BikerBabe

Some (supposedly) actual maintenance reports submitted in the Air Force, and the replies from maintenance personnel. (P) = problem, (S) = Solution: P) Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. (S) Almost replaced left inside main tire. (P) Test flight OK, except autoland very rough. (S) Autoland not installed on this aircraft. (P) #2 propeller seeping prop fluid. (S) #2 propeller seepage normal - #1, #3 and #4 propellers lack normal seepage. (P) Something loose in cockpit. (S) Something tightened in cockpit. (P) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. (S) Evidence removed. (P) DME volume unbelievably loud. (S) Volume set to more believable level (P) Dead bugs on windshield. (S) Live bugs on order. (P) Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent. (S) Cannot reproduce problem on the ground. (P) IFF inoperative. (S) IFF always inoperative in OFF mode. (P) Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. (S) That's what they are there for. (P) Number three engine missing. (S) Engine found on right wing after brief search. (P) Aircraft handles funny. (S) Aircraft warned to straighten up, "fly right" and be serious. (P) Target radar hums. (S) Reprogrammed Target Radar with the words.

LOL, in a fit of spontaneity, I decided on Friday morning (since my fledgling team is no more) to drive 6 hours to Colorado to see if I could get on a pick up team for the CSL meet at Calhan. So I left Friday night, slept in a hotel in Colorado Springs, and drove to the DZ early Saturday. Bottom line...There were enough for a pickup team. We only made 3 rounds because of the weather, but it was a nice challenging draw, and I figure I owe 4 cases of beer...my first 4-way competition ever (even though we sucked), first time turning piver-viper, first time successfully launching a snowflake, and first time turning a hammer-hammer as one of the outside people. Only 3 jumps, but a great weekend!

Oh boy...a Tunnel in Phoenix! I can see large holes in my bank account appearing already! massive debt, here I come! I'm going to my first tunnel camp in a month...and I'm sure it won't be my last, with a new tunnel being built within driving distance...

You know what helped us the most? LOL, you hear it all the time, I'm sure, but it was making sure to cross-reference and really look at our opposite on exit. That way we could dynamically correct for any levels or tension in the exit formation, and get right to that 2nd point. It also allows you to anticipate the move you'll need to make to get to that next point. For example, if you're tail and you have to fly up the hill into a round formation, you'll be able to see where you have to go, and that you'll have to drive up the hill to get there. I think a lot of people are so worried about the exit that they forget to look across...I know I always did! All it took were a few times really concentrating on it, and we were launching things stable we never thought we could. By stable I mean it only took a second or two for me to feel like the formation was "ready" for the key. This is really important, since we jump at a Cessna DZ and our time on otter-style doors is quite limited.

Guess I'm a little late, but that's because my weekend lasted through yesterday, since I was at Eloy jumping my butt off at the Airspeed Skills camp. (Bless you, DanBC, for giving us the 4-day option! ) It was a weekend of highs and lows... The highs: I made some incredible skydives, and I'll tell you what, everytime I jump with those guys, I get infected with their enthusiasm and drive. I just love how it is completely obvious that they LOVE to coach. Chad and Craig...you are great communicators and coaches, thanks! I went out there with a teammate, and while I know I improved, his improvement in 4 days was VAST...I love that. We all did things we'd never done before, and I know he went from knowing next to nothing about 4-way (the technical stuff) to being much more confident with the process and the terms, and especially the skydiving. And the lows: The 2nd to last jump of the day yesterday, there was a problem. I landed fine, and while I was stowing my brakes, I see Pat Patton driving the little golf cart out into the desert. I didn't see anyone land out there, so I didn't know what was going on. Turns out my teammate opened a little low, and had a hung toggle, and he played with it a little too long. It was an iffy situation, since he had control of the canopy and it wasn't spinning (I saw him in the air, it seemed fine). I guess he decided he could land it on rear risers. Well, he hit pretty hard, but Craig went out to see him, and said he was moving and talking, just in a little bit of pain. He went to the hospital, just in case, where thank goodness George Jicha was working in the ER. Thanks for taking care of my buddy, George, and while I've only had one brief phone conversation with you, I hope I get to jump with you someday. I love this sport, and how we all take care of each other. Bottom line is: My teammate broke both ankles and his lower back on that landing. I have struggled to find 3 others here in NM who wanted to compete on a 4-way team, and Dave was the most motivated of the bunch. So, I'm blue because my friend and teammate got hurt, and I'm also blue because I have scoured the state/our club, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to find a 4th with any time to train this year. A weekend of mixed emotions, but maybe it's not my year to start competing? Maybe I'll just spend this year coaching some of the 21 first jump students my DZ had this past weekend. But I can try: Anyone out there need a 4th? Because the other two I found were kind of lukewarm about it, anyway, and when they hear about Dave, they'll probably bail. So I'm a woman with a strong desire to compete, decent skills for my number of jumps, and no team. But mostly I'm just glad that my teammate (for a short time, anyway) will be OK.

awww...just missed you...I'll be ther May 30-June 1. I cannot wait! I'm going to skills camp for 4 days this weekend too...I should just have my paycheck go to Airspeed's account!

