Sometimes pilots do dumb things.

Yesterday I saw the stupidest thing so far in the short time that I've been
flying. I rent out of a VERY
busy uncontrolled field. On most weekends there are a couple of students in
the pattern, banners towers
flying around willy nilly, business jets on long finals, helicopters doing
their against the flow of traffic
thing, jump pilots entering the downwind from 3000msl and of course the
skydivers themselves landing in
a field just west of the runway. Exciting times.

So I call the FBO around 2:30 in the afternoon to see if there are any
planes for rent because it is the most
beautiful day, after a couple of weeks of low ceilings, thunderstorms, mist,
rain and blaaa weather. Back
side of a cold front with high pressure building across the entire area.
Sweet. I can get a Warrior at 6pm.
GREAT! Off I go, flying into the setting sun, with flight following, nice
greaser at a near by class D and
then back to home at 2300msl. Smooth air, great visibility, air traffic
controllers in a good mood, first
quarter moon rising over the ocean. MAN I LOVE FLYING!!!

Field in sight. Thanks for the flight following and have a great night.
AWOS 15004. Jump plane #1
pilot calls 3 minutes to jumpers away. Perfect. Should be entering on the
45 to downwind just as they
jump. Then I hear it. "Busyfield traffic. Twin Piper 10 miles out. Over
flying the field at 2000. West to
East." Say What? Maybe my radio is picking up a distant airport's unicom.
"Jumpers away". I enter the
downwind behind jump plane #2 diving into the pattern from 3000msl (TPA is
1000msl). Then again it
comes. "Busyfield traffic. Twin Piper five miles out. Over flying the
field at 2000". Jump plane #2 lands
just as I'm turning base. C152 departs. I turn final and again the call.
"Busyfield traffic. Twin Piper
over flying the field at 2000. Trying to avoid the parachutes". Sure
enough, as I'm on final here come
two chutes with the Piper flying right by them.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But directly over flying an active jump
zone a 2000 feet just seems
dumb.

Oh well. It was a beatuful day to fly.