skyberdyber

The issue the lawyers were attempting to go after is that the Sullivan Otter had -20's on it. Dash 20's woefully underpower an Otter when they are not kept within the overhaul limits. For years operators have gotten away with takeoff power of 26-28 lbs torque (Otter) and 750-800 ft/lbs. torque (King Air) and jump pilot's were known to say, "If we ever lose an engine, the other one is only going to take us to the crash site." For those non-turbine pilots out there, that's less than 60% of maximum power available from a new -20. It's been just a matter of time until a jump plane with 20's crashed due to this type of "on condition" operation. If the engine is producing full power, that's a different story. But most 20's are not. Unfortunately the lawyers don't bother to educate themselves enough and just make the blanket statement that all P&W's are not suitable which is ridiculous. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Obviously it depends on the amount fuel the aircraft uses. Example: A super Otter on average burns 25 gallons per load. Divide that by an average of 18 jumpers per load and you get 1.39 gallons per jumper. Multiply that by the price of fuel and you get the jump ticket price increase. Current jet fuel price avg $4 x 1.39 = $5.56 of each jump ticket for fuel. $5 per gallon = $6.95 per jumper, an increase of $1.39 per ticket. $10 per gallon = $13.90 per jumper This varies with the fuel burn and average number of jumpers of each aircraft. Due to the lower jumper average a King Air and Caravan are a higher ratio per slot. $10 per gallon for juel fuel for GA traffic in the next 10 years is a realistic number with the new way the FAA wants to fund the system. Call your congressman. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

You mis-spoke D-bo it's: and great chicks too. and they have great boobies too. and carnival rides... http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

It's actually a Skywatch which is now owned by L3 Communications. It views 11,000 feet above and 8,000 below. The display is on an Avidyne EX500. I cannot begin to tell you how much it helps. I know there is traffic in the pattern long before I get down where can see it so I can be looking. It has saved me from some possible near misses. Also, I don't have to argue with ATC about how I'm VFR when they try to "hold" me at 10,500 to let there IFR pass through when I say "got em on TCAS". The major drawback is that it becomes a crutch and you find your visual scan suffers. This takes discipline to overcome. However, the benefits well outway the negatives. Eventually the FAA will require all turbine a/c to have TCAS. Just a matter of time. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

All parties in any airspace in VMC are responsible for maintaining vigilance in aircraft separation whether through visual means or by situational awareness. The FAA would typically fault the controller, and all of the pilots for something like this. That being said, I don't trust controllers with my ass, nor jet pilots who in my opinion rely too heavily on controllers. Therefore, my King Air has a TCAS. (the $17,000 version, D-bo you avionics snob!) http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I'm sorry to be a know-it-all here, however, that is still incorrect. Although anyone with the information required to file a NOTAM can theoretically file it, ATC does not file NOTAM's. A NOTAM is filed with a Flight Service Station (FSS) by the operator. An FSS's job is to disseminate information to pilots and controllers. It's not just terminology. There is a huge difference. One is required by law, the other is not. One is used to notify ATC's managing administrators of what is occurring in their controlled airspace and the other notifies the general public, e.i. pilots and on duty ATC controllers. I want to stress this to anyone reading because the jump population needs to know the correct information. The FAA does not consider it a matter of symantics. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

No, they are NOT. You need to read more carefully because it says nothing about a NOTAM. Nothing in the FAR's requires a NOTICE TO AIRMEN (NOTAM) for parachute operations. This section requires notification to the controlling AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL facility and it outlines several ways you can do this depending on the particular operation. These are very different things. If you file a NOTAM with Flight Service and jump without ATC notification (or authorization if required for the airspace) you are violating the law and the pilot can lose his/her license. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

There are no real limits. The FAA requires a light that can be seen for 3 statute miles for each jumper between sunset and sunrise. As far as the FAA is concerned you could run a jump operation 24 hours a day. The USPA BSR's require a night jump briefing within the last 60 days among other general recommendations. Chris is correct, no NOTAM is required anywhere unless an FAA Demo Jump authorization waiver requires it. The reasons we don't night jump all the time are: A. The owner, pilot, and staff get tired after working for 13+ hours B. The danger, liability, fuel usage (due to multiple passes for landing separation), and logistical difficulty all increase a lot. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Ya, that's exactly what I meant. I want to convey stuttering and stumbling. You're an idiot. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I guarantee you, however, if 25,000 USPA members wrote in sincerely saying they agree with your answers they would most likely become the correct answers. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I tend to disagree that an ellipsis used for a lengthier sentence break is improper grammar. At which number of persons does the critical mass occur where a slang used in written or spoken form becomes accepted as proper grammar? For example, there are many situations each day where we all use the incorrect conjugation of the verb "to be" where technically we should be using, "Thou art" and so forth. However, they are considered archaic and since the masses no longer use them, "you are" becomes proper grammar. I personally believe that a comma does not indicate enough passage of time for certain ideas. It may be up to the reader, however, I don't want to count on the reader to figure out my ideas I want to get the correct communication across. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

