JoeWeber

I'll add just this little bit. If everyone considering downsizing at 70 jumps had your thoughtfulness and wisdom we'd have a much safer sport.

Hi Tin, It's sort of a cool idea from back in the day. Unless you also have gear, airlift and a place to land you'll need your local DZ. These day's most places are beyond just selling slots to college club trained jumpers. If they are serious they'll want all of their students trained to the same standard. So first, go to your local DZ and pitch the idea. Once they're on board you'll be able to structure the other bits.

Das ist eine schwer zu beantwortende Frage. Wichtiger als die Zeit für die Überholung des Triebwerks ist die verbleibende Zeit für die Komponenten der Flugzeugzelle. Außerdem gibt es in einigen Flugzeugen bessere Triebwerke. Achtung. Okay. Ich habe zwischen 2016 und 2018 Verträge für gute Flugzeugzellen mit Low-Time-Triebwerken zu Preisen von 750.000 USD bis 1.2000.000 USD abgeschlossen. Heute gibt es keine SC-7 Flugzeuge auf dem Markt, daher wird der Preis hoch sein.

It depends. Are you usually a pain? Are you someone who helps out around the DZ? Did you land off on your last jump? Are you an excellent packer? Am I just generally pissed off that day? Do I need you for a Tandem on the next load? Do you run to the internet crying instead of owning it and saying you F'd up, you are totally sorry, you get it and you will fix this shit? As you can see, it can get very complicated. That said, if it was just a one off dumb ass move I'd give it to the experienced jumpers and let them sort you out.

That's not exactly what I was saying. I was responding specifically to a comment how local law enforcement have on occasions prevented proper analysis and investigations taking place. That is not right. FAA, like CAA, know jack about parachuting. What I was suggesting, was that USPA ask FAA to give authority to suitably qualified parachutists/skydivers to conduct proper investigations of fatal accidents. Effectively giving them the same authority as FAA aircraft accident inspectors. These would be people who hold senior ratings and who have extensive experience in Instructing, Rigging, Tandems etc etc. Their job would be to conduct investigations and produce in depth reports relating to skydiving fatalities. Its exactly what happens in several other countries, so the system has already been tested and proven. This would put the local law enforcement in their rightful place, as supervisors of investigations, but off to one side, except, of course, in the case of foul play, a la the recent Cilliers case in the UK. (Imagine if, in that case, the police had prevented a proper investigation. Cilliers would have got away with his crime. Do we know for sure that hasn't happened already in the US?) FAA need not be involved at all, apart from perhaps receiving a copy of the final report. Tim, That resonates, sure. Are you able to provide nation specific examples of situations when klutzy local law enforcement ruined evidence that, were it not ruined, would have saved the lives of Skydivers? Joe

Sure, but are they landing on property they own or where they have permission 99% of the time? Even if the answer is no, I'm sure there are places in the desert southwest where no one cares or the owners are somewhere greener. It would still be intentional trespass but without anyone complaining for whatever reason it would seem A-O.K. My office has great views of the Oregon wine country, across the valley to the west. In half an hour when it is light enough I'll see one or two rise and drift away, sometimes several, from the launch point 20 miles away. I can see how far North or South they travel but can only guess at how far east or west based on winds. They own a lot of land or have a lot of friends. For sure, from what I hear, they are a squared away outfit and they get great reviews. They must have it worked out somehow. Another Balloon Company on the east side is very open about Balloon Trespass to where they publish this on their website:

I could use some translation there, including from farmer-ese. What is a seed field? Is it free from visible crops (just seeded?) -- which looks ideal to land in? Or is it just crops like any other field with stuff growing -- but that you happen to growing for seed? In which case some meadow or field with cut hay would be a better target. So how was it a douche thing to do, to land in your field - other than that it is YOUR field? Did you verify that his balloon navigational skills were poor? Using different air layers winds backing or veering would be expensive in terms of fuel I would think. So as long as he wasn't heading towards dangerous territory or a tough retrieve by his ground crew, wouldn't a field in any direction be as good as any other? I'm trying to get at why the 14 miles thing matters. Balloons in general do effectively have this weird system where they are 99% likely to trespass when on a flight, just that whose land gets trespassed on, is a bit random. Just trying to understand the situation from a farmer's point of view -- Other than that balloons dropping in are clearly an annoyance. Grass seed is a major crop in Oregon. I'm surrounded by seed fields. I bought a 20 acre field, almost adjacent the airport, several years back and let my farmer neighbors farm it for free. Very good for neighbor relations. It was a douche move because he knew on take-off he'd be trespassing somewhere, not because it was my field. It's the same as if you jumped well away from the DZ knowing full well you'd be landing somewhere without permission. Douche move.

I was telling my dad one day about the World View Enterprises stratosphere balloons and how they can hold a commercial payload over the same spot for months by taking advantage of different air currents that go in different directions at different altitudes. If they start going off course, they just go higher or lower to catch a current in their favor. To my surprise, my dad told me that some hot air balloonists do the same thing. He had worked as a traveling ground crew for some balloon accuracy landing contest. They would carry a helium tank and occasionally release helium balloons to observe which way the air currents were going above them. While I get that there is a lot of special skill involved in that kind of accuracy landing, it does suggest that with the right experience even balloons don't HAVE to land in some random field. Excepting that the balloon yo's that will let us jump are, well, yo's. I had a balloon land in my seed field 2 weeks ago. He was 14 miles from his hoped for trespass area. He was all sorry and had no clue I was a Skydive operator. I took a pass on the cheap champagne and wished him and his customers well. But seriously, it was a douche thing to do.

