I don't have an opinion one way or another about this whole thing, because I don't know enough about it. But I can tell you one thing. I feel sorry for you going through all this red tape. What a job. I would be so discouraged. Government makes things so difficult. Why don't they just say yes or not???
How long have you been fighting for this? Ridiculous. And you pay their salaries!

How's about the little airport up in Plymouth, NH, about three miles to Route 93 - Exit 26. It has a green grass runway, and to get a good look at the area surrounding the Plymouth Airport, it can be viewed from the parking lot up top, way up the hill at the Plymouth Wal-Mart. Driving up from Boston, MA, to Plymouth, NH, is an easier 1:45-hour travel than driving Boston to Laconia-Gilford because Plymouth has two Route 93 exits, Exit 25 and Exit 26 that exit directly onto Plymouth and Plymouth State University. Who knows, but maybe visiting skydivers would want to stay at the nearby (Exit 26) www.thecmaninn.com/plymouth/ or chill out at the new and nearby P.S.U. indoor ice arena (Exit 25), or go indoor climbing on a rainy day at the Rock-Climbing Barn (Exit 26).

Who knows but the Town of Plymouth might be welcome to have a skydiver center set up in their little college town, at their quiet little airport? According to wikipedia it has a 2380' turf runway, is public, and is owned by the Town of Plymouth. Plymouth has inns, restaurants, Plymouth State University and Main St businesses that all could use some more customers, so what's not to like for a skydiver center at their airport? The Rumney Rocks, a widely known rock climbing cliff area, is nearby and that brings rock climbers into the Plymouth area from all-over so probably they could be receptive to a skydiver practice area, too. The airport is situated at the southern edge of the huge White Mountain National Forest and within the Baker River valley.

www.airnav.com/airport/1P1 has a 2" color photo of the Plymouth Municipal Airport.

There's an old saying that goes....better just not to go where you are not welcome....so's could be that Laconia's loss could become Plymouth's gain?

www.plymouthnh.org
www.plymouth.edu/

Looks to me as though Avaiton Fuel (100LL) is not available at Plymouth. The nearest available 100LL would be Laconia, 19nm away. A bummer....not to mention a Short Field, and Soft Field in spring. Rolling resistance on turf is a lot more than on pavement. :D NB

This "better just not to go where you are not welcome" stuff is total crap. How do a few people get to decide who is welcome or not? I can't believe there are still people that think like this.

These people have every right to use every legal means to get their business going. Sure have arguements about the rules and safety and whatever else but to stoop to "not welcome' is really over the line. This should be a clean fight based on the merits.

I have no dog in this hunt. Ok maybe the extra air traffic over my marina will be distracting. I live near the grass airport in Pepperell and they have a noisy old drop plane.

What are the motives of the LAA
 

A question to the Noonans:

I would like to understand what the true motives are of the LAA, primarily from an economic position. I guess they are saying that this is purely a safety issue for them but what would be the economic effect on the LAA and the existing businesses there if you had your skydiving business along side of theirs. Or more important what do you think they think would be the effect. I believe most if not all actions are motivated by the almighty dollar, even political actions (just look at the monies involved in DC). So I have to feel that the LAA, et al feels they will lose money with your operation running; but how? I truly feel if they felt they would make more money with you there you would be there already. Maybe if they can get rid of you they can start their own skydiving business, I wouldn't put it pass them.

Just curious

Skydive Laconia
 

Hi Steve-O

I have no idea what the motivations are of the LAA.

But I'm happy to take a guess on the economic impact concerns.

They believe that

1) If we show up all the other aircraft will go elsewhere. They even believe that there exists an insurance policy that precludes jets from landing at airports with dropzones. It's all unquantifiable, but that's their concern. Jets and GA traffic thrive at other airports with skydiving. LCI will be the same. But the fear of the FBOs is that if we drive away other planes, they lose fuel sales. Our 500-1000 flights a season will generate more than enough fuel sales to offset any loss they might incur by the one percent of flights they "might" lose if we open.

But that's business. If our business model affects their bottom line it becomes there job to become better businessmen. Its a free market economy, survival of the fittest.

