Are You Going to Collegiates?
College students from around the country will gather at Skydive Arizona in Eloy over Christmas break to compete for medals and national recognition at the 2010 USPA National Collegiate Parachuting Championships. Meet director Bryan Burke expects at least 100 jumpers from more than a dozen institutions of higher education to enter the event, the longest-running skydiving competition in U.S. history. Events include 2-way, 4-way and 6-way formation skydiving; 2-way vertical formation skydiving; classic accuracy; and sport accuracy.
To help college students with their travel planning, the dates have been moved by one day. Instead of starting Dec. 27, as originally posted on USPA's website, the schedule now calls for registration on Dec. 28, with competition running Dec. 29, through Jan. 1.
Former Golden Knight commander and international judge Kirk Knight will head the judges' panel, made up of experienced national and international judges. And the Skydive Arizona staff has oodles of activities planned to cater to the needs of all the winter-breaking skydivers.
For more information, check out Skydive Arizona's website or contact competition@uspa.org.
If you’re planning to attend collegiates and are willing to represent your school and speak to members of the media who may be interested in interviewing you, please e-mail sportpromo@uspa.org.
Australia Bans Argus AAD
The Australian Parachute Federation has recently issued a Technical Directive prohibiting all APF members from using the Argus automatic activation device effective immediately. The grounding stems from two recent reports of alleged problems with the device's cutters. Aviacom, maker of the Argus AAD, released a Product Service Bulletin in September that provides instructions for obtaining a replacement cutter. According to the Technical Directive, the APF will keep the Argus grounded until Aviacom provides a new cutter testing procedure that demonstrates that the new cutters are more reliable and superior to the original cutters.
Does USPA Have Your Current Contact Info?
USPA's membership department is constantly receiving large bundles of returned mail that includes renewal notices, new membership cards and torn-off back pages from Parachutist. USPA pays more than $200 a month for returned mail. That represents lots of membership money over the course of a year that could go to something more productive. The cost doesn't stop there. USPA staff must spend time notifying members via e-mail or phone of the address problem and then resend the returned mail.
Too often, members rely on the post office to forward their mail and forget to notify USPA of address changes until the post office stops forwarding their magazines. Updating e-mail addresses also ranks low on the priority list for many. Plan ahead and notify USPA 30 days prior to your move, if possible. Also, please notify us of any changes to your phone number or e-mail address.
Please keep your address information up to date! Update or confirm your current address here.
Hypoxia: Impeding Judgment and Reaction Times
The Federal Aviation Regulations set the requirements for the use of oxygen while on aircraft in Section 91.211 of the FAA's General Operating and Flight Rules. The section applies to pilots and passengers, including skydivers, even though there is no mention of oxygen use in the more familiar Part 105, Parachute Operations. Jump pilots are required to use supplemental oxygen above 14,000 feet mean sea level, and supplemental oxygen must be provided to each skydiver when the aircraft is above 15,000 feet MSL. The USPA Basic Safety Requirements also mandate the use of supplemental oxygen for skydives above 15,000 feet MSL.
Without enough oxygen in the blood, a person can quickly suffer from hypoxia, leading to poor judgment and delayed reaction times. In May 1999, a King Air pilot died in Hawaii following a descent into the ocean after he dropped skydivers above 20,000 feet. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, "During this final jump flight, one of the skydivers stated he had a hard time breathing and felt nauseous." The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident as, "The pilot's incapacitation due to the effects of hypoxia from repeated flights to altitudes above 18,000 feet MSL without supplemental oxygen." Flying or skydiving from an airplane without supplemental oxygen at altitudes where oxygen is required is not only a violation of an FAA regulation, it can also be deadly. If a DZ is offering high-altitude flights (above 14,000 feet MSL), speak to the pilot or the DZO about their efforts to comply with the supplemental oxygen requirements of FAR 91.211.
Skydiving Gift Ideas for the Holidays
The USPA Shop has many different gifts to choose from that work for all budgets. It's not too early to order holiday cards with skydiver cartoon images or a unique USPA wings ornament to decorate the tree. The most popular holiday gift purchase is the USPA 13-month calendar, featuring amazing skydiving images from all over the world. And since the calendars are only $20, which includes shipping to U.S. addresses, it makes the perfect gift for skydiver friends! Or you can't go wrong with a T-shirt: USPA has several to choose from, including Parachutist vintage designs. Looking for something a bit classier? How about a USPA watch? These and other gift ideas are available at the USPA Shop. Get your holiday shopping done early and order today!
Support U.S. Teams When You Shop
Support U.S. Teams when you shop online for your holiday presents this year. Log on to iGive.com and choose the U.S. Parachute Team Trust Fund as your charity. Search for gifts from among 800 merchants that donate a percentage of your purchase to the U.S. Parachute Team Trust Fund. Just click iGive.com first and then shop. It's as easy as that to support the U.S. Teams and costs you nothing.
Skydiving in the News
Check out a few of the recent cool news stories about skydiving: