Parachute dropping
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Parachute dropping
Hello folks,
I hope I've posted this in a suitable forum.
I've done the expected background trawling for information on this but I'd appreciate some views from those who may be or were in the know. What were your experiences, background etc. Did you do it for hour building or is it your vocation ?
I'm one of the billion or so fATPL(A) holders in the UK and am trying to get my foot in the door. I'd love to be called in one day to a large operator and sat in the RHS but realistically speaking, that's unlikely to happen. Also, I'm a bit older than most starting out so I'm looking for something that I'll stick with.
Like many of us, I just want to fly. I'm well aware of the skill level required do be a good drop pilot and it really appeals.
I'm sure there are loads of views on this. If you've got a sledge-hammer opinion on everything like some people I read then please move on, otherwise, please reply.
Regards.
I hope I've posted this in a suitable forum.
I've done the expected background trawling for information on this but I'd appreciate some views from those who may be or were in the know. What were your experiences, background etc. Did you do it for hour building or is it your vocation ?
I'm one of the billion or so fATPL(A) holders in the UK and am trying to get my foot in the door. I'd love to be called in one day to a large operator and sat in the RHS but realistically speaking, that's unlikely to happen. Also, I'm a bit older than most starting out so I'm looking for something that I'll stick with.
Like many of us, I just want to fly. I'm well aware of the skill level required do be a good drop pilot and it really appeals.
I'm sure there are loads of views on this. If you've got a sledge-hammer opinion on everything like some people I read then please move on, otherwise, please reply.
Regards.
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It normally helps to know the people at a dropzone e.g be a jumper. But sometimes vacancies do become avaliable. You just gotta keep phoning around.
I would start by reading this:
British Parachute Association
I would start by reading this:
British Parachute Association
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Like many of us, I just want to fly. I'm well aware of the skill level required do be a good drop pilot and it really appeals.
I'm sure there are loads of views on this. If you've got a sledge-hammer opinion on everything like some people I read then please move on, otherwise, please reply.
I'm sure there are loads of views on this. If you've got a sledge-hammer opinion on everything like some people I read then please move on, otherwise, please reply.
Jumpers trust jumpers. Your best bet to fly jumpers is to start jumping.
What exactly is the skill level required to be "a good drop pilot?" It's not really rocket science. Maintain control of the airplane, don't overheat the engine on the way up, don't overcool it on the way down. Get up to altitude quickly, get back down quickly. Repeat that to yourself three times, and you've just graduated jump pilot 101.
You might try DiverDriver.com: The Jump Pilot's Information Resource for some thoughts on the question(s) you haven't asked yet.
You should consider flight instructing.
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Hi Soarfeet,
I have dropped a few guys in Swakopmund over the years and I must say, it was the most fun I had flying an aircraft.
At that stage I was flying for company doing scenic flights over the Namib Desert. After building up a reputation for good airmanship (well, what is considered good airmanship around the 500-1000h mark), I got to help out at the local skydiver's club. Back than I had the attitude, that I would never jump out of a controllable aeroplane myself, but if they felt like, why not.
What I enjoyed about the whole thing, you are flying the plane always at it's performance limits. On the way up you try to squeeze out just those 10ft/min more on the VSI, during the drop you try to maintain the slowest possible speed to make the exit as comfortable as possible, yet keep the plane stable with 3 or 4 people hanging on to the outside and on the way down you fly just below red line, making sure you don't crack the cylinders. That's what I enjoyed about this type of flying. And of course the crowd. It's a bunch of crazy people, in a nice way. At one stage one of them nicked the key from the ignition just before jumping out.
So yes, I did it mostly for the fun of it and the pay wasn't bad either back then. I dropped sky divers out of a C210, C206T and a BN2T. With the turbine Islander one actually lands before the last tandem touches down.
It is certainly not the way to up your total time by a large margin, if you aim at getting into BA, no airline's CP would be impressed finding the paragraph about "Drop Pilot" in your CV. But if your goal is more like making some money in a fun way, go for it. However, like any job, I wouldn't know how long the fun lasts, if that is all you do day in, day out.
