Dutchboy

Most of what you are feeling outside of a Cessna 182 is the prop blast, and not really dependent on your airspeed. The winds aloft also have no effect on your airspeed or the wind you feel in the door since it is airspeed and not groundspeed that counts to the airplane. If the pilot does give you a cut you will probably lose some altitude. If you have 4 people on the outside causing lots of drag then the choice is either to descend or stall. I try to keep the 182 above 60 mph. Another thing to keep in mind. If the pilot give you a cut there is less propwash hitting you and the tail of the plane. This means he'll need to have a higher airspeed to have the same control effectiveness. It isn't quite as simple as looking up the clean stall speed in the pilot operating handbook. You've got extra drag on one side, weight shifting around, weight hanging from a wing, etc. to deal with. The Dutchboy CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI http://www.philsflying.com

Maybe it was the guy doing his AFF level 7. It smelled like I was close to ground zero. The Dutchboy CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI http://www.philsflying.com

I sure had a blast, even though I could only stay for a while and only got in those 2 jumps. The jumps were both really cool, except for the ambiance (chopchop?!) on the ride up on the 2nd load. I was giving a guy his first flying lesson after I left. He was really enjoying it, but we never made it off the ground. The low voltage warning light came on while we were taxiing. Turns out the the brand new voltage regulator failed (sound familar Ron?). I did get to fly with him on Sunday though. I had a blast. My student was sooooo excited that he got me excited too. The Dutchboy CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI http://www.philsflying.com

I've got a student in the afternoon, and something after that, but there is a chance I could make it out for night jumps. The Dutchboy CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI http://www.philsflying.com

Like I said, you need to channel some of that toward you flight training and you'll be fine. Even 5% of your posting time would get you 100% on your written test! The Dutchboy CFI, CFII, AGI, IGI http://www.philsflying.com

Even if there aren't night jumps (I don't know for certain) the bonfire is always a possibility! I'm hoping for the night jumps in case I have to work during the day. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

If Cedartown was close for you then Rome is probably much closer to you than Monroe. I'm in the Kennesaw area and it is about 45 miles (and 45 minutes) to Rome for me. Monroe is closer to 100 miles (and 90+ minutes) away. It is actually quicker for me to drive all the way down to Thomaston (98 miles) than to drive to Monroe. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

I came late in the day and missed you. I also figured out I had some sinus issues on my way over, so I ended up staying on the ground. It was still fun to hang out with everybody, but I missed Chris's 100th. At least I didn't miss the pie action last night! The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

I will have to echo what others have said about the 172. It is the most popular and safe plane ever built. It has been in production a long time (since the 50's). You can get a decent older one for $20-30k. In fact, I know a skydiver who is selling a 1960 172A in good shape for about $25k right now. He's buying a Cessna 206, so he won't need this one anymore. One thing to consider. The cost to purchase the 172 might be higher than a 150/152 (these sell for $10-25k), but the maint costs are comparable. As others have noted the fuel burn of the 152 is not much less. The range, speed, and maximum load are not nearly as good though. If you do want to go with a homebuilt they can be cheaper to operate. My homebuilt will carry full fuel, 600 lbs of people and baggage (2-seater), cruise at 130 mph, and costs less than $10/hr to run. You might buy an already built plane like this for $35k, but you make up for the price in the operating costs. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

If you really work at it, you can do it in a couple of weeks. I think that you are good to get Rod Machado's book. I would also get a written test exam guide and study that. If you can get your written test out of the way then you can concentrate on flying and bang out your license pretty quickly. As for the money involved, I can do the flight training in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk from about $3300. One cheap way to get a license is to get a few friends who want training and buy a plane together. Most of the cost of getting the license is in the plane rental ($2800 of the $3300 above). If you want to later sell the plane you shouldn't take a huge hit if you maintain it. If you have any flight training questions, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

you can get directions from their website http://www.airsportz.com If you are coming from Atlanta just head North on I-75 to exit 306, GA 140. Go West (left) crossing US-41 and US-53, about 12 miles. Just after the Red Camero parked near a bridge you hang a left on Old Dalton road. Old Dalton is the only 4-way intersection after US-53. There is a green sign for some camp which is on the other side of Old Dalton. The DZ is a couple miles down on your right, there will be a huge skydiving sign with an arrow on your left. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

Shhh.... Don't say that too loud, Ron might hear you. He already has a big head.

And you told me you were studying for your written test! The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

It goes way beyond the sleezy advertising. I would never send a friend there. What's wrong with the place has been discussed to death in the past. Most of the disclaimers and warnings the other GA DZ's have on their websites are because of their other business practices. One of my favorites is charging a tandem deposit, and then telling students the additonal amount, instead of the total price. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

It will be even cooler if I really get to go pick it up with him. His insurance has some ridiculous requirements for the CFI that signs him off to fly it. I've never heard of an insurance company trying to mandate requirements for who can endorse somebody before. After all, the FAA says I can legally fly the plane and give the required endorsement. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

The Dutchboy can understand some of it, given that it seems to be halfway between Dutch and English. This makes life fun when you work with South Africans who don't realize you understand what they are saying. I also enjoy listening to Chinese people talk about me at restaraunts. As I'm leaving I will ask them a question in Chinese, just to see the expression when they realize I knew what they were saying the whole time.

oooh, night jumps I didn't realize they were doing those that weekend. Even if I have to work during the day, I'll probably be available for night jumps! The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

If you are on the North side of town, definitely check out Airsportz. They are open Thursday-Sunday. They are probably the closest DZ to you as well. You can find out more at their website http://www.airsportz.com Friday-Sunday they have a really sweet Porter for jumping. They are also novice friendly. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

You never know. I just might be able to make it that weekend. Don't know if I have to work or not that day yet. Doug is getting himself a sweeeeeeet Cessna 206 and he's making me help him pick it up. Some times it stinks being a CFI. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

DZ where I've flown jumpers actually asked to see certificates and logbooks to verify claims. This is more than anyone else ever asked me. Heck, the guy I get planes from for instruction has only met me once and has never asked to see a license or anything. For all he knows I'm not really even a CFI. Perhaps we could develop a pamphlet for new DZO's similar to the "How to pick a flight school" things you see all around. Something like "How to pick a jump pilot", or "How to tell your pilot isn't full of s&*t", or.... The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

Anything special going on that day or are you just in town? The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

Then don't go to that DZ. Do you want to punish everyone just because there are a few idiots out there? For example, should you as a student pilot have to go through lots of grief because of the actions of one suicidal kid? That would be the kid that his instructor was supposed to know was suicidal after spending a whole 5 hours with him, while his family, friends, and teachers were all clueless. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

I agree with you that not every commercial pilot is ready to fly jumpers. I do think that it should be left up to the DZO and/or plane owner to decide who can fly their airplanes. Requiring an endorsement would require every DZ to have a CFI who was also a jump pilot around to do the endorsements. While this could mean more dollars in my pocket, it could also be a burden on most DZ's. There are pilots at my DZ without a CFI that are far more experienced jump pilots than I. The USPA doesn't know anything about flying and has zero authority over pilots. Having them create a pilot certification doesn't sound like the right thing to do. If it ain't broke don't fix it. The current checkouts carried out by the DZ's themselves seem to be working. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

I'm with Dave on this one. No need to drag in the FAA, and certainly not the USPA. The only thing USPA could do to the situation is find a way to make more money off all of us by getting some sort of BS certification fee. The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

Born: in an undisclosed state south of the Mason Dixon line Live: NW Atlanta suburb Home DZ: Atlanta Air Sportz in Rome, GA First jump: Skydive Atlanta June 24, 2000 The Dutchboy http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra