biplane_dude

Hey Ron... Good luck with this. I used to do the inverted Pitts (or biplane) drops from my S2A at Couch Freaks (and others) and wanted to be able to practice the jumps (and just aerobatics) at a local uncontrolled public field not far from my home. Same deal. The local airport board wouldn't approve it even with the blessing of the dropzone and other tenants on the field. To be honest they weren't to happy with the dz anyway at the time and were actively trying to get them off the field except they weren't going to be able to justify further FED funds without their takeoff/landings in their annual activity audits. Long story short, I gave up trying to do it on that field or one nearby. Believe it or not, the new FAA guidelines "require" the Ops Inspector to have some sort of approval from at least one of the land owners below the box as part of an environmental noise impact review. Luckily, we had a small private field owner that was all to happy to allow us to practice over his property and gave us written permission. The FED's accepted this for their approval policy (regardless of the fact, 90 percent of the box was over a farmers field and not the principal land owner). You CAN get approval without the airport authorities blessing, but good luck. The route you have to take is the big stick approach. Threaten their federal funding supply. If the field is federally supported (eg. tax dollars that fund runway improvement, etc), they are required to support any FAA legally authorized aviation activity. The problem with this route is that it may backfire on you. They may "approve" the activity, but require that you have 5 mill (or more) of liability insurance. If noise is the primary concern, you can use the formula's approved in the Volpe Report as noted[url] in the FAA's Memorandum regarding Aerobatic Noise (Link at bottom) to combat any argument the airport (or anyone else) might have. Good luck and blue skies. Mark https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/environ_policy_guidance/guidance/media/Approval_for_APA_Equivalent_Methodology.pdf

Triumph electrical systems are made by Lucas. There's a reason the British drink warm beer. Their slogan is NOT... Reliability by Lucas TR6 = purist car aficionado Miata = Cute convertible car driver. It's kinda like buying a Suzuki Boulevard when you really want a Norton Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Been watching this thread and I have to admit the answers have been extremely accurate and I understand those who have a cop/phobic or cop/dislike mentality. Unfortunately law enforcement is the parental unit of society and no one likes being told to go to the adult analogous of their room (jail). Just to throw another variable into the mix.... The department I work for has a new video camera/computer system. The system has four cameras posted on the corners of the squad that search the surrounding enviornment and looks specifically for license plates. When the cam finds one, it sends the info to the computer and runs it through the registration, warrants, etc. If a "hit" pops, it alerts the officer who can make a traffic stop. The system is fast enough that it can check a lines of vehicles parked along the roadway and in traffic while the officer drives by. The system is extremely expensive and the department wasn't interested in buying any until the manufacturer allowed them to borrow it for a couple of months. In the first month it found enough stolen vehicles (from virtually every state in the lower 48), suspended drivers, expired registrations, etc to virtually pay for the unit in about 2 months. Needless to say the department bought one and is working on the financing for 2 more. I can't say this is the end all of crime fighting though. This unit is extremely expensive and I don't see a small town making it worth their while. Our department happens to be in one of the top ten most dangerous cities in the US. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Hey John... You are right.. this is not a cure all for ALL conditions associated with vertigo but is a "quick" cure for a common problem associated with skydiving and aerobatics, thus my comment, "if it's the semi circular canals, this should clear it". I am familiar with the test you were talking about (Electronystagmography). I had this test done about 8 years ago when I first started flying acro and thought I had a horrible balance problem that was acute AND chronic (lasted for several months). The electronnystamography is an excellent test for further investigation of balance problems and it DOES work (can you say projectile vomiting?). My comments regarding the Eply technique and the nystagmus test were to assist Morav in determining that 1) he had a problem and 2) to provide a quick possible cure as an alternative to taking various medications. I did not intend to assert that I am a medical professional or that I had the "cure all" to all things vertigo. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

FOUND IT... Amazing how things come around when you need them. My acro buddies were discussing this again and the "Eply Manuever" was the positioning technique I was telling you about. Here's the website for it.... http://www.acroflyer.com/wobblies.htm Also.. I called it the "leans" but some apparently call it the "wobblies. If it is the semi circular canals... this should clear it. Give it a try. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Btw... let me know what comes out of your doc appointment. I'd like to add the info to my background of knowledge.... not only for my law enforcement work but for aviation as well. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Fantastic. Glad to hear you are on a track to get it dealt with. Sounds like something is going on between the ears...haha... Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

