dterrick

0:3:many
It's so good to be back in the sky.

Winter "accuracy competition" at Brandon Manitoba saw eleven (brave or crazy) souls shooting accuracy in zero F temeratures, jumping form a C-172 with the door on. For many, it was the first jump since the season ended in mid-October.

First jump on the new canopy (beer). First winter jump (I mean REAL winter jump (beer)). First jump from a 172 (meh... but with the door ON???). First time I've been in a "jump plane" with a full interior, cushy seats, and a real heater (all we were missing was the inflight movie and beverage cart
First jump from 6500 was the proper resolution of #268 - a jump that went horribly wrong. I knew from the moment I left the plane that all was well again. 2 metre score. Second jump I tried a tracking dive from 9000... in full skiwear. 3 metre score. For the third jump we got silly - all 3 of us did a clear and pull from 9000. The sight was so beautiful as to defy description. Of course, none of us could feel our fingers by landing time and the 'judges' had already gone back inside to get warm. TFFTM x 3 ... but we didn't care

One of our number just could not be conventional and tried things the hard way. First Curtis jumped his Delta 2 Parawing, then shot about 20m with an Army-Green T-10 (s/l deployment and all) and finally...(the coolest) a standup under a brilliant red Thunderbow with a huge blue arrow (this way forward? What a cool canopy).

Dave

THANK-YOU Snowflake.

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What DT said pretty much summed it up. I'll add I used to have this memorized it's from Dune

My message got through to at least one person... I hope more. You added a very concrete (and very appropriate) physical drill. Nice touch on the Dune quote, too, BTW (mind if I use it?)

It's amazing how important the role of our mind is in this sport. With no frame of reference there can be no Understanding (Jung) ... and this is not a sport to "just do".

Dave

Blue Skies Mike!

Unlike some who have posted, I an instructor and coach ...in Canada. We jump Cessana 182's 6 months of the year, most students learn via IAD from 3,000 ft.

Your "problem" is common and almost certainly psychological. This means it is within YOUR control. Being your own worst critic is a valuable learning tool / survival skill in this sport if you use it correctly. Your local instructors would surely have had serious discussions with you already if they saw anything grossly unsafe or negligent in your actions. They did not. Pause...deep breath....relax.... What you describe as tunnel vision and lack of recall are classic symtoms of anxiety issues - you yourself mentioned "the ride up sucked". You may inadvertently set yourself up for a bad skydive.

STOP RIGHT THERE! GET THOSE BAD THOUGHTS OUT OF YOUR HEAD...NOW!!
(trust me on this, no good comes from them).

Someone said the first grand takes about 10 seconds - yes this is about right. would you expect to be unstable for 10 seconds on an AFF dive? Of course not. Put things in their proper perspective. Ask more questions of your coaches. Know your freefall math. Don't aceept being 'laughed at' - that's beneath your worth as a student skydiver. Anyone who claims they were 'never there' either has poor memory or poor character. My guess is poor memory... so soon we forget our difficult first jumps

Congratulations on your post-beer packjob, BTW. I remember my first packjob... I was still a student so they didn't make me buy beer. I think it opened in linetwists too .

Chin-up Man! You WILL be fine. Go jump again, soon. (And, if you dare ask for a 'get back on the horse' story, PM me).

-Dave

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Hey Dave!! I know that ad...

being more of a Triumph man I enjoyed the sight of an MG in flight

Seriously though, on one of my various tapes of the series Legends of Motorsport I have an MG program that features that very commercial. It's been a while since I've watched the tape but now that you've got me curious I might just have to dig it up and do some research. If memory serves it would have been in the late 60's. I might even rip it into mpeg format and figure out how to skydiving-movies.com it...

Dave

Hi Grant:

I have no reason to believe you had anything but good intentions when making your post. Perhaps when you read the additional detail I've provided you will come to a different conclusion.

I would like to point out that your entire reply is directed at me and my histroy without reference to Krisanne and hers. Please re-read what I wrote and to whom it was written. I chose my words carefully first to reflect a positive message, second to add a connection to my own similar experience, and finally to reinforce a very basic safety concept (try twice, and only twice). I would repeat them again, verbatim, the next time a "20 jump student" is encouraged by their successful application of correct emergency procedures. Krisanne(if you're reading this) I STILL say "good job".

