kopelen 0 #1 July 10, 2002 What makes a DZ home for you? a. Friendly DZO and customer service(customer is always right) (prices don't change for who is jumping) b. No wait for aircraft (not getting bumped for experienced jumpers if you have students or vice versa) c. Turbine aircraft (prefere Otters, caravans, etc over 182 and 206s) d. Method specific skydiving (RW, CRW, FF etc) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #2 July 10, 2002 * Friendly DZO and good customer service. The customer doesn't always have to be right, but the DZ staff can't be assholes all the time either. * No waiting, that's nice. * Turbine aircraft are nice, though I don't think they're a necessity. * Method specific skydiving doesn't really matter to me, I guess that's because I currently jump at a DZ that doesn't a lot of everything. - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #3 July 10, 2002 A) A nice DZI is a start, a nice friendly staff is working towards the right direction, but a DZ that kicks those off that are a disruption to the vibe is a great thing. Fair pricing... yeah right, a 4 way team can usually get a discount that your normal jumper dont get. B) No wait is a great thing... sitting around all day waiting for a jump while student or tandem after tandem goes up is'nt cool at all. A mild delay is still a cool thing in my books... but reaching over an hour and a half or two for a jump.... nah.. C) I'm spoiled that I have 3 Turbines and a piston to jump. The Piston i jumped last week and same with the CASA. Planes are a big deal. I'd rather spend 20 minutes in an otter then I would in a 182. Plus turbine = more altitude. D) I like to mix it up so some place that has any of it is a good thing. The biggest thing is the vibe and he people. The DZ could be built on a golf course with all the perks of that lifestlye, could have Super Otters and Casa's and Rockets, but if the people there are not cool, safety minded, and open to outside thinking... then its not a place I could call home.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rgoper 0 #4 July 10, 2002 my home DZ could fly C-182's all the time for all i care (but i am a turbine snob) i chose my home DZ because of the DZO's and staff. plus it's a challenging environment. it's a growing DZ as well. i was made to feel welcome there the first time i went there, and just fell in love with the people there. we all know pretty much who everybody is, and if we don't know them, we introduce ourselfs. it doesn't have the fanciest facilities around, but who cares? thae facilities does not the drop zone make! i look forward to each time i get to go there!--Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polarbear 1 #6 July 11, 2002 People. Staff, students, experienced jumpers, even whuffos...they all make or break the experience. I look for easy going, fun people that I can jump and party with. Not waiting for a plane is nice, but secondary. I usually jump out of 182's, so I'm used to it. Every once in a while I get the turbine bug and go to a bigger dropzone. That's tertiary. I like all kinds of flying, that doesn't matter too much to me. That's last. I would say that a mix is good...I think it is important(and fun!) to learn all of the disciplines. A DZ that doesn't do it all is missing out, in my opinion. Another thing I consider important to deciding on a home dropzone is how much I can get involved...do I get to actually use my rigger's ticket and help out the DZ, or I do I just jump? For deciding if I like a DZ for jumping, this isn't so important, but for my HOME DZ I like to be involved some way. A final thing would be is the DZ'z idea of safety in line with my own. "Holy s*** that was f***in' cold!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drenaline 0 #7 July 11, 2002 a. Friendly people, please. Customer is not always right, safety first. Prices don't change? mm... dunno, cause if I get for the cheap stuff I would sure like it. b. I can wait, gives me time to get a coke. c. hey if I can jump it! d. all of them, its kinda boring to see everybody do the same. HISPA 21 www.panamafreefall.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gravitysurf808 0 #8 July 11, 2002 Quotei chose my home DZ because of the DZO's and staff. plus it's a challenging environment. it's a growing DZ as well. i was made to feel welcome there the first time i went there, and just fell in love with the people there. we all know pretty much who everybody is, and if we don't know them, we introduce ourselfs. it doesn't have the fanciest facilities around, but who cares? thae facilities does not the drop zone make! Right on!! My home is the DZ I grew up as a skydiver on. I was lucky enough to stumble upon the same type of environment rgoper has described on my very first jump. Years later I even had the priviledge of managing the that DZ for three+ years. I don't jump there now (I live about 5000 miles away) but no matter where I live or jump I will always call that place "home"! ...THANK YOU!! to my family who are still there for so warmly welcoming me, and many others into this wonderful sport we all share!