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murphyka

Perris..Is this a normal practice or one time thing?

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I visited Perris for the first time this weekend making 8 jumps over the course of the weekend. BTW...really enjoyed the DZ!

One question...Is is standard practice for pick-up vehicles to be driving through the landing area while canopies are still landing?

On our 4th jump of the day on Saturday, I was on my final approach to the landing area. I was at about 200 feet when right in front of me was a small whitel truck headed directly for the spot in which I was headed to land. He was driving just between the student landing area and the grass landing area. Needless to say, I was pissed and scared. To me, this was very dangerous!!! At 200 feet, I didn't have altitude nor the room to make big adjustments, especially for the fact that there was alot of traffic.

BTW, this was just before that same truck chased down a motorcyclist with three jumpers in the back of the truck and subsequently hit him with the truck.

I would hope that this was an isolated case and that it is not standard practice for vehicles to be driving through the landing area when there are canopies in the air. I was just wondering to get some input from some of the people who might have been there Saturday or regular Perris jumpers.

Blue Skies!
Blue Skies!!!
Kimmy

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Hmmm, the truck usually does pick up jumpers, but I have never noticed it to be a problem. Not exactly sure why the truck would be in your path unless it was a different driver than normal. The usual driver is pretty cautious.
________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

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One question...Is is standard practice for pick-up vehicles to be driving through the landing area while canopies are still landing?



Yes, and they have been doing it for a long time now. Tim the truck driver is there to pick you up from bad sports, botched landings, and look for your cutaway gear.

Maybe you didn't realize that The truck was headed out to help someone who broke their leg on that jump. No issue really.

With 4 23 person Aircraft in the air all day,and over 100 loads being flown the odds of there being no one landing at the time is slim. My bet is Tim saw you WAY before you ever saw him. He really looks out for each and every person to exit an aircraft, makes sure they open, and makes sure they make it back to the DZ.

Now I really think you should find out about the situation before you blab about it.

The truck did not hit a motorcycle. The Motorcylcist hit the truck. Tim was following the guy on the bike, and trying to get him off the airport where he did not belong. Maybe you didn't know that the motorcyclist (non jumper) was endangering peoples lives bytrying to race the aircraft doen the runway, not to mention trespassing, and being a general asshole.
----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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To clarify a bit more of what Diablo pilot said.

Tim is a great bad spot guy. He probably saw you way before you saw him. Even if he was in the way at 200 ft you should be able to flat turn away from the truck.

As far as the Motorcycles go. I will tell you the story. The motorcycle was racing the plane on Taxi and Take off! This guy was UNDER the wing while Howie was trying to take offin the plane. The guy had been told to leave once already and flipped everyone off and then proceeded to once again ride his bike under the wing of the plane as it was trying to take off! Tim dorve up to get him to stop and the guy then treid to powerslide 180 degress and take off from Tim. At this point Tim just kinda step on the gas and took the bike out! YEEEEAAAAHHHHH for Tim. I wish he had not only broke the bike, but broke the guy riding it. The police where called and the guy wanted to press charges on Tim. When he asked the cop if he could press charges and fill out a report, the cop laughed at him and told him if a reoprt got written it would be on him for Trespassing, endangerment and he would be reported to the FAA. This is an active runway that this guy was messing around on and the plane was full of 23 skydivers!

The Conatsers have been very nice to the moto cross guys that come out to the canal and ride. They let them drive up the ultra light side of the runway and come hang out at the Bombshelter. It is illegal to ride you motorcylce over there (in the canal) anyway. If I had been in the truck I would have hit the guy to.

After all that happened, the guy and his friends came back and tried to pick a fight with the loaders at the loading ramp! That quickly stopped when about 50 skydivers where called over the PA to go out and help the loaders. Once again the cops where called and once again the guys left because they where wrong!

I can understand how it may have looked really bad to a visitor if you didn't see the whole thing. Just know that Tim is not a dumbass and if you see a truck riding around the landing area, you are safe from it. Tim never takes his eyes off of the canopies on the air. That little white (or sometimes Red truck) is a good thing out in the landing area. In fact he probably saw you open and knew exactly where you where going to land even before you did.
Dom


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Yeah, those motorcyclists are f'in crazy. :S

Motorcycles are so DANGEROUS! :)

Seriously tho, sounds like that particular dude needed a slap upside the cranium.
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

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Seriously tho, sounds like that particular dude needed a slap upside the cranium.



He almost got it when he stated threatining Pat and Tim. Manifest suggested that they might need a little "backup".

