View Full Version : Skydiving - temporary drop zones
TheKentishFledgling
7th Nov 2006, 22:22
A friend of mine has asked if it would be possible to establish a "temporary drop zone" for a skydive. Obviously it IS possible: all kinds of airshows, sports matches etc have parachute jumps into the event, but my chum is more interested in whether, in theory, a drop zone could be established for a charity tandem jump - I've no idea! I've suggested he contact the British Parachuting Association (as well as some parachuting establishments) and ask them, but I just wondered if anyone here has any experience in this kind of thing.....a quick look at CAP660 (parachuting!) mentions "temporary landing areas" but I can't see reference to whether tandem skydiving could be performed to these.
Any advice appreciated.
tKF
There is a rule out there that allows a drop zone (or temp) to operate a certain amount of days per year, A London zone uses this rule to operate as it has no full time license?
Sorry I cannot be of more use but im abroad at the moment and do not have the information to hand, I would definitely recommend you contact the BPA, they will be more than happy to help.
YYZ
3FallinFlyer
8th Nov 2006, 21:08
Most one-off jumps into events or even private parties etc (or any jump that is not into a designated dropzone) are catagorised as display jumps: see http://www.bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/Operations%20Manual/sec%2013.doc for the bpa ops manual section on display jumping.
3FallinFlyer
9th Nov 2006, 09:39
Further investigation has revealed that the tandem passenger would need to be an experienced (c - Licence or above) skydiver. So basically, it can't be done in the UK (but its OK in the states with an exemption letter from the FAA/USPA)
silvereagle
9th Nov 2006, 10:07
Quite correct. Because a tandem passenger is technically a 'student parachutist' the DZ must be cleared as a student DZ. This is quite detailed and requires an approved BPA official to inspect the site. So, it is fundamentally different to seeking CAA clearance for a parachute display or the like. Clearly, it can be done, and any patch of land can become a tandem (student) DZ but you should not underestimate the work involved.