The reality is though, we will increase their revenues. Of the 2000 people to pass through our doors, how many of them could we direct to a scenic flight from an FBO after their skydive? Plenty. People that would NEVER bother to go to the airport on their vacation, will now come because of us, and we will spread that economic growth around. When most first timers land they are usually so jazzed that they want to go back up again, and of those alot ask as much about flying the plane as they do about skydiving. If we were there, both FBOs would have their flight schools book solid.

and

2) The REAL reason no one wants us there is because we will work there and they know it. The REAL FEAR in this process is that we will take over the airport. One of the FBOs told me once "I hear the radio over Lebanon, ME, up and down all day long, if you guys come here, the same thing will happen." It's not so much that they don't want to share the sandbox, they believe if we move in, we will take it over. When I countered that we had no intensions of taking over the airport, that we intended a healthy equilibrium maintaining a "Mom and Pop" feel to the business volume, he was shocked and in disbelief that we didn't want to grow as big as we could. He thought I wasn't being honest with him. The truth is, we know the level we want to operate at, to include an appropriate staff level, and we don't want it to get too big. We want to keep it personal. But he didn't believe that.

So......thats the real issue. They must have watched Fandango one too many times and expect Truman Sparks to fly in with a Cessna held together with duct tape. Thats not us, that's not our business model.

Speaking of economics, did you know that because the airport is federally funded, the hangars on the airport property can only be used for aviation related businesses? Thats one reason most of those 10,000sq ft hangars sit empty. Our business is aviation related.

But with the economy in disarray, and little money being spent in fostering aviation businesses, the airport is an FBOs nirvana. All the federal funding they need to keep the airport a gem, without any neighboring businesses to have to share the field with.

That's pretty much it in a nut shell.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,
Tom

I guess I could understand the point of less plane traffic results in less fuel revenue for the airport, if they believe that is what would happen. But they can't say there would be less scenic flights or flight instruction activity. I agree with you that there might even be more because you have a whole different clientele that after dropping with you and seeing the beautiful sights from a distant they might want to fly with them to see the beauty up close.

Skydive Laconia
 

Update for those still interested.

The first meeting in Washington has already occurred. The results were as we expected........POSITIVE.

The proper division of the FAA at the proper level of the FAA is now involved in this process and it's heading in positive direction full steam ahead. We could not be more pleased to relay that information.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

http://i52.tinypic.com/2s8k8lh.gif

Might not be relevent
 

But on June 11th I am taking my first leap in Pepperell MA at noon time!!! Excited and also a little scared
Hope I do not poop myself lol:laugh:

I've watched dozens of people parachute there. Everyone seems to be smiling.

If your that nervous you may want to look at Skyventures in Nashua. It is indoor skydiving and alot of fun. During the winter I met some instructors and avid skydivers who train there. Good luck and have fun.

Skydive Laconia .. new category?
 

I propose that the Skydive Laconia thread be assigned its own
sub-section of the Forum .. Maybe, it should have its OWN FORUM. :D

Jump
 

I jumped at Pepperell with 4 friends as part of a stag party. One of the wildest things I have ever done, with video to prove it.

Oh, Here Comes The Henchmen...
 

With all of their combined 2 posts on the subject. Way funny... :rolleye1:

Reminds me how Some very sorry folks thought that a certain someone found the very lack of religion, and had No maker to meet in the first place!

The dark side has it's proper place and in the movies!

This thread has no room for those who would try to hide it away from those of us that would love to see an Positive Economic Future here in the Lakes Region!
For those that will read this very thread, TheNoonans have very articulately shown most of us their true Heart! We should at the very least listen and follow them through their right to be, and my hope is that they will be a part of us long and into the future here!

I would jump any time, under their supervision!
Terry
____________________________________________

Issues
 

Agreed- I don't take issue with Don's moderating often, however, this one belongs in the issues section of the forum. It is as contentious as any of threads that are there now.

It seems by looking at the airplanes from a distance as they fly past, that the Laconia Airport gets a lot of small private jet planes that cost big big bucks, while the Plymouth Airport gets a lot of small hang glider style planes where the engine and pilot are hung by nylon straps and duct tape from a canvas wing so it looks to be worth maybe $4499 (second hand and flown by a guy nick-named Crash? (my bad, shame on me!)).

........... www.chutesup.com

Suggest you check out the videos in "about us" with a parachute plane taking off and landing from the Plymouth Airport. ChutesUp is a good high quality website with some good Plymouth Airport videos! In particular, take a look at the 2:51 minute video: "Grey Ghost takes off at Plymouth Airport" to get a good look-see at the airport, facility, and surroundings.

It's a fair possibility (that means I have absolutely no clue) that the Plymouth Municipal Airport www.airnav.com/airport/1P1, owned by the Town of Plymouth, might be very happy to have a high quality sky diver operation set up in their little airport that is only a three mile drive from Route 93-Exit 26.

