Where is everyone flying!? What are you flying!? How did you get there? What do you do for your radio call procedure? Hows your pay?? Do you jump?

I will start, I am currently flying out near Sacramento Cali, but my home base is Sussex NJ! I am flying a 182, and a turbo charged 3 blade with the sweet bladed, 206. I started off at 280 hrs ttl time flying jumpers im now coming up on 700 hours (7-8 months later), and LOVING every single day of work! I talk to the local APP which is now Norcal and they love us!

I also call on Unicom 2 minutes prior and use "XXX traffic, use caution, you got skydiving, thats parachute jumping in 2 minutes out of one one, that's eleven thousand, and of course below, on the west side of the airport, if your in the vicinity of the XXX airport use extreme caution skydiving in two minutes" Then 1 min prior I make a very short version of that, and jumpers away I make something 1/2 the length of that, and when my jumpers are open I make a quick call you got canopy's 5k and below west side of field, then 2 minutes later just say use caution 3k and below, then as I setup on my 45 if the airport is busy and I see my jumpers are down say skydivers are no longer in the air! That seems to be making the people out here happy!

I made about 400 a week in NJ, it was a more FIXED pay, but I flew over 40 hours a week in the peak of summer, out here I get $15 a load, its the winter so its slower but thats not bad for 182/206 pilot

I jump, got my A, have 37 jumps and want to keep it up! I hope to not have to leave the sport for awhile! I want to try and skip the regionals and both the DZOs I work for seem to have full intent to keep me around and get me in their turbines when the time comes!

 

Dude, you are aces in my book. I have flown in a couple areas that had jumpers and none of the guys were as good on the radio as you. Thank you!

There was one case when I was instructing in the Orlando area when a jumper was active and didn't say much..... nor did the controller. Next thing I heard was a mainline pilot say, "Boy, the birds out here are huge!"

Right then, the controller, in a nervous voice announced, "Caution. Paracutes in the vicinity of XYZ airport 14500 and below."

Keep making those calls, we appreciate it!

 

Ya NY APP was like that, would drop after the controller hardly even answered me, then see a falcon go under 2 minutes later =(....out here though Norcal is awesome to us!

 

That is a lot more comm than I ever used - but then again I was just required to talk to make the initial call to OKC approach and they made all the calls to traffic on freq. NorCal is pretty good to work with though I'd agree. I'm glad you are enjoying your time and making more than I ever did. I only got $10 a load (but that was many moons ago too).

USMCFLYR

 

Note: he was making those long calls on unicom, not on an ATC frequency.

Joe

 

I realize that. I was only noting that I didn't make so many calls - right or wrong.

USMCFLYR

 

You should see the locals here

 

In what way? I just spent 4 years in the Central Valley.

USMCFLYR

 

Theres always someone that needs that extra radio call, not either dropzone i have been at specifically, but I have been under canopy and had someone overfly the field next to me, its scary, esp since u cant get away from it under canopy

 

right on ya my man. flying jumpers is the best kept secret to building time in this biz. i started the same way u did and loved it.
communication is the key, jumpers and jump pilots get a pretty bad wrap sometime. and just a little explaining goes a long way. if ya ever have a rainy day and the parties not on at the DZ head on over to ur local tracon or app control and say hello and if the dzo is cool with it some free or discounted jumps(tandems or static line). i made my first jump before i ever flew them and am addicted to no end. knees in the breeze. keep smiling and enjoying they early days of ur career u will look back on them with envy and fondness. PS jumpers can be a pain in the ass sometimes and u have to watch out for uor ticket no one else will, but it sure beats working in a factory