There's a tecnique called the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test that will tell you alot about what is going on. Yes, this test is the same one cops use to tell if you are drunk. Essentially the test is a check of your eyes ability to track a stimulus. What happens is that your eyes muscles are semi controlled by the semi circular canals. The ears send false signals to the brain and the brain thinks the body is moving and sends incorrect signals to the eyes to keep up with the believed movement. What happens is a disparity between what the brain "thinks" is happening and what the eyes are really seeing causing an involuntary movement of the eyes or "twitching". Try this site: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/enforce/nystagmus/hgntxt.html If you are able to have someone give you the test... and find you are suffering from some sort of nystagmus... you probably still have some sort of issue going on within the inner ear that needs further investigation. The technique mentioned in the earlier post is almost correct. I'm still searching for the exact tecnique. I'll let you know if I find it. BTW... my background... Pitts biplane driver (couchfreaks, skyfest, summerfest, etc), aerobatic competitor, skydiver driver and yeah.. I'm the po po... LOL. So I have a bit of actual experience with all of this. I did some casual testing of my aerobatic students that endured spin training. I would give them the HGN test after training and ALL suffered from some sort of nystagmus issues. If you are somewhere near IL drop me a line and I can give yah the HGN test in person or if you have a cop friend, ask them to do it for yah. My bet is... you are still suffering from some sort of inner ear issue however your brain/eyes have learned to deal with it much like a habitual drunk deals with it. The body has just corrected itself for the false signals coming from the ears. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

I suspect the condition you are suffering from is a form of a balance problem aerobatic pilots suffer from. If you are still suffering from the swelling, you need to see a doctor. We call the balance problem, "the leans". If you are still suffering from the balance issue there is a procedure that we use to help us cure it. Essentially it is nothing more than laying flat on the bed and turning our head every few minutes in different directions. The problem is a result of the tiny calcium deposits in the semi-circular canals brushing against the hairs in the canals. This causes sensory inputs from the ear to be sent to the brain indicating the body is moving in a particular direction when in fact it is not. If this is what you are suffering from, send me a note and I can get the procedure from one of the other guys on my acro exploder page. I know it sounds stupid but it works. The best way to determine if this is the possible problem is to see if you have Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. (I can explain that as well if you are interested). Just let me know. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

2005 Big Dog Pitbull.... I am SOOO ready to get back riding this summer. Snow has finally melted last week but it rained all weekend and it's still wet on the ground today. Polishing chrome and billet aluminum is a full time job.

Great game tonight...!!!!! Uhm... do I recall the Hawks won in overtime 4-3???????? Do I recall the Hawks have beat the Sharks at home the twice now? I'll say it again... HAWKS RULE...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Wow... you guys are missing out on some good hockey... Blackhawks lead every category except nice place to live. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

I think you are all wrong. The Blackhawks RULE...!!!!!!

Actually... it may have been a Lear 25. They are identifying the airplane as owned by Royal Air charter out of the Detroit area. Royal operates a whole fleet of different aircraft, Convairs, Falcons, Lears, 310 Cessna's and more. I was up there about 6 months ago and they had at least 4 Lear 24 or 25's (not sure which they were) sitting against the fence. They are a charter company that specializes in On Time Freight delivery specifically for the automotive manufacturing industry. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Yeah... I have to admit... I really missed not having anything to do this summer. The Pitts just made it out of the hangar yesterday...and it's on it's way to Florida. I'll have to tell yah the whole story on that one sometime soon. I was working on a deal for a Stearman but it fell through for a variety of reasons. Miss you to dear. I saw Dave just made his first jump since the hospital. GOOD FOR HIM...!!!! Damn.. tough deal but I'm glad to hear he's coming back. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