As a high quality sky diver operation, maybe it could be an advantage to run the business from Plymouth's easy-to-drive-to, little grass runway municipal airport, and be a bigger fish in a smaller pond as opposed to arguing a lengthy federal review with the F.A.A. and the Laconia Airport (just my two cents?). Sometimes, it's simply better to switch than to fight!

It's 18 nautical air miles from Laconia Airport to Plymouth Airport. The Plymouth Municipal Airport is a very scenic spot with big views direct from the airport runway to the now closed Tenney Mountain ski area, the Rumney Rocks rock-climbing cliffs, the White Mountain National Forest, and the Plymouth Wal-Mart where you get an automatic, built-in 7-day/week parking lot audience to ooh and aah the colorfull skydivers as they exit their airplane from about one half mile (air distance) away upfront as seen by the many people in the Wal-Mart parking lot that is high up on top of a steep hill. The Plymouth Municipal Airport looks like an antique airport, complete with an old field house situated between the small dirt parking lot and the green grass runway. It is next door to the Long View Produce Farm and about one mile across the very scenic Smith River covered bridge from busy Route 25, also known as the Tenney Mountain Highway. It is in a quiet spot that's one mile close to a busy commercial road which includes Wal-Mart and a number of other businesses, although you would never know it from the airport runway as it is tucked away pretty good out in the countryside.

I don't feel this needs a seperate forum at all. If it were there I would have never found it and am very interested now. The is definately some back and forth but emotions remain in check for the most part.


Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Skydive Laconia
 

I'm not surprised that certain people would want this thread moved or closed.

What was created to be a smear campaign against us using smoke and mirrors turned 180 degrees when we found it and began providing facts. Not only is this thread not serving the smear campaign purpose it was created for, it is now giving us a platform to provide facts and truth to the community. I am sure that fact continues to bother more than one person........

(Please remember this point if nothing else.......we didn't come to the forum to start this debate.......someone else did.)

I'd also like to point out that this thread has been rated with 5 stars and is approaching 30,000 views, so it must be considered to be of some value to the online community here.

And that's really what this whole thing is about, serving the community. You don't like where the thread is going? The easiest thing to do? Don't view it.

Admittedly, I had to look up the word "contentious":

"Likely to cause an arguement" or "controversial"

I don't consider this thread arguementative, it's a debate. Of all my posts on here, how many of them did I make a point to wish Mr. Hemmel well in his pursuits, even if his pursuits were clearly to discredit me? Quite a few.

As for controversial, well, when you photoshop a tandem pair skydiving in front of a jet and label it "Skydive Laconia" and place that at the top of your first post, right before you let the community know that two "outsiders", oops, I mean "Floridians", are attempting to open up a skydiving operation over "YOUR homes", well, I'd have to agree with you on that one.......this thread did start off a little contentious.........especially since never in the history of tandem skydiving, has a tandem pair hit a jet, or any plane for that matter. It quite literally has never happened, ever.

The facts are on this thread and those in the community that are able to think freely and prefer informed opinions and informed debate over censorship will keep reading this thread and even contributing to it.

Those that prescribe to the "If I close my eyes, you can't see me" mentality, will continue to attempt to get this thread shut down or moved.

So in the end, there are a couple of people on here that want this thread shutdown, oh well.

I would just ask the community as a whole to consider one simple question. "Why is that?"

The answer is right there in front of you, and I suspect most of you, if not all of you, already know the answer.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

"So in the end, there are a couple of people on here that want this thread shutdown, oh well.
I would just ask the community as a whole to consider one simple question. "Why is that?" "


Not "shut down". Just moved. Because it's BORING.

Sal

28,880 views dosen't look like many folks find it "BORING". Plus, moving it wouldn't really change anything. The folks that are interested in this thread would find it wherever it got moved to.

Not sure what moving it would accomplish. :confused: I just simply "skip" any threads I find uninteresting to me. I don't understand why you would even read a thread you found "BORING" :confused:

I'm not giving you a hard time.. just curious to your motive.

Certain People
 

I am not one of the "certain people" Frankly, I think your business should be approved ASAP.

My comments stems from the fact that most threads that gained this level of views and posts generally are contentious (speed limits on the lake, no wake zones, etc)- and these threads are promptly moved into the issues section of this forum.

