Jumpers (was F*cking hell!!)

"Mike Isaksen" wrote in message
news:lhAWg.5278$ms1.4384@trndny05...
Gus, hope you don't mind that I cross posted this. The video is incredible
from the jumper perspective. I noticed the plane in the lower left of the
video frame,... and I remember the pilot mantra: if it aint movin in the
windshield, you will hit it.

Jumpers are the only real scary aviation experience I've had. Back in the
late 90's I was acting as safety pilot for a friend and we wanted to fly
the whole approach so we didn't get ATC involved. Well it was quite a
surprise to me when a half dozen chutes "appeared" about four miles ahead.
We never heard the jump plane's call on unicom! And we cleared the area
promptly.

FWIW,

There's a "little bit of skydiving" gg going on out in here in the desert
between Phoenix and Tucson but I don't think I've ever heard jump ops
talking on their airport's CTAF at the actual time of jumpers away. They're
either talking to Albuqurque Center or Tucson Approach.

Since that event I've permanently changed some of my routine vfr xc
habits:
1. I try to get flight following every time.

Ditto

2. I don't directly overfly airports on xc.

Ditto

3. I specifically look for and circle the para symbols enroute.

Double Ditto both enroute and during flight planning.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

Jay Beckman wrote:

There's a "little bit of skydiving" gg going on out in here in the desert
between Phoenix and Tucson but I don't think I've ever heard jump ops
talking on their airport's CTAF at the actual time of jumpers away. They're
either talking to Albuqurque Center or Tucson Approach.

Hey Jay,

If you're referring to Eloy, I'm in that area quite often and they
usually do both. They talk to ALB center on one radio and make
periodic anouncements on the CTAF 122.8. After a close call a decade
ago (when they first moved the dropzone from Coolidge to Eloy), I
always monitor the CTAF AND avoid overflying the airport. CTAF
announcement are usually 3 min. to drop, 1 min. to drop and jumpers
away.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

"John Galban" wrote in message
ups.com...

Jay Beckman wrote:

There's a "little bit of skydiving" gg going on out in here in the
desert
between Phoenix and Tucson but I don't think I've ever heard jump ops
talking on their airport's CTAF at the actual time of jumpers away.
They're
either talking to Albuqurque Center or Tucson Approach.

Hey Jay,

If you're referring to Eloy, I'm in that area quite often and they
usually do both. They talk to ALB center on one radio and make
periodic anouncements on the CTAF 122.8. After a close call a decade
ago (when they first moved the dropzone from Coolidge to Eloy), I
always monitor the CTAF AND avoid overflying the airport. CTAF
announcement are usually 3 min. to drop, 1 min. to drop and jumpers
away.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)


Hey! Hi John...

Yup, Eloy is the particular place I had in mind.

I may be guilty of over-avoidence but I will go out of my way to give E60 a
wide berth. If I'm headed to Tucson, I'll go straight south out of Stellar
over Phoenix Regional and then bend southeast for the really extended
straight in to 11L gg (I try to not go buzzing right through the practice
holds at TFD either.)

Usually I'm either already with ZAB or TUS Approach ... I'll make a mental
note to monitor 122.8 on Comm 2 after I get the ATIS at TUS next time I go
down that way.

So far, I've only seen jumpers under canopy once and it was on my first dual
XC as a student pilot ... a little un-nerving at first but it was a very
high overcast so they were easy to see and avoid.

Jay B

Jay Beckman wrote:


Yup, Eloy is the particular place I had in mind.

Jay, I'll have to watch out for it.

I just got back from getting checked out to rent at Chandler--I think I
saw your name in the squawk books. Today was the first time I've gone
solo in 4 years (layoff, move, job search, retraining, etc.) Oh did
that feel good.

wrote in message
ups.com...

Jay Beckman wrote:


Yup, Eloy is the particular place I had in mind.

Jay, I'll have to watch out for it.

I just got back from getting checked out to rent at Chandler--I think I
saw your name in the squawk books. Today was the first time I've gone
solo in 4 years (layoff, move, job search, retraining, etc.) Oh did
that feel good.


