The "Unofficial" Quincy Video

Posted Saturday, October 21, 2000

By Paige Macdonald

Lisa Exiting
"QuincyVision2000: the ‘unofficial’ Quincy video" is 41-minutes of good vibes, let’s-revisit-the-scene of this year’s World Freefall Convention. Though not of the high caliber of Tom Sander’s "official" works in recent years, Danovision Productions did capture the overall heart and soul of a skydiver’s "anything-goes" Woodstock. Like the skydives that are depicted, it is not about perfection but enjoying the plunge.

One of the most distinctive marks of this year’s WFFC was the storm that wailed through the airport with winds reaching 67 mph. Dan VanLandschoot, also known as "Dano," gathered riveting footage of the storm brewing and its aftermath. Throughout the whole tape, he revisits the wake of destruction the gale wrought, and how it by no means doused any of the jumpers’ spirits. Mud wrestling, boogie boarding the wet fields and rescuing stuck vehicles and soaked-through rigs colored this year’s scene. But it certainly makes one want to rethink camping out in Tent City.

Zipper
The actual jump footage runs the gamut from RW to freeflying to Blade swooping. Again, these skydives are not polished versions of what can be accomplished--more like tutorials on what not to do. There are jumpers that go low and fishtail below formations. There is a raft that blows up.

The end credits hold even juicier tidbits. The video shows a skydiver descending under two canopies that are wrapping around each other, (one assumes he landed safely since there were no injuries or fatalities from jumping this year), and landings with one skydiver plowing into another and one smacking into a golf cart.

But like the tube dive that chunks out of the Casa, one feels the blast of good times that all these jumpers are having. And there are several skydives that are managed correctly and safely, from the awakening dawn "1st Load of Quincy 2000" to the "56-way."

The other hallmark of Quincy is its specialty aircraft. From dropping out of the doors of the B-17 Bomber to the picturesque hot air balloons and bi-plane to helicopter maneuvers, Dano covered it all. He even threw in a "Jet Simulator" sequence, mimicking a 10-way speed star that would’ve formed out of the jet had that plane made it this year.

But despite the jet’s absence on Friday, that August 11th was a record-breaking day in the WFFC’s history. Over 8,104 jumps took place, making Quincy the 18th busiest airport in the nation. Talk about skydivers keeping up the spirit…

But truly, it is the variety and number of people at Quincy that makes it most special. Snippets encompass the hodgepodge of types and the general happy-go-lucky attitude that effused the daytime and the nightlife. With occasional flashes of flesh, but nothing of a particularly raunchy nature, I would bestow a PG-13 rating on the tape.

B17 Bomber
The editing and music reflects Dano’s intentions of keeping it upbeat and swift moving. Though a couple of the dives could have been cut shorter, there is a lot to sample and more than one viewing will whet one’s appetite for next year’s sojourn. Dano just needs to keep his promos, like the one for Tony Suit, tucked more towards the end of the tape, not in the middle.

At the end of the journey, I commend Danovision Productions for taking the initiative to produce an enjoyable mix of moments from this year’s WFFC. The $41 price tag, which includes shipping, gives a minute of souvenir footage for each dollar. It’s not a bad deal to relive the memories.