Sometimes pilots do dumb things.

In article ,
Nathan Young wrote:

Interesting thread. So what is proper procedure for flying into a DZ
airport? I fly to Morris IL (cheap fuel and good food) which used to
have skydiving (not sure if they still do). Whenever I would hear the
jumpplane on CTAF or Approach, I would just stay a few miles away
until it was obvious all the canopies were on the ground. Then I
would enter the pattern and land.

Call the DZ and ask what the procedure is for the jumpers, or ask the
jump pilot when he announces. The jumpers probably have a procedure to
keep them out of the way of aircraft and to allow aircraft and
parachutes to mix in the pattern.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html

"Chris Ehlbeck" wrote
At least the skydivers are easier to see under canopy! I was on my long XC
as a student and was flying near a DZ airport (knew not to go over). I was
at 6,500 MSL (about 5,600 AGL) and saw 3 canopies above me! GPS showed me
over 3 nm from the airport when I checked.

What you saw was either a CRW or XC jump.

XC (cross country) is when the uppers are howling, the jump plane
flies into the wind (often 10+ miles upwind of the airport!) and the
jumpers get out, open, and fly home. In theory this requires that a
NOTAM be filed (since the standing NOTAM probably only covers the area
within 3-5 nm of the airport) but often this is not done.

CRW (canopy relative work) is when the jumpers get out, open, and try
to fly in VERY tight formation (as in - one guy holds on to parachute
of other guy(s) with hands and/or feet). If the uppers are howling,
they also have to get out well upwind of the airport if they are not
to land well downwind of it.

Neither is particularly rare. However, while jumpers in freefall are
practically invisible, jumpers under canopy are quite visible and able
to practice see-and-avoid. After all, they have dozens to hundreds of
square feet of brightly colored wing, move slowly (10-40 kts), and are
highly maneuverable. Not exactly a major hazard IMO.

Michael

"lardsoup" wrote in message news:emqWc.503260

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

The day I did my two jumps (1991), when I got on the ground after the second
one, all high on adrenaline and excitement, people ran up to me and said
"Did you see 'em? Did you see the airplanes?!" Uh...what?

Apparently, a formation of experimental planes flew right into the drop zone
and passed so close that they broke formation to avoid me. I distinctly
remembered the jump pilot reporting he was going to drop. Don't know if he
called jumpers away 'cause I was dangling off the strut by then,
but...yeesh... At the time, I was simply bummed that I didn't get to see
the planes in formation from 4,000 feet. Now that I know better, I'd kinda
like to kick one of 'em in the ass for it.

-c

"Dale" wrote in message news:me-

Every weekend at least one (and usually more) uncaring, uninformed or
perhaps
just friggin' stupid pilot will fly right smack dab over the DZ (which
is a private airfield). What's really aggravating is it isn't transient
pilots, it's local guys.

Given that it's marked as a jump zone AND it's a private airfield, that's
basically inexcusable. Flak guns, perhaps? :

"Nathan Young" wrote in message

Interesting thread. So what is proper procedure for flying into a DZ
airport?

One like this:

... Whenever I would hear the jumpplane on CTAF or Approach, I would just
stay a few miles away until it was obvious all the canopies were on the
ground. Then I
would enter the pattern and land.

The couple of times I've been in similar situations I've radioed CTAF to
verify that the jumpers were down. The jump pilot or UNICOM will generally
advise.

-c

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 13:22:54 -0700, "gatt"
wrote:


"Dale" wrote in message news:me-

Every weekend at least one (and usually more) uncaring, uninformed or
perhaps
just friggin' stupid pilot will fly right smack dab over the DZ (which
is a private airfield). What's really aggravating is it isn't transient
pilots, it's local guys.

Given that it's marked as a jump zone AND it's a private airfield, that's
basically inexcusable. Flak guns, perhaps? :

I give drop zones a wide berth unless headed for that airport, BUT
being marked private (The circle with the P) pretty much indicates
it's a seldom used field as far as most of the pilot population is
concerned. I can find quite a few in the lower peninsula of Michigan
and that impression would describe every one. OTOH the pilot is
supposed to know (get a briefing) prior to departure. That P doesn't
give the field any special status expect it's not for public use.

Couple weeks back I took a VFR trip. Direct was through a drop zone
about 60 miles from here. When I was within about 8 miles of the
field I made a half circle around it. I head a student doing T&Gs at
the airport. Gave him a call and he was surprised I didn't go straight
through as the DZ is only used on week ends and not always then.

If it was a couple or several planes in formation they would most
likely have been listening on 122.75, rather than the nearest app
frequency where I'd expect the drop plane to make their announcement.
Most of those fields marked P have no unicom or CTAF frequency listed.

IF the filed is marked P AND the drop zone is not active on a regular
basis locals will soon forget and transients are more likely to notice
than the locals.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com