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Weight and Balance | Normal Days | Engine Failures | Commercial License or Not?
Training is the key to safe jump operations. And it is one of the things that is neglected in the skydiving community. We have strict
training manuals for training first time jumpers. We have weeklong courses in training prospective jumpmasters. Want to learn how to pack reserve parachutes? You have to take a written, oral and practical to get
your Senior Rigger's Certificate from the FAA. But there is absolutely no standardization for jump pilots.
Hopefully the pilot checking you out to fly jumpers will recognize this lack of standardization and will give you the necessary training and
testing to keep you and your passengers safe in normal and abnormal procedures. If not, you're rolling the dice when that motor pukes or you get a jumper in tow and you have damage to the aircraft. What are you
going to do? When you received your commercial certificate you had to demonstrate emergency procedures. There was no comment about how to fly a dead stick when your passengers are crawling all over you trying to
save their lives and screwing you in the process.
This section will have comments about training for flying jumpers. It is by no means all of the information needed to safely fly jumpers. It
is a starting point. You should have a good working knowledge of Part 1,61, and 91 already. You need to read and know Part 105. It has information that can directly mess up your flying career for not knowing it.
Weight and Balance
Weight and balance can be so important in small Cessna aircraft flying jumpers. But it can also be super critical in large tailgate
aircraft. But no matter what you are using to fly jumpers you can stall on jump run and what you do during the event could determine whether you live or die. It's that simple.
Proper loading of jumpers for take off should be discussed for your aircraft. In a Cessna, there are a lot of misconceptions. Check your
particular aircraft's current empty weight and CG. If you are unsure of how to compute it, take people out to the aircraft and measure from the datum to where they are actually sitting to compute the balance. Many
FAA inspectors are surprised when you demonstrate how a pilot and four jumpers have a more centered CG than having normal seats and four people including the pilot. CHECK YOUR PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT TO DETERMINE YOUR
BALANCE.
WEIGHT
Don't take off over gross!! You are jeopardizing your career, your aircraft, your life, and the lives of your passengers. Flying over gross
means that you could over stress the airframe in a sharp maneuver. Your stall speed is also higher than the book for any given configuration. Best glide speed will change. Basically, you have become a test pilot.
Plus, when you do it once, everyone will think it's ok and it'll be harder to say no the next time.
I know, it's hard to have any fuel and carry jumpers in a C-182. Do what you have to do to stay legal. When your jumpers see you concerned
for their safety they will respect you more in the long run.
Normal Days
This is when everything is great. You're cranking loads. The spots are perfect. The skies are clear. This is when complacency can creep up
and bite you in the ass. When are the majority of mid-air collisions happening? It happens within 5 miles of the airport and on clear VMC day. Keep your guard up. Every load is a new flight and needs to be prepared
for. Sure, certain things can be shortened like you don't need to do a full preflight if you are loading with the engine running. But all radio calls, all traffic rules, all loading procedures need to be followed
strictly every time. Deviate from protocol and you can have someone walk into a prop. You could taxi into another parked aircraft. Or you could pull onto a runway just as someone is on short final. Lot's of
"problems" on a so-called "normal day" huh? Your situational awareness is what is going to keep you safe and violation free.
Engine Failures
There are so many causes for engine failures that I can only touch on certain topics. But does it really matter? Are you a mechanic? Can you
fix it in flight? Then don't worry about what you are going to tell the boss about what the cause was. Just be prepared to get down as safely as possible and talk about it later. During an engine failure, all bets
are off for a normal jump run. It might still happen but be prepared. I always told my jumpers that if I was below a thousand feet that I wanted them to stay. They said that they could still get out at that point.
But with people crawling around and the door flying open that doesn't leave you a lot of time to concentrate on getting the aircraft and yourself down safely. Make sure there is an understanding of what exactly is
going to happen at different points when the engine pukes.
Cessna 182s are notorious for having the fuel shut off by the jumper sitting back to dash. That might be something to check right away.
Turbine aircraft are a little different. It's less likely to be a jumper induced engine failure. How long is your runway? What fields lay ahead? Can the aircraft really climb on one engine? How much altitude is
necessary for a return to the runway downwind? Can the jumpers really leave the aircraft below 1,000 feet and live?
These are all questions that should have some sort of certain answer before rolling down the runway.
Keep your cool. Know your procedures. You'll do no one any good if you just start throwing switches and handles in random order. Keep it
simple and KNOW YOUR AIRCRAFT MANUAL!
Here are some links to articles on engine operation. It has specifics about running them at high power settings and hard descents. It even
uses Skydiving Ops as examples of why we get full life out of the engines yet other weekend warriors don't. Read them thoroughly as there is a lot of good information here. You may have to register to read the articles and make the links work but it's free and there is a ton of good information the rest of the site.
The collum is called the Pelican's Perch:
Where Should I Run My Engine? (Part 1)
In his many columns about how to lean, whether to use full power after takeoff, oversquare operation
and so on, AVweb's John Deakin has left many of the details up to the pilot/owner. Yet many readers would just as soon have him tell them exactly how to set up and run an engine. In this month's column he does just
that, with a step-by-step guide to smarter engine operation. Fair warning: his advice may not always agree with the POH.
Full story: www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182179-1.html
Where Should I Run My Engine? (Part 2 — The Climb)
Last month, AVweb's John Deakin started a discussion of where to run an engine during a
typical flight. With so much detail needed, he ended the column just as we took off! Now he's back to talk about the climb, and as usual he has real-world data to back up his explanation.
Full story: www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182176-1.html
Where Should I Run My Engine? (Part 3 -- Cruise)
Cruise -- Time to sit back and enjoy the flight. But wait...did you leave the mixture set
where it was during the climb? Or do you just set it where it...
Full story: www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182583-1.html
Where Should I Run My Engine? (Part 4 -- Descent)
After a short discussion about whether running engines the factory way or the skydiving way
will hurt or help engines, AVweb's John Deakin settles in for the descent. And, yes, there are more old wives tales to be debunked, and better control settings to use.
Full story: www.avweb.com/news/pelican/183094-1.html
Commercial License or Not?
It's an old question that seems to get people into trouble (or at least a letter of investigation with the FAA) constantly. Basically, if
you are receiving money for the flying you are doing then you HAVE to have a Commercial Pilot's License. But then I hear the argument "Well, if they don't pay me then it isn't commercial flying." Well, yes, it
very well can be. If the company, or operation, you are flying for takes money from jumpers before they get on the plane then a lot of the time that is considered a commercial operation. There are only a few (and I
can't even name them) operations called "Clubs" that are still truly clubs and are not required to have commercial pilots. So, if you want to avoid A LOT of hassle and headache then I suggest that you just go
out and get a Commercial License and don't fly jumpers until you do. If you want to walk the fine line then that's your choice. But the Feds aren't going along with the old "club" exemption much anymore and
very, very few operations can actually qualify for the exemption. BE CAREFUL. Get the license.
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