V111pilot

Wow, Great guy. He will be missed.

So here we are, 2008, and we have just had the safest year in the sport, and I have not seen ANYTHING in the mainstream media. God knows that whenever something bad happens they cover it with reckless abandon. Doesn't our beloved USPA have a Public Relations department? I believe that this should be publicized. The airline industry certainly got their credit for the safest year recently, let's follow suit and reap the benefits.

FYI- A "pencil pack" is when the packing card IS filled out, but the rig wasn't packed... Having said that, Ostrich is correct that the card didn't get updated, and the board did. Orange is possible the most safety conscious DZ I have jumped at. If you are gonna make BS accusations, at least cowboy up with whom you are and how you have come to such an conclusion.

I agree with Gary, give the student some instruction, allow them to pull, and let them assist steering the canopy and they have a much better experience. I have had the same comments as to how much a student enjoyed being involved as opposed to a "joy ride". Having said that, some people don't want anything but the ride, and that's fine tool. I just offer to treat it as a"student jump" up front and let them decide. Back to stable/unstable exits. I always exit head high, toward the Otter wingtip, and use the first couple of seconds to look up and flip off the next instructor in the door! Back/frontloops may seem cool, but sooner or later your gonna get unstable and then you'll realize why stable exits are good for you. If a student asks "can we do flips" I tell them that if they arch hard enough we may do a backflip (not) by the time you get them back on the ground they have forgotten all about wanting anything "extra". Just my two cents. Stay safe, Brent

Thanks. Good additional info. Bu I cannot get the "form" link to load???

I agree. Everything works best when everyone just fly's their canopy and avoids spiraling down. Unfortunately there's always "that guy" that wants to land first and spirals to do so. My advice to "that guy" is if you want to land first, pull lower! (Joke).

Here's some good reading regarding seatbelts in jump planes: http://www.faa.gov/library/reports/medical/oamtechreports/1990s/media/9811.pdf Recommendations are on the last page.

Unfortunately technology doesn't always fix things. Look at the Brazilian B737/Embraer business jet mid-air collision BOTH had TCAS on board. Sometimes technology can contribute to complacency. Unfortunately there is no easy answer.

Just got the news yesterday- :( I must say that I never ran into Jimmy without him coming over with a big smile and saying hi. That's what I remember most about him was that he was ALWAYS smiling and having a good time! He also seemed to have nine lives, as I once saw him bang in a canopy landing, due to a broken toggle, so hard that I was sure whomever it was was either dead or seriously hurt- sure enough the guy gets up with a smile- and it's Jimmy!! I am gonna miss him, and team FAF without him. God Bless.

F@#k- Another brother lost. Sorry for the late reply, but I hadn't realized what happened until I saw the Parachutist memorial... Here's a great memory of Tom at the "old" Skydive Chicago- Waaay back. He was hanging out with Dead Kenny and maybe Downwind Dana, and of course they are partying way too loud, way too long, and they are in this pop up camper. It was cold so I was crashed in my car across camp. Long story short, I am awakened about 5 AM by a loud BANG when some of the old timers set off a huge m-100 or m-250 under the camper! Funny as shit! Those guys were always having too much fun and always Tom had a huge smile on his face! God Bless and Blue Skies.

It is very sad that this continues to happen. I just returned from a big DZ and was weary before going due to recent canopy collisions. With that in mind here are some observations I made while watching landings last weekend: - The DZ rule was first down sets the pattern - The SAME jumpers disregarded that rule continuously and swooped in their own direction- opposite of jumpers landing - Even if you look before you hook, anything greater than a 180 is VERY difficult to judge your vertical descent AND how/if you are going to overtake other canopy's - The MAJORITY of swoopers were target fixated on their landing and NOT looking around for traffic after initiating their swoop - This is a "normal" reaction as speed causes tunnel vision and a high speed swoop requires that you pay high attention to your position relative to the intended landing area (the ground) Two other factors I have noticed: 1) Canopy's spiralling down to "beat traffic" only cause a larger problem because they are now "out of order" in respect to wing loading, you can spiral the hell out of a 170 Sq Ft canopy and I'm still going to have to pass you under my 111 flying straight and level. Not spiralling helps to maintain vertical separation. 2) Many times highly loaded canopy pilots assume they will be or are first down, I have seen this multiple times as they hook thinking that nobody can possibly be below them - remember, there's always someone faster or pulling lower than you. I am guilty myself of some of this. The problem is that some people make a habit of disregarding rules, become complacent, or feeling invulnerable. The fact that you have locals at a DZ that blatantly disregard rules speaks to the issue of all of us looking the other way on occasion - besides "he's a great swooper" right?!? As we have seen, jump numbers, experience, and years in the sport do nothing for you when you make the smallest mistake under canopy. I wish I had an answer but I do not. I can say that I will think twice about hooking it hard next time I jump. Yes, it can be done safely but sometimes you have to sacrifice the swoop for the safety of all. And that's easier said than done. Stay safe and God bless.

I wanna say that I met hutch at the Convention, sunset no jumpsuit load. Some giant motherfucker comes over (Bigun) and says hey man we're in! So I say great! Then this guy comes over Woof Woof Woof!! Little did I know who he was. Come to find out he's one of the coolest guys I have had the pleasure of meeting- immediately likable, jump with anyone, didn't give a shit if the formation wasn't one!! He was just happy to be jumping and to be with a great group of people. Can't say enough good stuff about him- definitely one of the good guy's. BSBD Hutch.

I agree with Beth. I've flown in myself a few times. Just be sure to call ahead to get clearance from the convention as the airport is closed unless you have Prior Permission- no big deal, they'll give you a code and a frequency, it's really easy to get in and the Airboss will help you out. Also the airport is closed completely from sunset to sunrise, so plan to arrive during daylight hours (easy enough in the summer).

Is it a paying position or just jumps and packs?? and if so how much??

Fine as Fuck, thank you! She was asking about him all weekend... Peace, Brent