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sangiro

WFFC - What's going on?

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For some reason 200-220 knots comes to mind someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I think I burnt those brain cells years ago.



Normal jump runs showed up as 14k or thereabouts on my altimeter.

Normal jump run was maybe 130 kts/150 mph. Exit separation is a lot greater than you may be used to, and the 10-way speed star competition came in with way high times as a result.

The high speed pass was, indeed, well over 200 knots. 220 sounds about right for when the crew felt playful.

A few comments wrt the high speed pass.

First and foremost, make damned sure that you do not have a premature opening before slowing down to terminal - an unplanned opening at 250 mph is nearly as bad as not opening at all.

Second, make quite sure that anything you wear is VERY well secured. The instant you hit that airstream, anything that is not tightly fastened is going to wind up in a cornfield somewhere. Sneakers, gloves, helmets, goggles, cameras and the like have been known to go their separate ways within milliseconds of exit.

If it is physically possible to get a jet for skydiving operations, it will be at the Convention. Of late, we have been screwed by the cold feet of insurers and operators, but nobody on the staff has conceded defeat.

We will no longer claim that an aircraft is "confirmed" until after it has come and flown the first load, regardless of how ironclad seems the contract. The tuition on that lesson has proven dear.


Blue skies,

Winsor

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Stuff like this doesn't help the WFFC image much.


***2006 aircraft confirmed

Mike Mullins Super King Air - The Fastest Jumpship...EVER - $21 no it's not

The only 30,000' H.A.L.O. jump allowed in the United States, organized by Kevin Holbrook on Mike Mullins Super King Air - $350 again, no it's not***
----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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I'm responding to everyone in general with this message. I continue to be amazed at the assumptions skydivers have about not only the WFFC, but about skydiving in general.

Folks, the 1990's and "Point Break" are over!



The fact that the WFFC continues is a testament to its strength and the commitment of the staff and volunteers.



Gary,

I agree that we are living in a different world than the days when people actually wanted a ParaFlite canopy.

The Convention is not what it was, and I do not think it would serve the sport if that was the case.

The one biggest reason why I think people should come to the Convention is your group of Organizers (of which I, of course, am one).

There is nowhere else in the sport where there is such a concentration of talent dedicated to providing a safe but challenging environment, where the best in the business donate their time to put together skydives for the benefit of those who walk up.

Someone can show up knowing nobody - and very little about skydiving - and leave after ten days with a circle of friends and the skillset to jump safely in a high traffic environment.

Some of the people who show up at Tent 3 on Day One can't even funnel a formation right. Ten days later they are organizing successful 5 ways amongst themselves, and have a solid understanding of all phases of the jump, from the dirt dive to the check-in after landing.

The people who paint the Convention as a dangerous place are the 300 jump types from Cessna DZs who think they can spiral down above the main landing area and swoop downwind like they do at home. They go home saying "wow, I had near miss after near miss - that place is dangerous!"

The people who show up at the Load Organizer tent with 46 jumps, pay close attention to the safety procedures we have developed, and stay heads-up at all phases of jump operations, go home with 104 jumps saying "I don't see what all the fuss is about - the Convention was the safest place I have ever jumped." They have also gained more skill faster than they could expect to anywhere else - for the same cost as jumping solo.

Thus, I think that the Convention has evolved into an event that is more beneficial now than it has been in the past, to people from all over.

If we try to go back to the days of "Point Break," we're screwed. If we trade on our strengths, we are the best in the business.


Blue skies,

Winsor

P.S.: I will see what I can do to get as many vendors as possible to put in a presence. Some who will be there have not announced their intentions to date.

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seems to be alot of people saying its not as good as it once was...

well..ive never been there...and neither have most of the people im coming with..

so rest assured it will be a monumental week in my skydiving career


blue skies!
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www.facebook.com/agentlead

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seems to be alot of people saying its not as good as it once was...

well..ive never been there...and neither have most of the people im coming with..

so rest assured it will be a monumental week in my skydiving career


blue skies!



