Skydive Chicago’s June 2018 Newsletter
Take a peek at the latest information and happenings at the world-famous Skydive Chicago!
A Letter From Rook Nelson
Jumping season is upon us. Long Days of adrenaline filled fun and sharing stories over some drinks at night. Jumping can leave you excited and pumped up its important to remember that we are a community and must respect not only fellow skydivers but our close by neighbors. We have the privilege of this amazing drop zone that is nestled in the country but so do our neighbors. It’s a blessing, to be sure, and we should realize that we are not the only ones who are enjoying the countryside. Our neighbors enjoy it just as much.
So, let’s keep them in mind. When leaving or arriving to the DZ, please remember to follow the posted speed limits and slow down signs. Imagine if someone flew by your house at 100 mph not paying any attention to the children playing nearby. Just like skydiving there is no need to rush. Being in a hurry can lead to accidents. We jump everyday the sun shines which makes plenty of opportunities to jump. Please take an extra minute or two and slow down when driving by our neighbors.
Summerfest 2018 Is Almost Here!
We are weeks away from our biggest event of the year and it’s go time! We are busy planning and building each day for you because we want Summerfest to be all it can be for each of you. We thought it might be a good reminder for you to do some planning as well. Whether it’s your first Summerfest or you the Kevin Brown’s of the world who never miss one, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re coming to Summerfest. We made a nice little blog post for you to read and see the Top Six Tips for coming to Summerfest. Click HERE to read more about to get the most of your Summerfest.
Secondly, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of Load Organizers and Videographers this year and we are stoked to let you know that we have a total of 44 LO’s and Videographers! The entertainment line up is sure to make you want to spend a few moments hanging out with your friends after jumping and the events at night are going to be nothing short of a blast. Don’t believe us? Click this link right HERE and check out the Load Organizers, Videographers, and the schedule of events and meals right now.
See you all soon!
A Message From Manifest
We still have 2 unlimited passes available for the month of August, so get on it! Visit www.skydivechicago.com/experienced-jumpers to find the contract. Summerfest is just around the corner and we want to emphasize that you come prepared! That means doing your waiver online and showing up for registration (in the auditorium) with an ID, USPA license (or equivalent), logbook, and rig. Jumpers who have been here already this season will have an expedited line to pick up their wristbands so you won’t have to spend any time waiting in a long line.
If you haven’t already registered for Summerfest and you are coming, we strongly recommend doing so soon and pre-purchasing tickets. The ticket line can get long, especially that first weekend, so pre-purchasing will allow you more time for jumps, sun and fun! You register right now by clicking HERE.
Finally, if your USPA license is expired, it is highly recommended that you renew it on-line before the event. We longer use fax renewals so you will need to do it on-line. Thank you and see you at Summerfest!
Stay Safe Out There
Movement groups (tracking and angle flying) are becoming ever more popular. Camps are being held all over the world teaching new skills and breaking boundaries and our sky footprints are becoming larger with less room for error. Although people are becoming more and more educated on how to lead and fly movement groups, you always have to prepare for the weakest links and unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, to increase safety for everyone, we are changing the loading order with a few restrictions:
*If there are tandems or students aboard the plane, there can only be one Free Fall movement group. They need to go out first. Due to the flight path and rate of descent, we are not considering wingsuits part of the movement groups category. As long as they continue to stay a safe distance away from other jumpers, this will not change.
*No more than 2 Free Fall movement groups allowed per load. One group will go out first and the other group will go out last (before any wingsuits or high pulls).
*Movement group leaders must inform other jumpers of their flight path AND be able to fly the flight path. They must also know how to take into consideration the hook and landing out scenarios (being too far east). There will be a Movement Group Flight Path Board in the loading area. When you arrive you must draw your flight path on the board so that everyone knows what way you are flying.
*If there are too many movement groups on a load and the groups cannot figure out a solution (combining or changing) the last movement group to arrive to the loading area will have to change their jump to a non-movement dive.
Thank you, everyone. We want you to have a blast here and we want you to be safe. These simple changes will help everyone to continue to do both.
The Danimal Is Buying On Tuesday
Dan and his amazing team can do a lot, but sometimes he needs a bit of help. He needs a few hands painting down by the pond on the deck on Tuesday the 17th. There will be all the paint and tools needed to paint the Zip-Line Tower and a few other things. Dan and his team work tirelessly for all of us and now it’s our turn to give back to them. The Danimal is providing beverages for everyone who lends a hand as well!
Let’s take some time out our schedules and lend it to the man who works tirelessly to make sure we have everything we need at Skydive Chicago. It’s time to band together on Tuesday night this week at 7:00 pm and help out the team! #WeAreSDC
Getting You Ready For Summerfest
With Summerfest only a few weeks away, we are getting ready so you can be ready! We have all the normal gear you would need and full-service rigging facilities as well. We are also proud to bring you brand new rigs for rental and sale. We have rand new Javelin Odysssey’s, Vectors, and Vortex rigs ranging from 150 to 230. Most of the rigs come ready with Skyhooks as well. And, if you really love it you can buy one right off the shelf and start jumping it right away or you can rent the rigs per jump or per day.
We also have rental Cookie full face G3 helmets and digital, analog, and audible altimeters. We are also happy to let you know that night jump kits are available to rent as well. Like we said, we’ve been getting ready so you can be ready!
And finally, as always, don’t forget we are still offering 10 percent off reserve repack to all new Rock Sky Market rigging loft customers.