Mystery Swooper
Saturday January 21st brings the first meet of the 2012 season for the Florida Canopy Piloting League (FLCPA), taking place on the glorious pond at Skydive City, Zephyrhills, Florida. We have always been supportive of the FLCPA – it’s a league that fosters competition but also provides an incredible training environment for jumpers wanting to get into swooping, complete with top-notch coaches. It’s easy to get behind that kind of “pay it forward” attitude.
Quite a few of the top pilots in the world came up through the FLCPA, and this environment has fostered a few champions, both national and international. The FLCPA meets continue to draw a strong pool of competitors and 25 are already registered for Saturday. You can take a look at some of the names already registered on the Swoop League website. Pay special attention to competitor #20, and lets see if you can guess his or her name based on these few clues below:
- The person in question has just taken receipt of 2 brand new Comp Velocities.
- This swooper is a World Champion
- This swooper is not Jay Moledzki
Leave your guess in the comments below or on our Facebook page. Let’s see who can figure out the name of the mystery swooper!
Why the White House Thinks We Need Aviation User Fees
This email just went out to everyone who signed the “Take Aviation User Fees off the table” petition at the White House’s new We the People site:
Why We Need Aviation User Fees
By Dana Hyde, Associate Director for General Government Programs, Office of Management and Budget
Thank you for signing the petition “Take Aviation User Fees Off the Table.” We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov and your concerns about user fees in a challenging economy.
In a challenging budget environment, the Obama Administration believes it’s essential that those who benefit from our world-class aviation system help pay for its ongoing operation. And we want to ensure that everyone is paying their fair share. For example, under current law, a large commercial aircraft flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco pays between twenty-one and thirty-three times the fuel taxes paid by a corporate jet flying the same route and using the same FAA air traffic services. This is why the Administration proposed to establish a new surcharge for air traffic services.
The proposed $100 per flight fee would generate an estimated $11 billion over 10 years, reducing the deficit and more equitably sharing the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community. All piston aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would be exempted.
We appreciate your petition’s acknowledgment that there needs to be an increased user contribution to aviation system funding in the current fiscal climate, and we recognize that some would prefer to raise the tax rate on aviation fuel. At the same time, we have concluded that a $100 per flight user fee is an equitable way for those who benefit to bear the cost of this essential service.
As we work to get our Nation back on a sustainable fiscal path, the Administration is making tough choices across the Federal budget and asking everyone to do their fair share. We recognize these shared sacrifices are not easy, but together with investments in our economic growth and job creation, they will make us stronger and more competitive for the future. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Congress and the aviation stakeholder community on this issue, and thank you again for your constructive input.
So what do you think? Will we be seeing an extra $100 fee onto every skydiving load? Would that make you switch sports to paragliding, BASE jumping, or ground launching?
BSBD T. Elaine McLaughlin
January 1st, 2012 Dr. T. Elaine McLaughlin passed away due to trauma sustained after a low cutaway followed by reserve deployed too late to inflate. The incident took place at Skydive City, Zephyrhills, FL.
Dr. T. Elaine was 60 years old and an active and current skydiver in Z-Hills. After deploying her parachute (a Spectre 120 in a Javelin container) at a normal altitude, her canopy was observed to be turning, followed by a very low cutaway. Reserve was deployed manually but did not have enough time to inflate. Sources from the dropzone estimate cutaway hight at approximately 700 ft and reserve activation at approximately 400 ft.
It is not known why the cutaway was performed so low. Details of the accident are still under investigation.
We send our sincere condolences to her family and friends in Z-Hills. Memorial services have already taken place. Her obituary in the Tampa Bay Times can be found here.
American Censorship Day
It’s Thursday, November 16th, 2011.
Today, Congress holds hearings on the first American Internet censorship systems – Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). It is understood that this legislation as written will NOT stop piracy, but what it will do is stop social media and sites thriving on user-generated content dead in their tracks. If this bill passes, the Internet and free speech with it, will never be the same.
Anyone operating a website or interacting on a social network could face blocking, risk of jail, and perhaps the worst – the end of fun. That includes us.
More info?
Click play or proceed to this infographic.
Don’t like it either? Americans, you can send a note to Congress saying so.
Poppy Power
Well there’s nothing like raising awareness for our Troops. Throwing yourself off some insane mountains, buzzing the cliff face in a wingsuit and having a ton of fun is certainly a great way to do so.
In the build up to Veterans Day on 11 Nov (the funny British way of saying November 11), our British colleagues sell red poppies and everyone around the country wears one in recognition of those that have served. Our friends Jump4Heroes have emblazoned their gear with Poppy logos in an effort to get the message out in their own ‘extreme’ way. Our favorite video of theirs shows some pretty darn cool wingsuit proximity flying in the Italian mountains. Check it out and click ‘like’ if you support their efforts.
BSBD Dave Brown
After many weeks of searching, the body of well-known skydiver Dave Brown has been located. Below is a message from Dave’s family: “Our family confirms the finding of the remains of our son, brother, cousin, and nephew in Moab. We are devastated by our loss of such a gifted young man. Special thanks to Moab’s Chief of Police, Mike Navarre, and his staff for their tending to us and Dave as a missing person. We also thank the volunteers at Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, Dave’s many friends far and wide, and Ryan Shaw and his students at Paradrenalin for their extraordinary efforts in searching for Dave. Dave’s loved ones had not heard from him since June 29. On October 23 a hiker found remains in the mountains surrounding Moab. On October 26 Chief Mike confirmed that the remains belong to Dave. We treasure the concern and best wishes of so many young people that were touched by Dave’s smile and sense of adventure. Private family funeral arrangements are in process. Please respect our need to grieve our loss within our immediate family. Blue skies, Dave. You are so loved and your incredible zest for life will be missed.” Dave Brown was one of a kind for sure. His memory is certain to live on in the stories we tell around the campfire for a long time to come. If you anything you’d like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments below or e-mail us.
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