I have dropped a few guys in Swakopmund over the years and I must say, it was the most fun I had flying an aircraft.
At that stage I was flying for company doing scenic flights over the Namib Desert. After building up a reputation for good airmanship (well, what is considered good airmanship around the 500-1000h mark), I got to help out at the local skydiver's club. Back than I had the attitude, that I would never jump out of a controllable aeroplane myself, but if they felt like, why not.
What I enjoyed about the whole thing, you are flying the plane always at it's performance limits. On the way up you try to squeeze out just those 10ft/min more on the VSI, during the drop you try to maintain the slowest possible speed to make the exit as comfortable as possible, yet keep the plane stable with 3 or 4 people hanging on to the outside and on the way down you fly just below red line, making sure you don't crack the cylinders. That's what I enjoyed about this type of flying. And of course the crowd. It's a bunch of crazy people, in a nice way. At one stage one of them nicked the key from the ignition just before jumping out.
So yes, I did it mostly for the fun of it and the pay wasn't bad either back then. I dropped sky divers out of a C210, C206T and a BN2T. With the turbine Islander one actually lands before the last tandem touches down.
It is certainly not the way to up your total time by a large margin, if you aim at getting into BA, no airline's CP would be impressed finding the paragraph about "Drop Pilot" in your CV. But if your goal is more like making some money in a fun way, go for it. However, like any job, I wouldn't know how long the fun lasts, if that is all you do day in, day out.
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'At one stage one of them nicked the key from the ignition just before jumping out.'
If a jumper did that on one of my lifts I would immediately nick their front teeth with my left fist as soon as I had dead-sticked. They would never get a ride from me again.
Soarfeet, I am a current BPA pilot. Drop me a pm with any questions that you want answered and I might be able to point you in the right direction.
G
If a jumper did that on one of my lifts I would immediately nick their front teeth with my left fist as soon as I had dead-sticked. They would never get a ride from me again.
Soarfeet, I am a current BPA pilot. Drop me a pm with any questions that you want answered and I might be able to point you in the right direction.
G
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If a jumper did that on one of my lifts I would immediately nick their front teeth with my left fist as soon as I had dead-sticked. They would never get a ride from me again.
Soarfeet, my two cents worth is that flying jumpers is a fun way to build up a bit of flight time, my suggestion is that you first hang out a bit at the drop zone and get a feel for the operation, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out if whether or not it's a professional organization you want to be associated with.
Jumpers are an untrusting lot and are slow to warm up to a pilot, especially if they say something like "I'll never do that" it takes a while to become a good jump pilot, not a simple job. Whiners need not apply.
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I am a current turbine jump pilot, BPA Examiner as well as the normal flying day job.
We look for people who are experienced pilots and not hours builders. The problem with hours builders is they are always looking for an exit and it has to be remembered that it costs us around £15k to train a jump pilot so we want a long term commitment.
As has been pointed out it also helps if you are a jumper so you understand how the spot works, the run in and accounting for drift. It is also very true that jumpers are slow to warm to pilots and if you get it wrong you never hear the end of it. Also at a lot of DZ's if you get it wrong you can do some serious damage to people and property.
Jump flying requires precision and excellent handling skills. In a twin turbine you wil be flying a fully loaded aircraft often at the edge of the envelope and this requires you to be very switched on with the handling characteristics.
Iin big organisations like ours a real understanding of the economics of operating turbine aircraft. Speed and good handling is off the essence coupled with absolute attention to safety. We do 15,000ft and back in 11mins so you are doing 5 TO/LDG an hour and we will fly max hours in a day when it is busy. On big events we can be running 5 or more aircraft often in formation.
It is one of the most rewarding jobs in flying when you get good at it but it is not for the faint hearted or lazy!!
We look for people who are experienced pilots and not hours builders. The problem with hours builders is they are always looking for an exit and it has to be remembered that it costs us around £15k to train a jump pilot so we want a long term commitment.
As has been pointed out it also helps if you are a jumper so you understand how the spot works, the run in and accounting for drift. It is also very true that jumpers are slow to warm to pilots and if you get it wrong you never hear the end of it. Also at a lot of DZ's if you get it wrong you can do some serious damage to people and property.
