13 APR 2014

		The spring weather that has prevented us from jumping continues to keep us grounded, but on Sunday, Shelby taught three newbies the first jump course. Welcome Ashley Campa, Jacob Bearl, and Gabriel Ward to hopefully bluer skies soon!
SKYDIVE TEMPLE 25TH ANNIVERSARY BOOGIE BALLOON JUMPS		The weekend of May 17th and 18th is about a month away and Skydive Temple is planning a boogie to celebrate. At a skydiving boogie, jumpers from all over camp out, jump out of special aircraft, make fun formations, or work on new skills with coaches and organizers -- oh, and and party all weekend long while we keep the planes up all day and the neighbors up all night. This special 25th Anniversary boogie, we're bringing back the balloon for early morning and sunset loads. Stay tuned for more information on signing up -- but you will need at least a "B-license" to qualify for the balloon.
		HAVE YOU MET JASON? If you're rather unlucky and have need of a helicopter ride to the hospital, you might just meet Jason Arsenault at his regular job, at the controls flying you there. Or, you can catch him flying camera or fun jumping at the DZ. Jason is also a coach, and you might just get to learn something handy from him. Jason started jumping seriously several years ago here at SDT, while stationed at Ft. Hood flying Chinooks. Now he wants to improve his free flying and get into big-way photography.
LEARN MORE IN A PACKING CLASS OR CANOPY CONTROL COURSE		Not enough people signed up for the canopy control course, but if you're interested, email Ilya@Skydivetemple.com or facebook Ilya Kats to sign up The canopy control class is not only a great idea, USPA requires it for your B-License, and here at SDT, we require it for your A-License. Wendy is also available during the week (and on rainy/cloudy/windy weekends) to teach a packing class which is also a USPA A-license requirement. So contact Wendy, and the next weekend you wanted to jump, but were weathered out, learn to pack instead!
		DID YOU KNOW... Skydivers can qualify for and receive a variety of USPA licenses, from A to D as well as special ratings according to their experience, skill, and knowledge level. SIM section 3 describes the requirements and privileges of USPA licenses. Three separate types of USPA ratings can be obtained as an individual develops expertise in a specific area, such as student instruction, professional demonstration jumping, and competition judging. The FAA issues ratings for riggers and pilots. For more details on the USPA instructional ratings, see the USPA Instructional Rating Manual. For the USPA PRO Exhibition rating, see SIM Section 7, "Exhibition Jumping." For information on competition judging, see the USPA Skydiver's Competition Manual. And for FAA ratings, such as rigger, pilot, or aircraft mechanic, refer to the FAA documents included in the SIM
SAFETY TIP OF THE WEEK		Earlier you read about staying on the wind line in higher winds; how would you alter your landing pattern? When winds are high, move your pattern entry point both farther upwind (increasing the length of your downwind leg) and closer inward toward the target to shorten your base leg. In high winds, going downwind greatly increases your ground speed; lengthening the downwind leg gives you more time, making it less likely you'll be blown too far downwind of the target. Don't go as far downwind, but turn in sooner than normal onto a shortened base. A shorter base leg means less time to be blown downwind in high winds. Remember when you turn back onto final approach, your penetration will be very little due to the high winds, so turn into your base and final legs earlier than normal.
Contact Skydive Temple at 254-947-3483 or email jump@skydivetemple.com