Caravan Jump Pilot

elmetal said:
Maybe I'm just a weirdo
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Well, yeah. You want to fly freight so that's a given. You'll fit right in with all the other goofy freight pilots. :-)

I'm a morning/night guy myself as well. Although today and tomorrow I duty on at 1500, fly what amounts to a turn and duty off by 1845. Back home and drinking a beer by 1930. Best. Schedule. Ever.
 
I've flown the van for jumpers. Personally I'd just go with 400# of gas, no flaps on TO. It wont be as squirrley and you'll be fine departing with that load.
 
woutlaw said:
Well, yeah. You want to fly freight so that's a given. You'll fit right in with all the other goofy freight pilots. :-)

I'm a morning/night guy myself as well. Although today and tomorrow I duty on at 1500, fly what amounts to a turn and duty off by 1845. Back home and drinking a beer by 1930. Best. Schedule. Ever.
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Jealous!!!
 
No flaps on takeoff in the van on a hot summer day with a full aft load is not the brightest idea though; Unless you have a long runway and low DA. Rotation jumps up to around 90-95 KIAS from 70. I found if you use 10 degrees for takeoff it really doesn't effect your roll to much and also gives you a shallower climb out. ( I liked to see over the nose on climb out n my freight run in western Oklahoma. Damn Ag pilots)
 
For you diver drivers, the guy i'm working with now runs a climb speed thats 90kts below 8k and around 80kts above. Now according to best rate charts, we should be closer to like 105-95 altitude dependent. He says it's just something the DZO had him do since he started flying the van.

Thanks for the tips on here guys. I'll be taking a 3k ft grass runway so I'm sure I'll be using 10-20 flaps. And no more than 400lbs fuel either. Should be ok to drop meat missiles.

I concur with the flying late at night or early AM. Flown personally cross the entire country during both periods. weather is typically calmer, ATC is nicer, and there's no better time to get great performance!
 
MNFlyboy said:
For you diver drivers, the guy i'm working with now runs a climb speed thats 90kts below 8k and around 80kts above. Now according to best rate charts, we should be closer to like 105-95 altitude dependent. He says it's just something the DZO had him do since he started flying the van.
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Pilots and especially owners that have flown or fly very little come up with some of the stupidest . They just make numbers up and whatnot. The manufacturer doesn't just pull the charts out of their ass. Regardless, fly a load their way, then fly one by the book and note the vsi. Easy to figure out which one wins.
I had a pilot tell me he flew the 206 (jumpers) at 95 the whole way up because he felt like Vy "felt like it's hanging it off the prop". So rather than a Vy or even cruise climb(screw that) he just arbitrarily made a number up he liked and took an extra 5+ mins every load.
 
MNFlyboy said:
Thanks for the tips on here guys. I'll be taking a 3k ft grass runway so I'm sure I'll be using 10-20 flaps. And no more than 400lbs fuel either. Should be ok to drop meat missiles.
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You flying out of Winsted on the West side of the Twin Cities? 127HA or did that fall through?

We pass about a mile to the south of 10D every evening around 1830 on WIS357 out of Marshall. Always makes me a little nervous when there are jumpers about. (I learned to fly at a dropzone out in Ohio so I have some reason to be worried about jumpers. :-) )
 
MNFlyboy said:
For you diver drivers, the guy i'm working with now runs a climb speed thats 90kts below 8k and around 80kts above. Now according to best rate charts, we should be closer to like 105-95 altitude dependent. He says it's just something the DZO had him do since he started flying the van.
!
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I obtained best rate of climb at similar lower-than-published airspeeds in the van flying jumpers too. It could have to do with the absence of pods, or the accuracy of the airspeed indicator; In many vans I see up to 10 knots difference between right and left airspeed indicator.

Someone once mentioned oil cooling could be less optimal.
 
Winsted, the Van is 10WJ I think, but can't confirm. Haven't seen it yet.

And I think the difference between left and right indicators are about 5kts.

Another Q - the Pitot-Static tube is located on the leading edge of both right and left wings, however I have not been able to locate the static source, and seeing the name "Pitot-static" i can only assume the static source is also on the tube on the leading edge. Just haven't climbed around it in a ladder to go looking for it. Systems description is vague as well. Answers?
 
MNFlyboy said:
Another Q - the Pitot-Static tube is located on the leading edge of both right and left wings, however I have not been able to locate the static source, and seeing the name "Pitot-static" i can only assume the static source is also on the tube on the leading edge. Just haven't climbed around it in a ladder to go looking for it. Systems description is vague as well. Answers?
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The static ports are on the pitot tube as well.
 
SO the week of training in the short van was fun, looking forward to the ferry flight fron Fayetteville to Michigan. More training there, then ferry to MN
 
woutlaw said:
You flying out of Winsted on the West side of the Twin Cities? 127HA or did that fall through?

We pass about a mile to the south of 10D every evening around 1830 on WIS357 out of Marshall. Always makes me a little nervous when there are jumpers about. (I learned to fly at a dropzone out in Ohio so I have some reason to be worried about jumpers. :-) )
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You based in Marshall or the cities?
 
Nice, got family near Marshall. I hope this skydiving gig goes well for the summer, I'd love to know if you guys get any openings out of the Cities. Could use some good twin winter flying!
 
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