We aren't super close, but a lot of folks in helicopter training have come up here to Skydive Atlanta over the years. We've got a big military crowd from Benning as well. Thomaston, GA http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Continental have they best fares right now for my itinerary but I've never flown them. Any feedback on their service? The Atlantic portion is on a 777. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Actually I saw it in the theatre and it was good at the time to a wuffo. They play it on cable and DirecTV like every 4 days now for the last 5 years. It's amazing how it's had staying power. I dunno about a sequel though. The funny thing is, at the time, no one would want to go see it because of Keannu, but might go cause Patrick was in it. Now they won't go cause Patrick is in it, but might go if Keannu was. It's amazing what a few years do to a career. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Interesting, tickets to theme parks are excluded. Guess Disney has quite the lobby in the state of FL huh? Don't sell Gift Certificates any longer. Sell tickets and call them tickets. Treat it just like the airlines. Give them a time and date for advanced booking when they purchase. Have them sign a purchase agreement of terms and conditions, just like the airlines, and follow EXACTLY what an airline policy would be. In fact, you might copy it line for line. #1 The law specifically states "gift certificate" or "Credit memo". #2 You'd have good footing to stand on if you follow a precedent set by a large airline doing business in your state. #3 Once they sign an agreement to those terms, they agree to them. The paperwork will be a pain in the ass but I think a good attorney could hold it up in court. Otherwise the airlines would have to comply. And it's really not a stretch to convince a judge skydiving is similar to the airlines. Lastly, there is an weaker argument that can be made that a DZ is similar to a theme park or entertainment complex but doesn't fit the specific defintion, 25 acres or 1 million visitors. The argument is that you are being unfairly excluded from this exception. I mean, I can't think of any good reason why Disney shouldn't have to comply with this if you do. It all depends, do you lose more trying to fight it, or getting screwed on cashflow? http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I don't care what the situation was, with whom involved, or what was said. Unless someone is defending their life, there is no excuse for stabbing someone. The police found enough available evidence to arrest him and not the other guy. So, unless he can prove self-defense in a court of law, he will never be welcome at my DZ again. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

perhaps I should've said you are giving attorneys an easier route to win. Hate to break it to you dude. This is skydiving. You aren't going to make it death-proof. I've heard so much about this incident in the last month. My main conclusion is that everyone seems to have forgotten that skydiving is dangerous and that's a big reason why people do it. IT IS DANGEROUS AND PEOPLE DIE. And that will never change. You can try to idiot-proof it, they'll just build a better idiot. This sort of "legislate good judgement rather than personal responsibility" attitude is what goes on in Washington. Take a good look at our laws guys. It hasn't worked there it's not going to work here. But it'll make you guys feel good about yourselves like your doing something about it and it's popular, so never mind whether it'll actually work or makes any sense. Based on your response to me, I don't know why you bothered to post for comments. You seem to have already made up your mind. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Brian Germain is right. I think this is a bad direction to go and it's kneejerk. You guys only say this when someone dies. I warned Danny several times over the years. Someone of his age, experience, and attitude doesn't listen. Furthermore, if I had grounded Danny or what it really would've taken, kicked him off the DZ, I'd feel the backlash for weeks from the jumpers. And it still would not have changed him. On the other hand, if the jumpers would've made him an outcast for being dangerous and refused to jump with him, he might have listened. But Danny was very popular at our DZ at that was never gonna happen. Be that as it may, I have grounded staff members at our DZ last year. Each have more than 4,000 skydives. It made no difference. I have even kicked people off the DZ for bad continued canopy judgement before. These proposed rules are not going to change much. What it will do is set up the DZ for a law suit unless they agressively enforce them. You jumpers need to take some responsibility and quit expecting the rules, DZO's, and USPA to make it "safe". The safest I ever felt it was at the DZ was when Ian Drennan as a senior jumper was discouraging unsafe behavior very publicly and refusing to allow unsafe people on the "good freefly jumps". http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

SPF 400? Is that PD's newest canopy? jk http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

No, sorry. No plane in T-town. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Hope this works. Here's an overhead of the DZ. Green arrow marks just next to the landing area. This may change. As you can see, there is a lot of area to land. Click Here Someone let me know if this does or doesn't work for you. The page is already cached on my computer so I don't know what'll do for others. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I've seen it. I had already heard of most of it's content in other publications. Check out "What the Bleep do we know?", another similar type movie only more science based. Couldn't hurt to put the ideas into practice. Might just work!! http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

I agree, country music is contributing to excessive beer drinking, fights at NASCAR races, and the systematic extermination of rural highway signs via shotgun. Tragic. The Emo is in every generation. It is about the not fitting in thing. I was one in 1987, musician, wearing all black, listening to The Cure, even wearing eyeliner from time to time. Long before Goth. Although, we didn't have cutting, we just smoked pot like normal teenagers. In the 50/60's it was the "hipster", wearing all black, worshiping Kerouac. What was it in the 70's? Emo solution- Take away the X Box, make them go outside and play, and then as teenagers make them get a part time job. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Oooh that's hot. Is he gonna be in Destin?? http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com

Boogie thief! Boogie thief! a.k.a. Mine, mine, my sandbox! jk I will never do it again, I'll tell ya what. It's not worth all this. I feel like I'm in elementary school again. http://www.skydiveatlanta.com http://www.musiccityskydiving.com