Who works at their dropzone?

[Shark 0]

What do you do and how are you compensated?
Cash/Jump tix?

[Sebazz1 2]

I have worked at three DZ's in my short skydiving history. Mostly Monterey recently at Hollister and once at Skydive Santa Rosa.

Tandems average about $30 per jump. AFF averages $30 as well. Demos you do for free (all the ones I have done are free) I will do coach jumps for free (I will pick up my own slot) I have always helped make the DZ it self run smooth in whatever way I can. Helping backed up packers, gearing up others students, helping customers waiver up and get the proper training, help pull the plane out of the hangar, etc. etc etc. These last duties I mentioned are all done in good will. Sometimes a jump ticket is given in paymnet though most times nothing is done to compensate. I really only care about getting acknowledged occasionaly.

I am only a weekend JM. Mon through Friday I work the 9-5 grind.

[blondeflyer7 0]

Well I don't work there but I'm a very good salesman(women) I tell alot of people about the dropzone, I got Spy there!!!

[Dutchboy 0]

I fly jumpers some times. I could get cash, but I would rather have the money on account for jumps.

[freeflir29 0]

I don't get compensated in any way but I do a lot for my DZ. I hand out business cards quite a bit when the moment is right. I have also put out signs and stickers. I figure that the more money my DZ makes the more they can do for me in the way of aircraft, boogies, and freebie promotions. So...the more they make the more fun I have. It seems simple enough to me.

[nws01 0]

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I hand out business cards quite a bit when the moment is right.

You mean when hot chicks are at a bar?

[freeflir29 0]

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You mean when hot chicks are at a bar?

Well....OK....thats 90% of the ones I hand out but....there is that other 10%.......

[hooked 0]

Sebazz.......Just a question for you or anyone out there that is a TM.......Do you get tips for tandem jumps? Is it a customary practice to tip your TM?

J

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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[TEB6363 0]

Depends on the DZ environment. I'll be down south this weekend and I'll bet that I average about $10 per jump as a tip. I have had as high as $40 for a tip and, of course, none at all. However, most dropzones don't "promote" tipping and you only see the occasional $10 or $20 bill around.

As for work, At Cessna DZ's I get $20 per jump AFF or Tandem. At Skydive Santa Barbara, I get $25 per jump and up in Monterey it is $30 per jump.

Now after this weekend, I owe my wife 50% of all the money I make because she originally wanted me home. She said OK to working, but she gets 50%. Next weekend, I will be home..... No jumping by order.

Once the plane takes off, you're gonna have to land - Might as well jump out!!

[Sebazz1 2]

It depends like Tom said. At Monterey I very seldom received tips. At Hollister I recieve $10 to $20 quite frequently. I have no idea why because neither place promotes them. Is it customary? I do not think so............

[VivaHeadDown 0]

For those of you who don't have any kind of instuctor or tandem rating, and are just working in the office or something, I've found most DZ's to offer 1/2 a jump ticket per hour. It is a good deal for both parties since it's well above minimum wage for you plus there's no tax taken out of it, and it really doesn't cost the DZ that much to let you jump on a load instead of paying you cash.

Don't Confuse Me With My Own Words

[Stacy 0]

I used to work manifest and do webmastering for my old DZ. I got paid an hourly rate for manifest, but it was put on my jump account, as we worked on a debit like system. For web stuff I just invoiced weekly or biweekly, depending on the amt of stuff htat needed done.

[skygirlpc 0]

I have driven for my dz. (Picking up jumpers and bringing them back to the dz after beach jumps.) They paid me with jump tickets, one for each trip I made. It was a lot of fun for me and turned out extremely profitable!

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller

[Beeron 0]

My g/f works in manifest and edits tandem videos. The money she makes pays for my jumping.
B~

[SniperCJ 0]

Lets see, I started out packing 2 years ago. Packed all summer and put all the money from the DZ on my jump account and all the money from private packs was funneled back into the sport in some way (lunch, gear, whatever).

I started filming 4-way, tandem, and AFF this year. I usually put half on my jump account and take half in cash to pay for repacks and stuff.

My girlfriend and I have also manned information booths at different events talking to people and handing out cards and flyers. We get jump tix for those.