Everyone told me the same thing when I went to my one and only Convention in 2002.

What did they know? I had a BLAST!!! Jumps and party! But apparently it was crap that year. :)

To all those wondering... Just go. :)

nothing to see here

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Mike Mullins Super King Air - The Fastest Jumpship...EVER - $21 no it's not



Who is faster?



Greg Nardi's? One in Monterey, CA and one in Titusville, FL.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

The greatest risk you take in life is the risk you don't take.

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Stuff like this doesn't help the WFFC image much.


***2006 aircraft confirmed

Mike Mullins Super King Air - The Fastest Jumpship...EVER - $21 no it's not

The only 30,000' H.A.L.O. jump allowed in the United States, organized by Kevin Holbrook on Mike Mullins Super King Air - $350 again, no it's not***



Is Ray still doing high altitude drops?

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There is nowhere else in the sport where there is such a concentration of talent dedicated to providing a safe but challenging environment, where the best in the business donate their time to put together skydives for the benefit of those who walk up.



If there is no other reason to go to WFFC, this is the one main reason to go.
Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

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Hey Sangiro,

Hope all is well. I know you realize I’m a big supporter of DropZone.com and just wanted to give you a heads up on a change in the way equipment is being presented to the skydiving community.

I'm not sure if you are aware that the manufacturers are doing things a little different these days. At least I think they are doing things differently. We have already seen some changes with the price structure with PD, and I'm sure more manufacturers will follow. They want the dealers to actually work with customers more, while they travel to many drop zones rather than just the large popular boogies... This is a better way to go for the future… Costs of travel have become prohibitive and merging a few products together is a better way to go all around.

J, with SkyFest, and I are finalizing some plans on how to get some products to the WFFC. We'll let you know what we come up with when it's done.

Hope to see you at WFFC too...

Art
Anytime you have a question or need equipment? Just give us a call at
1-866-Y-SKYDIVE/ 1-866-975-9348
or visit: www.SkydiveStore.com

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I scheduled my vacation to attend the WFFC. This will be my first time there and right now I'm feeling pretty dissillusioned.



don't be, just go. you will have fun.



I am going to step in here and totally agree with Mark. It's a load of fun! There are lots of people to party with and jump with! I have never NOT had a blast at the convention. The company I vend for (BirdMan) will not be there, but that would not stop me from going if Katie and I were not moving right then. I love the convention.


Chuck

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A group from our drop zone goes to the WFFC every year. Some of us like me go to jump a lot and party a little, some go to party allot and jump a little. None of us are ever disappointed
.
The facilities are always first rate, the free load organizing is awesome. More than anything else it is a reunion where you can see people that you only get to see once a year, and an opportunity to meet and jump with people you would never meet otherwise.


I hope that Art has cleared up the vendor issue for those that want to demo gear. I have dealt with Art on a few occasions and he has always been awesome. If Art says that you can demo canopies and containers at the WFFC there will be plenty of gear to demo.


I have never seen a lack of aircraft to jump, gear to demo, or knowledgeable people to learn from. No one from our group has ever left the convention disappointed, even the wuffos leave glad that they came. If you are sitting on the fence wondering if you should go, go you won't regret it.


Blue Skies

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Wish I was going to be there for my first time, but I won't be able to make it, next year though.

I'd go to WFFC just to meet Art. He's always gotten me what I asked for when ordering it and real fast. If he says he'll have stuff to demo then bigway you will be ok.

And if you're looking for super sweet pink altimeters he has thoughs as well.

"You start off your skydiving career with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience up before your bag of luck runs out."

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Sounds good. However, Will be off to Summerfest as well and trying to change tickets and route to also go to Skyfest.
Will be speaking to the birdman crew at summerfest and Icarus wherever they may be.
Am also really interested in learning about PD products as well.


.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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I can think of at least 4 otters that are within an hour flight of Rantoul. There's absolutely no reason that the WFFC needs to ferry otters from Arizona, except for the fact that Don has managed to piss off every DZO I've ever met.

