Of parachutes and things

Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!!

Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a former
Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book will
show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get the
grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy working
with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub (where
all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach to
flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions, background,
and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of our
work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include
communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics, essentially
all the safety and practical issues associated with the business.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we knew, most
of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure how to
apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies Jags) was
an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience.

On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier man,
Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack rig for
me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location of the
hardware (thanks for that, by the way)

It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for 3
years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any other
shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good
prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated!

Hope you had a good 4th weekend!

Cheers,
Shawn

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...
About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you to
make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the negative
side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more comfortable
in this respect.
One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a
Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-) Remember,
if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying wires
will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat you
to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-))
Dudley
"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
Dudley,
Sound advice.

Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've
done a
bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff until
I get
some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide were
two
things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work with
a
mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training,
there's
always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane
touching
someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a
good
idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit.
The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When I
first
started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially ruled
it out
(they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a lot of
guys
don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open the
canopy,
exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before
hitting the
ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing
andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of aerobatic
maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I
rarely fly
high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being able to
get
that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I thought a
chute
was a comfort factor more than a real safety option.

Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself with an
unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all that
misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess this
is a
case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems
silly to
deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the
hangar.

Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call
tonight.

Cheers,
Shawn
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...

Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make at
least
one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either. Take
it
out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially inverted.
Do a
half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it on
your
back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you.
Dudley

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!!

Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a
former
Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book
will
show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get
the
grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy
working
with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub
(where
all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach
to
flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions,
background,
and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of
our
work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include
communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics,
essentially
all the safety and practical issues associated with the business.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we
knew, most
of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure
how to
apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies
Jags) was
an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience.

On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier
man,
Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack
rig for
me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location
of the
hardware (thanks for that, by the way)

It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for
3
years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any
other
shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good
prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated!

Hope you had a good 4th weekend!

Cheers,
Shawn

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...
About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you
to
make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the
negative
side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more
comfortable
in this respect.
One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a
Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-)
Remember,
if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying
wires
will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat
you
to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-))
Dudley
"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
Dudley,
Sound advice.

Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've
done a
bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff
until
I get
some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide
were
two
things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work
with
a
mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training,
there's
always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane
touching
someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a
good
idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit.
The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When
I
first
started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially
ruled
it out
(they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a
lot of
guys
don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open
the
canopy,
exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before
hitting the
ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing
andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of
aerobatic
maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I
rarely fly
high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being
able to
get
that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I
thought a
chute
was a comfort factor more than a real safety option.

Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself
with an
unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all
that
misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess
this
is a
case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems
silly to
deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the
hangar.

Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call
tonight.

Cheers,
Shawn
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...

Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make
at
least
one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either.
Take
it
out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially
inverted.
Do a
half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it
on
your
back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you.
Dudley

I thought that little "tidbit" about the flying wires would get a Grin
out of you!! :-) It's true though. Getting out of a Pitts after an
upper wing failure is REAL serious stuff!!
Anyway, it's funny you should mention having a briefing at a pub.
Believe it or not, when we were on the display circuit way back when,
almost all of the pilots would get together late at night in some diner
or bar somewhere and hash over programs and routine changes. I remember
spending an entire all nighter one weekend at a diner in Falls Church
Virginia with Art Scholl and two of the Thunderbirds. We were working on
Art's inverted ribbon pickup in the Chipmunk. He wanted to make some
changes and enter it from a modified tailslide. We worked it all out
after eating about a dozen hamburgers washed down with copious amounts
of coffee.
He did it the "new way" the next afternoon.
About the flight suit; you can get them made up custom, which might not
be a bad idea. Be careful about the material. Nomex is an option, but
you might not be as prone to a cockpit fire as I was in a P51 or a
Bearcat! :-) I remember damn near roasting to death in my flight suit.
All of your display flying will probably be done in the summer when it's
hot as heel out on those wide open concrete ramps...not to mention
cramped up in the Pitts cockpit :-)
I'd opt for something "cool" in a flight suit.
Where to get a good one is a toss up really. My wife made mine up for
me. You might want to contact the Arrows and find out who makes theirs,
or give Ray Hanna a call. Almost anyone in the business will have a
handle on who's doing the custom work these days in flight suits.
It's funny. I remember there was a lady in Pensacola who used to do all
the sewing on the Blue Angel flightsuits for the team. Man, was SHE one
busy lady!!! :-)
I'm sure you can come up with something over there. As I said, the best
place to get information on things like this is right inside the
community itself. Don't be shy! Call um!! :-)))
Dudley

"Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here in the
UK, have you, Dudley? It briefly (and I mean for a couple of hours) got to
100 degrees F one August day last year and that was the hottest temperature
ever recorded in the UK. The Brits didn't know what to do with themselves
in the heat! It rarely gets much above 85 even in the dead of summer so
that kind of overheating issue isn't really a problem here. I've currently
got a lightweight Nomex surplus USAF suit, and I'd like to duplicate it, but
it desert sand to match my airplane. While fire may not be as great a
threat in the Pitts, that fuel tank sitting right over your legs tends to
put thoughts into one's head. Good tip about asking the community. Most
guys around here seem to wear surplus RAF suits.

