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sblue

Camping at the DZ

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Well, I decided to ask this group because I will get a much better quality of an answer than on rec.skydive.
Recently our Airport Board has banned camping on the airport grounds. We have, for several years, camped there on weekends, and have not had any problems. Due to an expansion of our DZ, we have asked to lease the property that we have camped on, so that we could add water and electric. A few days after we ask, they come in and say no more camping. We are going through the process with the city, county and airport board to get this resolved, but it will be a while.
My question is this. How many of you regularly camp out at your DZ? Tents, RV's what facilities? Public Airport? DZ name and Airport would be helpful in getting some general feel for this to present to the board.
Blues Skies, Shawn

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Well, I am not going to be that much help for you, but I do know that in Deland there are tents set up right near the landing area. There is also a small parking area that has rv's in it, but I don't know who owns the land. You might be able to go to their website, skydivedeland.com, for more info or to get a phone number to call.
Andrea
"Up high, I feel like I'm alive for the very first time"

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We jump at Pitt meadows Municipal Airport in British Columbia, Canada.
The dropzone leases and mows two fields. The larger field in front of our hangar is where we land. The smaller field directly in front of our hangar is used for packing and camping. Most Saturday nights there are one or two tents on our lawn, but on busy weekends - during competitions and boogies - we often have a dozen tents. Both our lawns are separated from runways by fences and taxiways. A large part of our continued success at camping on the DZ is that the airport management recognizes how much we contribute to the airport in terms of aircraft movements and dollars to aircraft mechanics. The other side is that campers are quiet tenants. They party in the pub in town, or at least in the hangar until it is bed time, then they quietly go to sleep. It is too far a stumble for drunks to bother any other airplanes on the airport.
In conclusion, the best approach is often low key. The town council probably did not know you were camping on the airport until recently.
Often the best approach to camping on the airport is low key. Keep it clean, and keep it so quiet that none of the locals notice.

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At Raeford, we have a "ghetto" where we park our RV's and people pitch tents. It is behind the "L" formed by two of the largest buildings and back in the piney woods. Currently, we only have two 30-amp hookups, but there are a bunch of 10-amp outlets around the buildings. It generally works out that all of us who need power have it. We also have cable TV outlets that we pirate off of. I went and bought several boosters so that there would be sufficient signal at the TV. Right now we don't have any septic system, but the shower house is 20 feet away, so everyone just uses it instead of their in-RV units. When we do use them, we empty our tanks into a portable unit and haul it across the runway. Right now we have six full-time RV's there. There are normally two or three tents out over the weekend. During boogies and meets it gets fairly crowded.
Since the Thackers own the airport and all the property around it, it's not a big deal. The plans are in the works to run a line of proper 30-amp services and a septic line. Hopefully, it will be done in the next month.
On the other hand, my dad's DZ in Alabama is on a municipal airport. They will not even let him build his own hanger on the site of one that burned down 20 years ago. As such, he operates out of several temporary shade structures and a very-large RV and a U-haul truck which acts as his rigger loft. Camping isn't technically supposed to go on there, but it sometimes does. It is not uncommon for people to stay there in the RV and once in a while people stay in tents. Nobody has ever been run off by the police (who come by there during the night)so far. Keeping it low-key is definitely the answer in that situation.
Chuck, the "other" Blue

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At my DZ, Perris, there are tents out there all the time. There are shower facilities, laundry, and they have no problems with RV's in the parking lot. Our camping area is by the skydiving schools. Only about 50 feet or so from the "bombshelter" (bar and restaurant). I haven't heard of any problems out there, and when I go I always see the same tents out there, all the time. There is no fee to camp either.
P.S. There is a bunkhouse out here also, not the greatest condition, but it is a bunkhouse.
Blue Skies!
Sinister69

http://home.pacbell.net/n1elson1
Edited by sinister69 on 7/18/01 11:46 AM.

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At Skydive Atlanta we have several RV's that are there every weekend and people often pitch tents out behind the parking area. Some of us crash in the hanger on the carpet or in the office when the weather is extreme. They are completing a new loft bunkhouse that will be a great asset and we have shower facilities in the hanger. Granted if you sleep in the hanger you will get very little sleep but the atmosphere is great. I have heard of no problems. The airport authority seems to be quite cooperative with our DZO's since skydivers generate a lot of traffic to the area.

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Well, we had kept pretty low key, in fact the last 2 seasons have been really quite as far as the camping is concerned. The ruckus started when we had the nerve to ask for a permit and to be able to leas an otherwise unused piece of the property. This is the same airport board that kicked us off the airport several years ago and would not let the skydivers land there......we had to land off and be picked up in a van and brought back.
Thanks everyone for the input,
Shawn

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I'm surprised to hear this problem exists. Camping is very common on DZs. Just find a patch of grass & pitch your tent. We camp at Skydive the Point in West Point VA. Unless it's too dark & I'm too wasted to set up my tent, then I just put the seat back in my car & sleep there LOL!
Speed Racer
"I think I think, therefore, I think I am, I think!"

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At my DZ, Aerodrome Sky Sports in Richmond, IN, we are situated on the Municipal Airport. There are usually some tents there and then some RV's as well during the end of the week. They do not have problems with it (as far as I know) and everyone keeps it quiet and clean.
Good luck on getting your camping rights back!!!
Our humble corner on the web... HERE

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Skydive Chicago has a huge camping area. What started as a handful of tents and trailers known as "bagland" has expanded into a small village, complete with a "mayor" and "aldermen", "neighborhoods" and occasional "town meetings" where we talk about anything from loud music to dog poop. I'd have to say that most of the regular weekend jumpers have trailers and stay the whole weekend, myself included. Its very convenient. We bring our pets- dogs, cats, birds, whatever, and our families. And the type of trailers varies from huge deluxe motor homes to buses and pop ups, and anything in between. We do pay rent for our slots to cover the costs. We have a limited number of "full" hookups, which include water, but most slots are electric only. Also, of course bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities, and a bunkhouse.
We also have plenty of people who just come and camp for the weekend, and there is lots of space for it, either close to the action (and the bathrooms) or scenic and secluded, but if you want an electric slot for your RV, call ahead because they fill up fast.

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