Ive always helped out doing other stuff around there like catching tandems (on high wind days), ferrying out-landing jumpers, and other odds and ends just to help out. Kinda like giving back to the sport.

JC

[Yoshi 0]

Work??? who can call it work when its sooooo much fun? anyways I pack for the students and tandems (occasionally) and I get that $$ towards my account..also doing video for aff and tandem is 35$ to account plus the jump...I also clean up and do odds and ends here and there just because I like to help out...I will be working at Richmond "HTE" boogie for an hourly towards my account...other than that its all fun:)
-yoshi

_________________________________________
this space for rent.

[slotperfect 7]

I am on Staff (part time, like most everybody else) at Raeford Parachute Center here in North Carolina. In order of frequency, I do Tandems, AFF, help the packers when they are swamped, and Coach.

I get compensated in dollars. My personal deal at home is that half goes toward retiring one particular debt we have, and the other half goes toward my "business" expenses. It's a very good arrangement; it was my idea.

Arrive Safely

John

[slotperfect 7]

I have received tips. I accept them graciously. They are not encouraged or promoted at the DZ, but they are welcomed.

I have also received other acknowledgement (unexpected articles in the paper, referrals, raves about the time they had that get back to me many times over).

The greatest reward, though, is experiencing the student's thrills and excitement up close and personal, and being the cause of a great deal of it. Doing tandems, because of the student's position, I FEEL their thrill almost through osmosis.

My greatest personal thrill is taking someone from being scared to death, or pissed because they got dragged there, and totally unaware of what skydiving is all about, to that huge grin and skyward gaze after the landing.

Arrive Safely

John

[Spy38W 0]

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What do you do and how are you compensated?
Cash/Jump tix?

I fly and pack for my DZ. I get compensated in cash, but usually by the end of the weekend I still end up owing more than I make.

--
Hook high, flare on time

[freeflyswc 0]

I've been hanging out/working at a drop zone since I was 9 ,so I kinda started at the bottom (toilet scrubber , weed puller , trash picker upper ).It's been 10 long years since then and now I have been promoted to a master of the custodial arts , gardener , and skilled plumber j/k. Every weekend I pack a few student rigs and work at the local gear store (paraquip) I dont really get paid , I just get my gear at cost and discounted jumps

[hohonukai 0]

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I will do coach jumps for free (I will pick up my own slot) I have always helped make the DZ it self run smooth in whatever way I can.

That is very cool of you. Everytime I ask someone to jump with me to help improve my flying skills I always tell them I will pay for their jump. I just couldn't ask someone to help without paying for their slot.
I used to work for a local dz mixing videos on the weekends. It was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of jumps even though I wasn't jumping. And that's the reason why I quit. I wanted to jump more. It'd be different if my "9 to 5" was working for a dz. All it takes is time, experience, ratings, and a well-worked out budget. Haven't crossed that off my list of things to do yet. That's still a dream that could easily become reality.

[Rachill 0]

I only work one day a week (Sunday) to give the regular a day off. I load the plane and fuel the plane and I get money put on my jump account for it. So as long as I don't jump to much (yeah right) I don't ever have to hand over cash out of my pocket to jump! I like it a lot!

BooYa#1
GR#50
You might be a skydiver if... Your having sex and she whispers in your ear "I've never done this before" and you yell out "Case of Beer"

[Hooknswoop 19]

Tipws for tandems are common. I got my largest ever tip yesterday, $143.00! Yahoo!.

Rates I've seen:
$4.00-$10.00 student main
$9.00-$15.00 tandem main

$25.00-$30.00 AFF
$25.00-$30.00 Tandem
$1.00 S/L

Hook


Hook

[BikerBabe 0]

I'm on our DZ Board of Directors (we run the DZ). I am finding mysef in charge of marketing/advertising. I'm also trying to help organize a boogie, which is interesting.

I don't get compensated, but that's cool. I also "coach" low-timers if they so desire, but I do that for free, as well. Meaning, I'll jump with anyone and help them out.

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[pilotdave 0]

Where I jump, there are signs up all over the place saying "it is customary to tip your instructor/videographer..." I always thought it was in kind of bad taste, but people have asked me before if they should tip them. I don't think it is truly "customary" but it is nice.

Dave