Laugh at the Calf..... on the taxiway! - Video

So here I am, about 5 years ago, on a peaceful Spring Day in Northern California taxiing in my Cessna 182 with a load of skydivers on what we thought would be an uneventful hop 'n pop (low altitude skydive) day.

Little did I know that we were about to come very close to a baby cow with our propeller and eating Veal, whether we wanted to or not! As I'm proceeding down the taxiway towards the runway to take off, I see in the distance what I thought was a large black dog on the taxiway. I focused more on the creature and realized that it was either the largest dog that I have ever seen in my life or indeed NOT a dog but something else. Something that was very curious about airplanes and was not removing itself from the taxiway. In fact it started running towards the spinning propeller!

That was when I started asking my skydivers, "What the bleep is on the taxiway?" At that point all four of us start leaning so far forward that our noses were almost touching the windshield! Also, at about that point everyone's cameras started rolling. Thank God that skydivers usually have a camera mounted to some part of their body! Because if we did not have this video and had to rely on explaining it to people with just words, it would not be nearly as funny. 

During the video I am obviously being a "smart ace" when I I state that I don't have reverse. Oh, and the strange noises that you hear.... that's Kyle making Raptor noises. Why you might ask, we're not sure. A mating call maybe? Enjoy!

Shark spotted at Skydive the Beach!

Skydive the Beach in Wollongong Australia and their C208 Caravan with the cool nose art paint job takes skydivers to the highest altitudes in all of Australia.  In case you're wondering that's 15,000 feet high!  

This company that started out with just two guys and a Cessna 206, now has 10 drop zones all over Australia with more openings planned! 

If you're ever out near their drop zones (especially if you've never gone skydiving) do yourself a favor and be sure to get in the airplane, enjoy the ride up and then.... SHUT UP AND JUMP!

The ATSB has concluded its on-site investigation of the skydiving airplane crash at Caboolture Airfield QLD Australia

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has concluded its on-site investigation concerning a Cessna 206 that crashed on Saturday March 22nd at Caboolture Airfield, Queensland Australia, with a pilot and 4 parachutists on board. Today they released this statement:

Updated: 26 March 2014

"The ATSB team completed its on-site investigation of the accident involving VH-FRT on 25 March 2014. The ATSB has retained several components for further examination. This includes the aircraft’s engine and related components, propeller, various flight control components, some cockpit instruments and parts of the pilot’s seat. The extent to which the ATSB’s examination of the aircraft and components will be able to identify any potential anomalies is limited due to the level of damage that was sustained.

The ATSB has conducted and is analysing a significant number of witness reports. It is also reviewing the aircraft’s maintenance records, operational records for recent flights, and pilot training records. The investigation will also include reviewing potentially-related occurrences to identify if there any common aspects.

A preliminary report is expected within about 30 days of the accident. Should any critical safety issues emerge in the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately bring those issues to the relevant authorities or organisations and publish them as required."

The only photograph that they have released is the one below that shows a small amount of debris and what appears to be a bent propeller in the background.

5 dead in skydiving airplane crash near Brisbane Australia

At approximately 11:30 am local eastern Australian time (Saturday morning) a Cessna 206 with skydivers onboard crashed soon after take off from Caboolture Field near Brisbane Australia. Witnesses said that the airplane veered sharply to the left soon after take off, hitting the ground and bursting into flames. All 5 people onboard died in the crash. It is not clear which skydiving company owned the airplane, there is more than one operating at this field.

Update: According to police the victims were 4 males and 1 female. A male pilot, 2 male skydiving instructors and 2 skydiving customers. The names have not been released yet. 

Bryan Carpenter of Aerodynamic Flight Academy told reporters that, "The Cessna 206 lurched sharply to its left at an altitude of 100 to 200 feet." It is not known what caused the crash. However, according to Mr. Carpenter, "...the engine was delivering power on touch down."

My corner office with a view!

My corner office with a view.  The new one after the last one... but not the last one :)  This almost 700 horse power C208B Grand Caravan will take up to 17 skydivers up to our normal drop altitude of 13,000 feet in about 12 minutes!  The Caravan is the most common turbine powered aircraft used to haul skydivers in the U.S. and it is the second most common jump plane in the U.S. overall, after the C182 Skylane.  Read more about ALL of the jump planes that are flown around the world in on our "Skydive Aircraft" page!

Waiting for my next load of skydivers ...

Here I am deep in thought (lol) waiting for my next load of skydivers at Skydive Taft.  By the way, this is one of the only Cessna 182s that I've ever seen that has speed brakes.  I love 'em!  They helped me to get down from 13,000 feet a lot quicker, almost 3,000 feet per minute!  This airplane started its jump plane life with Larry Hill of Skydive Arizona in Eloy AZ.  I believe that it has since been sold to a drop zone in Northern California.

As a Jump Pilot you should... watch their exit!

This is a cool shot of my buddy "voodoo" and a tandem passenger exiting our C206 Jump Aircraft at Skydive Taft a few years ago.  You can see me in the background watching the exit and is something you as a Skydive Pilot should always be doing.


TIP: It is very important to make sure that none of the skydivers lines or handles get snagged on a seat belt, a door frame or anything else.  Also, insure that they have indeed unbuckled their seat belt.  I've never seen it, but I've heard of skydivers forgetting to unbuckle and then attempt to jump.  That might sound funny but it can cause major problems for them and you as the pilot.  I always have a hook knife handy as well in case I need to cut their seat belt off. I encourage you to do the same.

Stephen about to skydive, doing a Bat Hang from the wing of a Cessna 182!

A cool picture of one my skydivers Stephen doing what's called a "Bat Hang" from a Cessna 182!  In case you can not make it out, he is hanging upside down by hooking his feet to the leading edge of the right wing!

TIP: If you're a Jump Pilot and your skydivers want to do this, hopefully they will ask you and the owner (DZO) first, it is very important to bank the airplane slightly to the right.  That way when they drop, they fall AWAY from the airplane.  If you have the airplane banked even a little bit to the left it is possible that they might strike the right main landing gear and/or step. Also, most skydivers are not able to do this and take some time to get into position. Do not compromise your other skydivers and let your jump run get too long for one persons benefit.