Moderators statement: "This separated forum is provided for the discussion and debate about controversial issues that effect the Lakes Region but are discouraged from the other more friendly areas. Debates about speed limits, no-wake zones, noise and general complaints and griping belong here. Threads in other forums that turn into debates, arguments or bickering will be moved here. Warning! Avoid this area if you don't like debates and arguments! "

My question is, how is this different than a thread on the MP budget being cut? http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ad.php?t=12018

I have been flying these "private jets that cost big bucks" for 20+ years now and can assure you there is no problem flying into an airport with a skydiving operation.

I would much rather share with a well run skydiving school than with a flight school of student pilots/weekend renters or aviation photographers. Neither are known for paying much attention while circling around "their" home airport in Cessnas. No private jet would shy away from Laconia because of a skydiving operation. We go where the boss wants, so long as its safe...and skydiving is not a concern in the least.

Every little backwards airport I have been to has its few locals who think they own it. They hate the idea of some "outsiders" (Floridians? lol) coming in. Why?

God forbid someone does something to improve the terrible Lakes Region economy huh?...Skydivers travel, they are people with discretionary income and they would rent hotels, use restaurants and bars, etc. Many even fly in with their own aircraft. Its a win for everyone.

Having flown in and out of Laconia many times I can assure you that airport can support MUCH more traffic than it currently gets.

Good Luck in setting up your skydiving business, sounds like you are well on your way.

I continue to read the thread for the day that the Noonans get to post - APPROVED!

It's a shame the the region can not see what this business will do for tourism.

Just my .02

Skydive Laconia
 

Thank you. We look forward to posting that message as well. And it is coming. The proper branch and proper level of the FAA now has
complete control of this process and when it concludes in a few months, we fully expect not just to be vindicated, but to have the full weight of the FAA behind us moving forward.

To help better explain the process that is occurring within the FAA now though, I'll offer this information.

There are grassy areas directly adjacent to the runway on each side of it referred to as "object free areas", meaning that their can't be any permanent structures there. The area is intended for departing or landing aircraft that may lose directional control and veer off the runway. The FAA doesn't want a maintenance shed or even a stationary parked car there, which makes perfect sense.

Now the FAA (Flight Standards) has clearly established that parachutists are allowed to use that area to land and clear away from. The ADO and LAA want to label us "objects" and say that we have no right to be there. The problem with that "safety concern" is two fold:

1) It is already an established protocol that has been in existence for about 65 years now, to no ill effect of person or property.
2) The actual people raising the "Safety concerns" are neither aviators nor skydivers. The FAA agents of the ADO are not pilots, they are engineers that have never had to interact with a skydiving operation before in this capacity and have misapplied their role.

The loudest vocal minority with "safety concerns" is of course the airport itself. An LAA board comprised of not a single current aviator along with an airport manager that has never worked on an airport with skydiving. For the airport manager's entire tenure at LCI, there has never been a skydiving operation. Why is this such an important fact? When the LAA and the airport manager cite their concern for parachutists landing in an "object free area" they are doing so without any practical experience or knowledge of the effect of us doing so.

Why is that lack of knowledge so important?

If they were truly knowledgable about the subject, they would know that in the 65 years that parachutes have been landing on airports around the country, including in the object free areas of those airports, there have been approximately 55,000,000 skydives made during that time frame.

Now........how many times in 65 years and 55,000,000 skydives, has a parachutist made contact with an airplane on the ground?

Once. Yup. Only once.

The chances of a parachutist interfering with an aircraft in the object free area of the airfield is about 1 in 55,000,000 over a period of 65 years.

But wait....... the one instance, didn't even occur in an object free area, it happened on the skydiving facility property away from the object free area. But wait....... it was a solo student parachutist who later admitted that she ignored her primary landing area and wanted to land in front of her friends and family. But wait.........it was the skydiving aircraft she landed in front of. The important item here as it pertains to the LAA's "safety concerns" over the object free area? It had nothing to do with the object free area.

So...........using all those facts...........in 65 years and 55,000,000 skydives, a skydiver landing and vacating that feared object free area has never caused a problem. Ever.

Yet the LAA and the airport manager have "safety concerns".........so much so, that the airport manager actually drafted a letter to other regional airport managers, another "call to action" if you will, asking the other managers to band together and contact their congressmen if they felt safety should prevail over lobbying..........The odd thing about the email is that it didn't include anyone from the FAA in the addresses.......

Funny that. A local airport attempting to suggest that the FAA is not capable of properly assessing safety standards and that the FAA could cave in to lobbyists?

