skydive hollister

[jakebaustin 9]

can yall give me the low down on this place? pros & cons etc.

[BobParker 0]

Search: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=hollister&search_type=AND&search_fields=sbjbdy&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=25

[jzzsxm 0]

Maybe I just had a bad experience, based on all the 5-star reviews, but Skydive Hollister sketched me out enough that I did two jumps and left. Here were my concerns:

1) During the briefing they completely neglected to inform me of the altitude offset between takeoff and landing areas. The landing area is significantly higher than takeoff area and could have resulted in dangerous AAD malfunction, pull altitude compensation, or landing pattern discrepancy. They only remembered to tell me when I specifically asked.

2) There was hardly any area for fun-jumpers to pack. It was the first dropzone I'd found that really made me say to myself "So this is what a tandem farm is like." It took forever to get manifested and I was clearly less important than the tandems.

3) Their attitude towards exit order terrified me. I was going to do a solo sit and two AFF instructors were taking an AFF student out. They argued that, since they were belly, they were going to get out before me. I explained that since the student would be pulling quite high it would make more sense for them to get out after me. They totally ignored me and said "We're belly, we get out first." I ended up giving them almost 20 seconds of space - I'd rather land out than hit a student under canopy.

4) The tandem instructor who happened to be on my load and road back to the DZ in the same car was super rude and unprofessional. He left a really bad taste in my mouth and I can't believe the tandem students in the car as well would have nice things to say.

This was all in July of 2013, I don't know if anything has changed since then, but those were my impressions.

[jacketsdb23 45]

For what its worth, its very common for Belly (students or not) to get out before a freefly jumper(s).

Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen
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[evan85 0]

jacketsdb23

For what its worth, its very common for Belly (students or not) to get out before a freefly jumper(s).

Yes, belly groups (biggest to smallest) should get out before freefly groups (biggest to smallest). But this only applies to folks who are pulling at reasonable altitudes. When you have an AFF student who is pulling at 5k ft or higher, that AFF group should exit after freefliers -- this is no longer about horizontal separation (which is the reason belly fliers go before freefliers, taking into account the greater freefall drift of belly fliers), but about vertical separation, which will be a serious issue if a jumper pulling at 3.5k exits right after an AFF pulling at 5k+.

[JohnMitchell 14]

evan85

this is no longer about horizontal separation (which is the reason belly fliers go before freefliers, taking into account the greater freefall drift of belly fliers), but about vertical separation, which will be a serious issue if a jumper pulling at 3.5k exits right after an AFF pulling at 5k+.

Although our DZ puts AFF out after Free fliers, we still use enough time delay between exits to ensure longitudinal, or horizontal, separation along the jumprun line. Even though the student pulls as high as 5,500', the instructors may open as low as 2500' (2000' just a year or so ago). Also, more than one skydiver has had a premature opening. I saw one at 7000' last summer on a freefly jump.


You can take vertical differences into account when arranging exit order, but if you're using only vertical separation, you're rolling the dice every time.

[evan85 0]

JohnMitchell

*** this is no longer about horizontal separation (which is the reason belly fliers go before freefliers, taking into account the greater freefall drift of belly fliers), but about vertical separation, which will be a serious issue if a jumper pulling at 3.5k exits right after an AFF pulling at 5k+.

Although our DZ puts AFF out after Free fliers, we still use enough time delay between exits to ensure longitudinal, or horizontal, separation along the jumprun line. Even though the student pulls as high as 5,500', the instructors may open as low as 2500' (2000' just a year or so ago). Also, more than one skydiver has had a premature opening. I saw one at 7000' last summer on a freefly jump.


You can take vertical differences into account when arranging exit order, but if you're using only vertical separation, you're rolling the dice every time.
Good point -- what I meant to say is that this is no longer only about horizontal separation... but also about vertical separation.

[jakebaustin 9]

thanks a lot for the info. Maybe I won't be checking this place out after all.