rmsmith

>We did a few jumps amongst friends on the weekend. Your friends fly like eagles. Thanks!

I was wondering who Monica Lewinsky was doing now.

You've been around the sport long enough to know that all the gear is custom "one-off" made, not mass produced like the car you drive to the drop zone. Best to "man-up" and FEDEX it, ASAP. FWIW, you really should have two rigs if your business plan can't miss a weekend or two.

BELLEVUE, Washington -- A fire that engulfed a van in Bellevue on Wednesday was caused by the passengers filling up the van with gas while it was being driving, Bellevue police investigators said. The fire burned three people in the van and sent them to Harborview. Investigators said they spoke to the female victim, who was able to explain the events leading up to the explosion. The woman said she and her two friends had bought gas at a Factoria gas station, but were having trouble keeping the van running. She said they didn't have a gas can, so they filled an open bucket with two gallons of gas and put it in the van. The engine cowling -- a piece of metal that covered the engine and which was located between the two front seats of the van -- had been removed, the woman said. The passengers used a water bottle to transfer gas from the bucket directly into the carburetor in order to keep the engine running. The van was filled with gas fumes as the three drove east on Kamber Road, the woman said. The van stalled just before 145 Place Southeast and as the driver tried to restart the van, it exploded. The van became fully engulfed in flames and started rolling backward, investigators said. http://www.kirotv.com/video/26557595/index.html

A cool dad is a huge plus!

Isn't Monterey the only other Pacific Coast DZ?

#17 - It seems that the PT6A-60A is an STC for the Twin Otter. #19 - I feel sorry for that Midget on rainy days; glad I'm a 6'2".

Interesting clips. Back when dad was a young Lieutenant his B17 was shot down while daylight bombing Leipzig. In a panic he exited the crippled plane as it rolled over while north of 30,000-ft and deployed the chute. He had no oxygen, but his adrenalin level was maxed as he drifted through an aerial artillery barrage emptying his bladder along the way. He had the presence of mind to toss his pistol and knife before landing, and he was lucky the German troops captured him before the civilians who would have killed him on the spot. He was taken by rail to a prison camp on the north sea. The Russians liberated them during a looting and raping rampage. Anyway, you can survive up there briefly without a bottle.

I always thought of them as a pilot's aid to keep the weight and balance moment from shifting during an uncontrolled stall event. FWIW, the jumper's container/harness is only designed for strength along the chord of the main lift and leg straps; the rest of the harness is constructed of lighter materials.

BTW, thanks for the informative post!

I was drawing the comparison because a fine that high is typical of a scheduled airline with much higher revenues than your typical weekend DZO. A fine this high is closer to a death blow, not a penalty. You really should consider decaf.

FWIW, a $664k fine is way over the top for a family business. Fines to scheduled airlines are offset by the subsidies that the federal government grants to many hard pressed locations, so in reality it's a only reduction of their subsidy. This action is your jumping dollars leaving the DZ for Washington DC.

Your experience is typical. Most of the guys at the office are on the Jenny Craig plan, and they have been for years; these are guys in their 30's and 40's. Pretty sad; they're frustrated too! My better half is a stay at home mom, and I live close to work, so when the kids are in school...lunch is for loving. We don't have to be quiet, and we can use the couch too. Early 50's now, cycling fitness with 3000-miles/yr, and now relying on that blue pill when there's real work to do. She's in her mid 40's, lean and fit, and slippery when wet. We're pushing past twenty years together. As a previous poster said, teamwork makes it work.

Skydive Taft's Twin Otter had a cool registration: N200DZ

Repossessor advises banks against reclaiming aircraft By: Mark Huber July 1, 2010 Business Aviation The nation’s foremost aircraft repossessor is counseling his bank and leasing company clients not to take back delinquent aircraft. “We are telling banks not to repo,” said Nick Popovich, president of Sage-Popovich, the global aircraft repossession, aviation parts and services company. Popovich said the declining value of used aircraft and the flat resale market make this a bad time to take back airplanes and that the move would only compound banks’ well publicized problems. Popovich has been in the repossession business since 1979 and his firm has repossessed more than 1,400 aircraft, but now, he said, is generally not the time. “The aircraft market is distressed and everyone knows it,” Popovich said. “I’ve seen it with my own airplanes. My Challenger went from a $9 million airplane to a $3 million airplane in eight months.” Popovich painted a hypothetical scenario for a bank to illustrate his point. “If you are a bank [with] a $3 million note on an airplane that is now worth only $1 million, you have a $2 million deficiency, and now you have to insure it, store it and worry about maintaining it.” Continued... http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/repossessor-advises-banks-against-reclaiming-aircraft-25211/

That's some accomplishment, 50-lbs. Kudos!

Great news!

Yeah V certainly does, and that's after she produced a family for 'ya. My wife still fits in a #4 jeans after two kids, but she's a whuffo.

I'm using Ubuntu 9.10, which is the latest version. Very nice!

Here's a government job at West Point: http://jobview.usajobs.gov/getjob.aspx?JobID=82009106

Did the drive's motor fail, or was it cmos type issue?

The amazing thing is that most folks who file BK [do] have medical insurance. The problem is that too many folks are over extended, and the co-payments push them past the point of no return.

Most of the rescue squadrons are located along coastal regions where the cost of living has outpaced incomes despite the additional hazardous duty pay. The military really needs a thorough review of their compensation programs particularly their high risk occupations.

Here's an excellent follow-up to this sad story! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/nyregion/17pilot.html?hp May 17, 2009 Commuter Pilot’s Life Defies Glamorous Stereotype By DAVID M. HALBFINGER, MATTHEW L. WALD and CHRISTOPHER DREW This article was reported by David M. Halbfinger, Matthew L. Wald and Christopher Drew, and written by Mr. Halbfinger. Alex Lapointe, a 25-year-old co-pilot for a regional airline, says he routinely lifts off knowing he has gotten less sleep than he needs. And once or twice a week, he says, he sees the captain next to him struggling to stay alert. Neil A. Weston, also 25, went $100,000 into debt to train for a co-pilot’s job that pays him $25,000 annually. He carries sandwiches in a cooler from his home in Dubuque, Iowa, bought his first uniform for $400, and holds out hope of tripling his salary by moving into the captain’s seat, then up to a major carrier. Assuming, that is, the majors start hiring again. Continued...