It seems to me that if Don would make more friends and piss off less people, he'd have an easier time getting equipment that doesn't need $6,000 in ferry fuel.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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OK, let’s dispense with the smoke and mirrors; I am beginning to feel like I am at a bad David Copperfield show.

There is no question that the WFFC has consistently gotten worse from year to year. When I say worse, I mean less skydiver involvement and attendance. The fact of the matter is that the WFFC relies on a symbiotic relationship with the skydivers and the service providers/vendors who make this event what it is. Before someone chimes in again about the overall people in skydiving going down as a reason, read on further to the underlying problems behind what is/has happened to the WFFC and why this year could potentially be the last year the WFFC is held.

Almost everything that has contributed to the decline in attendance is related to how the WFFC is managed or I should say lack of. Let me preface this by saying no one doubts that the past and current WFFC staff work hard every year and put in countless hours. But like Sangiro said, the ladder might be placed on the wrong wall. In my opinion, it’s not the wrong wall; it's a completely different building.

The fact of the matter is that the WFFC is a business but unfortunately, it is not being run or managed like a business. It should come as no surprise to the WFFC staff that none of the major vendors will be in attendance this year. The vendors have been telling the staff for some time that vendor fees are too high, to include telling the staff last year that they would not return to the WFFC (06) unless vendor fees were lowered. My conclusion and this is the only part where I am guessing, is that they (WFFC Staff) figured the vendors were bitching as skydivers are known to do and would return in 06 anyways. Guess what? No vendors this year.

Now before we discuss another reason why the WFFC is in this current state, let’s look deeper at the root of the vendor problem as the average skydiver has no real idea and never sees many of these issues. This would explain why this thread has wandered off on a tangent. Since I am confident the WFFC staff will not implement any of the suggestions mentioned here but will offer up more excuses, the average skydiver should at least know the REAL reason why the WFFC is failing and why it is going the way of the do-do bird. Remember, this is due to a lack of proper management of the WFFC staff and not listening to the people who make the event what it is. Brace yourselves; you are about to see the man behind the curtain.

VENDOR ISSUES
It is no secret that vendors pay a ridiculously high fee just to occupy the tents every year. What also has to be taken into consideration is that vendors also have to deal with employee travel and the associated expenses in attending this event. There is quite easily ten thousand dollars or more spent by vendors to cover all these costs. Simple economics plays a major role in a vendor’s decision whether to attend or not. (Here’s a tip for everyone: Major manufacturers plan their boogie schedules out up to one year in advance so they can budget for them accordingly. File that one away in your head for when your DZ wants a rep to come to a boogie and you call them 2 weeks prior) Combined with the fact that vendors deal with the WFFC staff on a regular basis, one would think that answering vendor questions or even answering the phone or e-mail could at least be accomplished in a timely manner. It is not uncommon to potentially talk to three different people on the phone and get three completely different answers to the same question, often times one contradicting the other. It is clearly apparent that there is a total lack of communication within the WFFC staff and a lack of a focused leader managing the staff. What vendors have been encountering more and more each year is an increase in prices/cost and decline in services and support from the WFFC as a whole.


AIRCRAFT ISSUES
I was going to address this but I think a good chunk of the problem was addressed quite well in post #5 already so I will not repeat it but will include it here among the other issues that it does not cover.

Economics 101

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Ok drop zone management 101
Have you looked at the price of fuel?
In a perfect world, we would all like $16.00 jumps. However, ferrying aircraft is expensive and the operators DO NOT get paid for the ferry time or fuel. This equates roughly to about $6,000 per aircraft from this location just in ferry fuel. Then you have to look at the costs associated with moving what is essentially an entire DZ. Lodging for the staff, meals, daily wage, vehicles to move aircraft.. and the biggy...fuel. The costs for fuel are up about $1.48 over last year per gallon. Each skydiver takes about 1.5 gallons per load.
In your statement you said businesses are in business to make money. By offering up that convention drop ticket prices, you are actually suggesting that aircraft providers operate at a loss?
Would dropping prices in lift tickets at this juncture increase the volume of jumps? Perhaps...but not if attendance continues to drop as has been the trend over the past 4 years.



