missann1320

So!I live in Michigan and have a couple DZ's within 1-2 hours are decent but lack the professionalism and good friendly vibe I was in search of... Heard about STF back in August of 2008 and decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed.

I decided to stop going to my close DZ and save the jumping cash for a flight. I would much rather spend 1 weekend a month with a DZ that has an awesome locale, amazing folks, variety of skydiving disciplines readily available, an Otter, and offers up a one stock shop for the entire weekend.

Seriously, once I flew into Atlanta I had an easy hour drive (seriously like 4 turns from the airport) to the DZ. Once there I never had to leave as there was camping and every meal/snacks served at the cute little cafe on the property.

The DZO Hans is hands down the most organized, professional, and jumper orientated one out there. No matter how busy he is he makes the time to answer or your questions or directs you to the right person with a smile.

The folks are immediately friendly and want to ensure you find the right people who match your discipline and stop by to socialize throughout the day. Plus, they are a hoot when the sun goes down for sure ;-)

The packing area is large, carpeted and is bearable even when the heat and humidity of the summer emerge. There are plenty of spots to camp and trees to find shade under... it kind of gives the vibe of a really sweet campground.

There are plenty of coaches readily available and folks you can always find to fly with whether you plan it out or find someone to jump with on the way to the plane. They are organized when it comes to loading groups in the plane, exit space, and overall canopy/landing safety. Everyone stresses it to ensure there are no mistakes and everyone is safe and aware.

The list goes on but I will stop! I am thrilled I found a jumping home at STF and simply cannot wait til the Team One Good Vibes 2009 starts in May!

The famous Blue Sky Ranch...

I flew in from MI into Newburgh (easy 1/2 hour drive Memorial Day weekend) to work with Sonic and Laszlo for my camera set up. I am a professional Nikon wedding photographer and decided it made sense for me to be a Nikon flyer as well.

As most of you know the mouth/bite/blow switched are not compatible with Nikon's out of the box... so Laz spent the time creating one to fit my D200 and D70 and it worked beautifully!

Sonic spent most of the day fitting me for my helmet, drilling holes, and making sure my ringsight was perfect. Lots of TLC from him and Donna- thank you both!! They even went as far as guiding me on the progression between parts/jumps to safely get that camera/ringsight flying. There help was more than appreciated!!

What I did not appreciate was manifest. I have my C license (C-36575 and ~250 jumps)and was told because I did not have 15 jumps signed in my log book so they had to call the last 2 places I jumps to verify before I could get on a load. Time consuming and over protective for a C license holder!!

Freaking awesome facilities... nice bathrooms, lockers, camping, nice landing stretch (nice unless the winds are north/south), lots of packing room, throrough explanations from folks on the ground and in the plane to where the DZ was, landing, outs, etc. I landed just off the DZ on a 182 load at 'Farmer McNasty's' and not only did someone walk back to make sure I was fine but someone then picked me up on the road out.

Lots of fabulous people to freefly with and a very open DZ when it comes to fun, events, and the after fun ;-) Loved my 48 hours here!! Would go back as quick as I could!!