There was a STRONG turnout, but then the cops arrived.
----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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My bet is Tim saw you WAY before you ever saw him. He really looks out for each and every person to exit an aircraft, makes sure they open, and makes sure they make it back to the DZ.



I'd put money on that. Tim (and Bad Spot Bill and his brother Claude before Tim) saved me from some LONG ass walks on numerous occasions. Even when I'd land in the student circle instead of the grass he'd usually have me back to the packing area before people who landed in the grass got back. He knows WTF he's doing, and he's very much appreciated by those who hitch a ride with him.

I haven't jumped at very many dz's, but imho Perris takes better care of jumpers who land out than does any other dz I've jumped at.

To the original poster - did you take your concerns to the management at Perris before posting your rant here?

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I was at Perris on Sunday. I wish that I had known who you were, so that I could have said "hello". Sadly, I was landing like a complete moron on my new-to-me canopy (just downsized and mentally screwing myself). I should have just worked on my canopy skills, instead of 4-ways with new friends. (I'm taking a canopy control class later on in the week. YAY!!!)

Anyway, I'm sorry that you felt upset by this, but I have NEVER experienced anything like that at Perris. In my experience, the truck driver(s) at Perris have always been VERY careful when picking us up. They are fast getting to us, but they are always quite safe. I LOVE the way that they take care of us....no matter what.

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He was driving just between the student landing area and the grass landing area. Needless to say, I was pissed and scared. To me, this was very dangerous!!! At 200 feet, I didn't have altitude nor the room to make big adjustments, especially for the fact that there was alot of traffic.


It sounds like you were away from traffic because of where you were landing, therefore, I am confused by the two sentences in bold. Maybe you felt that he was too close for YOUR comfort. Did you talk with him or anyone else at Perris about this, since you felt so uncomfortable with the situation? Perhaps that would have been your "solution".

Anyway, I hope that you come back and jump at Perris (or Elsinore...just over the hill), again! :)

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kicking the shit out of a dumbass



LOL! My thoughts exactly. I was standing in line in the Bombshelter when the PA went off asking for help. I was actually in the middle of ordering when I just left and ran out there. Lucky for those guys that a few guys with cooler heads and not as dumb as the rest of us got there first and started talking to the guys. It was funny how their eyes got bigger and their chests got smaller as more andmore and more skydivers ran around the corner withour funny suits on and all ready to kick there ass.
Dom


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Man, speaking of landing out, I landed on the other side of the canal in the farmer's field on my first jump at Perris and Tim was out there before I could daizy chain my lines. . .great guy.
________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

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Sadly, I was landing like a complete moron on my new-to-me canopy (just downsized and mentally screwing myself).



Clear your mind grasshopper! Don't let it get to you. WE ALL HAVE DAYS WHEN WE LAND LIKE SHIT!

I love ya Rosa, you will look back at Sunday and laugh about it. I ahve had plenty of rough landings and more then one on one day. The thing is to try your best not to let the lastjump stay in your head. Once you are done with it just let it go. Once you let that tyoe of stuff get to you, it will mess you up the entire day. It just kind of compounds itself all day long. You are gonna be fine.

BTW thanks for the jumps on Sunday. Watch out folks. Rosa is getting good!
Dom


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Now I really think you should find out about the situation before you blab about it.



Sometimes we post without thinking things though (been there, done that!). Even though this may have been uncalled for (I don't know), try to be understanding of what she saw. With 100 jumps, maybe not too much canopy training(?), it may seem pretty scary to make a flat turn at 200 ft. Of course, ideally, we should all be comfortable with that, but who knows what this jumper had running through her head. New dz, new landing area, and, all of a sudden she sees a truck and her auto-reaction maybe isn't flat turn or carve. Maybe she has never turned that low.

I am not at all saying that you are wrong. I think that she should've addressed it with the dz before posting here. But, maybe she didn't think that through at the time. Try to be understanding is all i'm saying:) Who knows, there might've been two broken legs if she had made a wrong move in response to getting freaked out.

Glad all is well, Murphyka:)

Angela.



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Maybe you didn't realize that The truck was headed out to help someone who broke their leg on that jump. No issue really.



Ya, he helped me when I broke my leg a while back (on the grass). Thank you Mr. Truck dude!

He doesn't usually hang around the grass unless there is a good reason.

