Airports with skydiving ops?

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Matthew
I’m starting to pencil in an XC and was looking at a couple of potential “outs” along the route.

I found one airport that looked like a good option, then I checked the A/FD. The paved rwy is 18/36, and they have a set of grass rwys on the west side. Left traffic for 36 would put you very close to the grass. The chart supplement labels that area as “Jump Area”. (KCUH, if anyone is curious.)

I’ve flown in and out of airports that have skydiving clubs but never when they are active.

What’s expected procedure when jumpers are active?

Is that something that’s NOTAMed?
 
Some airports just have a "permanent" NOTAM so no way to tell in advance if there is jumping on a particular date or time. The pilot is required to coordinate with Center/Approach so if you get flight following on the way in that should help, and of course the pilot should advise on CTAF as well.

The main procedure is to not overfly the airport. I'd avoid a ~2 mile radius from the airport perimeter above 3,000 feet. From 1,000-3,000 avoid a 1 mile radius from the perimeter. At and below TPA, you can usually fly a normal traffic pattern but having multiple runways complicates things a bit so I'd probably give some extra room on downwind for 36 or just enter on base leg.
 
Seems like a lot of southern Arizona airports have drop zones. One thing I've learned is that the parachute symbol on the chart is placed showing the general direction of the drop zone from the airport, at least at the airports I'm familiar with. The pilots of the jump plane will almost always make a two minute warning announcement on CTAF before the jumpers leave the airplane. The announcement is almost always rapid fire and might be not understandable. Ask for clarification in plain English if you are uncertain as to what was said.

With the advent of ADS-B, someone from the drop zone may call you on CTAF if they believe you will get too close. I hear those calls all the time.

My $.02

The lined out portion is not correct as pointed out by other posters.
 
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Walboy said:
One thing I've learned is that the parachute symbol on the chart is placed showing the general direction of the drop zone from the airport, at least at the airports I'm familiar with.
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Except that is not always true. If the chart gets busy then the cartographer will put it wherever it can fit.
 
When I’m IFR I frequently hear the controllers talking with skydiver droppers and announcing their operations. I suspect going IFR or with Flight Following would give you a big heads up for most of them. Granted, there could be some operators who don’t talk to ATC but I suspect that’s in the minority. In any case, another tool in the toolbox.
 
We have a lot of places with permanent jump notams around here. Not a big problem. Just listen on CTAF. The jump plane will call before the jumpers go out the door & give an altitude. Even when the jump is high (around here, 17k), the time to the ground is just a couple of minutes. If you hear jump activity on CTAF, watch for the jump plane on ads-b & just follow it in.
 
There's a number of jump zones in south Texas, but they aren't always active. I use Flight Following and hear ATC coordinating with the jump plane pilots. ATC announces a few minutes before and as they're jumping (and the pilot will also use the CTAF for that airfield to do the same), so you have plenty of time to avoid. On one XC, ATC told me to turn left 10 degrees to minimize the deviation from my flight plan because of an active jump zone. Another time I had to orbit once a few miles from the field before entering the pattern. It's really no big deal. I wouldn't worry about it and certainly wouldn't modify my flight plan to avoid such areas. Also, it seems like the jumps are almost always from 10k. I think they pull the ripcord at 3k so that's maybe 45 seconds free-fall to 3k? In other words, they aren't in the air for long.
 
Just get FF...Jump planes will make calls both on CTAF and to ATC so the controller can advise you as you get closer if active or not.

At my home field the jump plane dive bombing for the crosswind runway not in the prevailing wind runway pattern is usually the bigger hazard than the meat bombs falling from the sky.

Usually if it is active on field drop zone it is usually outside the typical approach/departure path and traffic pattern.
 
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When I see a parachute on the map I tune into the CTAF and monitor the radio.
 
I get fuel at a field with heavy parachute activities. The most frightened I've ever been in an airplane was while taxiing to the fuel farm and having large, sharp-edged parachute shadows drift over the plane from above. You can't see up. You don't know whether to stop or turn. I slammed on the brakes and quickly killed the engine only to find it was trick of the light on a very bright day. Parachutes were nowhere near me.
 
