Deisel

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Gear

  • Container Other
    Infinity
  • Main Canopy Size
    170
  • Main Canopy Other
    190
  • Reserve Canopy Size
    160
  • Reserve Canopy Other
    176
  • AAD
    Cypres 2

Jump Profile

  • Home DZ
    Skydive Orange, Va
  • License
    D
  • License Number
    31661
  • Licensing Organization
    USPA
  • Number of Jumps
    2300
  • Years in Sport
    17
  • First Choice Discipline
    Formation Skydiving
  • Second Choice Discipline
    Freeflying
  • Freefall Photographer
    No

Ratings and Rigging

  • AFF
    Instructor
  • Tandem
    Instructor Examiner
  • USPA Coach
    Yes
  • Pro Rating
    No
  • Wingsuit Instructor
    No
  • Rigging Back
    Senior Rigger

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  1. A man was out in the Chinese wilderness and he was hopelessly lost.It had been nearly three weeks since he had eaten anything besides what he could forage and he had been reduced to sleeping in caves and under trees.One afternoon he came upon an old mansion in the woods. It had vines covering most of it and the man couldn't see any other buildings in the area. However, hesaw smoke coming out of the chimney.He knocked on the door and an old man with a beard almost down to the ground answered. The old man squinted his eyes and asked, ‘What do you want?’ The man said, ‘I've been lost for the past three weeks and haven't had a decent meal or sleep since that time. I would be most gracious if I could have a meal and sleep in your house for tonight.’The old Chinese man said, I'll let you come in on one condition. You absolutely cannot mess around with my granddaughter.’The man, exhausted and hungry, readily agreed. ‘I promise I won't cause you any trouble. I'll be on my way tomorrow morning.’The old Chinese man replied, ‘Okay, but if I do catch you then I'll give you the three worst Chinese torture tests ever known to man.’‘Okay, Okay,’ the man said as he entered the old house.That night, when the man came down to eat (after showering), he saw how beautiful the granddaughter was. She was an absolute pearl, and while he had only been lost three weeks, he had gone many, many months without sex. The girl had only seen the occasional monk besides her grandfather. They couldn't keep their eyes off each other throughout the meal. That night, the man snuck into the girl's bedroom and they had quite a time.The man crept back to his room later that night, thinking to himself, ‘Any three torture tests would be worth it after that experience.’The next morning the man awoke to a heavy weight on his chest. He opened his eyes and there was this huge rock on his chest. On the rock was a sign that said. ‘First Chinese torture test: 100-pound rock on your chest.’‘What a lame torture test,’ the man thought to himself as he got up and walked over to the window.He opened the shutter and threw the rock out.On the backside of the rock was another sign saying, ‘Second Chinese torture test: right testicle tied to rock.’The rock was too far out the window to be grabbed, so he quickly jumped out the window after the rock. Outside the window was a third sign saying, ‘Third Chinese torture test: left testicle tied to bedpost.’
  2. Hey buddy - that looks to me like you're asking for help. And since it's here on a message board, I'll respond here as well. If you need someone to talk to you can PM me for my number anytime. Or I can help you find somebody else if you like. There's always an answer out there somewhere. BTW - I just went through having a jumper make a very permanent and stupid decision that the rest of us have to live with. Please don't do that to anyone you care about.
  3. Apparently, yes. By my count so far - USPA, AOPA, and several DZOs that I've spoken with about it do not believe this will do anything to improve safety. And based on what I've seen, the FAA isn't convinced either. And costs will definitely increase, which I can easily see putting small 182 DZs out of business. Many of them are operating on pretty thin margins.
  4. That's what I've been seeing at the places I jump. And it makes sense to me - get the meteorite out first and away from the rest of us. I wouldn't want that coming out on top of me.
  5. Sharing a Facebook post from Jim Crouch. I find myself agreeing with him and Bertorelli. "Another great article and viewpoint from Paul Bertorelli. The DZO wears a lot of hats. But, operating the aircraft is probably the most critical aspect. If you’re a DZO and don’t know airplane maintenance, pilot training needs and aviation regulations, it’s important to understand. Even with solid maintenance, there is still going to be problems with the aircraft. That’s where the strong pilot training and supervision comes into play. But, moving skydiving aircraft into Part 135 would do little to improve the safety of skydiving aircraft, yet it would probably put the entire industry out of business due to the drastic cost increases. Following the existing rules and regulations would have prevented nearly every airplane accident in the skydiving industry." https://www.avweb.com/insider/less-regulation-more-personal-responsibility/?fbclid=IwAR2sPtM_TunCRJa_HW1Pvp-_QoigGHsBQEW589Xu1aLBKsuVsKaFzWlwANI
