Dropping the Load
But don’t stray too far
BY ROD HIGHTOWER
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL September day in 1980, and I was doing what
seemed at the time the most fun thing possible in flying. I was flying sky
divers in a 1957 Cessna 182 on weekends while in college in Lexington,
Missouri. With the massive experience of having two weeks on the job,
I was building flying time and getting paid to do so, $8 a load. On a good
day, we could achieve 13 loads. Life was very good.
The normal descent after dropping “the
load” was to roll the airplane to a steep
bank, leaving the power in to avoid shock
cooling the engine, and circling down as
fast as possible in order to pick up the next
load of fun-loving thrill-seekers. However,
