Crazy Jump Pilot ?

[psychoswooper 2]

I was recently watching a Tandem video from a small USPA Group Member DZ & couldn't believe my eyes.....the pilot had one of those folding metallic type windshield sunscreens fully-opened up across his Cessna 182 windshield on jump run. This is not a joke. I couldn't believe my eyes. I asked the guy who owned the video..."Was that a sun screen I just saw across the windshield? How did (name omitted) see to fly?" He replied that the pilot was looking out the side. Nice.
Another video showed him flying a load of jumpers in his C-182 with his small (3-6 yr old) son on his lap. The kid had on some kind of harness contraption, so I guess that made it alright--never mind that he was on his Dads lap--between him & the Instrument panel & controls.

[skymedic 0]

Lindbergh didn't have any forward view in his Ryan when he flew across the atlantic....on the other hand he wasn't dealing with other human lives at the time....that just is not good at all...

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[psychoswooper 2]

It's not so much a matter of being able to fly the plane or not, I've been in a plane with an iced-over windshield (on an IFR flight plan) but in VFR flight you are supposed to see and avoid other air traffic. I think I can safely say (1) a visual traffic scan is less effective if the windshield is blocked (2) the airspace during Lindberg's day was slightly less congested--especially on a Trans-Atlantic flight. Very little chance of running into another aircraft there, don't you think?

[quade 4]

Got clip? If so, post it and name the dz.

Pretty sure things would change shortly thereafter.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[bvsdjumper 0]

I've only played with my flight simulator so I'm no real pilot but...

Quote

the pilot had one of those folding metallic type windshield sunscreens fully-opened up across his Cessna 182 windshield on jump run.

I doubt it was there the entire flight (i.e., for take-off and landing). You don't need to look out the windshield to keep the plane flying straight and level. People fly at night all the time and looking out the windshield is pretty useless.

And actually, he may have been doing it to increase safetly if he was flying directly into the sun (to avoid glare so he can see his instruments).

Quote

flying a load of jumpers in his C-182 with his small (3-6 yr old) son on his lap.

Ok, probably not something you want to do all the time. I'm sure he could easily see over and reach around his son to see and get at what he needed. I'm sure he doesn't want to kill himself or his son. Not a big deal in my opinion.

--Art

Sky-div'ing (ski'div'ing) n. A modern sport that involves parties, bragging, sexual excesses, the imbibing of large quantities of beer, and, on rare occasions, parachuting from aircraft.

[diverdriver 5]

Wear sunglasses and a baseball cap. That should give you all the sunblocking you need. "See and avoid" is required by FAR and since flying skydivers is a visual operation you must be able to see out the window in order to comply with that requirement.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[billvon 3,008]

>People fly at night all the time and looking out the windshield is pretty useless.

Uh, you can see other airplanes at night (which is why they have lights) and, during VFR flight, it's your responsibility to avoid them.

>And actually, he may have been doing it to increase safetly if he was
> flying directly into the sun (to avoid glare so he can see his
> instruments).

I've never had that problem; dark sunglasses seem to work fine. And since during the day the panel is lit by ambient light, it's pretty easy to see the instruments.

[bvsdjumper 0]

To diverdriver and billvon:

I stand corrected!

But, in MS Flight Sim I don't look out the window to avoid other planes; I look out to find one to fly into!

I'm glad you guys are here. Is what that guy did a huge no-no and he needs his ass chewed out, or fined, or license revoked, or whatever?

--Art

Sky-div'ing (ski'div'ing) n. A modern sport that involves parties, bragging, sexual excesses, the imbibing of large quantities of beer, and, on rare occasions, parachuting from aircraft.

[quade 4]

The guy would need a talking to until he decided to either change his ways or stop flying.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[squirrel 0]

yeah...post the pilots name...i jump all over and dont want that dude flying me to altitude then sharing airspace with me...

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[riggerrob 643]

There is a much simpler, capitalist solution to this pilot's unprofessional behaviour.
Simply take your dollars to the next DZ down the road.
When he sees his business decline, the DZO will lean on his pilot to fly like a professional.

[pilotdave 0]

Maybe he put it there for a few seconds just to get some funny video. Definitely not a good idea (nor a legal one) if he did it for a long time, but it's not THAT dangerous during the jump run. Yeah, he's flying VFR and needs to be able to spot traffic, but at the same time he's probably getting traffic reports from ATC. Course even during IFR flights, it's still the pilots responsibility to see and avoid while flying in VFR conditions, and VFR traffic separation is only provided if ATC isn't too busy, but still, if it was just a few seconds I don't see it as a huge deal as long as everyone in the plane was ok with it.

Dave

[flyer299 0]

Yes I would like to know enough information about this DZ so that I can avoid flying with this pilot. Flying is very serious and I want my pilots to act like it is. I am far more worried about an incedient in a plane than I am on the sky dive.