WATCH OUT FOR FALLING BODIES

Harry Leicher, ATP, CFII

USPA PRO Rated Skydiver

2004 Western Pacific CFI of the Year

(310) 701-0854

itllclear@aol.com

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Places to Avoid

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Places to Avoid

• Localizers

• Departure Paths

• Published Aerobatic Areas

• DROP ZONES!!!

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Nature of Skydiving Activities• Exits from Planes 2,000 to 13,500 AGL

•Reported to ATC “MSL”•Perris & Elsinore, 4,000 to 15,000 MSL

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Nature of Skydiving Activities

• Parachutes open from exit altitude down to 2,000 AGL

• -- Perris & Elsinore 15,000 MSL to 3,500 MSL

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Nature of Skydiving Activities • Jump Aircraft want to get back down quickly to pick up

the next load

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Nature of Skydiving Activities

• Radio Communications with ATC and CTAF’s required by FAR’s

• Many operations have LOA’s including climb and descent corridors, call signs, transponder codes

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Nature of Skydiving Activities

• 24 Hours a Day

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Nature of Skydiving Activities

• Distance around DZ– Usually exit upwind of the target– Sometimes many groups on a pass, spread over

a large line

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Nature of Skydiving• Large groups may spread out over a mile in

diameter before opening parachutes

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See and Be Seen Limitations

• Visibility and clearance from cloud requirements – Basically same as for aircraft under VFR

• 3-152’s

• 5 F-111’s

• Oblique view from above or below can be misleading

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See and Be Seen Limitations

• Transient pilot limitations– Probably not looking up– Difficulty in seeing plane 2 miles above– Almost impossible to see jumpers in freefall

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See and Be Seen Limitations– Drop Zone may not be on an airport

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See and Be Seen Limitations– Drop Zones are often on small airports, difficult to

see unless you are familiar with the area

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See and Be Seen Limitations• Jumper Limitations

–Difficult to see under plane due to side door or tailgate

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See and Be Seen Limitations– Delay between “climb out” and exit

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See and Be Seen Limitations

– Up to 70 seconds in free fall– Course changes by transient aircraft– Possible Emergency Exits

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Possible Emergency Exits

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Airport Operations

• Private Airports– Perris,

– Elsinore,

– Nichols Field

• Public Airports – Taft,

– Lompoc,

– Eloy, AZ

– Jean

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Airport Operations

• Normal Practices, Communications

• Location of Parachute Landing Area to Fixed Wing Traffic Pattern

• May also be gliders and ultralights at the field

• Helicopters are to “avoid the flow of fixed wing traffic”

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Airport Operations

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Locating Skydiving Activities

• Charted DZ’s (Parachute Symbol on Chart)– Symbol may not be over the exact parachute

landing area– Difficult to see on cluttered chart– DZ’s may open between chart cycles

•AFD

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Locating Skydiving ActivitiesWe Still Need Paper Charts

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Locating Skydiving Activities• Not included in most electronic Databases

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Locating Skydiving Activities

•NOTAM’s-- Exhibition Jumps

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Locating Skydiving Activities• NOTAM’s

– Temporary Drop Zones

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Locating Skydiving ActivitiesNOTAM’s

!LAX 04/002 LAX PJE 3NMR LAX035013/DODGER STADIUM 2500/BLW WEF 0204022015_0204022115!POC 03/005 POM PJE 5NMR POM118003.5 13500/BLW WEF 0203212100-0203212230!POC 03/005 POM PJE 5NMR POM080004 13500/BLW WEF 0203211700-0203211830!RAL 03/048 PDZ PJE 5NMR PDZ064007 13500/BLW WEF 0203202100-203202230!RAL 03/048 PDZ PJE 5NMR PDZ088003 13500/BLW WEF 0203201800-203201830!RAL 08/001 ELB PJE 1NMR ELB078004.5 4000/BLW WEF0208020245_0208020315RAL 09/068 HDF PJE 2 NMR HDF220001/L65 14500/BLW 1345-0125 DLY WEF

0409301345-0410170125

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Locating Skydiving ActivitiesTFR’s

******** FDC NOTAMs ******** ! FDC 2/2370 ZLA CA.. TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTION,

ANAHEIM,CA.DUE TO THE U.S. NAVY LEAP FROG PARACHUTE DEMONSTRATION

EFFECTIVE 0203312130 UTC UNTIL 0203312230 UTC AND 0204010030 UTC UNTIL 0204010130 UTC. PURSUANT TO CFR 91.145, AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN A ONE NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS OF ANAHEIM STADIUM LOCATED AT 3348.00N/11753.05W, THE SEAL BEACH /SLI/ VORTAC 068 DEGREE RADIAL AT 8.5 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE SURFACE UP TO AND INCLUDING 6000 FT MSL. BM1 TED BAIR, PHONE 619_437_2820, IS THE POINT OF CONTACT. RIVERSIDE /RAL/ AFSS, PHONE 909_351_8419, IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY.

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ATC and other Communications

• Regulated by FAR 105– Center or Approach Control– Tower– Unicom or CTAF– DZ (Company Frequency)– “Air Boss” at Airshows

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Collision Statistics(Good News, Not Many)

(Bad News, Fatalities)

• Non-Skydivng Aircraft– C-130 Reported “Bird Strike” (CA, US )– Jumper suffered broken ankle, Archer lost

Vertical Stabilizer (MA, US)– Jumper Collided with Glider (UK)

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Collision Statistics(Good News, Not Many)

(Bad News, Fatalities)

• Skydiving Involved Aircraft– Christen Eagle at Air Show hit Opening Parachute– Two Airplane “Formation Load,” jumper from lead

airplane collided with trail airplane

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Stay Away Unless You Know What You’re

Doing

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Summary and Recommendations

• Plan Your Flight– Be aware of jump activities along your route– Determine ATC facility from which advisories

may be received– Specifically ask “Are any jump planes in the

air?”– Listen for “2 minutes to jump,” “Jumpers away

and descending.”

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Summary and Recommendations

• If unable to establish communication with ATC, at least monitor the frequency

• Try Unicom or CTAF for Airport with Skydiving Activities

• Avoid by 5 miles

• Don’t fly over the DZ trying to locate it

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Summary and Recommendations

• If planning to land at an airport with skydiving activities, make a phone call to become aware of recommended arrival procedures

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Last Words

• If you call sitting in an airplane “Flying,” do you call sitting in a boat “Swimming?”

• So, if you really want to “Fly,”

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GET OUT OF THE PLANE!