Well, the good news is that the proper branches and levels of the FAA have a copy of that email and they will address it when the time is right.

Makes you wonder though? Remember that "transparent process" that the LAA is quoted as providing us from the beginning? Do you think that sending an email to other airport managers and leaving off the very FAA they are tasked to serve, is transparent?

The irony in all this is that the object free area is simply an alternate area for us. We intend to land in the small grassy areas between the hangars and the taxiways..........

Will we occassionally land on the object free area? Perhaps. But it will be on the side of the grass furthest away from the runway. That's the way it's already being done around the country, without ill effect to person or property.

And lastly, to add some comic relief...............

In that horrendously erronious report issued by the ADO, they went so far as to state that the "proximity of the Belknap mountains" contributes to variable and turbulent wind conditions. They even quoted a public comment that "katabolic winds" affect the ability of jumpers to predict their landing areas.............lol.

Gunstock peak: 2,245ft MSL
Mount Everest: 29,035ft MSL

Why is that so comical to me?

I hold a world record for the highest parachute landing on to the Kala Pattar plateau at 17,192ft MSL. Right beside Mount Everest.

Mount Everest: The world's highest mountain creating the world's most turbulent and unpredictable weather and winds on the planet. I landed my parachute beside Mount Everest on a plateau LZ the size of a soccer field beside the Khumbu Glacier (a mile wide block of ice that is filled with 1000ft crevasses and jagged ice out croppings).

Gunstock Mountain: A ski resort a few miles away from the airport...........turbulent winds...........really?

http://www.vimeo.com/8012784

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

Good
 

Glad to see you are still fired up!
Continued sucess and good luck.

I am in favor of this project...but I am NOT Local. Up until now I have tried to keep my face shut, but this needs to be considered.

Let's say the Noonans are successful and win the day. Now they have to rent space (office & hanger) on the airport that doesn't want them.

So let's say they initially get that space. They can't do business without that enclosed space. You can't repack parachutes out on the tarmac.

The jump plane would need to be housed in a hanger....particularly in this case.... to prevent ..Tampering.

SO: Am I suggesting that the opposition would do such a thing....Tampering...which is against FEDERAL Law...?? ....:look: :look: I'll leave that up to you. NB

Totally Exemplary!
 

Thank you Tom!

Never having any doubt about you, and what you stand for and can bring to The Lakes Region, I learned even more today from the Vimeo about you helping out in other areas! And the background music was riveting as well!

Global Angels Ambassadors Wendy Smith and Tom Noonan, make new World Record: skydiving and landing on the Kala Patthar plateau, at an altitude of 17,192 feet (5,242m), right beside Mt. Everest near Base Camp to help raise $1 million for children in Asia.

If anyone is looking for a more positive person for this area, look no further than this thread!

A great pleasure to have you here with us Tom!
Rock And Roll,
Terry

PS; I also enjoyed during Wendy's narration in the video her mention of God, at altitude! Priceless!
http://www.vimeo.com/8012784
_____________________________________________

I just watched the video on the Everest Jump. WOW! And the locals don't want this in town? The marketing of this operation with the pedigree that is being offered would be a hugh benefit to the region.

Thanks for the education and sharing the video

Keep up the good fight!

Skydive Laconia
 

Hi NoBozo

While I don't ever expect that we will be on their holiday card mailing lists, these are all good people on the other side of this debate.

I have spoken once or twice with both owners of the FBOs, and they are genuinely nice guys. While my wife and I continue to find humor in the fact they have that "Skydive Laconia" photoshop on their FBO terminal office windows, we don't take it personally.

When this is over and we end up operating, and the jets don't disappear and their fuel sales increase because we are flying 5 days a week for the entire season, well, they still may not send us holiday cards, but atleast their concerns will have been abated. I may still even enroll in one of their flight schools. The past will be the past and I expect we will all move forward together.

Same goes for the LAA and airport manager. They're all nice people. They are just doing what they believe they need to do, however misguided and counterproductive to their federal funding grant assurances their actions are.

So.............when this is over, our hangar door will be wide open to the other side. We'll offer periodic educational seminars (or venting sessions if that is what's needed) to both educate and listen to the other lines of business and local pilots and work together to create a mutually agreeable existence on the airport.

With all that said, we have absolutely no concern whatsoever that anyone would even consider tampering with any of our equipment or aircraft.

