SkydiveJack

Lucaya Air is dead. I saw her in Laredo, TX sitting on the ramp minus an engine when I started going down there with my old charter flying job in 2000. About three years ago I flew in there after they had a hurricane coast in and hit Laredo. Lucaya Air was on her back, flipped over from the winds. Her vertical tail was smashed and the wings were bent. I was told that the owners had just hung new engines and were about to get her flying. They had already removed the engines when I saw her broken. I flew in there a few months later and she was gone. The guys at the airport said she was cut up and hauled away. Maybe you drank a beer from a can she was recycled into. Jack

When the US Atomic program was started during WW II the Germans, Russians and Japanese were also working on their own (albeit limited) nuclear programs. I think history has shown that it was better that the USA came up with it first. I'm not saying nuclear weapons are a good thing, just that it was better that the USA came up with it first. BTW, the book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb' by Richard Rhodes is a fascinating read. Jack

Nice to hear about Lou and his current situation. He had a C-150 that I rented from him and did my first solo flight in many years ago at Z-hills. I shifted from skydiving as my living and am now flying for a living. I just got my PIC type rating in the Gulfstream GIV today! Please PM me if you have a contact e-mail address. Thanks, Jack Gregory

Don't forget to try the Foie Gras (sp?). That's the local goose liver pate'. Gooooood!!

I'm dating myself, but when I bought my first car I paid around $0.28 per gallon. During the oil embargo around '73 or '74 it went up to around $0.45 per gallon. Boy did that ever hurt. I guess it's all relative!

Anybody know when the first issue was published? (and does anyone have it!) You might check with USPA. I seem to remember when I worked there that they had almost every issue on file. Jack

I'll take a #1 and 5 right!

...Salute To The Skydiver next week at Fredericksburg, VA?

[reply A plane is standing on a runway that can move (like a giant conveyor belt). This conveyor has a control system that tracks the plane's speed and tunes the speed of the conveyor to be exactly the same (but in the opposite direction). Will the plane be able to take off? The plane will start to move forward relative to the earth and the wings will start to generate lift. But before it takes off it will probably exceed the tire speed limit listed in it's AOM. The wheel/tire/brake assembly will then fail catastrophically. The landing gear struts will impact the moving runway, fail and then the plane will be ground apart, killing everyone on board. Any more questions related to flying? Jack

Because it was there. Jack

To steal an old joke- In this day and age, Style is defined as how cool you look before getting into the plane. Accuracy is getting into the right plane. Jack

That idiot Bush just started promoting alternative fuels in photo ops this week... AFTER his administration policies produced the fastest rise in fuel prices we've ever seen. Not to mention enormous profits for his Big Oil buddies. That's kinda like the drunk behind the wheel promoting MADD after he caused a horrible accident. Jack

Wow, I started flying a Gulfstream G-4 this year and haven't had any major problems. Oh God, I have a two day trip this week. Now I'm worried!!!! Jack

Any style from Bells Brewery and Mad Hatter Pale Ale, all lovingly made in Michigan. Jack

Donate it to the new USPA Museum?

~ Is that Lizard? I am pretty sure Lizard flew back seat in an F-4. Yeah, now that I think about it he flew F-4's for the Marines. The photo showes an F-105 and those were Air Force only. Oops! Jack

Is that Lizard?

I had a little more hair when the photo was taken! Cool.

Life as you have know it will never be the same. It will only get better! Blue Skies!!!! Jack

Everybody please take note that the police never specifically said bikers were suspected. In response to a question from a reporter a police officer said everyone knew there were bikers in the area. I seem to notice that the police in Canada are very tight lipped about their investigations, as they should be. What I think is happening is the press again figures that if they don't have any real facts they better speculate or make up something juicy that will sell to the public. The truth and facts be damned! Jack Edit- Well, a few hours after posting this I watched the news. The police now say that all eight were members of the Banditos. So as for as my rant above- Nevermind

Uncommon Valor Because right at the beginning there is a scene where our own Larry Henderson (World Team member and skydiving organizer) is talking to Gene Hackman and translating Thai for him. Jack

It's just tough love man! I think most everyone responding to your post mean well and are offering good advice. But I'm serious; a positive, can do, team first attitude can make the difference for someone getting on the team. Don't make excuses, make a good impression! Good luck!! Jack

With all respect, this seems like whining. You will never, never never make it on the Knights if you whine. I've been around a few times when they were doing trials. Cut your losses on this post and just suck it up. Like someone said earlier in the thread, shoot for one meter and make half of them dead centers. This skill is absolutely necessary to make the team and whining will get you cut so fast it will make your head spin. Just as important as skydiving skills they are looking for a can do, team first attitude. They are a great bunch of people. I wish you good luck. Follow your dreams! Jack

I found the following story in my bi-weekly AVweb news update. Jack It was the perfect crime, right up until someone found, high and dry, the airplane that Howard Jamison claimed was under water somewhere off the coast of New Zealand. As AVweb told you in February, the Ashburton skydive operator was charged after the plane was found. Last week Jamison admitted to concocting an elaborate scheme to claim a $258,000 NZD insurance settlement aimed at getting him back on his feet financially. He pleaded guilty in court to two charges of using a document to obtain pecuniary advantage, according to a story in NZ Lawyer. Now, he faces a possible jail term and will likely have to sell off all of his assets, including the Cessna 185 he "ditched" in a storage container. Jamison made headlines in July 2004 when he told of his dramatic escape from the 185 that he said he'd put in the ocean after the engine failed. He even had obvious head and neck injuries that authorities insisted he have checked at the local hospital. It turns out Jamison hurt himself while taking one of the wings off the 185 as he worked through the night to disassemble the aircraft and put it in a storage container. He then filled a couple of containers with 40 liters of fuel from the pumps at a nearby airport, dutifully noting the purchase in the log. After filing a flight plan, he drove to an isolated beach and phoned the New Zealand Airways Corporation to tell them that he had ditched the plane. He then drove home and later claimed he'd been picked up by a passing motorist. He told authorities that he'd been able to make it to shore by using a piece of plywood flooring from the plane and a couple of life vests for flotation. The scheme unraveled last February when someone discovered the disassembled but undamaged 185 by chance.

Nicole, Go for it! There is nothing wrong with making a buck off of skydiving. I made my living and my life off of it for almost 20 years. I've had experiences that I could never pay for if I had a million dollars. I have seen so many changes and new things come along since i made my first jump in 1974 that your movie plans seems to be just another step forward. Maybe you should join the PIA (Parachute Industry Association) and set up a booth at the next symposium!!! I'm serious. Best of luck with your plans. Always follow your dreams! Jack