Jump Pilots!
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2009
Position: 737 Left
Posts: 1,825
Jumpers
I have dropped jumpers in a Turbo 207 and a Twin Otter. Not a lot of time with either, but it is a blast. The drop zone is a little far from my house, and I have other flying gigs, so I don't get to do it as much as I would like. We are northwest of Atlanta. 2 minute call, 1 minute call and jumpers away on both approach and unicom. Unicom is more detailed.
I don't jump yet. Never really wanted to until I started dropping meat missles, but I am intrigued now. Maybe this summer.
I don't jump yet. Never really wanted to until I started dropping meat missles, but I am intrigued now. Maybe this summer.
#12
I have dropped jumpers in a Turbo 207 and a Twin Otter. Not a lot of time with either, but it is a blast. The drop zone is a little far from my house, and I have other flying gigs, so I don't get to do it as much as I would like. We are northwest of Atlanta. 2 minute call, 1 minute call and jumpers away on both approach and unicom. Unicom is more detailed.
I don't jump yet. Never really wanted to until I started dropping meat missles, but I am intrigued now. Maybe this summer.
I don't jump yet. Never really wanted to until I started dropping meat missles, but I am intrigued now. Maybe this summer.
USMCFLYR
#13
USMCFLYR
#14
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Position: forever fo
Posts: 2,413
right on ya my man. flying jumpers is the best kept secret to building time in this biz. i started the same way u did and loved it.
communication is the key, jumpers and jump pilots get a pretty bad wrap sometime. and just a little explaining goes a long way. if ya ever have a rainy day and the parties not on at the DZ head on over to ur local tracon or app control and say hello and if the dzo is cool with it some free or discounted jumps(tandems or static line). i made my first jump before i ever flew them and am addicted to no end. knees in the breeze. keep smiling and enjoying they early days of ur career u will look back on them with envy and fondness. PS jumpers can be a pain in the ass sometimes and u have to watch out for uor ticket no one else will, but it sure beats working in a factory
communication is the key, jumpers and jump pilots get a pretty bad wrap sometime. and just a little explaining goes a long way. if ya ever have a rainy day and the parties not on at the DZ head on over to ur local tracon or app control and say hello and if the dzo is cool with it some free or discounted jumps(tandems or static line). i made my first jump before i ever flew them and am addicted to no end. knees in the breeze. keep smiling and enjoying they early days of ur career u will look back on them with envy and fondness. PS jumpers can be a pain in the ass sometimes and u have to watch out for uor ticket no one else will, but it sure beats working in a factory
#15
i got busy the last couple of years flying floats and living in alaska so jumping kind of went to the back burner. but my last jump was a 8 way wing suit formation so that rocked, and im getting my rigs repacked for this up coming summer want to hit some dz's around my new home and get back to it. frankly i got burned out, 2004 i did 800 skydive. a break was needed. base jumping got a hold of me and really want to go huck some high cliffs. never enough time
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Position: forever fo
Posts: 2,413
i got busy the last couple of years flying floats and living in alaska so jumping kind of went to the back burner. but my last jump was a 8 way wing suit formation so that rocked, and im getting my rigs repacked for this up coming summer want to hit some dz's around my new home and get back to it. frankly i got burned out, 2004 i did 800 skydive. a break was needed. base jumping got a hold of me and really want to go huck some high cliffs. never enough time
where you livin now?
#17
Start of the day have a couple people show you their packing slip for their reserve chute, you are responsible. Sort of a mini ramp check. Plus nothing gets your heart racing like when you turn final and see an ambulance headed midfield.
#18
i live in big rapids michigan right now. i would not recommend checking reserve packing card it makes u look like a douche. the dzo should be taking care of that, and at some time in this carrer u have to be able to trust the people u work with that they are doing ther job. but always use the trust with verification method. if u dont trust the dzo to do it then ya i would ask jumpers, because as twin wasp says its your ticket. we do tend to operate on the edges of what most would consider rational. legal is grey area. ther is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. as far as ambulances death and injury are an inherent part of the sport ther are plenty of warnings before u go
jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it aint for everyone. i personally have 5 fatalities out of my airplane, guess that makes me an ace, viva la sportdeath.
jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it aint for everyone. i personally have 5 fatalities out of my airplane, guess that makes me an ace, viva la sportdeath.
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Position: forever fo
Posts: 2,413
Ive seen over 2500 tandems, over 4000 jumps in my time in the sport, not me personally doing them, but been either flying or working on the ground, worst ive seen is a broken leg and sprained ankle, both from Students, i flew the ankle. I will not work around an unsafe place, but I do accept the risk when I jump, and know its there each load I fly. USPA just put out that 2009 was the safest year in a long time with close to 3 million jumps and I think 17 or 19 deaths, which is amazing, most of those where either canopy raps during CREW, ie formation flying.....and experienced jumpers doing something they should not have done. It has risks, but as we saw last year, being heads up can cut the risk down a ton!
The hardest part of flying jumper for me has been dealing with local pilots, guys that ignore a unicom and fly right through a dropzone, and other locals who can not accept jump ops and have had a twin otter bomb down on the runway in front of them. I fly a 182 I try to make everyone happy, but I have caught my share of flack from local weekend warriors. Today I had a nice incursion with a hot headed guy with an anger problem, my DZO had to call the cops to put our plane away. Got mad about a busy pattern with some ultra lights and him. If you fly jumpers you would understand this from our end. I never put myself in a situation on my descent that I could not safely make the runway. PERIOD!
The hardest part of flying jumper for me has been dealing with local pilots, guys that ignore a unicom and fly right through a dropzone, and other locals who can not accept jump ops and have had a twin otter bomb down on the runway in front of them. I fly a 182 I try to make everyone happy, but I have caught my share of flack from local weekend warriors. Today I had a nice incursion with a hot headed guy with an anger problem, my DZO had to call the cops to put our plane away. Got mad about a busy pattern with some ultra lights and him. If you fly jumpers you would understand this from our end. I never put myself in a situation on my descent that I could not safely make the runway. PERIOD!
i live in big rapids michigan right now. i would not recommend checking reserve packing card it makes u look like a douche. the dzo should be taking care of that, and at some time in this carrer u have to be able to trust the people u work with that they are doing ther job. but always use the trust with verification method. if u dont trust the dzo to do it then ya i would ask jumpers, because as twin wasp says its your ticket. we do tend to operate on the edges of what most would consider rational. legal is grey area. ther is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. as far as ambulances death and injury are an inherent part of the sport ther are plenty of warnings before u go
jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it aint for everyone. i personally have 5 fatalities out of my airplane, guess that makes me an ace, viva la sportdeath.
jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it aint for everyone. i personally have 5 fatalities out of my airplane, guess that makes me an ace, viva la sportdeath.
#20
ther is always going to be hot heads out ther, sometimes u can explain thing so them sometimes u cant. try and take local pilots on a load with u and show them the ops. u have to lead some by the hand and explain explain explain. the dz pilot, has to be the mediator. it helps if ya have some neutral ground to talk to them. most think jump ops is just a bunch of crazyness. and they have to be shown it is not.
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