Hazarrd 1 #1 February 11, 2004 I'm considering asking to do a demo jump into the opening football game at my school next semester (around 6 months away). This post isn't a request for suggestions on evaluating the landing area and other important factors involved in making the decision. What I am looking for is obstacles you had to go through to gain permission to do it. Did the school pay for the jump? Have you tried it before and were you denied? I'm looking for as much info. as I can get. My school is a business school and they are very strict with liability issues. Any ideas? Thanks! .-. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #2 February 11, 2004 This goes back 25 years but may still be of some help. I worked out a deal with my University to jump into the home games... they paid all expenses. We actually got only the 'Glory' and the good will that went along with it... Which was eventually parlayed into the school sending our team to the collegiate nationals. How we did it was to first become involved with the student government, It's called 'networking' and is a skill you will need upon graduating so get started now. It got us in touch and on a first name basis with our peers that would eventually be having input concerning the demo decisions, as well as the school 'management' overseeing such activities. When we were ready to actually make a proposal to the board... We made certain all our ducks were in order, that means a professional sales pitch. We had videos of 'our' proposed performance... Still photos of the 'team', A 20 page proposal written with the help of students in the PR department, We stress how 'helpful and entertaining' our program would be to the university, as a tool to increase school spirit as well as attendance to the games. We explained the 'expert' proficiency our team had and demonstrated the USPA insurance program. Have your facts and figures straight, be ready to knowledgeably answer any and all questions they might have. And DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! Continue to vary your approach until you can satisfy all their needs and queries. Check out the funny story I wrote concerning one such demo from the 'old days', toward the bottom of this page... www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=270299;page=4;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25; Have fun...Be safe. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #3 February 12, 2004 I'm considering asking to do a demo jump into the opening football game at my school next semester (around 6 months away). This post isn't a request for suggestions on evaluating the landing area and other important factors involved in making the decision. What I am looking for is obstacles you had to go through to gain permission to do it. Did the school pay for the jump? Have you tried it before and were you denied? I'm looking for as much info. as I can get. My school is a business school and they are very strict with liability issues. Any ideas? Thanks! *** I did one demo jump into 82,000 seat Legion Field in Birmingham, AL for the UAB-Houston football game, which was the Conference USA opener for UAB. I was able to get on it through my S&TA who was able to clear me through the FAA despite the fact I don't have a PRO license. That was before USPA toughened the rules. Now you are required to have a PRO license to jump into an enclosed stadium, no exceptions. If you have the PRO license, great! Yes, the school will have to pay the drop zone for the cost of putting on the demo jump, but sometimes a deal can be made because of the exposure of skydiving to that many people when the demo is done right. You should talk to Jim Crouch at USPA. He has all the info and should be able to answer any questions you have. Another excellent source of info is Jim Wallace at Skydive Perris Valley. He runs the Demo School. Good luck! Blue Skies Billy Vance"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #4 February 12, 2004 Now you are required to have a PRO license to jump into an enclosed stadium, no exceptions. Quote Not exactly true... Quote Yes, the school will have to pay the drop zone for the cost of putting on the demo jump Again... Not exactly true. Why would the dropzone even have to be involved in any way? "They" are not doing the demo..you are. You can contact the FAA..S&TA.. contract your oun aircraft etc. The realm of Parachute Demonstrations, you are 'selling' a product... It's a free market so to speak, if you can jump through the right hoops... You don't even HAVE to be a member of the USPA! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #5 February 12, 2004 To be blunt, if your profile is right you have no business jumping into a stadium of any kind. These kind of demos leave very little room for error. Very experienced, professional teams sometimes have difficulty with this. I realize I don't know you and your skills but I've had to deal with low time jumpers wanting to do demo's for two decades. To satisfy everyone, you'll need a current PRO rating (or demonstrate the equivalent skill to a FAA inspector), demo insurance (to make the university happy), and then I'm not sure of the current situation with the FAA and anti-terrorism rules. I just haven't kept up with it since I haven't been arranging demos lately. Your first move is to talk to the local FAA that will have to approve a certificate of authorization to see if you have a snowball's chance. If you don't know, this is illegal under FAR's without the certificate.I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #6 February 12, 2004 Back in the olden days we had a twin beach full of skydivers and jumped into a college football game. They didn't have a stadium then, and there was a golf course on one side, so we all left in one pass. I remember looking over at one of my buddies who had a malfunction on his para-commander. He had red smoke on his boot, and he was spinning in a circle. He cut away okay and landed safely. Things were a lot different back then. The most experienced guy on the load had around five or six hundred jumps. The least experienced had around a hundred. All the rules and regulations now are a pain, but they are probably keeping a lot of jumpers alive. It's a much safer sport now, and we took way too many chances back in the olden days....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #7 February 12, 2004 Quote I'm not sure of the current situation with the FAA and anti-terrorism rules. *** I do a lot of demos nationwide and the biggest thing that has changed, in my opinion anyway... Is the laws in regard to smoke and pyro utilization. You now need to have a federal license to both transport and use most forms of pyro, including the industry standard M-18's. This is REAL ... We been checked, and the letter of the law should be followed. That includes the 'approved' container in which the pyro (smoke) is transported and stored... And having your permit & license ON YOU when performing. Our team did a demo in Las Vegas less than three weeks after 9/11... The Feds actually went out of their way to assist all the performers in complying with what were then 'rules' being more or less made up on site. And I fully agree with you on your analysis of stadium demos! Kinda like... If ya have to ask if you're qualified... Your probably not. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