Mathematical and statistical inaccuracies aside for a moment, here are my situations to consider... now that they are a part of the thread.

Reserve ride #1 was described in my original post (jump #20, 4th of the day, opening weekend). The rest of the detail is in post #3 on this thread; this reserve ride is the relevant reserve ride to this thread. Reserve ride #2 occurred on jump #193. This was a spinning mal on a borrowed elliptical - caused by a jammed brake on a triple riser setup. Reserve ride #3 was caused by another jumper striking me from above hard enough to temporarily paralyze my right arm. That was, incidentally, my most recent skydive.

Is there a pattern? No. I described my rides as being "for 3 very different reasons" and I stand by that description. Am I concerned? I have no concerns about the first two. But did I "soberly reflect" on my continued involvement in the sport after being incapacitated in mid-air? I wouldn't know where to start. Let's just simplify by saying that the positive support form everyone in the sport who knows me (including several who have more diamonds on their wings than I have hundreds of jumps...), (so far) has kept me from framing my logbook. The Canadian winter layoff is hard enough as it is...

What can we learn about safety & training while also learning about coaching and communicating? Sometimes the student becomes the teacher is one thought...any others?

Dave

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However, I would be just a bit concerned over the pattern you have seemed to have set for yourself here (just on the raw surface of it), and I would not otherwise in any way consider this as either any where near "norm", or "acceptable".

Granted that on ANY jump, a choppable mal is ALWAYS entirely possible, but when you see a number like this, that is so counter-statistical, especially on a relatively low-timer (meaning that, I assume you are not already engaging in either "experimental"/higher risk jumps, and/or intentional cut-aways, or otherwise jumps where statistically a cut-away likelihood is measurably higher so as to be EXPECTED), it SHOULD, I would think give you some reason taken for sincere pause, and potential re-examination of the WHY's this is occurring.

Whatever it is, that has caused you to have 3 chops within only 200 + something jumps AND several others "potential", I sure hope is being very soberly reflected upon, and thoroughly considered, and not just somehow otherwise rationailized off as "acceptable".

Heya Krisanne,

Well spoken and on the money. I hope HH gets to read your email - it will make his day.

I had my first mal on jump #20 as a student (pilot chute in tow, followed, ironically, by a stuck high slider...). I pulled at 4, my count saw me at 'check,000' (now 3,000 +/-) with no canopy. The check released the p/c from the burble but "something was still wrong" (the canopy never fully opened, I didn't give it time). Like you, I had decided not to take a wait and see attitude. Like you, I'd spent all winter hanging out right here on dropzone.com. Like you, I had "good decision" reassurrances from my instructors (over my first Reserveride Beer, of course - and again the next weekend for Solo beer - and the weekend after that over Gear Beer).

GOOD JOB!


I've had three reserve rides for three very different reasons. I have had potential reserve ride situations, too. The mantra "try once, try twice, go to emergency procedures" works for high or low speed canopy malfunctions. It's great when try #2 puts you back on track but I'll trust my rigger before I'll trust that I can correct something that has ALREADY gone wrong twice


Dave
PS: there was nothing "lucky" about you doing as you were trained ... but have fun in Vegas just the same

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Hey Ara,

Welcome to the concept of "inflight entertainment". As others have said, it's pointless to attempt listening in freefall. There's little reason to 'tune in' at normal canopy opening height (time, traffic, landing distractions). On the ride up and a high hop n pop in CLEAR airspace nothing beats it.

I have a (fairly vintage) MP3 player I use - I can zip it into my jumpsuit and still work the buttons from the outside. It's surprising how loud it needs to be on the ride up in a C-182 (yet another arguement for hearing protection). Under canopy you'll also find a fair amount of wind noise unless you're wearing a fullface or a ski-style helmet. My next purchase will be a set of Shure E-3 "noise isolating" earbuds (expensive but worth it) for the noise issue. Well, for that reason and because I'm a bit of a techno-dweeb when it comes to electronic gadgetry .

Suggestions / Cautions:

1. As others have said, seek your STA / DZO permission first and keep the audio jumps at the "sightseeing" level of difficulty to start with.

