unairworthy dive plane -->

[Let'sgoflying!]

results in $600K fine

 

[Pilawt]

[...] cables that help the plane take off, maneuver and land.

"Journalism".

 

[jason]

I haven't seen one yet that WAS airworthy.

 

[Arbiter419]

The 182 I jumped out of was..."well seasoned", but just walking around and checking it out, it didn't strike me as unairworthy.

 

[Doggtyred]

So... a control cable AD wasn't complied with?

We all know airworthiness is a paperwork issue...

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I haven't seen one yet that WAS airworthy.

That's why everyone aboard is wearing chutes, right?

 

[airguy]

That's why everyone aboard is wearing chutes, right?

It's not always the plane either - my second skydiving trip as a teenager many moons ago, the dive plane ran out of fuel about a minute after dropping his load at altitude. He dead-sticked in and the guys on the ground were giving him high-fives and laughing about it, said that was his second time this month to cut it that close.

 

[Pilawt]

Which puts to rest the old joke about why skydivers would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane ...

 

[steingar]

The only thing that made me nervous about the first and only jump I ever made was that I was the only person in the aircraft not wearing a parachute (tandem jump). I recall it being very decrepit. I also recall enjoying the flight part quite a bit more than the jump part.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

It must have been egregious to result in such a huge fine.

 

[Steve Foley]

It must have been egregious to result in such a huge fine.

From March 2008 to November 2009, the plan conducted more than 2,600 flights in the allegedly unsafe aircraft.

Sounds egregious to me.

 

[tonycondon]

It must have been egregious to result in such a huge fine.

also perhaps meant to send a message.

 

[RMCN172RG]

Sounds egregious to me.

Roughly $230 per flight.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

It's not always the plane either - my second skydiving trip as a teenager many moons ago, the dive plane ran out of fuel about a minute after dropping his load at altitude. He dead-sticked in and the guys on the ground were giving him high-fives and laughing about it, said that was his second time this month to cut it that close.

Yikes.

The dive planes are often 182's, which *can* carry *plenty* of fuel - But the jump planes often don't because they're loaded up to the gills with meat missiles and the less weight they have, the faster they can climb and the more flights they can do.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

also perhaps meant to send a message.

to all the other operators...this guy is likely outta bidnez.

 

[tonycondon]

yea thats what i meant.

 

[Arbiter419]

Yikes.

The dive planes are often 182's, which *can* carry *plenty* of fuel - But the jump planes often don't because they're loaded up to the gills with meat missiles and the less weight they have, the faster they can climb and the more flights they can do.

Yup, the jumpmaster I was talking to described it as "hauling fuel up and down."

 

[tonycondon]

frankly if i was flying a 182 with 4 passengers on board, i'd only want as much fuel as was necessary for the flight. based on my limited observations it seems the drop zones are always at small country airports on the outskirts of the big city with shortish runways anyway.