I see a lot of push/pull here on many opinions. As pointed out earlier, I guess I would qualify as a 'nut job' who currently flies for a universty skydiving club.
Skydivers watch out for airplanes, airplanes watch out for skydivers. But please also think of the pilot who is flying that jump plane, and the liability that we face by letting the jumpers exit. I try to communicate best I can, and if you fly near a DZ, it should not be difficult to do the same. We all like to see other pilots drop in and visit our club. Communication to do so doesn't have to be difficult.
It is much more relieving to me when a plane is in the area, we can talk on local freq. We know where each other are, what we are doing, and when things are going to happen. Everything goes smooth.
But, when ATC tells me I have a plane at a low altitude headed directly over the airport just 'flying through', it gets irritating that I can't raise him on the local freq to let him know what's going on for the safety of both of us. (If you are going directly over an airport at low altitude, why not monitor the local freq?). Then I'm holding skydivers in untill I can spot the plane and figure out what he's doing.
I not only have to think of safety for me and other pilots, but the safety of the skydivers I fly for. If anything were to happen to them, whether caused by other traffic or not, FAA will point fingers at the pilot. Not something I want happening to me being 21 years old and flying for food. While this is not the case for all DZ pilots, it definitely eases our minds if you simply communicate with us, we greatly appreciate it.
Skydivers watch out for airplanes, airplanes watch out for skydivers. But please also think of the pilot who is flying that jump plane, and the liability that we face by letting the jumpers exit. I try to communicate best I can, and if you fly near a DZ, it should not be difficult to do the same. We all like to see other pilots drop in and visit our club. Communication to do so doesn't have to be difficult.
It is much more relieving to me when a plane is in the area, we can talk on local freq. We know where each other are, what we are doing, and when things are going to happen. Everything goes smooth.
But, when ATC tells me I have a plane at a low altitude headed directly over the airport just 'flying through', it gets irritating that I can't raise him on the local freq to let him know what's going on for the safety of both of us. (If you are going directly over an airport at low altitude, why not monitor the local freq?). Then I'm holding skydivers in untill I can spot the plane and figure out what he's doing.
I not only have to think of safety for me and other pilots, but the safety of the skydivers I fly for. If anything were to happen to them, whether caused by other traffic or not, FAA will point fingers at the pilot. Not something I want happening to me being 21 years old and flying for food. While this is not the case for all DZ pilots, it definitely eases our minds if you simply communicate with us, we greatly appreciate it.