WFFC at Rantoul, IL. ???????

[Opie 0]

Found this on rec dot
By TIM MITCHELL
© 2002 THE NEWS-GAZETTE
Published Online February 19, 2002
RANTOUL - A major international skydiving festival is eyeing a move from
Quincy to Rantoul.
The directors of the World Free Fall Convention met with the Rantoul
Village Board at a special meeting Monday night to propose bringing their
event to the airport in Rantoul for five years, with this year's event set
for Aug. 2-11.
The village board voted 4-0 to authorize negotiations with the convention
to host the event. Village board members Helen Lewis and Chuck Smith were
absent.
"It sounds like a great event," said village board member Herman Fogal.
Convention President Don Kirlin of Quincy said his organization chose
Rantoul over eight other communities across the United States.
Kirlin said the event had outgrown Quincy's smaller airport. He said it
was becoming increasingly difficult to interrupt scheduled airline flights
headed in and out of the Quincy airport for 10 days.
Meanwhile, as a former Air Force base, Kirlin said Rantoul's airport is
large enough to support large numbers of parachutists for many years to come
and doesn't have airline service.
"If I were to have designed a facility for us from scratch, it would look
like the Rantoul airport," Kirlin said. "We're looking for a permanent home,
and this one tailor fits our needs."
Kirlin is an airline pilot for U.S. Air and the owner of 116 Kirlin
Hallmark stores in 10 states.
The World Free Fall Convention brings together thousands of sky divers
from all 50 states and 55 countries around the world to demonstrate a
variety of skydiving jumps and stunts.
Held for the last 12 years at the Quincy airport, the event drew 3,244
sky divers who completed 54,000 jumps in 2001. In the previous year, the
event drew 5,732 sky divers who completed 63,000 jumps.
Since the venue is changing, Kirlin said he expects to have 2,500 sky
divers and between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators in Rantoul this year.
"The people are going to test the waters the first year to see how it
is," Kirlin said. "I would not be surprised to see closer to 6,000 sky
divers the second year."
Except for one Boeing 727, Kirlin said he anticipates all the aircraft
needed for the event would take off and land at the Rantoul airport.
Kirlin said organizers are planning plenty of activities for festival
spectators, ranging from hot-air balloon rides to tandem sky dives,
accelerated free-fall training, heliocopter rides, a wind tunnel, biplane
aerobatic rides and a carnival.
Kirlin said he intends to open an office in Rantoul, manned by four
full-time employees. Another 110 to 120 part-time employees would be hired
for work during the festival, and his organization hopes to recruit between
200 and 300 volunteers from the area.
Since the first weekend of the event would conflict with the Octave
Chanute Aerospace Museum's Wheels and Wings Festival, the museum's board of
directors has voted to discontinue the air show, according to museum
Executive Director Jim Snyder.
Snyder said convention organizers have offered to make a charitable
contribution to the museum to make up for lost revenue.
Rantoul Village Administrator Gary Adams said Kirlin contacted the
village a month ago about the possibility of bringing the event to Champaign
County.
Airport officials have been looking for a major event to replace the U.S.
National Hot Air Balloon Championships, which left Rantoul in 2000 following
a three-year run at the airport.
Adams said the skydiving event became attractive because, unlike the
balloon fest (which relied on sponsorships and gate receipts for the bulk of
its income), the World Free Fall Convention is entirely supported through
entry fees paid by the participating sky divers.
"I know I sleep a little easier knowing that we won't be depending on
people coming through the gates to cover the expenses," said Rantoul Mayor
Neal Williams.
Kirlin said his event operates with an annual budget of approximately $1
million.
Under a proposal presented to the village board on Monday, the village
would be obligated to:
- Provide the convention with the use of the airport and the Prairie
Pines Campgrounds for the 10 days of the festival free of charge.
- Spend $10,000 to be used for promotional and advertising materials and
T-shirts and hats for the jumpers.
- Coordinate efforts between Rantoul police and event security guards.
- Arrange for an ambulance to be stationed at the airport during the
festival.
- Provide a snow fence for security and a few offices at Grissom Hall for
event headquarters.
- Provide the festival with a liquor license for the 10 days.
The convention would be responsible for recruiting volunteers and
bringing in aircraft for the jumpers, providing entertainment and purchasing
airplane fuel from the village and Precision Aviation.
"My opinion is this event would be good for Rantoul," Adams said.
"We don't have the same kinds of commitments and obligations that we had
during the balloon event."
Opie
If your not on the edge, you can't enjoy the view!

[AggieDave 6]

*shrug* Well, I guess we'll see, eh? I would hate, though, to see WFFC die...
"I said don't look Ethel, It was too late, she'd already been incensed... "

[FallingILweenie 0]

Hey Guys
I did a couple of jumps in Rantoul in the fall, and the guys running it said they were trying to get it there. The DZ used to be (it closed, from what i know) on an old airforce base so as far as the actual dz, it's huge. But there are residential areas all around it so any bad spots.....
One other thing that i thought of was that there is a commercial airport in Champaign maybe 20 miles away, so i dont know how that would work as far as air traffic. hell, i for one wouldlove it to be in rantoul....i could stay in champaign and party with friends and then drive out to the dz!!!!
blue skies
Tomas

[AggieDave 6]

Soooo...we're all staying at your place, right? j/k
"I said don't look Ethel, It was too late, she'd already been incensed... "

[FallingILweenie 0]

Oh, i dont have a place there anymore......but there are others that post on here that do.....

[AndyMan 7]

I'm just glad it's close to home.
I'm surprised to see the lack of annoucement regarding airport improvements, like showers.
Although I imagei this might be due to town politics, etc.
_Am
ICQ: 5578907
MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com
Yahoo IM: ametcalf_1999

[freeflir29 0]

Wow...Chanute would be great! Kickass place to party...all the women of low morals from U of I and nothing but miles and miles of corn fields as outs. I think it's a great idea!
"I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

nothing but miles and miles of corn fields as outs

*imagining a swooper on an out, screaming a swoop into a corn field full of full grown corn. Leaving a "rooster tail" of cobs and stuff in his wake, his canopy the only thing visable above the stalks...*
"I said don't look Ethel, It was too late, she'd already been incensed... "

[freeflir29 0]

Thats a cool visual Dave!!! "I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[skybytch 273]

Quote

all the women of low morals from U of I

From what I've heard it was the underage locals that helped ruin Quincy....
Geez Clay, skydiving women of low morals ain't good enough for ya?
pull and flare,
lisa
--
What would Scooby Doo?

[freeflir29 0]

"Geez Clay, skydiving women of low morals ain't good enough for ya?"
The girls of U of I will always hold a special place in my pants....er uhhh...I mean heart. I have some very fond memories of my time at Chanute AFB. "From what I've heard it was the underage locals that helped ruin Quincy"
These will be college girls though!!!! YEEEEHAWWWW!!!!
"I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[Pammi 0]

Quote

miles of corn fields

ROFL! Reminds me of Quincy last year... Freaksis saying she'd be happy to never see another corn field as long as she lives after seeing nothing but that while there! LOL! It was pretty freaky thinking about landing in one of those with those sharp-edged leaves and big ears! OUCH!
Closing pin jewelry

[Vallerina 2]

Woo hoo! I couldn't have picked a better location for my own personal convenience! It's only 2 hrs away from Purdue and less than 2 hrs away from my home by Chicago.
Hopefully, their local board members stay as excited as they seem in the article to have the convention. It seems like a great location, but nothing's perfect. I can't wait to find out, though!
"Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes." Oscar Wilde

[PhreeZone 20]

Corn Field landings are the true mark of an accuracy jumper.... Trying to land inbetween rows while not sure where the ground is.... FUN!!!
Actually the trick is to use the tops of the crops as wind indicators. you can see the breeze blow across them to determine the ideal direction to land into. I've landed in most crops the midwest has and Corn is bad... beans are worse, they trip you and snag your feet during the landings.
Cause I don't wanna come back down from this cloud... ~ Bush

[AndyMan 7]

I asked a little birdie about the shower enhancement situation... this is the answer I got:

Quote

Yes there are!! They are in the process of building a new Aquatics Facility (with showers) they already have built a recreation building ( with showers ) and the camp ground has a permanent shower house, so there are showers in 3
locations around the grounds!!

Cool.
ICQ: 5578907
MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com
Yahoo IM: ametcalf_1999

[JumpHog 0]

Phree,
If you want to see a great bean field landing, check out:
ftp://ftp.skydivingmovies.com/landing/combine.mpg
I took that video last year at Skydive Kansas. Fortunately, the jumper was wearing a full-face helmet, which took most of the beating. Ever since then, his DZ nickname has been 'Combine'.

[skybytch 273]

This is great news..... *starting now on proposal to have a Square One booth on site staffed by ME*
pull and flare,
lisa
--
What would Scooby Doo?

[freeflir29 0]

"starting now on proposal to have a Square One booth on site staffed by ME"
Yep...I see you turning in a resignation letter any day now....
"I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Square One booth on site staffed by ME

Sounds like a good excuse to get some paid "vacation"
You'll get to hang out, get some jumps, party, sell stuff, meet people and you'll be getting paid...geez...almost sounds like you sould be an Enron exec...
(I'm jealous "I said don't look Ethel, It was too late, she'd already been incensed... "

[skybytch 273]

Heh heh... I've been trying to get them to send me to WFFC ever since I started working here. Almost got to go last year but it was a last minute, hurry up kinda deal so I was SOL. But if I start working on it now.... it'll be party time at the Square One tent! Wooo hoooo!!!!
pull and flare,
lisa
--
What would Scooby Doo?

[jfields 0]

Quote

it'll be party time at the Square One tent! Wooo hoooo!!!!

And free boobie showings for all those who donated to JFTC!
Lisa, see this thread, or PM me with details. Justin

[freeflir29 0]

"And free boobie showings for all those who donated to JFTC!"
We won't let her slip out of this one......
"I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[skybytch 273]

Quote

And free boobie showings for all those who donated to JFTC!

Doh! Well ya never know what'll happen when I've been drinkin'....
pull and flare,
lisa
--
What would Scooby Doo?

[freeflir29 0]

"Well ya never know what'll happen when I've been drinkin'...."
That's exactly what we are counting on.......
"I only have a C license, so I don't know shit..right?"-Clay

[FallingMarc 0]

Reading this article, two words popped into my head. Most of the time, the two words in my head are "skydiving" and "boobies", as you all well know. But now, all I could think was "holy shit." I live in Champaign, 20-30 minutes from Rantoul.
I will not get excited before there is a definite yes or no.
But hot damn, I popped a boner, thinking of all that skydiving, that close to me!
M