Anyway, off to work in glorious sunshine. It's a real effort not to call in
sick and go fly today!

Shawn
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
nk.net...

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!!

Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a
former
Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book
will
show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get
the
grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy
working
with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub
(where
all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach
to
flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions,
background,
and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of
our
work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include
communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics,
essentially
all the safety and practical issues associated with the business.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we
knew, most
of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure
how to
apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies
Jags) was
an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience.

On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier
man,
Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack
rig for
me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location
of the
hardware (thanks for that, by the way)

It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for
3
years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any
other
shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good
prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated!

Hope you had a good 4th weekend!

Cheers,
Shawn

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...
About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you
to
make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the
negative
side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more
comfortable
in this respect.
One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a
Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-)
Remember,
if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying
wires
will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat
you
to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-))
Dudley
"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
Dudley,
Sound advice.

Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've
done a
bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff
until
I get
some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide
were
two
things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work
with
a
mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training,
there's
always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane
touching
someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a
good
idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit.
The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When
I
first
started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially
ruled
it out
(they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a
lot of
guys
don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open
the
canopy,
exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before
hitting the
ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing
andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of
aerobatic
maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I
rarely fly
high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being
able to
get
that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I
thought a
chute
was a comfort factor more than a real safety option.

Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself
with an
unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all
that
misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess
this
is a
case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems
silly to
deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the
hangar.

Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call
tonight.

Cheers,
Shawn
"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...

Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make
at
least
one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either.
Take
it
out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially
inverted.
Do a
half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it
on
your
back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you.
Dudley

I thought that little "tidbit" about the flying wires would get a Grin
out of you!! :-) It's true though. Getting out of a Pitts after an
upper wing failure is REAL serious stuff!!
Anyway, it's funny you should mention having a briefing at a pub.
Believe it or not, when we were on the display circuit way back when,
almost all of the pilots would get together late at night in some diner
or bar somewhere and hash over programs and routine changes. I remember
spending an entire all nighter one weekend at a diner in Falls Church
Virginia with Art Scholl and two of the Thunderbirds. We were working on
Art's inverted ribbon pickup in the Chipmunk. He wanted to make some
changes and enter it from a modified tailslide. We worked it all out
after eating about a dozen hamburgers washed down with copious amounts
of coffee.
He did it the "new way" the next afternoon.
About the flight suit; you can get them made up custom, which might not
be a bad idea. Be careful about the material. Nomex is an option, but
you might not be as prone to a cockpit fire as I was in a P51 or a
Bearcat! :-) I remember damn near roasting to death in my flight suit.
All of your display flying will probably be done in the summer when it's
hot as heel out on those wide open concrete ramps...not to mention
cramped up in the Pitts cockpit :-)
I'd opt for something "cool" in a flight suit.
Where to get a good one is a toss up really. My wife made mine up for
me. You might want to contact the Arrows and find out who makes theirs,
or give Ray Hanna a call. Almost anyone in the business will have a
handle on who's doing the custom work these days in flight suits.
It's funny. I remember there was a lady in Pensacola who used to do all
the sewing on the Blue Angel flightsuits for the team. Man, was SHE one
busy lady!!! :-)
I'm sure you can come up with something over there. As I said, the best
place to get information on things like this is right inside the
community itself. Don't be shy! Call um!! :-)))
Dudley

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
"Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here
in the
UK, have you, Dudley? It briefly (and I mean for a couple of hours)
got to
100 degrees F one August day last year and that was the hottest
temperature
ever recorded in the UK. The Brits didn't know what to do with
themselves
in the heat!

I keep forgetting you're over THERE :-))))

Anyway, good luck with the flight suit. When you pick the color,
remember on the display circuit, you're eating on the fly most of the
time and that mustard from those damn hot dogs can really stain you up
in a hurry. No matter how hard you try, you always seem to end up with a
large blotch on you just about the time kids are lining up to get an
autograph :-)))
Dudley

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...

"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
...
"Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here
in the
UK, have you, Dudley?

I keep forgetting you're over THERE :-))))

Anyway, good luck with the flight suit. When you pick the color,
remember on the display circuit, you're eating on the fly most of the
time and that mustard from those damn hot dogs can really stain you up
in a hurry. No matter how hard you try, you always seem to end up with a
large blotch on you just about the time kids are lining up to get an
autograph :-)))

We don't have hot dogs either. And I think the Red Arrows would
complain if you wore a copy of their red flight suits to catch the ketchup
from the bacon sandwich.

You could put on a brown one and use HP sauce.

Or a yellow one and have a bacon and egg sandwich without the
sauce.

Paul