Is this nuts, or what?

Not a very good argument. Z-Hills has had continuous skydiving
operations there since the mid-60's. During it's heyday some
considered it "the" premier
"drop-zone" in the world. Also, the jump center is a business and the
time of year around Easter has historically been one of it's busiest
seasons. We skydivers like to get along with pilots. Can't jump
without them. :-) (just my humble opinion!)


Yeah,

And I lived in the same town almost my whole life, but I have enough sense to
stay away from the madness on the weekend when they have the St Patricks day
drunkfest downtown....

Sure, they skydive there every weekend....and sure they have been doing it
forever....and sure, they even have the RIGHT to be doing so...

But still a little prudence on their part one time outa the whole year is only
gonna help THEM....

Skydivers vs airplanes is just like pedestrians vs cars....the skydiver or
pedestrian theorectically has the right of way but they virtually always LOOSE
in any "conflict".....

I sure as heck wouldnt be skydiving in an area where the air traffic is 100 to
1000 times its normal level and a fair percentage of the pilots probably dont
know how to deal with skydivers, and even the ones that do might not do so
properly in all the hustle, bustle, and confusion....

Betting your life that someone else will do the right thing when you dont have
to doesnt seem to wise to me.....

take care

Blll

In article , BllFs6 wrote:
Skydivers vs airplanes is just like pedestrians vs cars....the skydiver or
pedestrian theorectically has the right of way but they virtually always LOOSE
in any "conflict".....

In many mid-airs between skydivers and aircraft, surprisingly often the
aircraft comes off much worse (crashes with the loss of all on board)
whilst the skydiver breaks a bone.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

"BllFs6" wrote in message
...

Skydivers vs airplanes is just like pedestrians vs cars....the skydiver
or pedestrian theorectically has the right of way but they virtually
always LOOSE in any "conflict".....


Actually, it's the other way round. Unlike the pedestrian vs the car, it's
the airplane that has the right-of-way over the skydiver.

I'm not sure I can agree with your other point either. I seem to recall a
few skydiver/airplane collisions that knocked the airplane out of the sky
while the injured skydiver returned via parachute.

Actually, it's the other way round. Unlike the pedestrian vs the car, it's
the airplane that has the right-of-way over the skydiver.

I'm not sure I can agree with your other point either. I seem to recall a
few skydiver/airplane collisions that knocked the airplane out of the sky
while the injured skydiver returned via parachute.

Few doesnt equate to most does it?

but in anycase I sure wouldnt want to risk brown underwear or serious injury
anymore than neccessary because someone ELSE is too stupid to do the right
thing....

And it sure seems to me that during SnF that you'll have ALOT more crazies
buzzing around south florida than you normally do...but maybe not....

take care

Blll

"BllFs6" wrote in message
...

Few doesnt equate to most does it?


No, few does not equate to most. But while I can recall a few
skydiver/airplane collisions that knocked the airplane out of the sky while
the injured skydiver returned via parachute, I can't recall any that killed
the skydiver and the airplane landed safely. Would you agree that few is
more than none?

Would you agree that few is
more than none?


okay

Ill even give you that...if thats the case....

but I still wouldnt want to be the first....or even more importantly from a
pragmatic aspect .....worrying about being the first....kinda takes the fun out
it ya know...

and still more...if I lived as the skydiver and the airplane folks died I'd
feel bad even if it was totally their fault....

take care

Blll

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message link.net...
wrote in message
om...

Not a very good argument. Z-Hills has had continuous skydiving
operations there since the mid-60's. During it's heyday some
considered it "the" premier "drop-zone" in the world. Also, the
jump center is a business and the time of year around Easter
has historically been one of it's busiest seasons. We skydivers
like to get along with pilots. Can't jump without them. :-) (just
my humble opinion!)


What argument did you assume I was making?

Sorry, I just assumed (perhaps mistakenly), by following the thread,
that you were making some sort of case for shutting down a business
for a week during
one of it's busiest times so a bunch of guys could have a club meeting
16 miles away. I'll try to read the thread more carefully and try to
put it into
context. I know that the DZ at Zephyrhills uses up more than 2 whole
cubic miles of sky but maybe if everyone pays attention there won't be
any problems. By the looks of the weather around here (Lakeland) the
last couple of days, there may not be anything to worry about anyway.
Blue Ones, TP.
(Disclaimer: I have no professional connection to the DZ -- just a
concerned consumer. Also, I have been an advocate of SF since it's
inception and have not missed a single year.)

"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...
When I was down there they were making three trips an hour with three
twin turboprops hauling 20 jumpers each and one run an hour with a
DC-3 hauling 40 jumpers. That could easily run a 100 in the air at one
time and 220 per hour. They do this from dawn till dusk as long as
the weather is good enough to jump.

Zephyrhills was one of the stops on our qualifying cross country.
Winter Haven - Ocala - Zephyrhills - Winter Haven. Not-quite
PPLs mixing it with the jumpers! They do Zephyrhills mineral water
from one of those water cooler things at the FBO.

You have to fit in. To top it off the odds of finding a place to
stay, or spend the night are next to nil that close to Lakeland.

Maybe, maybe not. The motel where I stay mostly in Winter
Haven would not always be full during S'n'F. And that's only a
short drive away down highway 92.

http://www.usa-lodging.net/motels/fl...interHaven.htm

Paul

Other alternatives to Lakeland are Winter Haven, Bartow, Plant
City and Lake Wales, all pretty close. 5-15 miles. (ok, Lake Wales
is 21.9, just looked it up on Airnav)

There are quite a few others around the area too. Around
Tampa you have Peter O'Knight, Vandenburg, around Orlando
you have Orlando Exec, Kissimmee, Sanford, (ignoring Tampa
and Orlando Internationals, though Tampa and the Raytheon
FBO there are very friendly).

Coming in from the north you have DeLand and Leesburg
or even Ocala (all a bit far out). Carry on a bit to the south
and you have Sebring, Wauchula, Arcadia and Avon Park.

You're spoilt for choice round that area. I haven't listed
the small strips or airparks either.

Lake Wales also has jumpers.

Paul