Driving past a small, untowered airport (29D) yesterday and saw 3-4 chutes descending right over/near the runway, as a twin Beech was on final. I almost couldn’t look. There’s activity noted on the chart in that area, and it was windy. Is this unusual? Poor planning? How much directional control do those things have anyway? Certainly gives me something else to watch for.
Parachutes over airports
- Thread starter SLB
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Cap'n Jack
Final Approach
I'm sorry, but there isn't enough information to say if there was an issue. The rectangular 'chutes appear to be more maneuverable compared to the round 'chutes but I don't skydive and I'm far from knowledgeable. Sky diving operations often land someplace on the airport but away from the runway. If they were high enough, the plane on final could go under them. If I'm not sure I'll clear them, I'll do a go-around as it is just more flying time! They usually have a frequency to call out "jumpers away!", usually the CTAF but it may be an ATC frequency as well. I once heard Lincoln (KLNK, Nebraska) chew out someone for not making the call.
Yes, it is something to watch for.
Dana
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Routine operation at my airport. There are NOTAM and ATIS announcements when jumping is occurring, and the jump plane is very good about "jump in five minutes" and "jumpers away" calls. They fall and land within the boundaries of the traffic pattern on the north side of the runway. Really the only impact is the request for no overflight of the airport during jump operations. I've heard that very occasionally there will be a rare excursion into the runway area on windy days but I don't believe there has ever been a plane/jumper safety incident.
What makes it extra fun is when the aerobatic box is simultaneously open on the south side of the runway, so you'll have a guy in a Citabria doing loops just to the south of the runway, parachutists under canopy in the middle, and then you'll be in the pattern to the north. That was my situation yesterday, as I sequenced in behind a B-17 for the runway. HWY is a pretty fun little airport!
luvflyin
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Skydive Pennsylvania is the operator there. They use a King Air. @SLB ,was the Twin Beech you saw a King Air?
It was. I looked it up, and it’s registered to a Pittsburgh skydiving company. Thanks, I didn’t even think that the landing plane might be the one they just jumped out of. Drive to airport, board plane. Jump out of plane, get back in car. Drive home. Humans are funny.
Very USUAL. The landing zone is most likely off to the side and an aircraft on final should not conflict with their landing. HOWEVER, the pilot must be aware of parachute operations and make sure they keep their eyes outside the cockpit and watch for wayward chutes. And as it was already pointed out, the plane landing may have been the jump plane, but I've also flown into airports with jumps taking place. I would usually try to time my arrival just after everyone has landed, but sometimes there are stragglers or people that pulled way to early so it was a long ride down.
Think of people walking along the side of the road or even crossing in the middle of the block, usually there is no issue. They need to make sure they avoid the cars, but the cars also have a responsibility to keep their eyes open in case something happens unexpectedly.
Dana
Final Approach
You should have seen the old Griswold Airport in CT... standard airplanes using the paved runway, ultralights using the grass strip about 20° off, PPGs landing any which way, and the R/Cers at the end of the field. Locals were used to it but visitors got a little freaked out. Fun times.
Nah, it's more like drive to airport, hang out and BS a bit, board plane, jump, hang out and BS some more, maybe jump a couple more times, than hang out and drink beer until it's time to go home. It's about the social scene as much as the jumping. PPG is similar.
The jump pilots are the scary ones... as soon as the meat bombs are out, they point the nose at the ground and dive near Vne to get back on the ground before the jumpers.
Sac Arrow
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If you want sketchy, Lodi airport, 1O3, is the place to go. They are currently at 28 skydiving fatalities including one lady that landed on Highway 99 and was struck by a big rig.
luvflyin
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Yeah, those guys come down like a Bonanza full of doctors
At KRPJ they have a skydiving center and a restaurant on the field. I've flown in a few times and had lunch while we watch the skydivers land. The plane dropping them is always talking to ATC and announcing on the CTAF so you have some idea where they are and when they're jumping.
I used to operate at or near a few jump zones. Interestingly, a lot of them are quite friendly. My direct route of flight used to take me right through one airport that was pretty much exclusively skydiving. On days I was on an IFR clearance and they were jumping, I'd suggest to ATC that I deviate a bit to not overfly them while jumping. Often ATC can tell you where the jump plane is in the sequence as they talk to them countless times a day.
When they started jumping at Mid-Carolina (it's still Rowan to me), things were fine but I suggested they move their jump plane well off the taxiway. While they were off the pavement, the taxiway isn't quite wide enough that many plane's wingtips don't overhang the grass. After that first request, it never happened again.
Oddly, the first airport I mentioned was on the same CTAF as my home field so I'd hear the jumper's away call when I was at home. On days when it was like 30 degrees outside, I'm left wondering what the windchill on a falling body is.
When they started jumping at Mid-Carolina (it's still Rowan to me), things were fine but I suggested they move their jump plane well off the taxiway. While they were off the pavement, the taxiway isn't quite wide enough that many plane's wingtips don't overhang the grass. After that first request, it never happened again.
Oddly, the first airport I mentioned was on the same CTAF as my home field so I'd hear the jumper's away call when I was at home. On days when it was like 30 degrees outside, I'm left wondering what the windchill on a falling body is.
Pinecone
Final Approach
I did a few flights at Gene Soucy's school at Addison TX. I pull up into a vertical line in a CAP-10 and straight above me is a jump plane with the jumpers shooting out.
Now, they were at 9K or higher and I was at 3K, so it was not a conflict, but it did look weird.
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Near?
Dana
Final Approach
"Near" on the high side, perhaps?
Let'sgoflying!
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29D
-there’s a parachute symbol SW of the field on the sectional
-parachuting is mentioned in the FF comments
-and the remarks section
-I don’t see a notam, maybe those are issued as needed?
-I bet they were announcing on ctaf
-it’s in the remarks section of airnav
-it’s in the remarks section of the afd
-often is there is a awos/asos its mentioned at the end of the announcement
I’ve flown around them a bunch, they stayed on their side of the field; we worked well together (this was 9000’ pavement with lots of fast movers).
-there’s a parachute symbol SW of the field on the sectional
-parachuting is mentioned in the FF comments
-and the remarks section
-I don’t see a notam, maybe those are issued as needed?
-I bet they were announcing on ctaf
-it’s in the remarks section of airnav
-it’s in the remarks section of the afd
-often is there is a awos/asos its mentioned at the end of the announcement
I’ve flown around them a bunch, they stayed on their side of the field; we worked well together (this was 9000’ pavement with lots of fast movers).
No NOTAMS... It's marked on the Sectional (and in EFBs like ForeFlight), also noted in the AFD.
So all pilots should be aware of the possibility of jumpers at any time.
Dana
Final Approach
Airnav just copies the AFD remarks.
Let'sgoflying!
Touchdown! Greaser!
true
the point is however that the info is available at several points during preflight
My understanding is that the chart builder will use their best effort to put the parachute symbol on the correct side of the field but that this is not guaranteed to be accurate.
dmspilot
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I was going to say something like that. The location of the chart symbol doesn't necessarily mark the jump/landing location.
Let'sgoflying!
Touchdown! Greaser!
again, clarification;
I was not saying SW as if I thought the ops were on the SW part of the field….. just that the symbol can be found in that location if looking for it on the chart.