2. Turn off before the pattern (just like they ask you to do on a commerical airliner ...but YOU are the pilot)

3. Concern yourself with the routing of the headphone wires. If it gets snagged - for any reason at any time - your ears are gonna hurt! Try taping the wire to your chin strap (scotch tape will do) so that the free length is only between your zipper and chin .. there's "not much" danger in that. You should also tape up the excess near the player (again with scotch tape) to the point of having minimal slack in the system at your full arch.

4. Tunes should be off for takeoff and before jumprun (you never know if someone might need to get your attention) "turn on" once you're under a good canopy in clear airspace.


5. Avoid punk and classical music. Punk will cause aggresive flying and classical may put you to sleep at an inopportune time. Try some vintage jazz... you might even like it .


Dave

PS: ...tune in next week for a detailed description of how to make your own inflight 'Champagne bubble machine' create an authentic Airborne Lawrence Welk Experience (a one anna 2 anna ...)

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"Michael Schumacher is to donate $10m to the relief efforts in Asia. The World Champion says that the effects of the Boxing Day tsunami are "horrible" and has promised to give the money, which represents about 10% of his annual income, to UNICEF. Schumacher has been a substantial donor to charities for the last eight years notably with UNESCO and UNICEF including funding a school in Dakar (Senegal), a clinic in Sarajevo and a centre for street children in Lima, peru. He has also been involved in work in his role as a UNICEF ambassador."

Geez, it sounds like he's taking a chapter rout of another famous F1 star's book. Ironic, considering M.S. "replaced" Ayrton. Good on him... I guess there really IS a heart under that steely-cold gaze of his.

-Dave

Ka-Ora!

Happy Christmas Rob!

I'm a touch surprised this is even a subject for discussion. One only reads up to page 10 in the CSPA IA manual (part 2.3) before it specifically states " in all cases the instructor is kneeling beside the pilot facing the rear of the aircraft". It's further aknowledged there may be some "minor variations" on climbout technique, but that's as far as "the book" goes on deviations.

A half-season in the JM seat doesn't make me an expert by any means but I know enough to wonder why anyone would deviate so drastically from the established practice... and if the deviations are so good, why we aren't all doing it that way. Maybe it's because it's fairly new and fresh; maybe it was my excellent teachers; every procedure we're taught today has a logical basis. Could these "alternatives" be very old-school procedures leftover from s/l or dynamic exits?

Dave

Aye!

'Tis a fine and noble thing, a good single malt. We may have done this a long time ago. For biggies I enjoy Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Oban. Glenmorangie's a nice middl'er, Bowmore's worth a try if you can find it..

Cask Macallan? Let's just go with yummmm....

(uh, could I have some ice and soda with that? It's too strong )

-Dave
"Pear pimples for hairy fishnuts"
- Opus

Heya Peter

"coo loo-coo coo coo coo coo coo coo, G'day eh"


Yes, I've played Crud, once. (our DZ is on a WWI era air base and the regional cadet gliding school still operates). Yes, the game can lead to injury but not in the way you might suspect.

Crud was introduced by a fellow instructor (former cadet officer) one night when we were already a touch too inebriated to be effective with pool cues. Rules? We din' need no steenkin rules ... and ask a drunk skydiver to explain them and whaddyathink you get besides confused?


We played as we waited for our late night munchies to be prepared (having a golf course clubhouse within staggering disatnce of our trailer ghetto is a Godsend). Then, we staggered to the Officer's mess for a couple rounds and played shuffleboard with similar vigor. Once they kicked us out (..hey, it was after last call and we were the last ones, um, standing) we went Object-Climbing (you know the one). I'm not sure which was stupider... "RW-lite", or 'taking one for the team' and driving to the hospital so that our 'Beer' participant could have the gash in her shin stitched up (sigh, now she's "scarred for life"). Everyone knows the end result, including her Jumpmaster-dad (yes, we were forgiven, eventually). Until now, the true origin of the tale has not been told.

The moral? Avoid Crud. It has strange and unpredictable powers over ration..., uh, waiddaminute, never mind.

Dave

PS: I'll never forget that the look on your face(s) when I told you guys at H-town that I'd actually landed ON that white Suburban ... ... hehe. Somedays I wonder about me...

Well spotted Jen!!