Let me expound on some of the other issues that the above statement did not cover.

Lodging
It used to be that the WFFC staff would actually help aircrews in setting up mundane things like hotel reservations for all the people who would be coming with the DZs that provide aircraft for the event as well as pay for the accommodations. However, the past 4 years they have simply dropped the ball and don’t do it anymore. Now let’s stop and think about this for a moment. It’s a skydiving convention, you need aircraft to do that, aircrews need a place to stay CLOSE to the DZ as they usually get to the DZ while most people are still partying from the previous day. This is an annual event, HMMM. When the aircrews show up and find out they have no room reservations because the WFFC staff dropped the ball, they all of a sudden have to find a place to stay at the last moment. Hence, they have to stay farther away from the DZ because skydivers have already booked all the rooms well in advance. Now call me crazy, but a smart person would realize that since this is an annual event they should go ahead and book blocks of rooms for aircrews A YEAR IN ADVANCE or at a minimum 6 months from the event. Once again, another example of less service provided from the WFFC to the people who make it happen.

TICKET PRICE
If you followed the 101 class above, you realize that the aircraft providers start off working in the hole and hope that they at least break even if not make a little profit from being at the event. So to break this down even further and let the average skydiver in on the big picture, let’s talk ticket price. The aircrew recoups some of the money on ticket sales. However, not all of the ticket price goes to the aircrew, WFFC gets a portion of each ticket sold. It is not feasible for the aircrews to take any less than they already do as it is. I would not be surprised in the least, if ticket prices actually turned out to be somewhere around $24 instead of the stated price of $21 just to cover the increase in fuel.


SCHEDULING
Now I hate to be redundant here but a person of reasonable intellect would figure out that this is an annual event and set up scheduling of aircraft well in advance (that means a year out) of the event. Let me side track myself here for a second and say that would be possible IF the WFFC staff worked year long and not start 6 months prior to the event. WFFC Staff/Don, here is a suggestion, keep a dedicated skeleton staff year round so there is consistency and coherency in planning this event and put someone with planning experience and foresight in charge of everything. Here is another glimmer of truth for the average skydiver. As of right now the 2 biggest aircraft providers are not even confirmed for this event. WHAT, HOW IS THAT YOU ASK? Good question, it goes back to my earlier statement about the lack of timely returning of correspondence and coordination from the WFFC staff/Don.

Let’s talk about something that has already been brought up here, specialty aircraft. Again, a reasonable person would realize that the term “specialty aircraft” means that it is not common and requires more coordination and planning to secure it for an event. They say the DC-9 is going to be there and that they are doing paperwork and air testing NOW? Hello, does anyone else see a problem here? It’s not like this was an unknown aircraft, the DC-9 was at last years WFFC even though it wasn’t jumped. The AN-2, good pull it out of your butt try but insurance issues stopped that one AFTER it was announced that it would be there. With the problems the original jet had with insurance and now the AN-2, can anyone really say it with a straight face that they expect the DC-9 to get insurance AND get approval to drop jumpers this late in the game? Let’s just say that it does, what can you expect to pay for a ticket on this plane? Gee, you think it might be good business to at least have an idea about how much it’s going to cost per person before you advertise that it’s going to be there? There is an evident habit of the WFFC to prematurely announce things before thinking them through or finalizing the deal. Call it a case of convention Tourette’s syndrome where aircraft and promises are randomly made and thrown out without any thought and definitely no remorse for misleading people with misinformation.

The reality is that not everyone jumps or even cares about specialty aircraft because the prices are usually too high and/or the altitude too low to justify the cost for some people. But I don’t really buy the statement:”People can jump the same aircraft at their DZ, you need specialty aircraft” as an excuse. Even if all you had at the WFFC was a lot of otters or tailgate aircraft people would still go because it’s really about the people you meet and jump with at convention and seeing pretty much everyone and everything in the skydiving industry in one place. When that is no longer the case, people will not want to come (this goes back to the symbiotic statement). I really believe that if the WFFC took better care of the issues mentioned here, didn’t charge or charged less to the vendors and other service providers, they would want to come to this event and skydiver attendance numbers would increase.