Regarding use of facilities, if you look at the airport's website here:

http://www.laconiaairport.com/laa/pilots_hangars.htm

You will see that there quite a supply of vacant hangars for lease and/or for sale. We have spoken to a few hangar owners over the last few years and each one was interested in taking us on as either a leasee or a sale. Your airport has a number of beautiful hangar facilities that sit vacant because for commercial use, legally they can only be filled with an aeronautics based business. Put simply, there just isn't a lot of businesses out there that could fill these hangars, especially in this terrible economy.

We will fill one. We will fill it with airplane(s) and parachutes and jobs, lots of jobs. My guess is that within two years of operation, we will employ as many, if not more people at Skydive Laconia than all of the other lines of business combined. And most of those jobs will be filled by locals, by you. Eventually, once we provide the proper skydiving training, we would hope that all of the jobs would be filled by local members of the community.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,
Tom

Today's video:

http://vimeo.com/21458932

Note that we are landing on the grass strip runway. Note that at the edge end of the runway there is a 3000ft drop off. Suffice to say, parachute landing accuracy is rather critical. We are in the Himalaya. The most turbulent weather conditions on earth. Yet the Belknap mountain range causes turbulence? Really?

Skydive Laconia
 

Thank you Terry, as always, your support is greatly appreciated.

In the second video I posted, the tandem skydiving footage is of me taking Le Mans champion race car driver Nick Leventis on a jump from 30,200ft the following year in 2010. It's an Everest Skydive record, going above 30,000ft MSL, and we did it for Nick's charity fund raiser. That one jump alone raised 100,000 GBP (about $160,000US) for Global Angels.

Outside of tandem skydiving safety seminars, I also give industry seminars on "Social Responsibility In Adventure Tourism" using the Everest Skydive expedition as the storyline.

The theme of the seminar is that for any adventure operation that utilizes natural resources and affects local populations, it is critical to ensure that the operations gives back as much, if not more to the community than it takes away. That's our mission with Everest Skydive and that is our mission with Skydive Laconia.

I have been very fortunate to have travelled the world the last five years skydiving and have seen and studied numerous business models in adventure tourism. Some may be completely self invested, other choose to share the economic benefit of the operation with the community. Which has a higher probability of long term growth and success? Yup. The environmentally minded, socially conscious operations that integrate their business models into the community as a whole.

To site an example, I recently spent six months in New Zealand. A national economy heavily invested in outdoor adventure tourism. Some of the most successful business models that exist there are no where to be seen here in the US. We plan to bring those business models to the Lakes Region, and it goes way beyond just skydiving. Skydiving however is the foundation. That is why this process is so critical.

Why do I mention New Zealand? Well if looked at the polar opposite side of the world in latitute and longitude, The south island of New Zealand is somewhere around the Maine/Canada border.

Like seasons. Like climates. Like mountain ranges. New Zealand and New Hampshire are as close to the same ecosystem/landscape/seasonal changes and offer almost identical outdoor adventure opportunities. New Zealand adventure tourism businesses thrive despite the economy as do all of the businesses that benefit from the economic stimulus these operations infuse into the local economies.

Imagine our little "dirt road business" bringing new business models and ideas to a region that is filled with untapped outdoor adventure tourism possibilities and all of the lodging, restaurants and ammenities to accommodate them year round?

Can we change the world and save the economy single handedly? Nope. Not at all. That's not what we are pitching. But are we capable of infusing new ideas and business models that could benefit a number of local businesses outside of our own? Absolutely. If you were elected as the Mayor of Laconia or as a Gilford Selectman by your community, should that local business growth possibility be of interest to you? If it were me, I would be very interested in learning more about something that could have a long term positive economic impact on the community I serve. But that's just me.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,
Tom

Skydive Plymouth - parked at Plymouth Municipal Airport:

www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6869793 ... white field house in the background that is both close to the runway and close to the car parking area.

www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6862732 ... what healthy looking green grass!

www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6863347 ... a Taylorcraft BC-12D.

www.chutesup.com

www.skydiveplymouthnh.com

What a good fit....skydiving and the Plymouth Municipal Airport....plus the locals can all get a freebie terrific skydivers-in-action view as seen from the Wal-Mart parking lot that is high on a hill about one mile away!

Hey FLL, weren't you looking for a job a while ago? Do push ups ring a bell? Instead of being such a thorn in the side, maybe once they get up and running, this could be a source of employment for you. :D

Skydive Laconia
 

For anyone still interested in our proposal process, there has been some great general news in our industry recently.