  6. Are they a year round operation? I've been trying to find time to get out there and check them out.
  7. Yes, that's what Mr FAA said. Somehow, OKC didn't have copies of what the FAA approvals that the local A&P did, and that's where the confusion arose since those documents weren't on hand. But all involved agreed that the paperwork did exist, which I assume is why the entire operation wasn't grounded. We were relegated to the mighty Cessna fleet for the rest of the weekend. I also assume that once the A&P came in on Monday they were able to clear it up.
  8. No, I will not name the DZ. And no, it isn't the DZ listed on my profile. My understanding is that the paperwork exists but couldn't be located at the time. Apparently the A&P that originally did the work has it. And for what it's worth, I was in the room during part of the inspection. Mr. FAA clearly stated that they (the FAA) had approved the mods once already. And from my point of view, the place passes the sniff test. I've never gotten the impression that anyone has done anything in the least bit shady. And I know that when it's time, the AC go in for MX. The pilots are highly experienced (18K & 13K king air hours each) and guys whose judgement I trust. I don't know the intricacies of AC maintenance so I defer to folks like you. And based on your comments I do have more questions for them. And it's also possible that I didn't fully understand the details.
  9. Joe Webber - King Air. The paperwork was relater to an engine mod from 10+ years ago. It was field approved by the FAA but the follow up paperwork couldn't be located. The A&P remembers submitting it but no one could locate the documents. The FAA is working with the DZ to get into compliance and they should be up and running in a week or two.
  10. So the FAA showed up at a DZ I was jumping at over the weekend. The inspector grounded our turbine due to paperwork, not for safety. To be fair, this was due to poor record keeping not because anyone has an axe to grind. And after some casual inquiry around the area, it seems that there are a lot of DZ's having their maintenance records inspected. My assumption (with no supporting evidence what so ever) is that the FAA is preparing a statement for the eventual Administrator's testimony to congress on this matter. I don't know if that indicates that the FAA is for or against the proposal, but I would think that they are not in favor of increasing their workload. The safety record of the jump fleet has been pretty good over the last decade or so. Also, talking to the DZO he estimates about a $1M maintenance bill in order to comply with the proposed legislation. A number like that puts most operators out of business overnight. And the cost of jumps tickets would triple if not quadruple.
  11. I wouldn't put forward an issue that there was no interest in. Posting here was simply a means to have a conversation about it. And it appears that the topic doesn't particularly resonate with anyone.
  12. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea for USPA to put certain skydiving related FAA certifications on our membership cards. Things like pilot and rigger could be useful additions to the daily credential without much additional work for the staff. Simply provide a copy of your FAA card and have it annotated on the USPA card as well. And there's never a requirement to update them as they technically never expire.
  13. David, Thanks for responding. I won't address each topic individually as they should all be discussed in their entirety. But I will say that I'm in favor of continuing to colocate with the PIA symposium. It's a great event and more skydivers should attend. I happen to be one of the minorities (literally and figuratively) that attends BOD meetings and pays attention to what they do. I think for the most part our BOD does an outstanding job. However, as has been noted by many, we have room for improvement. While I don't necessarily agree with everything you've stated I certainly appreciate your willingness to get into the fight. I will be sharing the link you provided and inviting other members to consider your candidacy. We can definitely use more folks like you in the room when decisions are being made. Louis
  14. David, Thanks for running. We need more jumpers and fewer DZOs on the BOD. I watched the video and agree with most of your stated goals, but in my opinion, some of your positions sound a bit uninformed. You are asking for USPA to do things it's either already doing or has been unable to do, but many attempts have been made. i.e. getting rid of the FAA medical. There's a long history on this and other issues (IRM/SIM rewrite, BOD meeting location selection, etc.) that you don't appear to be acknowledging exists. Are you at least aware of what happened with the previous attempts? If so, how will you succeed where others have failed? Again, thanks for running and making the effort to engage the membership. Louis