I'm a Gabriel fan as well and this is news to me. [spiderman voice] ...mussst....seek.... albummm [/spiderman voice]

I have no doubt that Peter has done some strange shiite in his life but if he hasn't jumped himself, obviously someone he knew well,did. This sounds like new soundtrack material
-Dave

I thought so too, but I also understand the 'wonders' of TV camera angles.

Did you notice they varied from shot to shot?

What do you think the 'tv viewing public' would have thought about seeing "little dots as houses" instead of recognizable shapes? Not nearly so much, I bet.

All that said, R.B. appears to have a 'proper' reality show worthy of watching. A Tea party on top of his balloon? Wing walking (even if I'm not sure what the 2 ladies really "did" themselves to make the planes fly close enough to do the baton pass). Meh, I can;t wait to see them going over Victoria Falls in a barrel. Weeeeeeeeee, I think...

Dave

Bill Engvall does a skydiving routine.

Never seen or head of either before, but someone posted a link to Engvall's skydiving bit once .... and if you could bribe him to do it live... well HBDTY!

-Dave

Heya Brant, glad you enjoyed the progression. I enjoyed being a part of your progression as an instructor as well.

When you speak of jumps, you might be more accurate to say "canopy flights and landings". The reality of almost any Cessna dropzone is we don't get enough altitude to make "7 jump AFF wonders".

I took my FJC on a whim. I was offered the choice of a tandem but my decision was to "do it myself". Immediately I was hooked on canopy flight and declined an invitation to transfer to AFF. My theroy...: it's the safe landings that count above all else. Besides that, I was actaully more interested in flight (hang gliding) when I took my FJC so it seemed like the better option. My accounting analysis (ya right, like this is a logical sport?) revealed little cost difference between the paths to the Solo license so I opted for canopy time. You know me, I'm still inclined to pitch pilotchute off the step even if I AM at the top. A regular CrEW habit is just a matter of time (I enjoyed foray #1 very much) - and finding some other dawgs.

The only thing I "hated" about the progression was "paper pulls" (who doesn't?). The sheer dificulty of maintaining awareness, proper arch, and the new skill of a training pull while a Manta simultaneously rips you out of freefall cannot be underestimated. Successful mastery of this skill makes every other deployment (and true hop-n-pops from ANY altitude) seem like child's play.


Beyond pulling, pulling stable, and pulling on time, I STILL believe that only landing safely is more important to your continued skydiving success. By the time you have 25-30 jumps there should be little difference in the skillset of an AFF vs IAD graduate (very true, Mr. Skymonkey). You're there now and you've learned a lot in a short time. Well done! From here it's more about your attitude than your aptitude. Achieving the SOLO proves a reasonable aptitude. Realizing it is just a 'ticket to learn' is the attitude that will make you successful in the sport. John Parrott often said "there are old skydivers and bold skydivers, but there are few old, bold skydivers".

See you all in the POPS club no matter what progresion method you choose (ask a follically challenged skydiver )!

-Dave
(C1, IA, QE)

I spent an afternoon at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (not enough time to really let things sink in). There was a room of gigantocollossal photographs (Viking, oh Viking ... who's the famous dude with the European name who does funky things with filters and multiple exposures in 20 x 30 (...feet...). That was very cool room. A life size soccer pitch ... the bundesbank (sp?), a Madonna concert shot from the rafters... some resort swimming pool area with, um, nearly life size details. It was good. The Warhols and Pollocks were also fascinating but they had some origina Miros as well (I was hoping that one might be the Dave Brubeck cover art from the 60's)

Then there was another room, that was, well, avant garde. A pile of dirt, quartered, mirrors strategically inserted in quadrant form. If you looked at any one quadrant it looked like you were seeing the "whole pile" except you werent. 90 left (or right) and you had another view ... the same but different. There was an antique urinal entitled (...wait for it...) "urinal".

My "favorite" .... a 3 pannel canvas - total size about 8 x 18 ft. It was pure white. The description from the artist suggested that it was "to represent purity and simplicity". Further, his instructions were to repaint it if it ever became discoloured or soiled. Apparently this piece had more coats of paint than my living room !!

Go figure.

-Dave

Hi Megs
Has our weather not sucked so horribly this year?