There are a few local municipal airports around the country at the moment like LCI, where the airport authorities have ignored proper procedure and due process and have attempted to stonewall legal and viable skydiving operations.

Like our situation, these other would be business owners are victims of "backroom tactics", that are anything but "transparent", and are designed to simply stall the would be business owners into giving up.

Well, the FAA has recently just put it's foot down on the antics of another such airport authority attempting to stonewall a skydiving operator and has ordered the airport to comply with their federal funding grant assurances and allow the skydiving operation to land on the airport.

The good news for future skydiving proprietors is that in each of these current instances, as the FAA deals with them one by one, the FAA will be setting precedences, so that the next time an airport authority looks into its bag of tricks to try and stall or block a legal and viable skydiving business from operating, the bag of tricks should be empty and the approval process won't take three+ years.

It seems there really are agents of the FAA upstream in Washington DC that genuinely do care if airports are abiding by their federal funding grant assurances and that these same agents are willing to enforce the rules and regulations across the country.

Score one for the skydiving industry today.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,
Tom

Skydive Laconia
 

With the holiday weekend ahead of us, and the increase in both GA air traffic and private jet traffic sure to be noticed at municipal airports all across the country, I thought I would share my weekend travel plans, as they bear slightly on the conversation.

On thursday a friend of mine, who is a commercial private jet pilot and also a skydiver, is picking me up in the plane pictured in the attached photo. We are then flying from Florida to New Jersey.

He is landing the jet at one of the country's busiest dropzones here in Florida and then we are flying to another one of the country's busiest dropzones in the northeast.

When I asked him if the insurance carrier for the plane had any exclusions for landing his jet at airports with skydiving operations, his response was nothing but laughter, followed by the statement "Are you kidding me"?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend of GA flights and enjoy your holiday weekend.

I guess some pilots are just better trained than others?

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Happy Fourth Of July Weekend!

Tom

Tom
 

Would the NJ airport happen to be Teterboro? My nephew works there and I enjoy hearing his stories about famous people landing. He is being trained to dispatch the critters, for safety sake, that tend to frequent the landing strips.:laugh:

Fair enough
 

Fair enough. Everyone in America is entitled to "vote with their feet". If you don't like the truth, feel free to do so.

On the other hand, I would hope you would have the cajones to provide your real name and the name of the business you own (you do own one, right?), so that I and my friends may extend you the same courtesy.

Low Rent...
 

I happened to be at the airport on Sunday. Wife and mother in law did the "Bi-Plane" ride. They "loved it" and the pilot is a great guy. He provides a great experience for locals and visitors to the lake.

As they started to return to the airport, they where called off because a pilot landing ahead of them did a "touch and go". The pilot said it was no big deal, he just circled and made a new approach.

During the 20 minuets they were in the air, two corporate jets took off, and another small plane landed. Seemed to me, and I'm no expert, that the staff at the airport were very capable of handling the various operations that were going on without any "drama".

I fail to understand why, if all that other business is OK for the airport, why Sky Dive Laconia is not OK? Private Jets, Pilot Training, Ariel Photography, Bi-Plane Rides, etc.

"Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My" There is a lot more to the story we are not being told by the folks that object to Sky Dive Laconia.

And, the picture that is in the #1 post on this thread is plastered to the window at the airport, that to me is very low rent. The picture is a photo shop job of something that has never happened anywhere. It should come down. JMHO

As a side note, when my wife "Sky Dived" (is that a proper phrase? :) ) at Sky Dive Key West a few years ago, she took off and landed at a small airport. 6.1 miles from NAS- Key West. That base is one of the busiest military airbases in the country. They fly drug, illegal immigration and training sorties 24-7. PS.. they also do parachute operations on base.

I respect Mr. Hemmel, and wish his and all of the businesses that use the airport success. I just wish he would have the testicular fortitude to explain his "real" motivation behind his objection and take down that phony picture. The objections he has posted so far ... wait for it... "Just Don't Fly"... sorry couldn't resist.

Here's a pic from their flight.

Attachment 5054

Skydive Laconia
 

Well, we made it to New Jersey.......

At one of the busiest skydiving facilities in Florida, taxi'd out in the private jet past parachutes landing beside the runway and departed with parachutes still in the air and another skydiving aircraft in flight. No near misses, no drama.

We then came into New Jersey and landed at another incredibly busy dropzone with parachutes in the air and multiple skydiving aircraft in flight. Again, no near misses, no drama.