That's really awesome. Since I'm at a cessna DZ with lots of students, we rarely get to jump 4-way...but I love finding those folks just off student status who want to learn RW and jumping with them. I learn more that way than I do just going out and cranking points. As for the debrief, I have adopted the Airspeed style, which is focus on the positive FIRST, then on things to improve. Zennie is right, everyone does something right on every jump. So often I go on fun RW jumps that may not go exactly as planned, and when we get on the ground, people are just beating themselves up over it, like they are the only ones EVER to go low. Skydiving is supposed to be fun, and what's fun about landing and ranting about how much you suck? No wonder the freefliers think the belly -fliers don't have as much fun. Focus on the positive, and you'll learn so much more, and have fun doing it.

A brand-spanking new BMW Mini Cooper S!!! 163 horses in a little tiny cool-looking package. Woohoo! That or a Subaru WRX.

True, but I spent a whole day at Eloy working with Steve Curtis and some others on a dive where we were doing exactly what Chromeboy said, so it is possible. And when it did funnel, there really wasn't a problem with the head down guys being in the way. Basically, we launched and 8-way stairstep (everyone on their belly), then moved to a sort of modified weed-whacker (I don't know what else to call it) with everyone still on their belly. The 4 belly fliers made a 4-way star, and the four free fliers each had the right leg of a belly-flier with their right hand (sort of a cross-grip). Then when Eliana gave the key, the four of us in the base arched like hell while the four free-fliers flipped head-down, and grabbed the leg strap of the belly flier on their other side. Basically it looked like a the head-down folks were taking pods on the 4-way base. They ended up facing in on their heads, pushing down on our legs straps, and geeking each other and us...by the end of the day it actually worked! Of course, I had to wear 10 lbs (I never wear weight) and Eliana had on 20 lbs! That was the only time we've ever had people head-down like that on a hybrid dive...all the others I've been on people take my chest strap. I think taking the main lift web would be just as good...and it actually might help if the guy standing is trying to reach to hold on to two people.

Funny, I was just thinking about this! I have a feeling I'm about to be voted into a position on our club/DZ board of directors, and I was wondering about this. I hadn't intended to get into the DZO thing so soon, if at all, but our DZ is so poorly managed right now even my 5 year old neice could run it better. Being as I'm the "if you want something done you have to do it yourself" type of person, I agreed to run for the board. So how does the new board turn it around? Consider this: Club members have running accounts, which they may or may not pay off at the end of a jump day...it just holds over until the next time we happen to have a plane in town. Did I mention we haven't had our own plane for a year? Jump Tickets are a foreign concept. Tandems are too expensive. Student gear is old. We just moved from an urban airport to one in the middle of nowhere that won't let us land on the airport. Our only advertising (besides the phone book) was canopies in the sky adjacent to the interstate. The current board made no real attempt to advertise. . I'm not going to go all cutthroat, because ethics are important to me (plus, we're the only DZ within 300 miles...), but we need to do something to turn it around. Basically, we have to start running the DZ as a business, and I know there will be people who will want to give us shit about it. Anybody know of any resources out there for new DZ's? Since we're kind of starting over (we finally have our own airplane), I'm probably gonna consider it like a brand new DZ.

Mile Hi is turbine, but Front Range Skydivers in Calhan, CO (about 30 miles east of Colorado Springs) are the nicest bunch of people you'll meet. They have a Caravan and a turbo 206. I believe the field elevation there is around 5500 ft, but Coach Wenger will take you to 13,000 AGL in his Caravan. FRS was my "home DZ" of sorts when I was at the AFA (when I wanted to jump civilian and had the time).

LOL, some of the best advice a rigger gave me (when I bought my first rig) was if I plan to change the canopy, take the risers with me! I just picked up a used canopy in January, and the first thing I did was switch out the risers, mainly because the ones on the "new" canopy looked a little sketchy to me. Turns out they were the "old" risers without the reinforcement at the bottom. I'm glad I trusted that rigger! And thanks for the article, too. Actually, the only reason I got the mini 3-rings was because I'm a small person, plus the beatiful black Vector II in just the right size for me happened to be sitting on the shelf at RW...aren't I lucky? However, on my next rig, which will probably be custom, I'll seriously consider the things you mentioned.

Well, seeing how I have never competed, but I've "thrown together" a team (with others who have never competed) for some Colorado meets, and possibly Nationals, I was terrified at the prospect of not only trying to practice ALL the blocks, much less succeed at actually doing them. I'm glad USPA changed the intermediate class back. Until they did, we weren't even going to consider going to Nationals. As for the NSL, the meets I'll be going to in the CSL and possibly the SSL won't have the rookie or AA class, anyway. Both are still just doing Open and Intermediate. So I guess it's really up to the local leagues to decide on a class structure, and the NSL's "official" one doesn't mean too much to me. But from reading the class structure, I am sort of confused by it. What is the difference between A and AA? Between Rookie and A? Those are rhetorical questions, but the distinctions are blurry. For example, I have 400 jumps, as do 2 other of my team members, and the 4th has 1600. We've never competed, but I would feel strange competing in the rookie class. How does a new team decide which class they would compete in?

