| START SKYDIVING WEB LINKS | |
| JOIN OUR LIST |   |
| VISIT OUR FRIENDS | | Jump Institute |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| FEATURED ARTICLE |  | Team Fastrax and
Start Skydiving Offer Wounded Veterans
Tandem Skydive Opportunity "Blue Skies for the Good Guys and Gals" Honors our Nation's Heroes Team Fastrax Professional Skydiving Team and Start Skydiving are proud to announce their new program, "Blue Skies for the Good Guys and Gals," to say THANK YOU to the men and women who serve our country. The program will provide a tandem parachute opportunity for those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard (active duty, reserve or guard) who have been wounded in combat and received a Purple Heart. Team Fastrax has partnered with the Wounded Warrior Foundation and The Thank You Foundation to reach out to Veterans around the country. "These are our nation's finest and brightest and we have an obligation to do whatever we can to lift their spirits and show them how much we care, said John Hart, founder of Team Fastrax and owner of Start Skydiving. "As a Gulf War veteran and 20 year Army service member, I am honored to sponsor an event that will have a special impact on these men and women." The program will kick off at Start Skydiving in Lebanon, Ohio on Memorial Day Weekend as part of the Thank You Foundation Boogie. Selection.com, the nation's premier background screening service, is spearheading the corporate charge to raise the funds to make these skydives happen. For more information on how to help and participate you can contact The Thank You Foundation at : 1-877-280-8893
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
The Thank You Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to show appreciation and express gratitude for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, both past and present. The Foundation accomplishes its mission though several programs and activities such as sending care packages, visiting Veterans in care facilities, providing complimentary tickets to sporting and entertainment events, and presenting Thank You Cards and Certificates of Appreciation to those who have served or are serving our military. Donations can be made directly to: www.thethankyoufoundation.org |
|
| Dear John,
At Start Skydiving, we place our customers first in everything we do. This newsletter is meant to keep you informed about the latest events and occurrences at our Professional Skydiving Center. Please take the time to email or call us with any comments that will improve the services we provide at Start. You can help us spread the word about Start Skydiving by forwarding our newsletter to your friends. All you have to do is select the "Forward to a Friend" button to the left. |
What's Up This Week | Week ending 26 April 2008 We are now operating on Summer hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 12:00 pm until sunset, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am until sunset. We have a lot of students on the books for Saturday and Sunday, and Fastrax Demonstration Team will be training, so the plane will be flying frequently. Come on out and enjoy the weekend at Start Skydiving! Any staff that is available to work should let Sarah know. Attention OSU Staff There will be a mandatory meeting Saturday evening for all staff that will be participating on the OSU weekends and working the classes on campus. We ask that everyone (staff included) park on the grass/gravel area where the Start Parking sign is located at the entrance. You can park anywhere within the orange barrels, to include the grass area if it is dry. Please park your vehicles facing south in the lot in rows. |
| | Safety First! | Things you need to know . PREMATURE MAIN CONTAINER OPENING As jumpers, we like to think we're prepared for any emergency. You reach your predetermined breakoff altitude, turn, track and deploy, and then brace yourself, waiting to respond appropriately if something goes awry. But what if the emergency happens when you're not expecting it? You're at 8,000 ft., about to turn your next point; suddenly, you feel something strange on your back. You look up to see your d-bag suspended in the air above you, while your hackey is still in its pouch on the the bottom of your container. Now what? This situation is described as a horseshoe malfunction. The loose bag, although released from the packing tray, is still connected to the container; the bag and the bride, still attached to the undeployed pilot chute, form a "U" shape in the air above the jumper. This is a very dangerous situation. Good maintenance and awareness of your gear can prevent this situation from arising in the first place. With every pack job, check your closing loop, your pin, and your bridle routing. If you're questioning whether or not to replace your closing loop, go ahead do it; don't risk your safety, and that of your fellow jumpers, because you think "it'll last one more jump." In the aircraft, be aware of your rig. Leaning against seats, walls, or other jumpers can dislodge your closing pin. Make sure to check your pin, or have someone check it for you, before exiting the aircraft. Be careful during climbout and exit, and avoid unnecessary contact with anything that might interfere with your closing and deployment system. If, despite careful maintenance and on-aircraft procedures, you do discover that your main container has opened during freefall, you can try to clear the malfunction by deploying the pilot chute out of sequence (i.e. after the deployment bag has been released from the container). The difficulty is that the collapsed condition of the container may make it difficult to find and and extract the pilot chute from the B.O.C. pouch. Additionally, if the tension of the free-floating d-bag is not sufficient to deploy the pilot chute, it is unlikely that the jumper, reaching behind and pulling, will be able to release the pilot chute manually. If you do attempt to deploy the main pilot chute manually, limit your attempts to two tries or two seconds, whichever comes first. If this is unsuccessful, cut away and deploy your reserve. |
