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Kynan1

Gas prices and skydiving

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Perris has their jump tickets at $27, blocks are $25 per jump. On a Saturday with great weather, the dropzone appears dead.
Imagine when prices of gas reach $7gal. Any solutions...other than base jumping?:D
Skydive less...doesnt' sound good.
Make more money...then you'd have to work more, not cool.
We're on par for $40 jump tickets by late next year. Frightening...

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Perris has their jump tickets at $27, blocks are $25 per jump. On a Saturday with great weather, the dropzone appears dead.
Imagine when prices of gas reach $7gal. Any solutions...other than base jumping?:D
Skydive less...doesnt' sound good.
Make more money...then you'd have to work more, not cool.
We're on par for $40 jump tickets by late next year.



An Otter flown efficiently burns about 25 gallons a load, or 1.25 gallons a person. Assuming a current Jet-A price of $5 a gallon in bulk, fuel would need to break $15 a gallon to cause $40 jump tickets.

You're going to have bigger problems if that happens.

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Perris has their jump tickets at $27, blocks are $25 per jump. On a Saturday with great weather, the dropzone appears dead.
Imagine when prices of gas reach $7gal. Any solutions...other than base jumping?:D
Skydive less...doesnt' sound good.
Make more money...then you'd have to work more, not cool.
We're on par for $40 jump tickets by late next year.


That's a comforting thought, but Perris has raised prices $5 within 6 months. You should teach them to fly more efficiently.:)
An Otter flown efficiently burns about 25 gallons a load, or 1.25 gallons a person. Assuming a current Jet-A price of $5 a gallon in bulk, fuel would need to break $15 a gallon to cause $40 jump tickets.

You're going to have bigger problems if that happens.

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You really think that the price of jumps is the problem? What's the extra cost for 6 or 7 jumps, $25 or $30? Most jumpers I know won't let $25 stand between them and a day of jumping.

How about the cost of gas for your car? What's that up to in So-Cal? You have to admit that the DZ is out in the middle of nowhere. I used to commute 90 miles from the San Fernando Valley to the DZ every weekend.

Figure the cost of driving to the DZ, plus driving anywhere, and that can't be helping.

Also, it's in the mid 90s this weekend out there. I'm sure that's not helipng things any, and I wouldn't expect business to pick up until it cools off a bit.

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>Any solutions...

1) More time spent in the tunnel for competitors. A typical season might go from 250 jumps and 4 hours in the tunnel to 100 jumps and 10 hours in the tunnel. Cheaper overall, assuming jump prices go from $18 to $30.

2) More canopy piloting. Can be done with more efficient aircraft and doesn't cost as much to get you up.

3) Lower exit altitudes. Some teams already use 10,500 for team training. We might see teams, tandems and some AFF's going from the lower altitude.

4) More efficient pricing schemes. $1 per 5 pounds per jump, for example.

5) New aircraft using new fuels. This is a ways off, but already there are diesel aircraft (for example.) Other options might include natural gas, ethanol or propane. The two biggest problems with these fuels are range and low temperature performance, neither of which is much of a problem for skydiving aircraft. (As usual, though, we'll end up with other people's used up aircraft, so it will take a while.)

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...if tickets reach $30.00 I am done. MY wife and I both jump, so it costs me fity bones a jump already



I can't speak for Dave... err, well, Coral really runs the place :P... but Taft is still holding at $25, hopefully, it will stay that way for awile, but I doubt it will. :(

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Like an idiot I got an 8 cylinder pickup, so it's not really the jump ticket that is keeping me out of the sky, it's the 12 miles a gallon I'm getting and the 200 mile roundtrip complete with tolls that is...that and the money I just spent on a rig. So I have a new rig and no $$ to jump it. Luckily the truck was leased and goes back at the year's end...then it's Prius time baby!
This is no dress rehearsal, we are professionals & this is the big time...

