The Drop

News and Resources from AXIS Flight School

recent posts

about

AXIS Flight School offers structured, progressive training designed to help sport skydivers of all levels achieve their personal and competitive goals. Whether you’re looking to improve your canopy skills, master new freefall techniques in the tunnel and sky, or prepare for competition, our world-class coaches will guide you every step of the way.

  • 2012 USPA Nationals Info

    Here is some basic information regarding the upcoming 2012 USPA National Skydiving Championships hosted by Skydive Arizona.

    Individual Event Registration Forms

    FS (4-Way, 8-Way, 10-Way, 16-Way & VFS)   /   Artistic Events (Freestyle, Freefly)   /   Style & Accuracy   /   Canopy Formation (4-Way Rotation, 4-Way Sequential, 2-Way)   /   VFS

    Team Event Registration Forms

    4-Way FS   /   8-Way FS   /   10-Way FS   /   16-Way FS   /   VFS   /   Freefly   /   Freestyle   /   Accuracy Landing   /   2-Way Sequential CF   /   4-Way Sequential CF   /   Rotation CF

    Rules can be found at www.uspa.org. On the home page, go to “USPA Members.” There you can click on “Downloads” and look for the Skydiver’s Competition Manual. (SCM) If this is your first time at the Nationals read Section 1 carefully, as well as reading the section specific to the events you are interested in.

    Cost

    Every competitor or alternate pays a general registration fee of $50 for facilities, banquets, shirt, etc. Videographers are considered competitors. After that, cost is entry fee per event, plus jumps. Entry fees are based on the estimated number of participants sharing costs for their event. Jump costs are based on a fuel cost of less than $3.00 per gallon. In the event that fuel rises above that, jumps will be raised in proportion. Each one dollar in extra fuel cost adds about $1.50 to the jump price. Rule changes affecting number of rounds, judges, etc. may also affect costs.

    2,500 4,000 feet: $22

    4,001 9,000 feet: $23

    9,001-13,000 feet: $24

    Formation Skydiving / Vertical Formation Skydiving:

    $100 plus jumps per competitor for the first event. $50 plus jumps for each additional event.

    Canopy Formation:

    $150 plus jumps for the first event, $50 plus jumps for each additional event.

    Artistic Events:

    Freefly: $75 plus jumps

    Freestyle: $125 plus jumps

    Both events: $150 plus jumps

    S&A: $200 for one or both events, plus jumps.

  • Antelope Canyon


    “Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew. Entry to Antelope Canyon is restricted to guided tours led by authorized guides. The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tsé bighánílíní, which means “the place where water runs through rocks.” Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí (advertised as “Hasdestwazi” by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department), or “spiral rock arches.” Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation. Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time the passageways are eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic ‘flowing’ shapes in the rock. Flooding in the canyon still occurs. A flood occurred on October 30, 2006 that lasted 36 hours, and caused the Tribal Park Authorities to close Lower Antelope Canyon for five months.” – wikipedia

    Here are some of my selects from the trip, which also include Horseshoe Bend, Sunset Crater, and Wupatki National Monument:

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Back-Flip Transition From Sit to Head-Down Daffy

     

  • Alien Invasion Skydive Vienna Boogie 2012

    Skydive Vienna located at the biggest and oldest grass-only airfield in Europe (LOXN) celebrated its 40th birthday with the Skydive Vienna Boogie : Alien Invasion 2012 (27th July to 5th August 2012).  All the skydivers from several nations did not only enjoy the blue sky – but also the available coaching for FreeFly with Niklas Daniel & Brianne Thompson from Axis Flight School and the Canopy Control Seminars with Curt Bartholomew from Team Alter Ego. Markus Seifert from Skydive Vienna, actual national free fly Champion won the FreeFly MoneyMeet 2012 Competition. The boogie ended with a big celebration party and a Alien costume competition – the winner won a free Mirage Container.

    Additional Information:

    Visitors from : Austria, USA, Norway, Italy, Russia, Hungary, Nederland, Germany, Belgium

    196 Loads / 2760 Jumps

    No injuries

    2x reserve

    Plane Type : Dornier DO 28 D2 (12 Minutes to 13.000 ft with 15 skydivers)

    Highlights:

    Birthday party celebration 40th Birthday of Skydive Vienna.

    Alien costume party – best dressed Alien won a free Mirage

    Skydive Vienna FreeFly MoneyMeet 2012:

    –   15 participants

    –   Winner : Markus Seifert (actual national free fly champion of Austria)

    Here is the video from all the rounds of the Freefly Money Meet.

    For more images, please check out the links below:

    AXIS Flight School Facebook Album

    Para CLUB Wr. NEUSTADT Facebook Album

    Mirage Containers Facebook Album

    40. Jahre Para Club & FreeFly MoneyMeet 2012

    Part1: Alien Invasion 2012 : Skydive Vienna Boogie

    Part 2 : Alien Invasion 2012 : Skydive Vienna Boogie

    Sunset @ Skydive Vienna Boogie 2012

    Boogie 2012 : Axis Flightschool

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – 2-way 360 Cat Spin

  • AXIS learns to Wing-suit

    Over the 4th of July weekend, AXIS Flight School took a trip to Skydive San Diego in an effort to learn something new… wing-suit flying.