You obviously haven't dealt with any judges have you? Just think of them as someone who is WAY too important to listen to your insignificant traffic case because he is waiting for his appointment to the appelate court, retirement or running late for his luncheon with someone WAY more important than you. Wait... did I say that out loud? Damn.. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Having reviewed this thread... I am going to step up to the plate and post a response. First I AM a cop in Illinois and before the cop haters out there starting spewing epiphets including my name, I will remind you I am also the biplane dude from Skyfest, Summerfest and Couchfreaks (www.invertedair.com). Hopefully that will pursuade most of you out there to realize that I'm not the usual cop prick (and yes I am aware most of us ARE pricks). There's a ton of variables in this basic question and you didn't say whether you were written a citation for state statute or for a local ordinance or what department you were written by. I'm going to assume for the purpose of this answer, that you were written for a violation of state statute (IVC) and by a local department. Okay.. reviewing your question it appears you're wanting the best of both worlds. You want to take your shot at a jury trial and if it doesn't work out... take the deal the States Attorney will be offering before trial. I'll give yah kind of a heads up on how the dealing works (at least in our county). First, the assistant states attorney will provide you the opportunity to take a plea arrangement for a higher fine and the ticket will remain "off the record" so to speak. What they are telling you is that the citation will be on record at the Secretary of State on your abstract but will not be viewable by an insurance agency unless you violate the terms of the plea agreement. Usually the plea includes the higher fine (anywhere from 115 to 175) and no further violations within a specified period of time (anywhere from 30 days to usually 6 mos). In counties where school is available, they usually include some sort of driving school as part of the plea arrangement. They offer you the plea for a few reasons 1) to give you an incentive to plead guilty, 2) not clog up the court with a trial and 3) not waste the time of the states attorney, the judge and a jury for something that is a 75 dollar judgement. If you don't take the plea and want a trial, the state has to perform a trial. If the officer is not there, the state has the right to request a continuance (usually a month) to allow appropriate time for them to subpeona the officer or issue a notice for appearance or get him off the street into court. In this county, if it's the cops day off they most likely will dismiss the ticket but that's our department and our courts. Some departments require the officer to be there and they are paid to be there. It's kind of a crap shoot on that one because each department / county court have their own guidelines regarding officer appearances. Okay, so the officer is available and present. The state will now move on to trial. This includes paneling a jury (I believe it's only 6 or 8 jurist instead of 12) each being paid by the state the incredible sum of 28 bucks to be there for the day and having the officer appear (also costing money). A trial will be conducted and you will have the opportunity to provide your evidence. Based on what i read in your original post, it sounded like you probably were speeding so most likely you won't have any evidence to provide unless you perjur yourself. The state will provide their evidence and you can question the evidence just like what you see on TV. If you are found guilty (and you have a 50/50 shot of winning) you will be sentenced. You will not have the option of taking the original plea deal. Oh by the way, did I mention that anything with a 75 dollar "bond" is considered a petty offense punishable by a 750 dollar fine. If you requested a jury trial, the states attorney will request a fine that includes the fees associated with empanelling the jury, the overtime of the cop and the time used by the state and the judge to put on the trial (Generally 300 or more). It's a crap shoot on what the judge might give you for a sentence. I guess this is the long winded way of saying.... Take option B.... Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Nice airplane... I have around 4-500 hours in a G22... Not aerobatic capable... but definitely a good xcountry aircraft. My only dislikes about the airplane are: Hotter than hell anytime the temp is above 70 due to the greenhouse type windows and no manual trim control. If you have a shot, go for the turbo with air conditioning. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Having owned a Pitts S2A... and used it for skydiving purposes (www.invertedair.com), I think I can give you a few pointers on the Pitts. First consideration is your overall time. If you don't have any tailwheel experience, don't think about it. If you don't have a lot of flight time, consider something else. The Pitts is a Full On aerobatic aircraft. That's it. It's not good for anything else but aerobatics. It's cramped, you can't carry anything, it doesn't carry much fuel, not too many people can fit comfortably in it, it's claustrophibic and other than aerobatics, that's it... you're not going to do much else with it. Also, keep in mind this aircraft has the highest accident rate of any current production aircraft built (and most are fatal). You got to have your collective crap together when you are flying it because doing something improper without the proper training (like an uncoordinated turn base to final) can end up in a spin and ultimately a bad ending. And if you're thinking about IFR... you've got to be kidding unless IFR is "I Follow Roads". There is no room to add anything for instrument purposes and quite frankly the aircraft is too twitchy to be trying to fly instruments. Consider a Decathlon if you are wanting an all around airplane that can carry something, do acro and go for a 100 dollar hamburger once in a while. Now... all that said, the Pitts was probably the most fun aircraft I ever owned. If you want to rock and roll and hang in the straps and just have a good time... this is the airplane for you. The Pitts is kinda like owning a Ferrari. They're expensive, there is no real reason to own one, they're uncomfortable and there's really no reason to fly it unless you are going to tear up the sky with it. Plus, there is a certain amount of penis envy that goes on when you roll up on the ramp in a Pitts and get out wearing a chute. You WILL be the center of attention where every you land unless Kirby Chambliss or Sean Tucker are already on the ramp. I'd own an A before I'd own a B just because of the difference in gas but the prices are depressed right now on all Pitts' due to the economy. Figure on 50-60 for an A...70-140 for a B and 150 up for a C. The airplanes are bulletproof and only have a few AD notes. If you are serious, get someone that knows the airplanes to do a good pre-purchase and once you get it, go spend 30 hours with an instructor doing all the different spins and combinations of spins and entries to keep yah from killing yourself. I think that's it but if you have any other questions, drop me a line at [email protected] or give me a call 217-741-9110. Mark Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

CMEI, CFII, Tailwheel 4000 something total, 2000 something dual given (including acro and TW), Corporate, Charter and skydivers. Oh yeah and the last 4 years flying the Pitts Biplane at Skyfest, Summerfest, Couchfreaks and and pretty much everywhere else other than the WFFC.

You can't go wrong with a Remington 700 in a synthetic stock or ;aminated. They are probably the all around best gun. The problem you present is a Deer and/or Elk gun. Deer can be taken comfortably with anything down to a 308 or even a bit lower. Elk however, your talking about a much bigger gun. I know you said you weren't too hot about the mag's... but any of the Win mags are phenomenal (a bit of a snap when you pull the trigge but phenomenal). Life's the Pitts then you jump one.

Not sure what shells you have over there but... Here's a start. Generally paper shells achieve lower pressures than the same plastic hull load due to the quicker hull opening speeds. You could also try using a smaller lead load ie. instead of an 1 1/8 ounce of lead try 1 ounce. Also, try a mercury recoil reducer in the butt stock. In general your dealing with an overall light weight gun and a narrow gauge barrel which creates a lot of snap. You have to reduce that by getting the pressure out as fast as possible to reduce the recoil. Life's the Pitts then you jump one.