The Drop

News and Resources from AXIS Flight School

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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.

  • March 10th is Safety Day!

     

    In early spring, the skydiving season for much of the country is just crawling out of hibernation. Most skydivers don’t jump through the cold months as often as they do in the summer, and their skills are a bit rusty. That’s when Safety Day comes. Established in 1997 from an idea by Patti Chernis, Safety Day provides a worldwide forum at local drop zones to prepare jumpers for the year ahead. Safety Day promotes safety programs and helps inform jumpers of new developments and review important information and procedures. Activities typically include hands-on review and practice of safety procedures, seminars from skydiving operation professionals and experts, equipment evaluations and more. Most days end with a social get together. USPA encourages all jumpers of all experience levels to attend.

    Safety Day is typically held on the second Saturday in March; however, some drop zones hold it on alternate dates. USPA designated Saturday, March 10, 2012, as the 2012 Safety Day.
    Planning Your DZ’s Next Safety Day
    1. Announce to your jumpers that your DZ is hosting a Safety Day.
    You may want to offer incentives to boost attendance. Many DZs offer free or discounted jump tickets, free food, discounted reserve pack jobs, door prizes, or any combination. And plan a party for afterward.
    2. Select a suitable location.
    Think comfort. If the hangar won’t be warm or large enough, consider a restaurant, school gym, motel, or veteran’s lodge. Anticipate a good turnout and be sure you have room for lectures, training-harness drills, and rig inspections.
    3. Put a training syllabus and staff together.
    Feel free to use the training ideas included here, which involve the four modules or stations below, with just some ideas on content.
    Gear Check and Review— Have jumpers inspect their rigs with a rigger. Check closing loops and flaps, pilot chute snugness and condition, velcro, three-ring condition, RSL routing, AAD compliance with battery and factory check, etc.
    Skydiving Emergency Review and Drills— Review all types of problems, reinforce altitude awareness, discuss disorientation, practice in a suspended harness.
    Canopy Flight and Landing Patterns—Use aerial photos to show acceptable and unacceptable outs, review hazards, establish or review landing patterns, and discuss canopy handling toward preventing low-turn accidents.
    Aircraft Procedures and Emergencies—Review exit order and loading procedures, seat belt and weight and balance concerns, spotting procedures, visibility minimums and cloud clearances, air traffic control requirements, and aircraft emergency scenarios.
    4. Don’t forget the PR.
    Give recognition to those who turn out and those who teach. Remember that many local news organizations may want to provide news coverage. Take pictures and send them with a brief write-up to Parachutist. And consider that the skydivers who don’t participate may need more of your staff’s attention when the season kicks in.

    Like skydiving, Safety Day is also about fun. It certainly won’t be hard to encourage jumpers to get together at the end of the day’s activities for some mid-winter socializing. Make sure to include that in your Safety Day plan, too!

    For more safety oriented topics, please visit the USPA Website!

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Exiting a 2-way Compressed Accordion

    Foundations of Flight has been moved outside of its own “department” and into Safety & Training! Check out the January 2012 edition of Parachutist.

  • Quick Clips, Eloy 4

    Another great video by Dean Perrine. Check out his last Skydive AZ trip with friends. RedBull required!!!

  • Attention Skydiving Ladies!

    Hey all Skydiving Ladies attending the Eloy Christmas boogie. On Dec 27 and 28 we will be having a fun Arizona Women’s State Belly Record. Freeflyers welcome!!! Last year we did a 27 way. Come and join the fun and register ASAP!

    In addition, on January 27th – 29th 2012, Skydive Arizona will be hosting the very first SIS (Sisters in Skydiving) event! Big sisters are setting up a slumber-party style event especially for little sisters. Geared to women with 200 jumps or less.  This event is a great opportunity for young female skydivers to meet vendors and big sisters! Please contact Lisa Mazzetta at lisamariemaz@gmail.com for more information.

     

     

  • Happy Holidays!

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Toggle Stalls

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Level Changes While Belly Flying

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Belly Side Slide

  • AXIS Foundations of Flight – Barrel Roll

  • AXIS Flight School is going to the Skydive Expo!

    Skydive Expo is a  6-day gear extravaganza of fun and education—seminars, manufacturers, world-class organizing, and jumping. The people who make your gear want to meet you and share all they know about their products. It’s a fun, informal event filled with education, skydiving, and skydivers.

    Planned Events

    The heart of the Skydive Expo is the expo itself; manufacturers from around the world will be here at low-pressure booths to answer your questions and show you their gear. Even better, you’ll be able to walk over to Skydive DeLand to test out what they teach you! There will be seminars on a wide range of topics such as packing, maintenance, new gear features, and more. Organizers will be here putting together low-key, small, pick-up style jumps—no high pressure dirt diving or fear of getting cut here.

    Why?

    Gear manufacturers love going to boogies because they’re the perfect environment to answer your questions, teach you about their products, meet jumpers, and have fun. All the manufacturers wanted to get together with that low-key vibe in one place, at a world-class drop zone where you can actually jump the products you’re learning about!

    Who is doing this?

    Gear manufacturers from around the world are organizing the Skydive Expo.  This isn’t an event to sell you gear (no sales are allowed at the expo, so don’t worry about being pressured to buy anything); we just want you to learn all you can about your gear. Period. The Skydive Expo is all about safety and education.

    Where and when?

    DeLand, Florida, USA. April 3-8, 2012

    For more information, please click here.

The Drop

News and Resources from AXIS Flight School

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