In most situations, USPA members and rating holders are not in violation if they are following the rules in the country where they are jumping. Cloud busts are a good example. In countries where jumping through clouds is legal, USPA members and rating holders are allowed to jump through them. How often do jumpers exiting balloons at DZs or Boogies in the US land off? It it normal or does the balloon pilot judge the winds in a way that allows landing in the same place as the other jumpers? I only have one balloon jump. It was incredibly memorable, maybe even a bit of history, but not at a DZ or a boogie I have personally never known of a balloon tandem in more than 30 years of jumping, so I assume it's rare. That said, I'm sure there have been some. As for landing off, I would have no idea if that's the norm or if launch points are calculated to allow for on-field landings. I don't mean for tandems but for balloon jumps at DZs or Boogies. Is landing out normal? Yes. Landing out is normal. That's because, except at certain controlled places, they don't have a damn landing area. It's the Balloon way of doing things. Off you go and when you land wherever you must you just pull out a bottle of cheap Champagne and a few time worn apologies and you are good. We have the same get out of jail free card, you know. Read your case law. The example of trespass by necessity describes a skydiver "blown off course". Were are responsible for actual damages but that's it. If the farmer or neighbor harms you or you harm yourself escaping his wrath she is liable. And yes, DZO's, I know your jumpers are reading this.

Well, Mr. Lutz, you've certainly put me in my place. Thanks fer edumacatin' me. And for your edification, as I pointed out previously there are two variants of the Super Eagle O-470-50 conversion. One using the O-470 case and the other using the IO-520 case. But, of course, now you know that. And I have known Steve a while. In fact, he did the jump door on the first of 18 Jump aircraft I've owned, converted and flown over the last 30+ years.

I have relied on Ly-Con to do engine work as well. They are the best shop for performance cylinders, no doubt. Was that your "hopped up" thing? Did you do a top overhaul? Is that what they call an "almost total rebuild" down on the farm? I'm also pretty sure I knew Steve Knopp (PPONK) long before you came on the scene. TCM didn't design the motors different (sic). Again, your ignorance and arrogance is on full display. You make an ass of yourself referring to a "true 520" as no such motor exists. TCM designed the O-470, the IO-470 and the IO-520. The PPonk O-520 (two variations) is an aftermarket mod that is also offered by Texas Skyways. Of course, I'm (ya) always bunny rabbit ready on yer offer of a schoolin' if'n yer gots the time.

A bit harsh. Sort of like saying if you hire a crook, it is entirely your own fault. But we all live and learn. I could hire a contractor who says he can do job X around the house but find out he's also learning as he goes about the job and either didn't realize it himself or didn't tell me. So I learn I should have hired someone with a different skill set. Sometimes learning as you go works -- takes extra times, saves some money -- and sometimes it turns a job into a mess. Certainly one would expect some better planning when it comes to checking SB's & AD's for any engine and components. There may have been a mismatch of expectations between the two individuals about where and how to save money on the job. But I get your point that for a big rebuild an experienced engine shop may be the best path, despite the cost. It was meant to be harsh. Read the screed. There is so much ignorance and arrogance on display it's downright frightening. It is not a game. He hired mechanics to help him build his first aircraft engine? And even then it was an "almost total rebuild" whatever the hell that is. And now, deed done, it's time to offer pearls of wisdom. People, please listen. If you don't risk a few regrets about how you said it in real time, if you'd rather say nothing than risk an apology, then you are at risk of wishing you would have spoken up when it could have helped. If baronn is going to do the DZO thing safely and competently he needs to pull in his horns and get a bit of humility fast. He also needs to find someone credible to say that engine is airworthy before he learns the hard way that what you post online can burn you later.

baronn, This is shade tree, on the cheap, half assed maintenance at it's finest. Please don't come unglued before I explain. Regardless of your previous non-aviation engine building experience, you inserted yourself into the leadership role in this event completely ignorant of what it takes to IRAN (not overhaul), what I take to be, a hybrid O-470 converted to a carbureted O-520. Your ignorance about critical issues including AD's and SB's demonstrate that you were were completely out of your depth. I've been in this game 30+ years. What you did with your level of experience is not how it should be done. Your engine should have gone to a competent shop where you should have taken good advice and learned how to do it better the next time. I'm sorry, brother, but the people you hired didn't fail you. You failed you.

Rob, You know me and you know that is not a universal truth. We need to quit accepting that is the way things are and that things will never change. J.

Desert Skydiving in Buckeye, AZ will have a 1980 300 series Super Otter - and their Caravan - on the flightline from Dec 27, 2003 through Jan 4, 2004. They are offering $14 to 14,000 feet and NO BOOGIE FEE!! And there will be FREE BEER and an all you can eat $5.00 BBQ both Saturday nights! Stop by and make a jump from the newest Twin Otter flying jumpers in the world and enjoy the party. Give the DZ a call at 800.441.JUMP for more details