Salvation.

I think my most beautiful jump was one where it was fall, in Colorado. the cloud layer was broken around 1500 ft. We jumped anyway (there were lots of holes), and we opened above the clouds. It was incredible riding down under canopy, looking at all the puffy white clouds below me, and the mountains rising up above the clouds at eye-level. When we landed, everyone was sort of quiet...I think we were all in awe of what we'd just experienced.

Um, SpeedRacer read my mind. That's pretty much what I believe, except he stated it so much better than I ever could. I was raised Episcopalian, was an atheist for a long time, and became a Christian only a few years ago. I don't have a denomination I'm tied to, right now I currently attend a Methodist church. I'm in the military, and each time I move, I look for a church that fits, be it Methodist, Nazarene, Church of Christ, whatever. It's funny, I was sitting in my masters-level electromagnetics class the other day, and we were talking about the wave equation. The wave equation can be used to describe things from a vibrating string, to radio waves, to air flow over a canopy. They are all connected based on similar behavior. Anyway, as I was listening to the lecture, I couldn't help but see the power of the wave equation and think, "now, if that isn't evidence of God, then I don't know what is." I look at science as a means to discover God. (yes, I'm a nerd, but you can't spell "geek" without EE)

Then again, I've known people with 150 jumps that are better skydivers than many people who have 1000 jumps. What does a D license mean? Who knows. I know I've jumped into airshows and stadiums, and I don't have a PRO rating. Does not having the PRO rating mean I'm not able to do those things? Nope. It's just a piece of paper that happened to be waived for our team in college... I only got the D because it was the one I was qualified for when I started jumping in the civilian world. D-18644 (gosh, I feel old)

I saw the results...both Majik and Vertical averaging over 22 points...that's friggin' incredible. Both teams are amazing to watch and learn from, too. I can't wait to see what happens at Nationals!

Me either. We were planning on having a fun accuracy "meet" (the only plane we could scrounge this weekend has no door, any higher than 3,500 and we'd freeze), but the winds are screaming out over the mesa. It's a beautiful day, too! What a waste.

So my home DZ couldn't get Safety day together in time, and plan to have it on the 23rd and 24th of March. Also, our club will be electing new officers on the 23rd. We'll actually have a plane that weekend, too (don't ask...). On the other hand, my husband is buying a trailer from a guy in Phoenix, and he wants to drive out there to pick it up that weekend. I think I might have finally convinced him to do a tandem at Eloy, and this would be the perfect chance. SO...do I stay around and support my home DZ, and possibly run for a position on the club board of directors, or do I head off to Phoenix and Eloy that weekend with my husband? hmmmmm....

I guess what really did it for me on 9/11 was when I heard about the Pentagon. See, I'm in the military, and I've been to the Pentagon several times, and know several people who work there. While everyone was talking about ground zero, and the NYFD, and the WTC collapsing, I was in a panic wondering about my friends at the Pentagon. The WTC seemed somehow less real to me than that big hole in the side of the Pentagon. To me, the Pentagon (not the WTC) was this grand symbol of the US's invincibility. Imagine how I felt when i saw that huge gaping hole in the side. My leadership, our military strength, was called into question. I mean, my God, if they could hit the Pentagon... I guess in the weeks and months following the attack, I was slightly bitter that the attack on the Pentagon was seemingly overlooked...everyone talking abot the heroes at the WTC that day, the heroes on the plane in PA, and no one mentioning that almost 200 people died at the Pentagon. I'm not trying to diminish the work and heroism of those in New York, but please, don't forget that the Pentagon had a ground zero as well, one that for me was psychologically more damaging than the WTC collapsing. God Bless America!

If you're stuck as it gets closer, call the DZ, they have a shuttle (Alex) that will come and get you from the airport. I'm not sure how much it costs, but if you can't find anyone else, I'd give them a call. Good luck! Should be fun!

When were you at Eloy? I was just out at the skills camp for 10 days...I probably saw you around! Good luck on the team...I'm trying to do the same thing in the New Mexico/Colorado, far west Texas area. Anyone want to be on a 4-way team, jump in Albuquerque?

I agree with Phree...all three of those are incredible DZ's, and all three have a bunch of "transients"...people who bring their tents or RV's and stay for months at a time. I just spent a week and a half at Eloy, and I love the attitude and the people there. That's my personal favorite, but I've only jumped at Perris and Elsinore once each.

My favorite uncle (and my personal hero) died suddenly of a heart attack 3 days prior to my wedding. He was the core of our family, and I seriously considered postponing the ceremony. We went on with it, but my wedding day was bittersweet. Also, when I got kicked out of college for a bogus charge of violating the honor code. Ugh. Fortunately they let me back in, but at the time, it was the worst thing ever...