diverdriver 5 #1 March 20, 2003 A new article on www.DiverDriver.com about Skydive St. Louis has been added. The article was written by Rick Eddy, owner of Skydive St. Louis, and is reproduced on my site with permission. The original link to the article is http://www.skydivezion.com/airplanecrashphotos.htm and I thank Rick for letting me reproduce it on DiverDriver.com. Pilots who think they can drive the DZ plane like a rent-a-car will quickly learn that while these Cessnas are robust they do have their limitations. Also, there is nothing like an experienced, calm, and well trained pilot at the controls. You can have 500 hours and still be well trained. You can have 3,000 hours and suck. Get the training. Demand the training. Don't fly until you understand what is going on with skydiving operations.Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dterrick 0 #2 March 20, 2003 Chris: Nice site! It's been a while since I paid a visit and I've noticed many new goodies (or perhaps my brain has mal'd?) I think it's well worth a jumper's time to look at flight ops from the pilot's perspective - and you will find that on Chris' site! The story of St. Louis just reeks of bad Karma .... freaks me out that so much shiite could happen to one DZ. Coming from a 1 - 182 DZ, even a 'minor' uncontrolled landing would be a disaster! Dave PS: I notice there's no guide on flying the Kingair - I'm curious only because I jumped one on safety day and wonder what the 'issues' are (besides the do NOT sit past here rule) Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #3 March 20, 2003 I have not gotten a really experienced jump pilot with King Air experience to write a good article for the site. I've asked. Just not gotten the right person to write it. I'll keep searching. Yep, the site keeps growing. I hope it always will. I look through accident reports every day trying to get useful information for jumpers and pilots alike. It's the most comprehensive website for jump pilots to date. Others have interesting articles and sites. I'm just trying to combine it all together so it's easy to find.Chris Schindler www.diverdriver.com ATP/D-19012 FB #4125 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #4 March 20, 2003 Might I suggest contacting Mike Mullins or his son?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamsville 0 #5 March 20, 2003 A good King Air climbs competitively with the best Otters, but has capacity and door-size problems (from a jumper's point of vew), and seems to require more runway (so there is one DZ in this area that can't support one). Anyone know: How are the maintenance costs and issues relative to an Otter? |I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane. Harry, FB #4143 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #6 March 20, 2003 I tried. No response. S'ok. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #7 March 20, 2003 Thats surprizing Mike usually replys back to emails. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #8 March 20, 2003 I might try again later. Maybe I had the email wrong. Maybe he wasn't interested in writing something out. Remember, his King Air is a bit different than most king airs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betzilla 56 #9 March 21, 2003 That was a great article. I can't believe that operation was able to stay open with all that bad Karma! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #10 March 23, 2003 Bad Karma? I don't believe in bad Karma. Only good Karma. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #11 March 23, 2003 We could get into a lengthy debate over King Air "size issues." I believe that the perfect size jump plane is the size that your DZ can fill multiple times in one day. As a professional tandem instructor, the more jumps I make per day, the more money I make. I don't make any money sitting on the ground waiting for manifest to fill another load. Also look at it from a fun jumper's perspective: the more times the airplane flies, the more loads you can catch in a day. Why do you think Perris hung on to their King Air for years after they had Twin Otters on line? Because the Perris Valley Skydiving School could consistently fill a dozen seats in about the same time it took to turn around the King Air. Sure larger airplanes are glamorous, but what is the point if you cannot fill them on a regular basis? In the long run, I believe that most DZs would be better served by single-turbine jump planes with 10 to 15 seats. Geeh! That sounds like a Caravan, now if Fedex and UPS and Loomis and Purolator would quit hogging all the best toys for themselves ..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #12 March 23, 2003 Ok, I'm confused. How did we get on the subject of King Airs on this thread? This thread is about how jump plane accidents and icidents can effect an operation so pilots had better beware that their actions have consequences. Or was that post meant to be in a different thread? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