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Gas prices have killed me this season, I am a sussex jumper and well its 18 or 20 for a hop and pop and 25 i think for a full out of a 182 and the closest turbin is too long of a drive for a easy weekender where i jump 3 times and go home to hang with my wife

sussex is a 1/2 tank round trip(30/mi way)

ranch is 2/3 tank round trip(58mi/way)

stl in pa is 3/4 tank (75mi/way)

10 jumps since april

but i guess the best way to look at is like i look at rollercoasters ect

how often do you visit a theme park like six flags or mountain creek 1 maby 2 times a year unless you have a season pass?

so if i do 2 jumps one weekend a month what the heck atleast i still have fun and i am not braking the bank

wish skydiving could have a season pass like skiing

hmmmm anyone want to build a really tall gondela with me lol

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Like an idiot I got an 8 cylinder pickup, so it's not really the jump ticket that is keeping me out of the sky, it's the 12 miles a gallon I'm getting and the 200 mile roundtrip complete with tolls that is...that and the money I just spent on a rig. So I have a new rig and no $$ to jump it. Luckily the truck was leased and goes back at the year's end...then it's Prius time baby!



Bingo!

To all those moaning about mpg and distance to the DZ....
Why don't you sell the gas guzzling motor you've possibly got and get something really cheap to run, that does more than 15mpg or whatever those thirsty V8s do!!

A decent diesel will do 40 or 50 mpg...
the maths then seem much nicer for a day trip to a far off DZ

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I consider myself very blessed that I have the means to participate fully in the sport although rising prices suck.
My worst fear is that rising prices will put it out of reach for younger new jumpers.
I never want it to become a white collar elitest activity because thats all trhat can afford to participate. That is the antitheses of our beautiful sport. It's not Polo nor ever should it be.

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I never want it to become a white collar elitest activity because thats all trhat can afford to participate. That is the antitheses of our beautiful sport. It's not Polo nor ever should it be.



It is aviation related activity and will always be an elitist sport of sorts. It is a recreation activity paid for with disposable income. How many people do you think have $7,000 to $10,000 to throw away on fun?

Gear is a petroleum-based product and jumping depends on petroleum to continue. Encroachment of the suburbs with more and more complaints about the noise and you have fewer and fewer places available to jump. As Airtwardo said, economics with kill skydiving.

Welcome to reality.

Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Not to mention Inflation.Food. Gas ,Beer.the price of a jump ticket.My wages are not keeping up with inflation in this piss poor ecomony.Im getting less hours then i was last year.I bet There will be alot of DZs going out of Buisness.Even some big DZS.If people are losing there homes by the thousands.
Well there not going to have any expendable income
for skydiving.

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From a financial point of view, I went downhill when I got involved in jumping.

I do not have a "gas hog" but it is about a 60 mile drive to the dz each way. When the car crapped out a few weeks ago that cost some $$$, then comes layoffs and cutbacks at work (with paycuts to follow I imagine) and it made me think that I had better get my priorities in the right order, so as much as I hate it, skydiving right now is taking a backseat.

It wont be forever, skydiving even though I am not active right now, has become a large part of my life and I will return, much sooner rather than later if I have anything to say about it:)
Whats going on now in the world with oil prices is long term, imho. The economy is going down the dumper in a hurry and businesses, including dz's, if they are not hurting already, soon will be. The only questions are how bad its going to get and how long it will last.

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Sparky hit the nail on the head...an aviation related activity will always be an elitist sport of sorts.
When I did my first tandem in 2003, I was 23 years old and I had to save up for it...I did 3 more tandems over the next two years...once again, I saved for them.
Last year a friend of mine told me there are 2 kinds of people who want to get into skydiving

1) those who can't afford it
2) those who can't afford it but do it anyway

I became the latter of the two, but nearly 10 grand later, I'm fairly broke. I imagine nearly everyone on DZ.com has a similar story. I snicker everytime I read something in Parachutist that has people scratching their heads as to why so few tandems return. You can blame an intimidating, unfriendly dropzone as much as you want, but startup money and the proximity of the dropzone to most people's living area coupled with the rising prices of gas make it tough...