| Upcoming Events | We've got some great upcoming dropzone events. OSU Go Bucks! Weekends May 3rd & 4th and May 17th & 18th We will be training more than 300 skydivers on these two weekends. Both Caravans will be flying, with one dedicated to our up-jumpers, and one designated for students. Come out and enjoy the weekend with this great group of soon-to-be skydivers. Thank You Foundation Boogie May 24th, 25th & 26th Come out and show your support for our troops! $10 from every tandem is being donated to the Thank You Foundation during this event. Big-way organizing by Fastrax, a BBQ and all sorts of other events will be going on this weekend. Mid-East Skydiving Meet #1 May 24th Everyone is welcome to participate in this 4-way meet. There will be on-site 4-way organizing for anyone not already on a team but wanting to join in. This is an excellent way to meet people and improve your flying skills, while having a great deal of fun. Fastrax Canopy Skills Course and Mini Swoop Meet May 24th & 25th Hosted by one of the top canopy pilots in the world: Stuart Schoenfeld of Team Fastrax Swoop. If you are looking to become a swooper, or just improve your canopy skills, you won't want to miss this opportunity. There is a small registration fee for this event, contact
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
for more information on the course. Head Down Ohio Record Jumps May 24th, 25th & 26th Calling all head down freefliers! Start Skydiving is hosting the Head Down Ohio Record Jumps. We will be making practice jumps on the 24th and 25th, in preparation for record attempts late Sunday or Monday. The goal is to build a 30-way, but there is room to add up to another 20 if enough people register for this event. Contact Nick Hice at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
for registration information. |
| | DZ Happenings | | Here is the scoop! Our Second Caravan arrives on the 25th, so get your big way plans together and let's set some DZ and Ohio records! Check out the Start Skydiving Events Calendar and mark your schedules accordingly. With the the weather this weekend we were limited to only a few loads, but as always, those that did go up had a great time. Keep your fingers crossed for better weather this weekend. Spring is here; sunshine and cloudless skies can't be too far behind! Come spread out in our new space! We have added another 800 square feet of packing space, located on the West side of the hanger. There is cushy 3/4" mat on the floor; wall-mounted harness racks are coming soon. And always remember, If you're in the market for new gear, make sure you check out our sponsors on the left side of this newsletter. All the manufacturers we support are top-of-the-line. Ask manifest if you are in need of something; Kip or John will sit down with you and explain the benefits of having the right equipment. |
Picture of the Week | Esther Hofacre was writing a paper for school about methods of transportation; her mother suggested skydiving. (Cool mom, huh?) TI David Strobel showed her how a tandem student makes a jump, complete with harness, goggles and altimeter. And no, they didn't actually jump - the, um, "cloud clearance didn't allow it." ;-)
|
| National Skydiving League |  Four Way Tips John Hart, Team Fastrax Greetings Four-Way Junkies, Below is a piece on becoming a team. The last piece was on goal setting and I believe it is important to emphasize the definition of team. I encourage you to contact me with any and all questions you may have regarding team building or 4-way in general. Becoming a Team What is a team? The definition is: Main Entry: 1team
Pronunciation: 'tEm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English teme, from Old English tEam offspring, lineage, group of draft animals; akin to Old High German zoum rein, Old English tEon to draw, pull -- more at TOW
1 a : two or more draft animals harnessed to the same vehicle or implement; also : these with their harness and attached vehicle b : a draft animal often with harness and vehicle
2 obsolete : LINEAGE, RACE
3 : a group of animals: as a : a brood especially of young pigs or ducks b : a matched group of animals for exhibition
4 : a number of persons associated together in work or activity: as a : a group on one side with a common goal (as in football or a debate) b : CREW, GANG c: a group that acts as one, openly communicates/functions as a unit. I have spent the majority of my life being on a team of some type, little league, wrestling, baseball, military, skydiving and work and each one had dynamics that were completely different. The commonality of each was that there was a common goal each team member aspired to achieve. Before you commit to a "team" make sure that your goals are in line with each other. Team First, John
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Meet 1 - May 24 Meet 2 - Jun 21 Meet 3 - July 19 Meet 4 - Aug 16 NSL Playoffs - Sept 20 - 21 Rain dates are the Sundays. If good weather prevails and the meets complete in one day, we'll have organized big(ger) ways on the Sundays. If anyone has an interest in doing some 4-way this summer, feel free to contact me directly at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
. We're here to serve. Here's to a great season in 2008! -Mike |
Thank you for making Start Skydiving the place where great people become skydivers and skydivers become great! Blue Skies, The Team at Start Skydiving |
|
|