Hi Web,

If you're renting from Tailwind then there is a good chance that my name
will show up in the books for:
- 5225A ("My Baby" Solo'd and passed checkride in her...)
- 53564
- 65453 (Not A Typo...Leaseback owner reg's two planes two years apart and
gets the same numbers but in a different order...kinda weird.)
- 0CL (never really liked 0CL ... HSI and very different xpnder...)
- 97V (Parked nearby but AFAIK no longer a part of Tailwind's fleet...)
- 21329 (Dunno what ever happend to this plane...they may still have it and
I've not noticed.)

Did you get to take a peek inside the G1000 SP??? I've been meaning to stop
by, say hello and check it out (but not get checked out..too much dinero
just to rent for fun...)

I've been on a bit of a layoff myself but I'll remedy that next
Tuesday...going flying with one of our club CFIs. Hard to believe I'm due
for my first BFR (Been a pilot for two whole years now...)

Glad you're airborne once again. We ought to go fly for breakfast
sometime...!

Jay B

Jay Beckman wrote:

If you're renting from Tailwind then there is a good chance that my name
will show up in the books for:
- 5225A ("My Baby" Solo'd and passed checkride in her...)
- 53564
- 65453 (Not A Typo...Leaseback owner reg's two planes two years apart and
gets the same numbers but in a different order...kinda weird.)
- 0CL (never really liked 0CL ... HSI and very different xpnder...)
- 97V (Parked nearby but AFAIK no longer a part of Tailwind's fleet...)
- 21329 (Dunno what ever happend to this plane...they may still have it and
I've not noticed.)


I've only rented 0CL and 390FA. FA is a 2-year old 172, very nice, and
nothing is falling off. 0CL is just fine for me, though it has a few
"comfort squawks" due to age. I hope by the end of the year to fly to
Dallas and back (yeah, "and back" would be just great, wouldn't it?)
ine either of the two aircraft. I'll have to decide if the $10/hour is
worth it, although the newer aircraft has an autopilot that might be
handy when flying long distances alone.

I usually fly on Tuesday eves. I was making position calls near the
practice area and heard a familiar voice on the radio ask if that was
me. Yep. My instructor identified himself, and I immediately started
worrying about my engine throttle getting yanked.



Did you get to take a peek inside the G1000 SP??? I've been meaning to stop
by, say hello and check it out (but not get checked out..too much dinero
just to rent for fun...)

I've been on a bit of a layoff myself but I'll remedy that next
Tuesday...going flying with one of our club CFIs. Hard to believe I'm due
for my first BFR (Been a pilot for two whole years now...)

Hm. What club? I might need one.


Glad you're airborne once again. We ought to go fly for breakfast
sometime...!

Payson, Sedona, San Jose???

Jay B

wrote:


I've only rented 0CL and 390FA. FA is a 2-year old 172, very nice, and
nothing is falling off. 0CL is just fine for me, though it has a few
"comfort squawks" due to age. I hope by the end of the year to fly to
Dallas and back (yeah, "and back" would be just great, wouldn't it?)
ine either of the two aircraft. I'll have to decide if the $10/hour is
worth it, although the newer aircraft has an autopilot that might be
handy when flying long distances alone.

U betcha it is...

I usually fly on Tuesday eves. I was making position calls near the practice area and heard a familiar voice on the radio ask if that was
me. Yep. My instructor identified himself, and I immediately started
worrying about my engine throttle getting yanked.

Hehe...fortunately, they can't do that by remote...!

Unfortunately, all of the CFIs who were teaching at Tailwind when I was
training there have moved on to other flying jobs. I know it's the
nature of the beast but it makes me feel "ancient" whenever I stop by
because I don't know anyone and all the instructors already seem
younger. At least I still get a warm reception from T1 + T2.

Did you get to take a peek inside the G1000 SP??? I've been meaning to stop
by, say hello and check it out (but not get checked out..too much dinero
just to rent for fun...)

I've been on a bit of a layoff myself but I'll remedy that next
Tuesday...going flying with one of our club CFIs. Hard to believe I'm due
for my first BFR (Been a pilot for two whole years now...)

Hm. What club? I might need one.

I joing the Arizona Cloudbusters back in August of '05. We have an SP
and two 182s and we're in three covered parking spots at Stellar.

Drop me an email off group (j c b e c k m a n (at) c o x (dot) n e t)
and I can give you the particulars.


Glad you're airborne once again. We ought to go fly for breakfast
sometime...!

Payson, Sedona, San Jose???

I've flown to two out of the three...! FWIW, Prescott has a great on
field restaraunt ...

TTYL,

Jay B