boyfalldown

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Posts posted by boyfalldown

  2. I can't speak for the pponk upgrade, but I own a 61 d model 182 (470l) with cowl flaps and a 6 cylinder engine monitor as well as have flown a fair bit of jumpers in a 56 with the same engine. I have spent a considerable amount of time tightening up my baffles yet the 56 seems to run way cooler than mine even when flown 40mph slower. I cruise climb at 120 in my 61 and struggle to keep it below 390, in the 56 I climb at 80 and hardly ever break 380. Pulling back the power to 15" 2 minutes to jump run and decending at 15" shock cooling doesn't seem to be an issue even without cowl flaps.

  10. I am at a complete loss... Van encouraged me to start flying, and and I owe most of the joy i find in life today to him. He and Alberta were two of the most amazing people I've ever met, I am proud to have worked for them even if for such a short time. My world is a better place thanks to the two of them, and I am positive that the world is a better place thanks to the two of them.

    Words can't express the joy I found in our 5am conversations getting ready for load 1. I've missed those moments so since the dz closed. I'm so sorry I didn't take more time to visit in the years since.

    Again, words can't express how much you two mean to me, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you that sooner.

  11. Godfrog, you can't slip something with a 100' wingspan like you can a Cessna or a Cherokee. With a long wingspan a big forward slip will result in you dragging your wingtips across the ground. Wings level and kick the rudder is all you can do, unless you have crosswind gear like a 47.

  15. I always went with the opposite. I use the X as a backup if there is a loss of radio communication on a demo. If communication is lost and I see the x I'll jump at the predetermined time, no X means no jump if there's no radio.

  17. Do you have a single or multi probe CHT? 420 is higher than I like to see, I try too keep below 400.

    The factory probe on my 182 was on the #1 cylinder, after I put on a 6 probe cht I found my number 2 cylinder running 50 degrees hotter during the climb, #1 is usually 360, while #2 was 410.

  18. Have I done this? Yes. How? By pulling my front riser. Was it safe? Heck no! Is any swoop safe? After more than 1000 swoops on the same canopy the setup looked right with the lighting available and I went far more conservatively than during the day.

  19. Reading this thread brings back a lot of memories from my first year of jumping some fifteen years ago. Skydiving completely ruled my life and I spent every free moment at the d.z., even if it meant waiting around all day on a slow Thursday hoping for a walk in tandem to get the Cessna up for a load.

    Being 20 and just having paid for aff and a beat to hell rig I was so broke I had to jack off just to feed my cat. The dzo understood my poor financial shape and would send me in to town to the laundromat on those slow days with all the dirty jumpsuits and a roll of quarters. That, emptying all the trash cans, and vacuuming the packing area would get me a couple of jump tickets for the coming weekend. Good times

    If the funk scares you that much and you have the free time, you could always volunteer to do some laundry.

  20. 3mpire

    ***
    If you are not wearing a suit on a belly jump and I need to dock on something other than your hand, I just grab as much flesh as I can and hold on tight.

    arm hairs, skin, whatever. I'll stretch the fuck out of a t-shirt if I have to. Not comfortable for you but it works for me.

    Seriously. Dress for success.



    Well that's not very nice... Learn to fly your slot and you'll be able to take any grip! :ph34r:

  21. Keep in mind the jumpsuit is half for you and half for your instructors. A tiny slow instructor may put you in a tight fast suit, and a big guy with an advanced fall rate may want you in something baggy and slow. If your really worried about jumpsuit cooties try to schedule your jumps early in the weekend before anyone else gets to stink em up. Most d.z.'s I've worked for washed all the jumpsuits at some point during the week before the weekend rush.

    I get the desire to own your own stuff, ask your instructors what things you can jump with, altimeter, goggles and possibly a helmet are a good start.

  23. What exactly are you frustrated about? Aircraft engine overhauls haven't skyrocketed lately, and annual inspections and 100 hours cost me the same as they did 5 years ago. The biggest and worst expense is fuel. I filled up today, 38.5 gallons for $211, $5.47 a gallon ouch.

    As far as government Regulation goes, I feel pretty damn privileged as far as general aviation and skydiving goes. I can hop in my plane and fly anywhere I want without asking anyone permission, unless I choose to fly into class b airspace. When it comes to jumping the FAA is pretty damn lenient. If I have permission from the land owner of the proposed dz and am not over a congested area or assembly of persons I simply need to notify (not ask) the associated controller of that airspace of my intended jump ops and spend 5 minutes calling in a notam. The man will even provide me radar service of potential traffic while climbing to altitude free of charge.

    Local municipalities seem to be a bigger issue than the man. Neighbors complaining of noise, farmer Mcnasties, fire Marshall's looking for graft, airport managers that don't care for skydivers, EPA goobers that want hard surface runways and won't allow dirt because of the environmental impacts to air quality, those seem to be real issues (to me at least).

    The only 182 for rent near me is an rg, and the fbo charges $170 an hour wet. Add a pilot and $180 an hour for a plane for demo jumps seems like an ok deal. I doubt any dzo's are getting rich hauling fun jumpers for $25 a head. The next time your on a Cessna load with 3 jumpers give your dzo a hug, he's not making any money to haul you to altitude, and he's assuming a lot of liability for the privilege of not earning a penny. Unless the dollar gets stronger or demand for oil gets weaker that's just the way it is.

  24. That sounds like a great price. Figure 13 gallons per hour for the 182, so $75 in fuel, $25 for the pilot, fixed maintenance cost of $25 for the engine and prop reserve and $10 for the annual or 100 hour. I have no idea what insurance costs that covers jump ops but even without that factored in there is only a $50 net profit.

  25. That is the original rebel, I put a few hundred jumps on mine. The picture quality is great, especially with a nice lens (I like the 10-22) all though many have had success with the kit lens. It will accept a standard bite switch in the mini jack on the side of the camera, sorry no timed shooting like a go pro.

    The are a few minor downsides to that first generation dslr. It is a lot bigger and heavier than newer offerings from cannon, even the rebel xt which is 8 or so years old by now and can be found for pennies on the dollar and is roughly half the size of the 300. It also has a small buffer that takes a loooong time to clear. The first four shots happen pretty quickly, but then the waiting begins. After the first burst I seem to recall it being 1-3 seconds before you could take the next shot.

    Free is free, and the quality of the pictures is excellent. The slow buffer and big physical size are a drag, but not impossible to get past. If I were shooting tandems professionally I'd look for another camera, but if your looking to build your first camera rig on the cheap and upgrade later, that's a fine place to start.

    Oh, and if the cameras been sitting for a while be prepared to buy some new batteries for it.