A good number of The Winnipeg Skydiving Centre seniors head to Lake Wales in March every year - their DZ will all be brand spankin' new (after the hurricane(s)) - joining the 'Manitoba crowd' might take the edge off (a shy skydiver??). The trip is slated for the first half of March +/- but I have CGA exams so I can't go... I'm thinking about Para-Ski out East though. PM me for some contacts. Also, we may do some winter jumping this year so your 'trip' need only be cross-province (I don't recognize the nickname so I'm presuming...).

(wishing for) Blue Skies

Dave
C1 IA QE (bla bla bla )

My sister lives in the San Fran area and on my last two visits I have jumped Hollister.

I made my choice largely because of people I got to know on dropzone.com though I enjoyed the plane as much as the people (coming from C-182 land as I do). Monterey Bay is a beautiful facility but the day I showed up (a Monday) there were not even enough people around to fly their 206 so I didn't get a chance to jump that (or the otter ). For that matter, with no 'people' there I also couldn't evaluate the jumping environment. As for the view, you can "see" pebble beach from Hollister ... of course at 18k you can also see the entire San Francisco peninsula, the Sierras, and the ocean.

Honestly.... if I was just in it for the views I'd take a plane or driving tour of the area and let my jumping decision be based on who I'd be jumping with. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the crews from Byron and Lodi (and other surrounding DZs) also chime in.

Enjoy your trip. If you like driving, plan for at least 2 full day trips to explore Skyline drive, Bear Creek Canyon, La Honda and Old LaHonda road etc. This is yet another reason to ask the locals...

Dave

Go to your local Golftown or whatever (MegaLomart of the golf world). They'll sell 1 oz little vials of 'tackifier' (looks like a smaller jar of shoe cream - or a caviar jar); it renews and improves gloves and grips. It's cheap(ish), you apply it yourself to the desired sticification level, and you cah make points by sharing with your friends. you might even use it on your golf glove on those too-windy-to-skydive days

...works for me. My summer gloves are batting gloves, and my September-May gloves are suede palm waterski gloves (neoprene back) with glove liners. The snow is nigh in Manitoba and our y/e party is this weekend


Dave

OOOOOOH INTERCOURSE THE PENGUIN!!!
Thanks so very much for contributing to my delinquency Slappie ... lemurs are much cooler than Badgers

Dave

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One of the best cars at cornering that I've ever driven was a 1975 Porsche 914 2.0. It's not exactly what you'd call a sexy pretty car. It was just unique for its time

Amen.

I'm a big Deutchesautophile and I agree (although the 914/6 is more to my taste ...well duhhhh). In the SCCA, the 914/6 is HATED by 911 owners because it can be made to go faster. [Chop the windshield off, blow out the rear glass and you essentially have a low-drag sports racer with a 911 underneath. This modification has never been allowed on the 911 fixed head coupes so they suffer weight and drag penalties].

The even cooler thing about mid-engine cars is how violently they snap when they finally do.... if you're brave enough to find the limit .

Mid engine cars with sticky tires remind me of a 2 way formation recently introduced to me ... the 'propellor'. Take a compressed and modify it so that youlock your elbow around your partner's knee. Then, extend your free arm and hang on for dear life. At some point, you're just along for the ride... but it's a lot of fun getting there.

Dave

PS: my worst 'off' in a racing car was piloting a GT-2 Datsun 240Z into a 90 mph double apex left hand corner - the problem was I was in the left lane pasing a nasty RX-3 on steroids, doing 'about' 130 when suddenly he disappeared from my mirrors. Yes, I missed my braking point and made it about 500 ft off-track in a Mr.Toad-ish wild ride. So pissed off was I that I re-entered the track and tried even harder. First weekend on slicks (Beer). First 4 wheels off (Beer). First race win (...and after all that yet.... Beer). Speaking of not getting a ticket... neener neener neener

-D

Ummmmm, I guess I can only talk about the ones I SHOULD have gotten...