    Barry Holubeck, a highly accomplished wing-suit pilot, skydiver, photographer, and BASE jumper, showed us the ropes over two days.

     

    Here are a couple of screen grabs from Barry’s Go Pro. (Brianne flying a blue Tony Suits T-Bird, and I am Flying a white Birdman Blade)


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Barry has a long list of accomplishments, such as:

    -Being one of the first humans to fly a wing suit next to Mount Everest

    -First person to successfully perform a linked mixed formation flight while BASE jumping

    -Wingsuit pilot for Raise the Sky – Project XRW

    -Wingsuit pilot for AXIS XRW training camps

    -Flights in Tianmen Shan, Hunan Province, China

    … just to name a few

    Some of his more recent work includes the Versizon FiOS Quantum Speed Flight Commercial, which is a must see!

    Check out the behind the scenes footage to see how the commercial was made.

    AXIS Flight School would like to thank Barry for his great instruction and time. Looking forward to flying with you again soon 🙂

    A week later I borrowed a suit from a local jumper and expand on some of my skills with flocking dives. So here it is, my first couple attempts of taking photos back home while flying a wing-suit (this time a Phoenix-fly Phantom2):

    Above images were taken with my Go Pro Hero 2.

  • Blue Skies Magazine #33 Featured Photo

    I would like to thank Kolla, Lara & Pierre from  Blue Skies Magazine for making one of my recent images their featured photo! It depicts Bill Butler (AXIS Flight School Student) and myself completing a “Compressed Stack” over Skydive Arizona.

    BTW, if you don’t have a subscription to Blue Skies Magazine, what are you waiting for?  Click here to subscribe!

  • Parachutist Cover July 2012 Issue 633

    I would like to thank USPA‘s Parachutist for utilizing one of my resent photographs for the July 2012 cover spot. The image depicts a hybrid flying over Skydive Arizona while Arizona Arsenal‘s Steve Curtis lurks above.

  • Learn More About the 2012 USPA Nationals!

    If the number of inquires USPA Headquarters has been receiving on a weekly basis is any indication, this year’s National Skydiving Championships at Skydive Arizona is going to be the biggest ever. Here’s some basic information for those interested in competing:

    Registration: All competitors, including alternates and videographers, pay a general registration fee of $50. In addition, there is an event entry fee, plus the cost of jumps. Event entry fees are calculated based on the estimated number of participants sharing fixed costs; therefore, more entrants in your event results in lower cost per competitor. Event fees are as follows:

    • Formation skydiving and vertical formation skydiving: $100 plus jumps for the first event, $50 plus jumps for each additional event
    • Canopy formation: $150 plus jumps for the first event, $50 plus jumps for each additional event
    • Artistic events: freefly, $75 plus jumps; freestyle, $125 plus jumps; freefly and freestyle, $150 plus jumps
    • Style & accuracy: $200 for one or both events plus jumps

    Jump prices are based on fuel prices; if the price of fuel goes up $1 per gallon, jump rates go up $1.50. If current fuel prices remain stable through October, then the price per jump is as follows:

    • 2,500-4,000 feet: $22 (accuracy landing)
    • 4,001-9,000 feet: $23 (style and CF events)
    • 9,001-13,000 feet: $24 (artistic and FS/VFS events)

    Here’s a sample calculation: You enter both FS 4-way and 8-way. You’ll pay the $50 general registration fee plus $150 for two FS events, plus $480 for jumps ($24/jump for 10 rounds for two events). Total cost is $680.

    Registration is open from the beginning of the official start of Nationals until 5 p.m. the day before your event starts. At approximately 6 p.m. the evening before your event, meet management will announce the draw and hand out individual/ team numbers and assign jump order (you’ll get a copy of the draw).

    Skydive Arizona has created a 2012 Nationals Event Page with basic meet information and FAQs. Look for a dedicated Facebook page sometime in September. You can go to Skydive Arizona’swebsite now to check out the DZ’s amenities, aircraft, lodging, food, rigging, transportation options and a motel/lodging list.

    Here’s the schedule for Nationals: 

    Write competition@uspa.org with any questions; see you there!

    Skydiver’s Competition Manual Gets a Makeover!
    USPA’s Competition and Communications staffs have been hard at work on a major, long-overdue overhaul of the Skydiver’s Competition Manual—not only implementing the many changes that went into effect at 2011 and 2012 USPA Board of Directors meetings, but also completely reworking the manual into a format similar to the one used by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and the International Parachuting Commission. As new chapters (formerly sections) of the SCM are completed, they’ll be posted on the website for free downloading. The complete SCM will be available in early July.

    Source: News Update from the United States Parachute Association (Web Newsletter)

  • Tunnel Machines

    Just some of the highlights from last night’s tunnel session. Flyers: Kimberly Winslow, Brandon Atwood, Ty Losey, Niklas Daniel, Potter Cividino, Mike “Friday” Friedman.