Jump flying requires precision and excellent handling skills. In a twin turbine you wil be flying a fully loaded aircraft often at the edge of the envelope and this requires you to be very switched on with the handling characteristics.
Iin big organisations like ours a real understanding of the economics of operating turbine aircraft. Speed and good handling is off the essence coupled with absolute attention to safety. We do 15,000ft and back in 11mins so you are doing 5 TO/LDG an hour and we will fly max hours in a day when it is busy. On big events we can be running 5 or more aircraft often in formation.
It is one of the most rewarding jobs in flying when you get good at it but it is not for the faint hearted or lazy!!
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A USELESS post and snide. We don't allow it on PPRuNe.
PPP
A USELESS post and snide. We don't allow it on PPRuNe.
PPP
The poster speaks of knocking a jumpers teeth out simply because the jumper does what's done at drop zones all over the world, all the time. It's an age-old joke.
Snide is telling the pilot to carry a second set of keys? Unbelievable. You acutally edited a post telling someone to carry a second set of keys.
How about editing the post of the individual who wishes to break the teeth of his passengers?
Seriously.
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Yeah heard the keys out of the ignition story when I started flying jumpers 11 years ago, surprised someone actually said it happened to them, kinda brings the story into a real situation, oh wait, its an anonymous forum so actually its still BS. Maybe happened once upon a time in the US, years and years ago in some hick town with redneck jumpers but seriously doubt it happens in todays industry. Would they ever be allowed into that aircraft again after the owner realized that they basically risked his aircraft for a practical joke? Insurance would be void and they would be liable if it crashed. Sorry to pick at your post but there is another thing that I think it is not wise to do whilst flying jumpers,
You say you dropped jumpers in a 206/210 and an islander, none of them are really hammering along and thrust is more of an issue in the singles whilst they are getting out so why fly "as slow as possible" if the guy who taught you told you that fair enough you don't know any better but its best to fly at a safe speed and they can just put up with it, in a 206/210 or BN2 it would be comfortable. I have even heard tandem instructors asking a porter to go faster to give them more airflow for the exit. Obviously you are not a jumper and like others have said its a good idea to start jumping if you want to start flying jumpers and then you wont be trying to go as slow as possible in a 206/210 or islander, you will be trying to fly as safely and efficiently as possible.
bose-x: BPS or Hib?
during the drop you try to maintain the slowest possible speed to make the exit as comfortable as possible
bose-x: BPS or Hib?
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Maybe happened once upon a time in the US, years and years ago in some hick town with redneck jumpers but seriously doubt it happens in todays industry. Would they ever be allowed into that aircraft again after the owner realized that they basically risked his aircraft for a practical joke? Insurance would be void and they would be liable if it crashed.
If one can't hit the runway from fifteen thousand feet overhead, without power, then one shouldn't be flying. If one is concerned about practical jokes or fun at the drop zone, one is definitely in the wrong environment.
Jump pilots should be jumpers; it's hard to have the right perspective on flying jumpers if you don't skydive.
I've had jumpers hang on outside and refuse to let go until I shook them off, or stalled. One afternoon for fun, a freefall photographer and I staged fights in the airplane, each time terminating with him throwing me out (I wasn't driving at the time), to the wide-eyed stares of the tandems and students. Nobody ever complained. Horny gorillas, rodeo dives, tag, it's about fun. Pilots who don't understand jumpers probably shouldn't be flying jumpers.
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I've had jumpers hang on outside and refuse to let go until I shook them off, or stalled. One afternoon for fun, a freefall photographer and I staged fights in the airplane, each time terminating with him throwing me out (I wasn't driving at the time), to the wide-eyed stares of the tandems and students. Nobody ever complained. Horny gorillas, rodeo dives, tag, it's about fun. Pilots who don't understand jumpers probably shouldn't be flying jumpers.
ing idiot and should not be flying.Jumpers don't usually understand flying so if someone asks you to stall with them on the outside chances are they won't know what the aircraft is actually going to do relative to them in freefall. Yes I jump with just over 700 so not an expert but if i heard that one of my friends got the pilot to stall whilst he was on the outside I would beat the **** out of him (pilot) and then make sure the DZO fired him for almost killing one of my mates.