I wish ping-pong got me off the same way...that said, anyone wanna carpool?
This is no dress rehearsal, we are professionals & this is the big time...

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Sparky hit the nail on the head...an aviation related activity will always be an elitist sport of sorts.
When I did my first tandem in 2003, I was 23 years old and I had to save up for it...I did 3 more tandems over the next two years...once again, I saved for them.
Last year a friend of mine told me there are 2 kinds of people who want to get into skydiving

1) those who can't afford it
2) those who can't afford it but do it anyway

I became the latter of the two, but nearly 10 grand later, I'm fairly broke. I imagine nearly everyone on DZ.com has a similar story. I snicker everytime I read something in Parachutist that has people scratching their heads as to why so few tandems return. You can blame an intimidating, unfriendly dropzone as much as you want, but startup money and the proximity of the dropzone to most people's living area coupled with the rising prices of gas make it tough...

I wish ping-pong got me off the same way...that said, anyone wanna carpool?



just wondering how you came up with the $10,000
34 jumps
AFF
new rig (at retail prices)
?????

In all honesty, let's not forget - the time/money we spend skydiving, we would be doing something else. The concept of opportunity cost - so the true cost of skydiving is the difference between the alternative of what we would be doing/owning and what we have now.

Personally - I think most people are just whiners. If you truly cannot afford something, and it's not part of your basic needs - then you are just a moron for overspending. Hell, that's why US is $790BLN in CC debt.

cya

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This is bound to get me flamed but here goes.

A quote from your profile, “which usually involves telling them that they are whiny spoiled brats.” And a quote from your post, “Hell, that's why US is $790BLN in CC debt.” In the past I have referred to the recent crop of jumpers, last 10 years, as the “entitlement generation”. During their formative years they were provided with what ever they wanted so as not to make them feel deprived. When they were kicked out of the nest someone provided them with a credit line that they lacked the maturity to handle or the income to repay in a timely manner. This allowed them to buy what ever they wanted and do what they wanted. The result is the CC dept you mention and mortgage foreclosure at a rate never before seen.

Don’t get me wrong; it is a very small percentage of people in that group put themselves in this position. But even with a small percentage some of them turned out to be skydivers. If you fit in this category you know it. Your training, your gear and most of your jumps are paid for with a CC with a balance you can’t pay off within one year. You drive a cool ride that is financed on a 5 to 7 year loan.

My last three years of jumping I spent over $10,000 a year on jumps, tunnel time, gear and travel. And I am a retired senior citizen on a fixed income. Skydiving is not cheap, get used to it.

Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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I'm so lucky. parked the '84 toyota 4x4, it gets 17 mpg at best. Bought '02 Cadillac deville with 32 valve V8 comfy ride likes to go fast. Cadi gets no less than 20 mpg in town and no more than 27 mpg on highway. A/C and Bose sound system rock big time. Can fit 3 of my 4 surfboards inside the car in the passenger seat, bitch'n ya. Had 5 rigs in the trunk 4 were in gearbags and still had room for gwedo in the trunk. It's a fat person car and i'm a skinny fella. All 4 seats have a built in massager. Is on a 3 year note and will be paid off in 2yrs and 3 mo. It's a bad boy cadi. It likes the expensive gas. Here in california that shit is expensive. I can still afford it. driving roundtrip to dz's is 2 and a half to 3 hours. Still jump avidly. 3 weekends a month has been the average this past year. I live by the beach, it's expensive too. But now i'm taking off atleast the next 3 months going from avid jumping at approx 480 jumps last year cutting back to maybe 0 the next 3 months to maybe 50 by the end of the year . would be my longest layoff since I started jumping over 16 years ago. Just gotten burned out on the death i've witnessed, scars on my heart for from fallen friends has built up a bit much. never ever used a cc though or borrowed money to buy skydives. My dad did co-sign at the bank so i could buy this brand new top of the line parachute i really wanted. I was 20 and onto my second canopy a top of the line modern day hotrod a sabre 120 $900. Yes i paid it off in /on time. Still today all my debts are paid. I keep on working and paying.

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