solo jump - everything gets packed as BOC. Lance

Rob, did you intentionally leave the Cessna 182 off the list? I like the C-182 because it helped skydiving grow to the sport we know today. Re-engined to 300HP and with other available mods, an early wide-body 182 can carry 6 jumpers plus a pilot. A stock narrow-body 182 with a jump door & step puts opening a dropzone into the reach of many who could otherwise never afford it. No real favorites here, I'll jump anything that gets me to altitude! Lance

Congrats, Dale. Glad you're having fun at Sussex, and the whole Finger Lakes crew enjoyed hearing from you the other night at Batavia. Hopefully some of us will make it down your way before the end of the summer. Are you doing mostly tandems now, or are you still doing some video too? See ya soon, Lance

Just to illustrate Ron's point about hours as compensation, go try to rent a 182 sometime, even an old POS at a country FBO. IF you can find one, it'll cost you $100+ per hour. I don't even want to think about what it would cost to rent a twin otter wet. Fact is, most pilots do think of that aircraft time as part of their compensation in low-time jobs. So if you're getting $10 cash per load with 2 loads an hour in a 182, you're really netting about $120/hour in value received, mostly tax-free. I'm kinda sick of hearing this stuff - it's just a pay-for-training thread in sheep's clothing. It's a reality of the business right now. I'd love to quit my job and fly for a living, but the economics don't work. For those who are willing to put up with the BS and low pay to get a job flying full time, more power to you. I have friends who've done it, but it's a hard road. Lance

The AOPA website lists 20/40 near and distant vision (with or without corrective lenses) as the Class 3 medical requirement. If you're unsure about your medical status, it's probably worth joining AOPA for a few bucks before you see an AME for your physical. The members' section of the site has tons of info on medicals, plus they have a staff that can answer some medical & procedural questions by phone. According to AOPA, in a Class 3 medical the FAA looks for: near vision, distant vision, color vision, hearing, blood pressure, ENT vertigo or equilibrium problems, disqualifying conditions (stuff like pacemakers , fainting spells , substance abuse

Cool technique. That sounds a lot like a side-slip on final for an airplane, mainly because of the crossed controls and altitude loss. Granted, we don't have a rudder, but by warping the wing it sounds like it accomplishes the same thing. Anybody tried it on an elliptical? If so, are there any nasty characteristics? How long is the recovery and on what kind of canopy? Thanks, Lance

Better call there first if you're showing up on a Wednesday. Not much action on weekdays unless somebody is organizing a group to jump on a nice day. Your best bet is trying to catch a tandem load if they have any scheduled for the day. They're nice folks, have fun if you make it there tomorrow. The lakes make for a great view.

Not true. Each of your handles can shift for a variety of reasons, and you need to know how to deal with this effectively. Talk to your instructors about how to do this (including how long / how many times to try) if they haven't told you already. It's tempting to pick apart a jump in retrospect, but don't get too bogged down in the past. Discuss areas that need improvement with your instructors, since they know you best. I agree with the other posts that suggest video if you're not fully understanding feedback from your instructors. It will show you exactly what they mean. The other thing to remember is that our perceptions are often different from reality, so video is a great way to get another perspective on the problem. Relax, stay safe, and have fun on your jumps.

A Piper Cub pilot I know swears by Scott toilet paper for a similar application. He drops the roll, and as it unravels he cuts it in half with a maneuver that looks like a lazy 8. Would be cool to see somebody do that with a canopy. Lance

Swept tips, BERP tips, etc. are all various methods of reducing blade-vortex interaction (BVI). Like somebody said above, that's the wop-wop noise you're used to hearing on Hueys and other square-tipped rotor systems. The idea is that the enhanced tip shape on these blades makes a wake which is either weaker or less likely to interact with the blade behind it. Helicopter blade tips typically operate in the transonic range, which is a funky flow regime that's not completely understood and also not easily modeled. Lance

Do you mean each frame or each clip? Each frame seems pretty excessive. My limited experience is with Adobe Premiere Elements, which does not appear able to do this automatically by clip. Even if you did find something that made each clip a different chapter, you'd end up with a new chapter for each cut, which still might be a bit much depending on how & what you're shooting. Lance

Chris, everybody I talked to who was on that load thought it was amusing and didn't mind a bit. Like you said, they were all just staring at each other because nobody gave a count. The video is a hoot! To the fun police: unclench a litte, eh? Lance

I debated this a while before I installed an articulating mount on my Optik too. Ended up setting it back pretty far because the long post gave a better lever arm for any snagged lines to pop the entire assembly loose. The plastic screws are an intentional failure mode for the articulating bracket, so why cripple them with a short lever arm? I did trim the sight post so that there's no external snag point exposed on the assembly. The other advantage that placement gave on an Optik was protection of the Cameye button between the bracket and the top mounting surface. Got lots of feedback about protecting this button from other video flyers who got burned by door bumps, etc. No bumps on the Cameye so far because of this placement. As you point out, it's really the clearance between your goggles and the sight that is the "snag point" entry. Once the sight assembly is snagged, I want it to go far away - pronto. Lance

Great job - hope to see you on a coach jump soon! Lance

Considering that they typically have no cutaway system or reserve , you're putting the PPC pilot (and yourself) at a lot of risk if a wrap were to occur. Having jumped PPC's a few times, I'd hate to imagine all of that weight suspended from a skydiving canopy & skydiver. I wouldn't even consider putting my canopy near the go-cart end of a PPC. More snag points than you can shake a stick at! Also, you'd never want to be near the prop while it was running, caged or not. I know a guy who lost most of his foot in one of those last year - they're not toys. Lance

You ought to be anxious. Your livelihood or hobby may be next on the block. It's sad to see this whole affair, but it's all too typical in less enlightened communities. Just look around at the number of airports with grass strips remaining and you'll see what I mean. Lance

Sounds like you need a hemp jumpsuit! I'm a PM for a LEED platinum building right now, and it's been a real education. Between the fabrics used for rigs & canopies, fuel burn, etc. it would be hard to say that skydiving is an eco-friendly endeavor. The one exception is the long life we squeeze out of jump aircraft. This is more due to the economic involved, but if you compare it to autos we're getting a lot more bang for the eco-buck through maintenance. A tethered & winched helium balloon might be one way to get folks to altitude that meets your criteria, but there are lots of logistical problems with a 13,000' vertical tether... Lance

You might want to check out Above the Poconos in Hazleton, PA, too. I jump there so I'm a bit biased, but I think their take on the student progression offers the best aspects of tandem, IAD, & AFF. Check it out for yourself on their website. Good luck with your training wherever you end up. Lance