bclark

Goleta / Isla Vista. This is just a couple blocks away from the UCSB campus.

Ok let me get this straight. The "Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints" is not a christian church? They recognize God the Father, Jesus, and the holy ghost (spirit) as deity. If they are not Christians, then please educate me as to what they are. They certainly are not satanists, buddhists, hindu, or muslims. And yes, I am familiar with their teachings as I grew up in Salt Lake City in a Mormon family. I am not an active member of the church, but my family are about as christian as they come. (and I was raised to be nothing other than a Christian.) If worshiping Jesus Christ is not the "commonly accepted" sense of the word Christian, than please tell me what is!? And on Prop 8. No matter what I think or you think, the vote is in. Like it or not, it is what it is. Until the majority rule...

I discovered Freebirds in Goleta, CA. My girlfriend goes to school there. I believe this is "the original" Freebirds. I was super happy when I found out they were in Houston.

I like both Chipotle and the (Free)bird. I find I can customize a little more at Freebirds. Love their habanero sauce, and a scoop of jalapenos. O MAN!

I believe that when you bad mouth a neighboring DZ (especially because of a personal agenda), your words have the reverse effect that you intended. Every DZO and every DZ has some pissed off jumper out there who says, "this DZO is a dick, and their DZ sucks". Hell, I know there are some people out there that think I am a dick. Speak with your wallet, jump where you want to jump. Let others have fun where they feel at home. Texas is big enough for multiple DZ's. (and it's fun to have some variety, right?) A couple years ago Temple borrowed one of our Otters during the week. I got to fly up there with the airplane and do a bunch of tandems. I had a great time. Temple reminded me of my home DZ. People treated me AWESOME. Free beer and they fed me too. My one experience there was definately a positive one.

90 is my oldest. Rolled onto the DZ hunched over a walker. Don't like doing them. To me the risk is not worth the reward.

2 words: SHA ZAAAAAM! More AN-2 pics like this please...

AN-2 at Spaceland. Skyfest 07. Got to ride in the copilots seat on the way up. Lots of fun. SLOW jump run.

I remember the first Voodoo I saw. We cut out self adhesive pile velcro in the shape of the "lips" and stuck it around the "eye". Use your imagination.

WOW! That was fucking incredible.

Ooooh! People are still skydiving out of Beech 18's in America. I am feeling all nostalgic.

24 jumps this weekend. All tandems. Great weekend. Beautiful blue skies and cool, dry weather (for SE Texas). Almost no wind both days. Lots of fun students.

I was not referencing the original topic, but rather a side discussion started upthread about whether you could put 2 tandems in a 172 and be within weight and balance limitations.

Our 1977 C172N weighs 1476.3 lbs empty. Max gross weight is 2300 lbs. That gives you 823.7 lbs usefull load. With a 150 lb. pilot, 2 150 lb. TI's and 2 150 lb. students, (plus 100 lbs of tandem rigs) that puts you at 2326.3 lbs. In other words 26.3 pounds over gross (with only unusable fuel on board). I didn't even bother figuring out where the CG would be. (Max 120 lbs. in the baggage compartment). Our airplane is not a jump plane so you can add some useful load by removing the copi and rear seats and maybe some nonessential avionics, but that gives you a ballpark idea.

I as taught from the very beginning not to hook my student up until at a safe exit altitude. I know every instructor thinks that the way they were taught is correct. I would put forth a couple of questions to stimulate thought on the subject. What is the minimum altitude at which you would exit on the reserve with a tandem? What advantage does having your student hooked up below this altitude present? If you are in an airplane that has to make a forced landing on takeoff or shortly thereafter will you have time to unhook your student? In that instance, how can you gaurantee that you will not be incapacitated or killed? And how is your student going to be able to evacuate a wrecked or burning airplane while trying to give your body and a 50 pound tandem rig a piggy back ride? (while possibly injured themselves) Or the other way around. Maybe your student is dead or critically injured, and you have sustained injuries that would make it difficult or impossible to unhook your student and evacuate the aircraft. None of us can say what will happen in an aircraft emergency / crash. And none of us are impervious to injury.

WANNA BUY A DUCK?!

I know this is opening up a whole new line of conversation but here we go... Because there is a minimum altitude below which you are not getting out of the airplane. And if you land in the airplane and are incapacitated during the landing / crash, your student is now trapped in the aircraft attached to your worthless carcass.

I think that you did the right thing. I think you have to weigh the risks of a partially hooked up bailout at minimal altitude vs. a power off landing in a Cessna with a capable pilot who you trust. With a little altitude to work things out, and with a cool headed pilot in the left seat, a power off landing should not be that big of an issue.

Hmmmm. Sliding landings?

Both DZ's are good. I have worked at Spaceland for 5 years. Open every day but Christmas. Something for everyone: RW (everything from rookie 4 way teams to 150 ways), freeflyers, birdpeople, swoopers (pond and ditch). We have 3 Super Otters. Nice deli, huge manicured landing areas. Maybe not the greatest party DZ in the world, but how much that matters I guess depends on whether you go to the DZ to skydive or drink beer.

:19:0 19 tandems this weekend. We had a great weekend with 2 Super Otters running hot. It was fun watching teams training for Nationals. We had a Red Cross Raffle / Benefit for Hurricane Ike victims. Great BBQ by the Anvil Bros. It was good to really get back to work after the Hurricane.

Wow, C-152! I bet it was a full load.

DZs: Skydive Utah (Cedar Valley, Ut / My home DZ) Skydive Utah (Tooele, UT) Skydive Salt Lake (Kearns, UT and Tooele, UT) Skydive Ogden Skydive Mesquite Skydive Elsinore Skydive Spaceland Skydive Temple Skydive Arizona Arizona Skydiving Coolidge (Mullins) and numerous off DZ demos and special events. Aircraft: Beech 18 546 jumps DC-3 (Southern Cross and Blue Streak): 100ish Twin Bonanza C-182 C-207 Cherokee 6 Balloons Bell Long Ranger AN-2 CASA 212 Skyvan Twin Otter Caravan King Air I first met you Chile when you came to our DZ in Cedar Valley, UT. We still had the Beech 18 and I remember the drawings you made in your logbook of the mountains and the Twin Beech. I remember your Peeflex with the Jerry Bears on the pop top. I also bumped into you at Spaceland a few years back.

Power just came back on in Bellaire. (After being out all night.) Winds are still blowing like crazy. (No idea as to velocity, as TV and internet have been down too.) There is some flooding looking outside. But we are okay here. Wonder the rest of Spaceland Staff are doing in the hangar down there!?

I concur. I don't like flying with pilots who feel the need to show off or entertain the jumpers with unusual maneuvers. I don't like the way the load shifts during zero G maneuvers. You can swear up and down that because you are at "0 G" there is no stress on the aircraft, but that is only true during the actual moment at which "0 G" exists, not during the setup, entry, or exit of the maneuver. Jump planes are old. Be nice to them. I can think of several negative consequences to this type of behavior (dislodged handles, airframe stress, change of CG), but only one positive: making a bunch of idiots go WOOHOO!