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites freeflir29 0 #9 July 11, 2002 1. People are #1 2. Aircraft/ facilities 3. Amenities such as restaurant, bar, rigging, gear store, etc etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ifallout 0 #10 July 11, 2002 A) but I am a customer and know from experience i am not always right. C) just more fun to jump from bigger planes B) But there is something cool about being at a DZ with lots of new guys. D) like you can't do what ever you want anywhere but where i jump there is lots of everything so maybe i am spoiled. Bill have fun, love life, be nice to the humans Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ditch9276 0 #11 July 12, 2002 Wow this is a description of my home dza) i know the dzo since i was 2 years old (my father jumped there before) b) that´s right we´ve 2 aircrafts!!! c) 2 C206 Turbine d) you can jump what you want , RW, CRW, FF ... just come over and jump with us!!!!www.fsvsaar.deThe only rings that are worth wearing, are those of my 3-ring-system!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites diverdriver 5 #12 July 12, 2002 Quotethae facilities does not the drop zone make! To a point. I kind of like flushing toilets and a place to wash my hands. Port-a-jons just don't do it for me anymore. Not that I'm opposed to them. But when that's all you have year after year then it gets old. Course all that ranks behind well maintained aircraft and well trained pilots for me. You could have the Taj Mahal and I'll walk away if I think your aircraft ops suck. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites SkymonkeyONE 3 #13 July 12, 2002 first on my list is "vibe". I don't care how many people are there, so long as they are cool and don't un-ass the area as soon as they are done jumping. Second is a tie between aircraft and facilities. Generally, if a place has a nice airplane (or several), they are going to have decent facilities. My favorite places are the ones with turbines, bars, and RV hookups. Some of my very favorite dropzones in the world lack one or more of those things, but make up for it with the outstanding vibe. As far as DZO's go, you will not interface with them at larger dropzones; only manifestors and L.O.'s. You will see DZO's running the whole show at many smaller dropzones, so that's when they can make a difference in your personal experience. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites GrumpySmurf 0 #14 July 12, 2002 I know this only dreaming - but - a paved access road and parking lot - my 'heap' is a massive dust magnet (to the point of, if you want your car cleaned, park it next to mine, the dirt will migrate right off onto the 'heap') and it's depressing to see if Monday morning covered in a 1/8 of an inch of non-matching dust. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites thrillseek 0 #15 July 12, 2002 It's got to be the people that run my DZ that really make it worth the trip... The "vibe" you get there is usually friendly, unless you do something really stupid...and i do mean REALLY stupid. Otherwise, the owners are 3 guys that have been jumping for a total of 88years between them...not to mention that they are cool as hell. Every weekend, i get to hang out with guys that helped pioneer or sport...how cool is that?!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites canopydave 0 #16 July 12, 2002 1. The gang I hang out with is there. 2 Freeflying has made a major introduction, however 20 way RW jumps are very common. You can do what you want with who you want. 3. Turbine or Radial engined powered aircraft: (I love the sound of those Wasp Jrs.) CASA, Westwind, Beech-18 and occasionally an Otter. 4. The pilot has crashed at least once and walked away... That way I can be sure he has his head out of his ass in an emergency. Give me a pilot who's crashed more than once and has 1000hrs below treetop level dusting crops or evading fire anytime. 5. The trip to the DZ has been made so many times that the car knows the way... Canopy Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with. However, it is grammatically correct!! That is a rule in Latin, not English... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skybytch 259 #17 July 13, 2002 Well... My first home, the dz where I learned to skydive, got my ratings and worked at for the first 6 years I was jumping was a relatively small Cessna DZ that had few of the amenities that I enjoy at the dz I call home now. But what it lacked in large turbine aircraft (although we did get a King Air, Beech 18 or Cessna 411 on occasion), packing space, bar, restaurant, bunkhouse, load organizers, large events and 7 day a week availability was more than made up for by the people who jumped and hung out there. It was like a family in every way; we had jumpers who'd drive 4 and 5 hours just to be there for the weekend - and due to the lack of aircraft and large number of students many times they'd drive that far and only get 5 or 6 jumps in all weekend. Instead of a bar we had the beer fridge, instead of a restaurant we had Gregg and then later Gretchen making and selling sandwiches, instead of a bunkhouse we had ex-jailhouse bunks and a few semi-comfortable pads that we could throw down on the packing floor. It was a wonderful place to jump, and someday I'm going to own a dz just like it. I am kinda spoiled now that I jump at Perris... but even with all the amenities Perris provides, it's still the people that make it my home dz - both the people I jump with and the staff that all work really hard to make my skydiving day as stress free as possible. So, in order of importance.... 1) the people - dz regulars and staff 2) the after jumping social activity - I prefer a dz where at least some of the jumpers hang out at the end of the day to share dinner, beverages and bullshit 3) the location - close to home, easy to get to. I'll drive a few hours for a special event, but for everyday fun jumping it's gotta be close. 4) the aircraft - turbines are cool, but I'd be just as happy to jump a 182 on a regular basis if #1, #2 and #3 are there. 5) how fast I can get on loads - it does suck to be on hour to two hour calls, and it really sucks to get bumped for students after waiting around for that long. 6) disciplines the locals are into - I do both RW and freefly so it doesn't really matter to me if a dz I visit is all freefliers or all belly fliers. For my home dz I do prefer to have people to jump with regardless of which suit I'm wearing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites slotperfect 7 #18 July 13, 2002 For one thing, I consider it a privilege to be in an area where you have a choice. Of course, I realize that ultimately, we all have the choice to live wherever we want, according to our own priorities. Here, I have the choice of 35 minutes to Raeford, an hour to The Skydiving Place in St. Pauls, or an hour and a half to CSS in Louisburg. Others in this forum have more choices and less drive time. Chuck describes it well in the word "vibe." It's more about the overall experience I come away with than the facilities and aircraft. For example, I spennt a couple of days while on a trip to New Mexico skydiving with the folks at Skydive NM when they were just North of Albuquerque. The people made that place, we felt at home, and had a GREAT time. My current home is Raeford Parachute Center. GREAT DZO & Staff (oops, I just plugged myself), GREAT aircraft, gear store, loft, school, restaurant/bar. No attitudes, great southern hospitality. I feel at home there no matter what I am involved in. Other DZs I have visited recently that have had a great "vibe" for me: Skydive Arizona, Skydive Crosskeys, Skydive DeLand, Skydive Space Center, The Skydiving Place. Great Question!Arrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jtval 0 #19 July 14, 2002 does anyone choose a HOME DZ due to travel distance? when I was in GA. I would travel passed 3 dz's just to go to daytona! but the primary decided factor for that was the ppl! but I wondered who does it in reverse.I know some ppl here dont have the option to drive 3.5 hours every weekend so they go the the "local" dz. but which one do you call home!My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BMFin 0 #20 July 15, 2002 In Finland we dont considerate jumpers as "customers" . Every DZ is a club (owned by its members). No DZ here is a business. No one gets paid of doing manifest or what ever. Only free jumps . Thats what makes it home. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites narcimund 0 #21 July 16, 2002 I have a 45 minute drive to Big DZ #1 With Turbines and a 2 hour drive to Small Family DZ #2. I'm anonymous at DZ #1 whereas some of the people at DZ #2 are friendly and welcoming. DZ #1 has no waiting to get on a load. They'll send up an underloaded plane sometimes just to keep the action moving. DZ #2 is slow and uneven. It can be a multi-hour wait to get a slot. People? Skydives? Nearby? Weekend trip? It's a tough call. I don't choose consistently. They both get my business. First Class Citizen Twice Over 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. 