Damien is a member of a Gliding Club that shares an
airfield with major parachuting organisations, and
as such is in a very different situation to me who
flies from a gliding only site. I find it very difficult
to find out if parachuting is taking place or not.
In the absence of any information to the contrary,
I have to assume that the drop zones are active, which
cuts out lots of useful airspace in our crowded little
country. The fact that you cannot get a radio reply
from a parachute site is unfortunately no guarantee
that they are not operating.

Derek Copeland

At 15:12 12 July 2006, Damien Dyer wrote:
Bumper,
Please don't take anything Derek says as the truth.
He is very anti, well everything! He has a big problem
with 'the menace of parachutist'
I fly from a club where we share an airfield with parachutist's.

We have a set agrement with them and set the airfield
up in the morning, and sometimes this does have to
be changed in during the day. There has been one fatal
accident a few years ago. But it was a accident. And
we have all learnt from it. Other than that we get
on very well. There is also another club very close
by and I have flown there and all seems well with the
set up.
As for Derek saying they don't talk to us! They do!!
I think its just a case of Derek does not listen!
I have heard gliders call up and ask if they are active,
and the drop zone are more that happy to talk to them.
There are also many gliders that don't and are still
flying in the drop zones, this is not helping the gliding
movement and the case for the CAA making us all use
transponders, even better! Sorry got a bit side tracked!

Regards
Damien