Walboy said:
Seems like a lot of southern Arizona airports have drop zones. One thing I've learned is that the parachute symbol on the chart is placed showing the general direction of the drop zone from the airport, at least at the airports I'm familiar with. T

My $.02
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This is INCORRECT. The parachute symbol has no location significance. It is placed for cartographic convenience.

Around here the jump planes make their announcements both on the CTAF and on the appropriate ATC frequency for the area. Tune in one or both of these. I avoid overflight of airports where they are jumping, even on an IFR plan. My direct route of flight on a regular run took me directly over a jump operation. If I'd here them jumping, I'd volunteer to have ATC route me a few miles to the east.
 
flyingron said:
This is INCORRECT. The parachute symbol has no location significance. It is placed for cartographic convenience.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I guess it's coincidental in my area.

I corrected my post.
 
Parachute landing zones are usually placed on the opposite side of the runway to the preferred downwind side. Of course that doesn't mean someone might drift onto the downwind side by mistake. Listen to the CFAF. If not landing, give the airport a wide berth. You can also ask ATC if they know if the jump zone is active.

If you hear a jump announcement on the CTAF, avoid the airport for 3 or 4 minutes before entering the pattern.
 
They will announce on CTAF and be talking to approach or Center.

They will be jumping on the upwind side of the field. The location of the symbol on the Chart is not important or relevant.

They will be exiting from various altitudes, and be under canopy from opening to the ground. The opening altitude varies but is usually from 2500 AGL to about 5K. There are some times where they will open above 12K. Once they open they are pretty maneuverable and easy to see, in freefall not so much. Looking and talking are pretty useful VFR skills, they are trying to avoid you too.
 
frfly172 said:
When I see a parachute on the map I tune into the CTAF and monitor the radio.
Click to expand...
We've got a private field here in Central IL that didn't have a published CTAF so the only way you'd know they were dropping meat bombs was by listening to the closest approach facility.
It is charted for parachute ops though.
 
baboss said:
We've got a private field here in Central IL that didn't have a published CTAF so the only way you'd know they were dropping meat bombs was by listening to the closest approach facility.
It is charted for parachute ops though.
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Probably 122.9, if they make pattern calls.
 
We had a field with skydive ops sharing our CTAF (122.9). It always amused me when it's 20 degrees outside and they gave a "jumpers away" call. Just what is the wind chill on a falling body from 12,000' or whatever.
 
There is published information. Section 4 of the Chart Supplement - Parachute Jumping Areas.
 
I fly into Port Aransas in the summer, with lots of active jumpers. Stay on airport frequency; they'll call out where the jumpers are, where they're landing, etc. The jump aircraft pilot usually will call out a countdown for time to drop as well.

The only time I had an issue was once they said, "we're landing on the far end of the runway, you don't have to wait, there's plenty of room to stop"; I just let them know I'd do a lap in the pattern to give them more time so they'll be clear when I come in.

I'll be honest, it's more harrowing when you're taxiing than in the air. If they're operating out of a hangar near the taxiway, or their LZ is across the taxiway from their hangar, you really have to keep your head on a swivel. It's the general public that aren't around airplanes much, and they don't know how close they can/can't be, so I always taxi super-slowly when I go in and they're operating. No issues so far, but I'd imagine the cleanup on the cowl/wings would be a helluva' lot more than the usual bugs to wipe down, and I don't have time for that nonsense. I'd rather just avoid 'em.
 
Matthew said:
I’m starting to pencil in an XC and was looking at a couple of potential “outs” along the route.

I found one airport that looked like a good option, then I checked the A/FD. The paved rwy is 18/36, and they have a set of grass rwys on the west side. Left traffic for 36 would put you very close to the grass. The chart supplement labels that area as “Jump Area”. (KCUH, if anyone is curious.)

I’ve flown in and out of airports that have skydiving clubs but never when they are active.

What’s expected procedure when jumpers are active?

Is that something that’s NOTAMed?
Click to expand...

Avoid hitting anyone...

No future trips available: https://oklahomaskydiving.com/tandem-skydiving/faqs/
 
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