Hey ya'll. I'm new to the DZ (virtually and otherwise), so hi and thanks for all the great conversations I've been reading up on. Finally, I'm compelled to jump in and shed a wee tad of perspective on a question. First, let me state that I am NO expert in piloting planes or canopies. I flew a Cessna 150, 152, and a 172RG way back when as a teenager in exchange for washing and lightly wrenching on said aircraft. Many years later, I've just started skydiving (a whopping 8 beloved jumps under my belt). Given both, albeit rusty/naive, experiences, I have to draw a parallel between the two for this question. It sounds to me like this pilot is absolutely making safe decisions in regards to the performance of his aircraft. However, as with skydiving, the biggest danger on the runway is other aircraft/skydivers. One of my AFF instructors was keen to remind me to "always fly a predictable pattern" - a downwind, crosswind, and upwind leg (even swooping is a compressed standard pattern...) - to avoid canopy collisions. That, to me, is the safety concern in this scenario - avoiding other aircraft. But there are radios... well, as most pilots would attest, radios fail. Flying a predictable pattern for aircraft means that the wind direction can suffice as a last-ditch resort to 'controlling' airport traffic. Even if you lose your radios, you can still read a windsock. At a controlled airport, ATC can guide other aircraft around an aircraft in distress / with a failed radio. This airfield doesn't offer that option. Maybe this is a relatively rural airfield, but ultimately, you never know who is going to take his rincky dinky old Cherokee for a little cross-country spin this weekend and lose his radio, doesn't have his backup preset, etc. I know it's a rare scenario, but we jump with reserves and AADs for the rare scenarios. Flying into the wind is not just for better takeoff performance, it's to help direct airfield traffic. Would I prefer a regular pattern over getting another load in at the end of the day? Sure. Would I board that plane in these circumstances? Yep, you betchya. But you're damn sure I'm going to put my eyes to use spotting aircraft for at least the first few thousand, as we all should, every load. My humble $.02. -Angie