SKYDIVER ISSUES
We hear more about these issues as this is really all the average skydiver sees when they go to WFFC. I will touch on this very lightly as there are scores of posts about skydiver gripes with WFFC going years back right here on dropzone.com. However, the WFFC staff again appeared to think it was just skydivers bitching as skydivers do and those jumpers would come back regardless of the lack of services. Guess what? The numbers are down each year considerably. Since WFFC isn’t listening to the jumper’s words, jumpers are speaking with their dollars by going somewhere else. Last years WFFC was a ghost town; I find the reported attendance numbers to be unrealistic and over inflated. But in all fairness, let’s cover some of the larger issues skydivers have mentioned to the WFFC staff but apparently fell on deaf ears.

REGISTRATION:
Where to start, where to start, AHH, pre-registration. What a total waste of time and energy. The whole thought process behind pre-registration is to avoid having to wait around to get in. Most of the time pre-registration paperwork cannot be found or the people working the tent don’t know where it is and you end up going through the whole process again. Why is this? For the simple reason that the registration tent is unorganized, the staff there are incredibly rude and incompetent, and the riggers hired to inspect gear didn’t come across as knowledgeable. One year while registering they questioned someone about the compatibility of a tandem main in a container, not realizing he worked for one of the manufacturers, it was comical. I have seen other sport events, of even greater attendance that ran smoothly due to better organization. Mind you they are mostly staffed with volunteers too so apparently it can be done. The people running the show get paid, but the rest of them get a t shirt and cup of coffee and a meal or two. It’s broken, you were told it was broken, you did nothing, it’s still broken, fix it.

Now let’s talk registration fees. WAIT you say, we lowered the fee this year. Kind of like putting a band-aid on an amputation if you ask me. A knee jerk reaction to the realization that jumper numbers are looking even lower than last years and a weak attempt to draw them back. What about 1 day passes or fees for people who will only be there for a few days? And since we are discussing registration, what does it get you? A sticker, a plastic cup, a booklet and a wristband, WOW. But wait you say, we get free beer, nightly entertainment, etc, etc. RIGHT, let’s face it, free beer is not a big thing at boogies anymore, and it’s almost a mandatory item. So free beer, big deal, not everyone drinks beer. Jumpers have asked for non-alcoholic drinks in the past (soda) and every year it is never seen. Well you get entertainment. Yeah, the SAME hypnotist and the same material for the last several years, I really want to see that. The entertainment is pitiful and has gotten worse every year. How about something new for a change? (A hint, this requires planning, in advance)

LOAD ORGANIZING
Times have changed in the sport. There are disciplines like freeflying, wingsuiting etc, the days of the good ole' big ways are over for the most part. The WFFC has done NOTHING to accommodate these groups!

The wingsuiters organize their own activities and aren’t even mentioned or given tent space like the other load organizers are. Each year you see more and more wingsuits yet this issue remains. I was told that the Skydive Arizona tent actually gave them a radio last year so they could get into the mix.

The freeflyers - no organizing for those guys until Tuesday last year! Tuesday!!! The organizer was then told "not to take fewer than 8 in a group" which is just dangerous the way most people freefly and makes learning near impossible! It’s as if these disciplines were not even considered or were an after thought.

MISCELANEOUS
Other services like Port-a- potties, wireless access and a boogie DVD have also either suffered or are no longer done. The Seminars seem to be an after thought as well. It would be nice to know the who, what, when, where, why about the nightly seminars prior to that evening and hold them in a location that can accommodate people and presentations. You know things like chairs, lights, electrical outlets, lack of noise. Is that asking too much? Apparently it is.


