Welcome to the "USPA Professional," a free e-newsletter distributed to all USPA instructional rating holders, S&TAs and DZOs with an e-mail address on file with USPA Headquarters. At your next staff meeting, ask all current instructional rating holders who are not receiving this e-news to update their contact info with USPA Headquarters. To comment on this issue of the “Professional” or contribute to future ones, please e-mail safety@uspa.org.


AFF Standardization Meeting Set for 2010
A USPA Accelerated Freefall (AFF) Standardization Meeting is scheduled for January 19-20, 2010, at the Holiday Inn San Diego Bayside. Attendance is required at least once every two years for any current AFF Instructor Examiner (IE) or anyone who is pursuing the AFF IE rating. Those who attended the standardization meeting last January in Fredericksburg are not required to attend the 2010 meeting. The next time this meeting will be offered will be January 2011, on the east coast of the U.S.

The meeting is designed to help ensure that course standards and procedures are maintained at the same level by every AFF IE and also to discuss and develop new ideas for candidate training and evaluation methods.

Attendance is mandatory from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., both days, and travel plans should be made accordingly. Be sure to reserve your room at the Holiday Inn San Diego Bayside, 4875 North Harbor Drive. (Note: there is another Holiday Inn just down the street, and many confuse the two.) Reservations can be made through the hotel website or by calling (800) 650-6660. The hotel provides free shuttle service from San Diego International Airport (SAN), which is just a mile away. A block of rooms has been reserved for the meeting participants. When reserving your room, be sure to mention that you are staying for the USPA AFF Standardization Meeting to secure the appropriate room rate. Also, send an e-mail to safety@uspa.org to register for the meeting with USPA Headquarters. The fee for the meeting is $100 per person, payable by check made out to USPA. Be sure to arrive at the meeting with a current Skydiver’s Information Manual and Instructional Rating Manual.

The hotel is providing a complimentary welcome reception on Monday, January 18, at 7 p.m.


Two ADs to Affect Some Cessna Airplanes
The FAA has adopted a new airworthiness directive (AD) for engines found in some Cessna 180, 182, 205, 206 and 210 aircraft with Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) engines. The AD, which became effective October 7, 2009, requires initial and repetitive visual inspections of TCM EQ3 cylinders for cracks. This AD also requires removal of all EQ3 cylinders as terminating action to the repetitive visual inspections. The AD results from the finding of 35 EQ3 cylinders that were cracked, and is being issued to prevent loss of engine power due to cracks in the cylinder head, possible engine failure and fire in the engine compartment. More details can be found here.

The FAA has also issued an emergency AD, effective November 18, that applies to all Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) 240, 360, 470, 520 and 550 series reciprocating engines with hydraulic valve lifters, part numbers (P/Ns) 657913, 657915 or 657916, installed. If the engine was manufactured or rebuilt before June 19, 2009, or did not have any hydraulic lifters replaced after that date, the AD does not apply. The emergency AD results from TCM reporting three occurrences of rapid wear on the face of hydraulic lifters. This condition, if not corrected, could result in loss of engine power and loss of control of the airplane. View the AD here.


Time to Renew Drop Zone Waivers
Safety & Training Advisors (S&TAs) at many drop zones submit waivers to the Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs) for student wind limits, landing area requirements or use of flotation devices. These waivers must be resubmitted to USPA Headquarters by January 1, in order to renew the waiver for the coming year. The S&TA need only to send a completed waiver form to safety@uspa.org listing the waivered items, as decided by the S&TA and drop zone operator. There is no approval required by the USPA Board of Directors, Regional Director or Headquarters, for any of the BSRs that are noted with an (S) for waiver authority. Once the waiver form is received, USPA Headquarters will mail the S&TA a letter to keep on file at the drop zone, acknowledging that the waiver has been received. E-mail safety@uspa.org with questions.


Credit Card Helps USPA and You!
USPA recently teamed up with Card Partner to provide a Platinum Visa® Rewards Card program to USPA members. It’s a perfect way for instructors and DZOs to support USPA’s mission, as well as earn points for travel, merchandise and more.

When you apply for and use the no-annual fee USPA Platinum Visa® Rewards Card, the bank donates $50 and a percentage of all your future purchases on the card to USPA.

There are five skydiving cards to choose from or you can upload your own DZ logo or skydiving image!

For more information and to apply for the card, visit www.cardpartner.com/app/uspa.


ATC Notification or Authorization for 2010
Part 105.25 requires that ATC be notified prior to jumps in Class E and G airspace, and that ATC provide authorization prior to jumps in Class A, B, C and D airspace. DZOs can provide notification or request authorization for a calendar year, according to 105.25(c), as long as the information stipulated by 105.15 is in the letter. USPA has developed model letters that DZOs can customize and send to their ATC facility. A daily NOTAM with Flight Service should still be filed if your DZ is not published in the FAA Airport/Facility Directory information and charted with a parachute symbol.

Here’s Part 105.

Here are the model letters. Be sure to use the notification letter for your use of Class E and G airspace or the letter requesting ATC authorization for your use of Class A, B, C or D airspace.


Group Members—It’s Time to Renew
As the holiday season approaches, USPA Headquarters has started its annual Group Membership (GM) renewal notification process. By now, every current USPA GM should have received its initial renewal packet. If you have not received a packet, please contact Group Membership at (540) 604-9740 x311 or GroupMbrs@uspa.org to confirm we have the correct address.

Please take the time to review the instruction sheet enclosed with your renewal. This provides a list of all mandatory items to process your renewal and maintain your listing in Parachutist and on the USPA website. Please note that your Group Membership will not be renewed until all required paperwork is received along with your payment. To expedite this process, the renewal packets may be submitted to USPA via an e-mail attachment or fax to (540) 604-9741.


Skydive Calendars Available in Bulk Discounts
The 2010 USPA Skydive calendar is available for purchase through the USPA Shop. We are offering bulk discounts, so it’s even more affordable to stock these on your shelves and make some money, too. The calendar does not have a price printed on it; DZs may charge whatever price they’d like. A single copy, when purchased through the USPA Shop, is $23.95 (14.95 plus $9 shipping).