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freeflir29 0 #9 July 11, 2002 1. People are #1 2. Aircraft/ facilities 3. Amenities such as restaurant, bar, rigging, gear store, etc etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ifallout 0 #10 July 11, 2002 A) but I am a customer and know from experience i am not always right. C) just more fun to jump from bigger planes B) But there is something cool about being at a DZ with lots of new guys. D) like you can't do what ever you want anywhere but where i jump there is lots of everything so maybe i am spoiled. Bill have fun, love life, be nice to the humans Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ditch9276 0 #11 July 12, 2002 Wow this is a description of my home dza) i know the dzo since i was 2 years old (my father jumped there before) b) that´s right we´ve 2 aircrafts!!! c) 2 C206 Turbine d) you can jump what you want , RW, CRW, FF ... just come over and jump with us!!!!www.fsvsaar.deThe only rings that are worth wearing, are those of my 3-ring-system!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #12 July 12, 2002 Quotethae facilities does not the drop zone make! To a point. I kind of like flushing toilets and a place to wash my hands. Port-a-jons just don't do it for me anymore. Not that I'm opposed to them. But when that's all you have year after year then it gets old. Course all that ranks behind well maintained aircraft and well trained pilots for me. You could have the Taj Mahal and I'll walk away if I think your aircraft ops suck. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #13 July 12, 2002 first on my list is "vibe". I don't care how many people are there, so long as they are cool and don't un-ass the area as soon as they are done jumping. Second is a tie between aircraft and facilities. Generally, if a place has a nice airplane (or several), they are going to have decent facilities. My favorite places are the ones with turbines, bars, and RV hookups. Some of my very favorite dropzones in the world lack one or more of those things, but make up for it with the outstanding vibe. As far as DZO's go, you will not interface with them at larger dropzones; only manifestors and L.O.'s. You will see DZO's running the whole show at many smaller dropzones, so that's when they can make a difference in your personal experience. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrumpySmurf 0 #14 July 12, 2002 I know this only dreaming - but - a paved access road and parking lot - my 'heap' is a massive dust magnet (to the point of, if you want your car cleaned, park it next to mine, the dirt will migrate right off onto the 'heap') and it's depressing to see if Monday morning covered in a 1/8 of an inch of non-matching dust. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thrillseek 0 #15 July 12, 2002 It's got to be the people that run my DZ that really make it worth the trip... The "vibe" you get there is usually friendly, unless you do something really stupid...and i do mean REALLY stupid. Otherwise, the owners are 3 guys that have been jumping for a total of 88years between them...not to mention that they are cool as hell. Every weekend, i get to hang out with guys that helped pioneer or sport...how cool is that?!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canopydave 0 #16 July 12, 2002 1. The gang I hang out with is there. 2 Freeflying has made a major introduction, however 20 way RW jumps are very common. You can do what you want with who you want. 3. Turbine or Radial engined powered aircraft: (I love the sound of those Wasp Jrs.) CASA, Westwind, Beech-18 and occasionally an Otter. 4. The pilot has crashed at least once and walked away... That way I can be sure he has his head out of his ass in an emergency. Give me a pilot who's crashed more than once and has 1000hrs below treetop level dusting crops or evading fire anytime. 5. The trip to the DZ has been made so many times that the car knows the way... Canopy Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with. However, it is grammatically correct!! That is a rule in Latin, not English... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #17 July 13, 2002 Well... My first home, the dz where I learned to skydive, got my ratings and worked at for the first 6 years I was jumping was a relatively small Cessna DZ that had few of the amenities that I enjoy at the dz I call home now. But what it lacked in large turbine aircraft (although we did get a King Air, Beech 18 or Cessna 411 on occasion), packing space, bar, restaurant, bunkhouse, load organizers, large events and 7 day a week availability was more than made up for by the people who jumped and hung out there. It was like a family in every way; we had jumpers who'd drive 4 and 5 hours just to be there for the weekend - and due to the lack of aircraft and large number of students many times they'd drive that far and only get 5 or 6 jumps in all weekend. Instead of a bar we had the beer fridge, instead of a restaurant we had Gregg and then later Gretchen making and selling sandwiches, instead of a bunkhouse we had ex-jailhouse bunks and a few semi-comfortable pads that we could throw down on the packing floor. It was a wonderful place to jump, and someday I'm going to own a dz just like it. I am kinda spoiled now that I jump at Perris... but even with all the amenities Perris provides, it's still the people that make it my home dz - both the people I jump with and the staff that all work really hard to make my skydiving day as stress free as possible. So, in order of importance.... 1) the people - dz regulars and staff 2) the after jumping social activity - I prefer a dz where at least some of the jumpers hang out at the end of the day to share dinner, beverages and bullshit 3) the location - close to home, easy to get to. I'll drive a few hours for a special event, but for everyday fun jumping it's gotta be close. 4) the aircraft - turbines are cool, but I'd be just as happy to jump a 182 on a regular basis if #1, #2 and #3 are there. 5) how fast I can get on loads - it does suck to be on hour to two hour calls, and it really sucks to get bumped for students after waiting around for that long. 6) disciplines the locals are into - I do both RW and freefly so it doesn't really matter to me if a dz I visit is all freefliers or all belly fliers. For my home dz I do prefer to have people to jump with regardless of which suit I'm wearing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #18 July 13, 2002 For one thing, I consider it a privilege to be in an area where you have a choice. Of course, I realize that ultimately, we all have the choice to live wherever we want, according to our own priorities. Here, I have the choice of 35 minutes to Raeford, an hour to The Skydiving Place in St. Pauls, or an hour and a half to CSS in Louisburg. Others in this forum have more choices and less drive time. Chuck describes it well in the word "vibe." It's more about the overall experience I come away with than the facilities and aircraft. For example, I spennt a couple of days while on a trip to New Mexico skydiving with the folks at Skydive NM when they were just North of Albuquerque. The people made that place, we felt at home, and had a GREAT time. My current home is Raeford Parachute Center. GREAT DZO & Staff (oops, I just plugged myself), GREAT aircraft, gear store, loft, school, restaurant/bar. No attitudes, great southern hospitality. I feel at home there no matter what I am involved in. Other DZs I have visited recently that have had a great "vibe" for me: Skydive Arizona, Skydive Crosskeys, Skydive DeLand, Skydive Space Center, The Skydiving Place. Great Question!Arrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #19 July 14, 2002 does anyone choose a HOME DZ due to travel distance? when I was in GA. I would travel passed 3 dz's just to go to daytona! but the primary decided factor for that was the ppl! but I wondered who does it in reverse.I know some ppl here dont have the option to drive 3.5 hours every weekend so they go the the "local" dz. but which one do you call home!My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMFin 0 #20 July 15, 2002 In Finland we dont considerate jumpers as "customers" . Every DZ is a club (owned by its members). No DZ here is a business. No one gets paid of doing manifest or what ever. Only free jumps . Thats what makes it home. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #21 July 16, 2002 I have a 45 minute drive to Big DZ #1 With Turbines and a 2 hour drive to Small Family DZ #2. I'm anonymous at DZ #1 whereas some of the people at DZ #2 are friendly and welcoming. DZ #1 has no waiting to get on a load. They'll send up an underloaded plane sometimes just to keep the action moving. DZ #2 is slow and uneven. It can be a multi-hour wait to get a slot. People? Skydives? Nearby? Weekend trip? It's a tough call. I don't choose consistently. They both get my business. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