Yes one should be able to land with the engine off but what if a jumper gets in the way of your glide approach? I have had to go around more times than I can remember because jumpers are in the way. What happens if the pilot does mess it up as everyone makes mistakes. I will tell you what, the plane will be wrecked and the pilot will be dead. Yeah that is a really great joke.
Its the same as the pilot pulling the jumpers cutaway and then pushing him out, how do you think that would go down, one chance to live. Your a complete idiot if you think this is ok and please tell me where you fly so I never go near the place.
Last edited by SloppyJoe; 4th Apr 2011 at 15:53.
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Jump pilots should be jumpers
flying jumpers and then you wont be trying to go as slow as possible in a 206/210
Soarfeet We all had to start somewhere, for me it was banner towing, aerial photography, glider towing and dropping jumpers.... But this was back in the days when you could do this with a PPL
Dropping jumpers was incredible fun due to the atmosphere of the drop zone.Mutt
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As slow as practical and as slow as possible are two different things. If you were flying along with the stall warning going you were flying to slow, if you were 5 knots faster than that then yeah thats about right.
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Yeap all good fun, but if you stalled with someone hanging on the outside you are a fuing idiot and should not be flying.
I've stalled intentionally with people hanging on the outside, and more than a few times I've had jumpers force me to shake them off; it's part of the game.
Why? I started flying as a drop zone pilot, never jumped out of an aircraft and have no desire to do so!
Yes I jump with just over 700 so not an expert but if i heard that one of my friends got the pilot to stall whilst he was on the outside I would beat the **** out of him (pilot) and then make sure the DZO fired him for almost killing one of my mates.
I will tell you what, the plane will be wrecked and the pilot will be dead. Yeah that is a really great joke.
The word doesn't end because the engine quits. A deadstick landing with 18,000' to plan it out isn't exactly rocket science.
Its the same as the pilot pulling the jumpers cutaway and then pushing him out, how do you think that would go down, one chance to live. Your a complete idiot if you think this is ok and please tell me where you fly so I never go near the place.
Removing the ignition keys isn't at all the same as disabling someone's canopy and then pushin them out of an airplane.
More of this "one chance to live" crap. Quite the thespian, aren't you?
I'd prefer you don't come near where I fly. You don't sound very safe.
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WOW, I hope you are one of the many flightsim guys on here pretending to be a pilot and never actually get the chance to touch a real plane.
I can't reply to your post as it is too hard to make someone realize that they are risking peoples lives if they are adamant that what they do is safe.
Adamant means: utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals
Posted the explanation so you don't have to look it up.
Pulling the cutaway is the same, don't you understand what I mean, you only have one chance, dead stick or reserve. Are you really that dumb that you don't see what I am talking about?
Also what DZO would like that his 206 has just been at full power to 18,000 feet (I never heard of one going that high but thats where you said you plan it from) and then it is switched off to cool rapidly. It will probably break the engine and require a rebuild or at the very least an inspection.
I can't reply to your post as it is too hard to make someone realize that they are risking peoples lives if they are adamant that what they do is safe.
Adamant means: utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals
Posted the explanation so you don't have to look it up.
Pulling the cutaway is the same, don't you understand what I mean, you only have one chance, dead stick or reserve. Are you really that dumb that you don't see what I am talking about?
Also what DZO would like that his 206 has just been at full power to 18,000 feet (I never heard of one going that high but thats where you said you plan it from) and then it is switched off to cool rapidly. It will probably break the engine and require a rebuild or at the very least an inspection.
Last edited by SloppyJoe; 4th Apr 2011 at 16:42.
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Two killed when skydiving plane stalls | General Aviation News
Took two minutes to find some reasons not to intentionally stall a plane when there are people in it or outside it.
You truly are a dk
Took two minutes to find some reasons not to intentionally stall a plane when there are people in it or outside it.
You truly are a d
k
