Skydive Fiji

[riddler 0]

I was in Fiji a few weeks ago for SCUBA diving. I was surprised to see a DZ there in Nadi - it looks like it's run by some ozzies. I went into the storefront in Nadi and asked some questions. The kids working there didn't seem to know much other than the pricelist and taking money. It looked like a tandem DZ from the brochure but I was wondering if they take experienced jumpers. Conversation went like this:

"What kind of plane do you jump out of?"
Don't know.
"Do you take experienced jumpers, or just tandems?"
Don't know.
"Where do you jump?"
Don't know.
"You work here, don't you?"
You'll have to call them to get these answers.

Here's the website:

http://www.skydivefiji.com.fj/about.htm

Looks like a Cessna tandem factory. Probably not a big market for experienced jumpers, but just wondering if I could take my rig on the next trip Anyone know these owners or this outfit?

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[goobersnuftda 0]

PM sent

[cbowley 0]

I did two jumps with them a year ago while passing through on a round the world skydiving holiday and found them very friendly. I'd contacted them by email before arriving and got the OK provided there was room in the plane alongside the tandems. There was a four day wait due to high winds until the conditions were right. In the end they put the plane up just for me first thing on Christmas Day. AIUI the plane was about due for its regular inspection but the engineer was leaving the island the next day so I lucked out. Two of the staff jumped with me. It was great fun. We landed on the beach outside my hostel near the end of the runway rather than their regular landing area which is close to the tourist resorts. The other tandem instructor was ground crew, laying out the cross and the wind indicator.

For all that, they only charged me a regular solo slot price although I coughed up for some firsts - first Fiji jump, first Christmas jump and first beach jump - and doubled it with beer money. They had even arranged the aircraft's maintenance inspection around the jump, calling the engineer away from his Christmas lunch afterwards.

I was jumped, packed in the lobby, had a dip in the pool and eating breakfast by the beach by 9am. That was the best jump of the whole two months and well worth waiting for. It even beat out the following two weeks at Perris with the record breaking rainfall

Even better they phoned up later to ask if I was interested in jumping the next day, sharing the plane with a tandem so I got a second jump in.

Here are the caveats as I saw them. It is a tandem operation. They pulled out the stops where they could but expect to work around the tandems. Jumping is usually early in the day before the winds get up. Beware that you may not find out until evening whether you may be jumping the next day. I found that too late to organise an alternative activity. There isn't a lot to do around that area of Fiji. Most people either head out to the islands or further round the coast.

I'd be interested in how many other skydive operations operate out of international airports. On that trip I jumped out of two, Nadi and Cairns. It feels weird being queued up behind a Jumbo jet.

[norcalgeargirl 0]

I did jump in Fiji last year and felt like Whoa WTF. We landed at the golf course in Port Denarau in the middle of the Fiji open. They were very happy to have a fun jumper for the day thought ,my doubts about the aircraft were proved right. Here is an article posted the other day about SD Fiji.

Fiji News and Times:

Meanwhile, the pilot who allegedly flew a CESSNA aircraft that fell short of the Nadi airport runway on Monday, has been stood down.

In a statement yesterday, Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji chief executive Netava Waqa said the aircraft operator Skydive Fiji had informed CAAFI that it had stood down the pilot involved in the incident.

Mr Waqa said since the aircraft was registered in Australia, the incident investigation would be in consultation with the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the operator of the aircraft.

Skydive Fiji managing director Tim Joyce said the pilot allegedly miscalculated his approach on the runway.

No one was injured in the process and there was no major damage to the aircraft.

[riddler 0]

Quote

my doubts about the aircraft were proved right.

The article implies that the issue was the pilot, not the Cessna. Do you feel OK about posting your doubts about the aircraft? If so, can you compare to your experience jumping Cessna's in the US? Some of those, I had my doubts about, too

I will also say that I flew a Chinese Y-12 to Kadavu. The stall indicator was buzzing for a lot of the flight, the brakes squealed like they were about to fall off, and I'm sure that they were not flying pressurized at all. Maybe that's normal for small aircraft in Fiji.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[riggerrob 562]

"... I flew a Chinese Y-12 to Kadavu. The stall indicator was buzzing for a lot of the flight ... not flying pressurized at all. Maybe that's normal for small aircraft in Fiji.

[riddler 0]

Quote

A stall indicator buzzing continuously means that it is either out of adjustment or the pilot does not know how to get the best climb rate out of his airplane.

It is normal for jump planes to fly un-pressurized world wide. Since skydivers are rarely willing to pay to fly high enough (above 18,000 feet) to need pressurization, pressurization is irrelevant.

In this case, I think it was the rough air that we were flying through It wasn't a jump plane - it was a ferry for passengers to get to another island.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD