BaumsAway

I think you're right Skymonkey. Since most of the jumpers who traveled from far away will not be there next weekend, I think next weekend will be a better test of how viable a turbine DZ is in this area is. I sure hope this place makes it, because I had a ton of fun out there and really hope to return. Just out of curiousity, is there any actual proof that the county is "fighting" this new dropzone. An anonymous poster said that this place would be shut down the instant an open parachute flew over this piece of land. About 500 open parachutes flew over this piece of land, and I didn't see any of the county police or county officals "fighting" this. I spoke with the county sheriff, who said he was "just enjoying the show," not that he was there to put up a fight. I thought the FAA, not a local zoning commission, had the say in what happened in the air over the United States. Lastly, what does the size of a county's jail have to do with anything. This county obviously has a high crime rate, which tells me that the police have better things to do than to enforce FAA regulations.

Thanks for a great weekend guys! I had a blast and look forward to getting out there whenever I can!

Oh my God! How cool was that! This place rocks! There were well over 150 people people from all over the place out there. The Super Otter was wheels up by about 8:30 am and it flew non-stop with completely full loads until sunset. I definitely beat my record of most jumps in a day. After sunset, the DZO's bought dinner for everyone and there were kegs of Boulevard out there (my favorite!). This place is definitely going to be my home DZ!

You are correct. The landing area is on the east side of the runway, isn't it? So, if the jumpers opened up upwind, to the south of the landing area, they would already be on the east side of the runway. I'm not sure why Famer McNasty's website shows the jumpers opening on the west wide of the runway. He/she obviously doesn't understand where jumpers open their parachutes relative to the wind.

Since, according to the National Weather Service, the prevailing winds are out of the south for 11 out of 12 months of the year, wouldn't it make the most sense to open upwind of the landing area? If I'm looking at the aerial correctly, wouldn't that have the jumpers flying parallel to the runway for most of the year?

From Saturday's Kansas City Star (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13955766.htm) Harrisonville expects to OK parachute school By DONALD BRADLEY The Kansas City Star A skydiving school appears headed for Harrisonville, but the owners shouldn’t expect folks to drop in to welcome them to town. So many residents crowded into a meeting this week of the Harrisonville Board of Aldermen that many had to stand in the hall. Most opposed the parachute school at the city’s airport because they fear it could run off LifeFlight Eagle air ambulance service. But city officials continue to say they can’t prevent Kansas City Skydiving Center from operating at the city’s Lawrence Smith Airport. “We have called everybody there is to call,” Mayor Kevin Wood said Thursday. “But, it’s very clear that people are going to be jumping out of planes out there. I know LifeFlight is not thrilled. If I were in their business, I would not be thrilled either.” But because the airport receives federal funds, the city cannot deny the school public access, Wood said. The only grounds for denial would be if the school’s drop zone were on airport property as the plan initially proposed. Since then, owners Paul and Joanna Eriksmoen, who could not be reached for comment, acquired land adjacent to the airport for a drop zone. So the city’s best strategy now, Wood said, is to approve a request from the Eriksmoens to lease office space at the airport and insist that the contractual agreement include stringent requirements about how the school operates. Those rules would address radio contact, spectators and insurance. That way, the city could maintain some control over the school’s operation, Wood said. Chuck Walker, LifeFlight’s operations director, said Thursday that the revised arrangement isn’t the best but that the two entities could be compatible. “I’m sure at some point it will slow response time,” Walker said. But Walker, like Wood, also recommended that the city approve the lease. The Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on the revised lease March 6. Of particular importance, Walker said, is that the lease include a requirement that the school’s pilots stay in radio contact and agree to delay drops in the event of a LifeFlight emergency call. Walker acknowledged, too, that LifeFlight may leave Harrisonville regardless of the skydiving school because company officials have determined that a base farther east probably could provide better service. “Clinton is a very busy area for us,” Walker said. Chris Hall, a critic of the proposed school, spoke at Tuesday’s meeting and later in the week continued to encourage the city to fight the school. Hall, who operates a skydiving school 20 minutes away in Butler, Mo., said some of his concern was competition.

I recently moved to Kansas City, from Texas, and am looking for somewhere to continue jumping. The first DZ that I called, Missouri River Valley Skydivers, seems like a pretty good dropzone. The one thing that I am curious about, though, is that when asking about why I should choose them, one of the reasons that they gave me is because they use round reserves on their student rigs. They told me that round reserves were safer in the event of a dual-deployment, which is commen on student jumps. The dropzone that I used to jump at (Skydive Dallas) used square reserves in all of their rigs. The staff at MRVS explained to me that I should avoid jumping at a DZ that uses square reserves on student rigs, as they are far more dangerous. Looking at their website, I came across the page linked below. So, I'm just curious, why are dual-deployments common on student jumps, and why is a round reserve better? http://www.skydivemrvs.com/html/kansas_city_skydiving_at_misso.html