I flew right seat in the cockpit to try and empathize with the few pilots out there that seem so concerned about the "busy cockpit" and "inability to see parachutes" on take off and landing.

Before this trip, I acknowledged that I had no practical experience in private jets to justify my position, other than the dozen or so private jet pilots that I know that also skydive that have told me over and over again what nonsense it was that a jet couldn't land at an airport with a skydiving operation.

Now I can at least say that I have seen first hand what that process entails.

So what did I learn?

I kept waiting for the cockpit to "get busy" as we approached the airport and enter the pattern. And it never happened. The pilot handled his work flow without breaking a sweat, we easily spotted the parachutes on approach, and the landing process was so clean and uneventful, that I was left with nothing but a reaffirmation that my position was sound. The pilot walked me through the whole process and the reality, as I have observed and experienced it first hand, is that private jets are more that suitable operationally with a skydiving operation on the airfield.

It felt like we were landing in a King Air, but with more control, more maneuverability and the greatest cockpit visibility I have ever experienced.

The result of this experience?

It just reconfirmed that the only reason, let me re-emphasize, the only reason, they do not want us there is because they do not want skydiving to cluster up "there" airport and "there" status quo.

At the LAA meeting in December of 2008, one of the FBOs made a passionate speech about how complex the private jets were he flew and how incredibly dangerous it would be to these jets to add us to the pattern. At the time, having no practical experience myself, I accepted his position for what it was and just resigned myself to "agree to disagree" based on the evidence and input I received from all the other NetJet pilots I knew.

Today, I look back on that speech (I wish it was recorded), and honestly am dumbfounded that someone with that level of experience could stand up there and make such an address.

I respect the opinions of everyone in this process, and I readily acknowledge that one flight in a cockpit of a Citation does not make me an expert. But adding this personal first hand private jet experience to all the supportive letters from pilots that have stated without question that a private jet does not pose any additional safety issues to airports with skydiving operations, my resolve is even greater that this is not a safety issue, it is a "Not In My Backyard" issue.

All of the pilots that I have known and worked with over the last decade have all conveyed a common attribute, confidence.

Those are the pilots I know. Those are the pilots I work with. Educated, well trained, current and confident.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

P.S.- While I am polarly opposed to the way Mr. Hemmel has and continues to approach this thread and process, claiming he has all this super secret information that no one else seems to know about, and that he is crusading for your safety, I would like offer this thought:

After having viewed the photos on his website, I believe that Mr. Hemmel is an exceptionally talented aerial photographer and I would encourage anyone interested in that product to put aside their personal feelings about how this process has been handled and continue to patronize his business. Suffering a sacrifice in product value to make a stand, especially for us, is an admirable quality that shows integrity, but in the end, Mr. Hemmel's position is simply based on a lack of information and fear of changing the status quo, its human nature. Despite the fact that he, and a few others up there continue to prevent us from earning a living doing what we are legally and procedurally allowed to do, I wouldn't want it on my conscience if I thought this process was also causing Mr. Hemmel's business to suffer.

And honestly, I don't say that to gain any favor from him or from any others on the other side of this process, my conscience and my integrity are my guides in this process and I believe in forgiveness and empathy.

Anyone that knows me knows that I speak from the heart and that I am sincere in my request, please continue to patronize Mr. Hemmel if aerial photography is a service you are looking for in the lakes region.

P.S.S. - As for the photoshoped "Skydive Laconia" photos that are posted by the FBOs, that continues to give us no heartburn. 1) It is free advertising and there is no such thing as bad PR. And 2) One day, sooner or later, we will be showing up with the local and national television media with all of our supporting data and documentation, and those photos will make a wonderful backdrop for our interviews.

We never wanted to turn this into a national media event, if we did, we would have done that in 2008, but that is where the otherside has driven this process, so the longer those photos stay up, the better. We couldn't pay for better "Not In My Backyard" exposure. Here will be the integrity challenge.....let's see if they keep the signs up when the cameras start rolling ......

Help...where can we go?
 

Sure wish you guys were open, as I would love to give you guys my business.

My daughter's 18th d-day is tomorrow...cannot for the life of me figure out what to get. A good friend just said "how bout skydiving". So I ask and she says "Ya, I think that would be cool...I'll do it".

Of course my husband and son have always wanted to do it....but here is my problem....my son is only 15. I checked the Pepperal, MA location and you have t be 18. So my question is....where can a family go to skydive when one person is 15?

Thanks to all. :)

eillac (allie c)