Flat out (about 135 mph) in a 6 series BMW coupe on the Ohio Turnpike "just to see if it would pull redline in 5th". It didn't so I shut it down (shortly before, while cruising at about 75 I was passed by some fancy Camaro doing well morethan that. I gave him his space ... he found the smokey)

Flat out one night on the way to DZ, at night, 2 lane highway with a nice ess-bend. 'bout 200 kph (aka 'terminal velocity') in my 89 Civic Si. Not a soul around so I kept it flat out through the sweeper (I'm an ex-road racer). Suddenly, oncoming lights, and guess who it was. Eee-yup, I saw the brake lights come on (I don't think they got a lock on me) but I kept goin'. Conveniently, I was near the intersection to the dropzone and about a mile later there is a small country bar. I think they must have passed by while I was inside grabbing my case o beer for my "first" successful flight from "them". At night, at speed, I could have been anybody in a "small car".

Speed doesn't do it for me - cornering does. Since Manitoba is flat and based on the mile road grid, I'm pretty safe here... I did average 104 mph on the way to Holister from SanFransisco in my sister's DelSol last summer though... (weeeeee
-Dave

Hmmmmm, I feel your pain Lisa, this makes living in Winterpeg (it's waaaay too isolated for serious storms not involving snow) almost bearable. This considering it will be about 30f at altitude tomorrow.

When I was about a dozen years old we went to Hawaii for a family trip. Remember the 'Tropical Storm' of 1980 (no, it wasn't a hurricane, technically)? Maui was unpowered for nearly a week and we lived through it. As a kid, on holiday during the school year, it was kinda cool.

Thankfully, our condo was on the sheltered side facing the ocean and the sunset. Woohoo! There were exactly two BBQ pits between the pool and the shoreline. There were aproximately 200 people exhibiting 'mob mentality' fighting over the use of whoever dared step away from their coals for even a split second. Dave gets lesson #1 in human nature at an early age.

That said, I'd had an innocuous flash of brilliance as soon as the lights went out and we trucked into Lahina to gather supplies. "Let's buy some Sterno" I said. WE sat on the balcony of our condo doing fondu watching the commotion below in relative comfort ....

My deepest sympathies to all those personally touched by not just one - but three disasters ... that's at least two too many. alas, I need to drive to my DZ despite info that the cieling is about 500 ft ... I have several first jumpers that are arriving first thing tomorrow "because of me". I hate to whine (well, not really, I love wine - may I suggest a nice capicolla and some kalamata olives to go with your provelone?), My worst dilemma is whether to bring the saxophone or the golf clubs to occupy my idle time . Blue skies - calm skies,

Dave

: 9 : depends ...

Classified information provided on a need-to-know basis. Nobody needs to know so I'm not telling


I opened the weekend with jumper #1 halfway out the door of our 182. Two 20 second delay students did the 'Harlem Shuffle' around #1 (who has several skydives but more than one refusal ) Both 20's went fantastic. I now understand how the Cessna can turn around a plane that fast ... weeeee!

A very, very late Friday night followed as the BEER light only illuminated at 11 PM after the skies were deemed too cloudy to night jump. Then it cleared up just as we had made up for the lost time. F. Eff eff eff eff EFF! Maybe tomorrow night. It's an an airport. "People" did some climbing upon objects and new ratings were earned. No, not that rating. ...Yes, I had my '8 hours' satisfied and awoke well rested but I completely missed the morning as a result.
My second night jump rocked... using a full moon as your orientation for a style set is a touch strange ... you see dark-dark-MOON several times and the only worthwhile video is the one I can replay in my mind. I was flying a solid grey Nimbus 1986 - I could have snuck up on ANYBODY except for my ACR strobe. "Is that a falling satellite?.... naaah, just Daaaave". Apparently my night spotting skills are quite decent
Sunday saw all but the hardcores bail due to rain and low clouds. I stuck, and for my patience I dispatched a first freefall sudent for the first time. My daytime spotting is even better, considering the comments I received.

I'm gonna owe beer for the elliptical that I rode on all but the night jump (soon to be mine)... would YOU jump a Jonathan at night with a round reserve?

See, that could be several cases of beer. No matter how you count the cases, this weekend past will go down as one of the best . And on my next jump I'll hit 2 hours of freefall time. I think I'll buy a case just because ...

Dave


Dave

eee-yup. They wouldn't let me pass my instructor's practical exam without that capability ... I don'need no steenkin green light - not like our antique Cessna has one anyway .

Cool game tho, must-send-to-whuffos (and Daffy Duck fans).

...and tomorrow night, the real thing! Night jumps are nigh.
Dave