Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!f15.n233.z1.FIDONET.ORG!SKYDIVE From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.FIDONET.ORG (SKYDIVE) Newsgroups: rec.skydiving Subject: Helicopter Jumping Message-ID: <3083.2867C4A9@ehsnet.fidonet.org> Date: 20 Jun 91 15:57:09 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Lines: 53 Reply-to: Bill.Caefer@p0.f853.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Caefer) Fido-To: uiucuxc!andrew.cmu.edu!bb1v+ U> From: uiucuxc!andrew.cmu.edu!bb1v+ (Barry Lowell Brumitt) U> I just made my first Helicopter jump last weekend, and I thought I'd share U> a few observations with you... U> First, if you haven't tried this or a baloon jump, do so. It's quite U> amazing to feel total freefall, and hear silence while you fall! U> Second, if you're looking to try it, why not arrange it for your area? U> Someone U> around here simply looked into renting a helicopter (and it's pilot). It U> came U> to $300 an hour plus $300 ferry fee. He could do about 4 loads to 4000 ft U> an U> hour, with 2 passengers. $37.50. The ferry fee split about 30 ways was $10. U> This makes it about $45 a jump. (10 minutes to alititude, 3 minutes down, U> 1 minute turnaround). We had no trouble finding 30 people, so it worked out U> pretty well. Pretty good advice. U> Are helicopters with any capacity just very expensive to operate, and as U> such, no one uses them for jump operations? Or is it a difficulty in U> training pilots? All of the above. If they were cost effective enough to use for jumping, they would be used for jumping. U> (I know that you *want* forward speed for relative work, but I'm still U> curious about the fun/crw/accuracy jump aspect) What you had was a cooperative pilot and an unusual experience. Yes, jumping from a hover is fun and I'm glad for you that you got the opportunity to try it. But this is not how regular jump operations would be conducted with helicopters. The higher you go the harder it is to hover. It takes more power, more fuel, and is more dangerous at a certain height range. This is not the way helicopters like to fly. For regular jumping they are just like airplanes except for the HUGE door. The real advantage being that you don't need an airport, just a field big enough for jumping. If they weren't so expensive they'd be good to have. --- msged 2.07 --- eecp 1.45 LM2 * Origin: Infinity Ltd. (1:102/853) -- SKYDIVE - via FidoNet node 1:233/13 (ehsnet.fidonet.org)