jonstark

Repack cycles have little to do with the periodic preventive maintenance to be performed by the owner/operator of the equipment. It is incumbent upon the operator to assure that the equipment is maintained in airworthy condition. The rigger's certification of airworthiness lasts for as long as it takes the ink on his signature to dry or until the rig goes out the door of his shop. jon

Put stuff back where it belongs or you'll drive each other nuts. Matching warm-up suits from Wall Mart or even better would be those light weight, short sleeved overalls with naval insignia. Really classy. ENJOY! jon

Ask the DZ for Karen McClarty's information. She has a beautiful ranch nearby which is set-up to house plenty and she's a great person. jon

just an OLD FART

I was away from home for the first time having just graduated high school and moved to Pittsburgh for trade school. A classmate took me out to a very rural Cessna DZ, Beaver Valley, on a Wednesday afternoon to watch. As soon as I saw and heard a lone body in freefall I was in for it hook line and sinker. Prior to this I had never even remotely considered jumping. I was a terrible student but was there every weekend rain, wind, snow it didn't matter I was there with my eyes open and my gaze skyward. Back then everybody would invariably stop what they were doing to look up to watch their friends jump. A high load was 7500'. There was so much to learn just by keeping my eyes and ears open. jon

I prefer nothing but a pair of goggles and ear plugs. I used to wear my hair like Billy Idol and my face flaps around like Mick Jagger. I've had my share of bloody noses but I like kiss passes. Too bad they're a thing of the past nowadays. Bummin'. You kin keep yer stinkin' full faced helmets! jon

Ya had to know the players Bill. Humility was NOT their strong suit. The two heavies I knew considered themselves far far smarter than the rest of us and you see where it got them. jon

BEST? Borrowed gear that you can use on long-term loan. You'll hopefully make friends who have gear sitting in their attics for just this purpose. Pay it forward. jon

Don't escalators satisfy the Americans With Disabilities requirement for equal access and aren't they, or something like them, mandatory for any business with stairs? jon

Good one. jon

Right on man. He had a way with words that most politicians lack. I guess it was because he never expected to be one. He just wanted freedom and fought for it with intellect.

A "field pack" is just that. Packed up just enough to hike back from out in the field. A "trunk pack" is the rig stuffed into your kit bag and thrown into the trunk. If you have closed your rig enough to have it appear jumpable it better be jumpable. jon

How did that breakup go? jon

(In his Crocodile Dundee accent) LOW?! That isn't low. I'll show you low. I've got stories too but seein' as the first liar doesn't stand a chance of not being outdone I won't bother. jon

Please allow me to offer my experiences over 35+ years of Corporate Aviation Maintenance and Flight Operations... In a maintenance facility where the techs are dealing with a customers multi-million dollar a/c I have rarely if ever seen refueling go on with even the APU running and never with engines running. For safety sake and to mitigate ANY risk of accident it is just not done. Once flight crews take over they may refuel with the APU running as needed. During normal corporate and government flight operations where an a/c is in transit it is not at all uncommon to refuel from a truck or fuel farm with the APU running and pax on board. I have done it countless times. Fuel samples are taken before fueling commences and verified to be clear of water or foreign material. A flight crewmember is often in direct supervision of the procedure or at the very least remains in the cockpit monitoring fuel quantity. Regarding rapid fueling in a dropzone environment I do not see a problem with the practice as long as properly trained personnel using the proper equipment with a best practice SOP do the job. To eliminate risk to pax I believe it should not be accomplished with pax on board or during boarding. Boarding pax on an a/c with engines running is best supervised by DZ staff. It is rare that some unwitting person strays from the safe area with disastrous results but it has happened. The danger is not however the heat, fumes, static, etc. It's the invisible props. jon

Spotting and accuracy!!!!!!!!!!! jon

Here's a juicy lie to make your world go 'round... Gee, I am so sorry that you feel alienated after nobody took you seriously. Now: Go tell your story to the DBCooperites and leave us to our own brand of history and trivia. jon

Way to go Scott! Keep it up! jon

We swing both ways in this house. (just don't tell my freeheeling mountaineer buddies I have gone to the dark side and locked 'em down) jon

For really bad bruises you should have seen the ones we used to get practicing speed ten way out of DC-3s. Wow! There were lots of tricks like stuffing folded up newspaper into your sleeve or leg. Even when body armor came along it didn't stop them. When someone would hit the door, THUMP, the rest of the load would groan. It was baaaad! (but fun) jon

It's not about the "cool guys" respecting raggedy gear. They respect you far more for just jumping and jumping and jumping. Shiny new means nothing if it won't last you for the longer haul. I would recommend getting or borrowing (do NOT rent) a used rig that is fit for your present abilities/needs. Over the next couple hundred jumps you will come to want something more sporty so why be stuck with a brand new "old mans" rig. Secondly I usually buy a main container sized for the next larger canopy to make packing that much easier. Having an additional 10cubes to fit a static charged and fluffy dry main into makes it a lot less frustrating to pack especially new ZP!!! In the airplane biz we say "Buy your last airplane first." Get the one that will fit the mission best. jon

I just replaced the screen on my kids i-pod touch. I wonder whether it is the same as the i-phone? Only cost $8! jon

Not sure what they'd want with an empty old bag but if they really want it bad I'd get it to 'em somehow.

Sux to be invalidated by someone close. I'm gonna guess they have no frame of reference with your chosen activities. You might give them a better perspective by taking them to the DZ or at least meeting a few of your skydiving friends. It took my folks many years to see that skydiving is a valid pursuit. jon

I prefer a faster opening canopy and find my Sabre to be just what I want. Always opens firm and on heading. 300' would seem to be the norm but I don't wear a clock. I suspect it is less. Never takes off in a weird direction or dive. Once in a blue moon will turn 90 degrees if I have rolled the nose too far off to the side. jon