flying without door
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
- new2cessna
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:07 pm
flying without door
Hello lucky flyers, Anything we need to do differently or know about flying without the doors on a 48 170. One or both does it matter? Thanks Tim McCoy
- Bruce Fenstermacher
- Posts: 10320
- Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 11:24 am
Re: flying without door
Besides legality in the US?
Its' not legal to fly with any door removed unless you have a 337 or STC. These use to be available with a letter from the local FSDO if your aircraft was on a list found in FAR 105. That list has been removed. I understand now one must purchase an STC from the USPA for $200 ($100 for members) and that STC only covers certain aircraft of which the 170 is one. And then it was only the passenger door for sky diving. Once you get the STC, you must follow it and I'll bet it will tell you what door(s) you can remove and any other operating restrictions.
Its' not legal to fly with any door removed unless you have a 337 or STC. These use to be available with a letter from the local FSDO if your aircraft was on a list found in FAR 105. That list has been removed. I understand now one must purchase an STC from the USPA for $200 ($100 for members) and that STC only covers certain aircraft of which the 170 is one. And then it was only the passenger door for sky diving. Once you get the STC, you must follow it and I'll bet it will tell you what door(s) you can remove and any other operating restrictions.
CAUTION - My forum posts may be worth what you paid for them!
Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
Re: flying without door
If you do this, be certain to recognize that ANY loose objects will fly around as projectiles including pencils, dust out of your carpet and anything in your shirt pocket. Also be aware that anyone who inadvertently unclasps a seat-belt is at risk. In addition, anything that leaves the cabin may strike the tail, disable the aircraft or render it uncontrollable (A tie down rope was once reported to be the reason elevator control was lost due to the flapping rope wrapped around the horiz-stab. Sounds suspicious but I wasn't there. Still...beware. Dust/Dirt from your carpet can enter your eyes and blind you. I do know about that as I once flew a 206 in a seeding operation that almost went badly.)
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
- wabuchanan
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2014 2:51 am
Re: flying without door
Heck, I can vouch for the danger of flying without doors personally. I've bloody well fallen out of doorless airplanes approximately 172 times......
1950 170A N5776C SN:19730
- Joe Moilanen
- Posts: 600
- Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2003 5:45 am
Re: flying without door
What a coincidence!! I have exactly 172 jumps also! Here is a link to my 171st jump. I jumped into my wedding reception 36 years ago. I jumped from 6,000' and planned on opening at 2,500'. At 2,500' I pulled and nothing happened...wouldn't even come out of the bag. I really didn't want to ride the reserve down because I had to land in a tight spot and needed the performance of my main chute. I hit the pack with my elbows as hard as i could and at 1,500' I finally gave up and pulled my reserve. The opening shock of the reserve was enough to make the main come out and it just hung down below me. I was then too low to make it back to the party and had to crash through the trees. Hope this link works...wabuchanan wrote:Heck, I can vouch for the danger of flying without doors personally. I've bloody well fallen out of doorless airplanes approximately 172 times......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_4ugQc ... Ymsow_OdeQ
Joe
4518C
Re: flying without door
Fantastic Video! Glad to see you came out OK. (I always suspected our Assoc'n is made up mostly of nut cases.)
I must say in all honesty however,.... in my view, …. sky diving is a lot like setting your house on fire so you can play with a fire extinguisher.
I must say in all honesty however,.... in my view, …. sky diving is a lot like setting your house on fire so you can play with a fire extinguisher.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
- daedaluscan
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:03 pm
Re: flying without door
Flame suit on. My understanding is that it is statistically safer to jump out of a light plane than to land in it. I have absolutely zero evidence to back this up.
Charlie
1956 170B C-GDRG #27019
1956 170B C-GDRG #27019
- sfarringer
- Posts: 309
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:49 pm
Re: flying without door
I don't believe that in general....
However, it may be true of some jump planes....
However, it may be true of some jump planes....
Ragwing S/N 18073
- Joe Moilanen
- Posts: 600
- Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2003 5:45 am
Re: flying without door
You could be right George! People have always asked me why I would jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I guess they have never seen most jump planes...I started jumping before I started flying and that is what sold me on the 170. My first 100 or so jumps were out of a ragwing 170, four jumpers and a pilot and nobody ever gave consideration to the jumpers weights let alone the gear they had on their backs. Ran empty on fuel and "LEAN FORWARD FOR TAKEOFF!!" Good thing we were at sea level and had a 5,000' runway. The highest we'd go would be 7,200' which would give us a 30 second freefall.gahorn wrote:Fantastic Video! Glad to see you came out OK. (I always suspected our Assoc'n is made up mostly of nut cases.)
I must say in all honesty however,.... in my view, …. sky diving is a lot like setting your house on fire so you can play with a fire extinguisher.
Joe
- cessna170bdriver
- Posts: 4066
- Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2002 5:13 pm
Re: flying without door
I don’t know how true it is, but I heard a story of a jumper who had never experienced a landing having to be restrained after the twin engine jump plane had an engine failure shortly after takeoff.
Miles
“I envy no man that knows more than myself, but pity them that know less.”
— Thomas Browne
“I envy no man that knows more than myself, but pity them that know less.”
— Thomas Browne
Re: flying without door
According to the STC holder of the door removal for the 170, it has some unique limitations. Bank angle restricted to 10 degrees and yaw angle is 15degrees.
52' C-170B N2713D Ser #25255
Doug
Doug