SUMMARY
The WFFC has very big problems with the way it is being organized and managed and the person ultimately responsible for that is Don. Many of the issues are transparent to the average jumper and only a few were covered here in minor detail. Thinking that the problems and issues mentioned could be ignored is what has driven the WFFC into the ground and why people are no longer enthusiastic about attending. There clearly isn’t someone in charge of managing the staff, or capable of managing it correctly. There is also a lack of someone being delegated to make decisions in Don’s absence. The WFFC is a business providing a service to the customer and it is not treating its customers well nor is it being run like a business. A clear lack of a focused effort is apparent, as is a lack of proper planning. For an event of this size, with many moving parts, there needs to be a full time staff that works these issues at a minimum of one year ahead of time if things are to run smoothly. By not doing so, it has put the staff in a position where they are already working at a deficit and are scrambling to beat the clock. You have hard working people all moving in different directions, making statements that are either premature or cannot be met, some would call it lying. If the WFFC is to survive they are going to have to make some changes in the way they do things. It may require hiring more people and possibly firing others. It will require the WFFC to do away with or drastically lower the vendor fees and take less % wise on the jump tickets to make the aircrews want to return to WFFC. In other words, the prices need to go down and the service from the WFFC needs to improve. Otherwise, the WFFC will cease to be. The WFFC can no longer expect the skydiving community to just show up every year when their complaints go on unaddressed. People are taking their dollar elsewhere, where customer service is not only necessary but vital. The WFFC knows where the problems lie and what they need to do to fix the problems. Skydivers are sick of the lying and excuses. Excuses are worthless tools used by incompetent people. Don/WFFC staff: make the changes or expect to see your cash cow dry up.

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WOW!!

I've lurked this thread from day one. I have read and re-read many posts here. I understand you can't make all the people happy all the time.

If damn good organization is the cause of all the problems with WFFC... then why can't it be fixed??

Silly me, but surely there are more than a few skydivers here with exceptional skills to make things right.

Question??

CAN WFFC MAKE IT RIGHT AGAIN??
IF you are going to be Stupid - you better be tough!


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BRAVO!!! And that it only the tip of the iceburg to the issues from what I have seen. In your one post you have hit on about all the major issues and some of the minor ones. There are issues that weren't covered but that is a damn good summery right there.

I know the answer to why the freefly organizered needed 8 jumpers. There is typically 1 or 2 LO slots per plane. The purpose of an LO is to get groups organized and on to a plane. Larger groups fill the planes and make the planes money. When 4-5 LO's would hop on the same plane with only 2-3 people each with them it eats into the planes profit margin and into the WFFC's money too. Is there a solution to this? That needs to be figured out on the conventions side because I refuse to get on an organized freefly with 7 complete strangers. I'd rather do 2-3 ways with groups then deal with that mess.

I skipped WFFC 05 and at this ratew I'm skipping 06 since there are just too many issues I had from the 3 years I went to it that never were addressed. Granted they did address some concerns like the showers, the underage golf cart driving, etc.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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>Silly me, but surely there are more than a few skydivers here
>with exceptional skills to make things right.

Well, we try. Several of us here organize for the WFFC (without pay) Phree sets up wireless networks, Lew takes great pictures, Ben flies the jet in (even if paperwork issues prevented it from being a jump plane) and Jack gets a tent for the DZ.com people. But volunteers can only do so much.

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THANK YOU!...at last.

So, Can the legally put the prices up on us at the last minute. I know i will super pissed coming over to false advertising. The price of jump tickets goes up they can then pay for my plane ticket to the the WFFC.

Do these people realise that people from around the world have paid alot of money to come to their event? If they change their prices or do not provide what they have advertised and it is false advertising are they not afraid law suits being put towards them? ( not that i would do that).


.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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Nearly forgot... How did the test drops go from the Jet?

Is there any update on this being jumped.


A serious question... Are the lift prices guaranteed to stay at $21?? cause it does say confirmed under the section of 2006 aircraft on your site.

Is camping free?


.Karnage Krew Gear Store
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