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LOL! My thoughts exactly. I was standing in line in the Bombshelter when the PA went off asking for help. I was actually in the middle of ordering when I just left and ran out there. Lucky for those guys that a few guys with cooler heads and not as dumb as the rest of us got there first and started talking to the guys. It was funny how their eyes got bigger and their chests got smaller as more andmore and more skydivers ran around the corner withour funny suits on and all ready to kick there ass.



So after this jerk and his pals made trouble twice, and the cops came out twice, they still walked away ? I'd think a night in the Perris jail would've given them the kind of therapy they needed...

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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Rosa I had a great day jumping with you and Dom thanks again. You will be fine under your new canopy don't let it get to you. I did not have the best of landings myself this weekend but like Dom said just forget about it and relax.

Dom I am greatful for all the time and effort that you have put into Justin and myself its been great getting the coaching and getting in the tunnel with you.

Perris takes care of their jumpers I really like the way they handle the needs of everyone if its your home dz or you are visiting.

Tim " the truck driver " is always looking out for the jumpers best interest thanks for doing a great job.

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That's the thing about it, The Dz doesn't want trouble. They just don't want people acting stupid and putting peoples lives in danger. They would rather those guys just go away and not make it worse. Plus, do you really want the cops hanging around the DZ near sunset?
Dom


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To add on to everything that everyone else has said already, Tim kicks ass.
I was last out on a load a couple weekends ago...FAAAAAR out at the end of jumprun. Tried my damnedest to make it back, but there was no way I'd make it across the runway above the deck. I'd resigned myself to a long walk back when I saw that little red truck.
Hmmm...first off-DZ landing. I guess that [as yet unpaid] case of beer will be going to Tim. B|

As for the motorcyclist...what everyone else said. Probably good that the guy didn't get hurt; as was said earlier, the DZ doesn't need problems. Still, a night in the Perris not-so-Hilton woulda served those guys well.
-C.

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Tim really is the guardian angel at Perris. He knows what he is doing and you were in no extra danger but I know if you are not use to something like this it could be unnerving.
He keeps his eyes in the skies most of the time and can tell you where that CReW stack is even though it could be a mile to the west. If you bust your ass in the pond his face will probably be the first you see when you resurface.
During the busy season there may be many other staff in other vehicles on or near the landing areas, compounded by the fact that some jumpers stretch the definition of landing area.
Perris has buses for special events out at the pond or secondary "target" landing areas. trackters to keep that student circle groomed. Outlander chase vehicles and soon to debut the DC-9 luggage handler.:P

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I can understand how it may have looked really bad to a visitor if you didn't see the whole thing. Just know that Tim is not a dumbass and if you see a truck riding around the landing area, you are safe from it. Tim never takes his eyes off of the canopies on the air. That little white (or sometimes Red truck) is a good thing out in the landing area. In fact he probably saw you open and knew exactly where you where going to land even before you did.



I agree with this post exactly. Yes, this was the first DZ other than home that I have visited. Overall, my experience at Perris was great!

Very rarely do we run multiple loads at the same back to back so the normal practice is to wait for all the canopies to land before driving through the landing area to pick up people who have long distances to walk. Had I landed off or far away I would have appreciated the ride. I was merely startled to see a moving object headed right toward my spot. At the moment I wasn't comfortable making a flat turn because I had a canopy to my left about 30 feet away and turning right would have put my right in the path of the truck. Not being experienced at the DZ, and not having seen the truck on previous loads, I didn't know what to expect.

As for the motorcyclist, yep, he was a dumbass and deserved what he got. It was probably not the best idea to be running him down with people in the back, but what happens, happens.

I didn't post this to "blab" on the DZ, just wanted to know if it was normal for someone to be driving through the landing area when canopies are landing? I got my answer, and now I know what to expect next time I visit. I'm sorry that some people took the question so personally.
Blue Skies!!!
Kimmy

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I swear, Tim and the rest of the spotters know where I'm going to land before I do. LOL, several times I knew I was going to land on X spot - and didn't - and they were there to give me a lift back in.

Sure it's unnerving - but kudos to you for noticing him and knowing where the other canopy was.

One of the things I do when I go to a new dz (um, like one other...LOL) is to watch a few loads land, and see what's going on with vehicles and whatnot. That way, if there's a truck out there, then you'd've already known what was going on. But that's for next time.

And BTW, I've jumped at Perris a bit, and I've never seen a motorcyclist be that disrespectful to Perris, its jumpers, and the Conasters. Had I been on the ground when the back-up call came, I'd've been there, ready to play....

Perris is a great place...glad you were able to come visit!

Ciels-
MIchele


~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

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