It was a cold December morning as my roommate Tony and I drove toward the jump center. The Cessna 180 I had a job flying to feed my skydiving addiction was just touching down on the frost-covered grass. It was the jump center manager, returning from flying the days first load. “Ive got it all warmed up for you,” he said. 288
With You Til 3000 Feet
It was a cold December morning as my roommate Tony and I drove toward the jump center. The Cessna 180 I had a job flying to feed my skydiving addiction was just touching down on the frost-covered grass. It was the jump center manager, returning from flying the days first load. "Ive got it all warmed up for you," he said. After a quick preflight, I climbed into the battered plane and ran the pre-start checklist. My roommate crawled in the back, along with two other shivering jumpers. Soon, we were taxiing to the end of the field; I performed a run-up on the go. We bounced down the grass and lifted off well before the end of the 1800-foot strip.
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot flying a skydiving load experienced sudden engine failure at altitude due to a broken carburetor heat control cable.
- The pilot successfully restarted the engine at 3000 feet using a risky, unconventional priming method, enabling a challenging but safe landing.
- After landing, it was revealed that the jump center manager had made an undocumented modification, rerouting the cowl flap control to act as carb heat, without informing the pilot.
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