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Old 06-07-2009, 07:18 PM   #1
Nadia
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Red face Oooooooops I did it again!

Oh my goodness Mr. Noonan I feel like a jerk now! You took the time out to post a well thought out response to my silly satire. Please forgive me, my intentions were good I promise. I was trying to express my thoughts on some very silly threads going on lately that are being debated in a manner so heated you would think they were political in nature. If my parachute didn't open during my sky dive I don't think I'd be around to ask for my money back I was really just pulling your leg on that one. On the other hand I was making a few cheap shots at flyguy for posting what I think is some very negative garbage. I'm going to hop on my soap box and hope I don't regret it later, however I feel it is for a good cause. This type of negativity first spreads around the forum, and then permeates into the community like poisionous vapors. Not a good state to be in considering the economy. We should be opening our arms to embrace entrepeneurs whose main focus is to bring revenue and tourism back to the Lakes Region. We may not agree with their logic 100% however there are a few circumstances to be considered. First the Noonan's seem to be experienced in this field and have done their homework. Second, judging from the responses the Noonan's have provided I highly doubt they are looking to open a business that is going to put many people's lives in dangers, open them up to wrongful death law suits, property damage law suits from customers landing on people's property or colliding with planes. Or be dragged into Court constantly with injunctions from those who frequent the airport and get irritated with the delays, and property abutters whose lawns become front row seats for spectators to watch it all take place, have to listen to ambulance after ambulance, deal with the news and media taking pictures of planes landing on houses to avoid colliding with skydivers? You get the picture. C'mon. Do you really think these people are looking to waste their time and money this way, and royally piss off the community while they do it? Do you really think that local and State authorities are not going to make sure this is a safe practice before allowing this to go on? No smart business person wants a law-suit. Even the ones who aren't that smart for that matter! There is always a certain amount of risk involved in a new business, especially such an eccentric idea like the Noonan's have. Yet I don't think there is any way they could get the town of Laconia to allow them to be in the business of risking 100's of people's lives daily. They won't even let a Methadone Clinic in! Think before you post this kind of hogwash, based on nothing more then "scary Mary" BS--and we are now starting to see even more so how much revenue, tourism, spark and life this BS can drive away. I've learned my lesson the hard way to zip my lips or more so, hold my trigger finger before responding to what I find offensive or wrong in my opinion. But I can't sit back and not call on what I find to be out-and-out negativity. The very negativity that directly harms the Lakes Region. If I offended anyone in this process, I apologize in advance. I did this with good intentions. Maybe I should have not been sarcastic in my initial post, but I was trying to give everyone a laugh and be more subliminal in my responses to such nonsense. However Mr. Noonan there is a silver lining to the situation--your policy is now posted so that no one has to step up and ask what happens if they do chicken out when they get up there! By the way I think that is a very fair policy! I prefer to stay on the ground myself, and my husband would never shoot at falling skydivers or clay disks for that matter. If a customer did happen to land on my roof deck, my only request is they bring me a mocha iced latte and try not to shake it :-) Before I close I do wish you and your wife the best of luck again.

-Off my soap box
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Old 06-11-2009, 08:40 AM   #2
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Default Skydive Laconia

Greetings to all,

I just wanted to provide a quick update. Mary and I will be attending the June 18th, 2009 LAA meeting. If anyone is interested in meeting us, asking us any questions, or sharing any concerns, please feel free to come over and say hello.

I'll have my laptop with me, so if anyone wants to see photo or video media of what we intend to offer the community, we will have that available.

It is our sincere hope that based on the large volume of factual information provided to the LAA that validates our proposal and request, that a favorable decision will be made at this meeting and that we can move forward with our business.

On an unrelated side note, I am happy to announce that I have been asked to participate in the second ever expedition to Mount Everest to make tandem skydives along side the world's tallest and most famous peak. Last year I was a part of the First Everest Skydive expedition and had the honor making the first tandem skydive in the country of Nepal alongside the peak of Mount Everest. This year's return expedition is equally exciting and promises to reach a global audience.

I have attached a picture of one of my tandem jumps from last years event. I am in the blue jump suit.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom
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Old 06-11-2009, 08:51 AM   #3
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Talking

Sooo cool! What a picture!
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Old 06-11-2009, 09:06 AM   #4
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Default Skydive Laconia

Thank you Woodsy,

We exited a Pilatus Porter at 29,500ft MSL (-40 degrees Celcius, hence the thick jumpsuits). Mount Everest is 29,085ft MSL, so we wanted to make sure that we took our tandem students above the peak height. I will never forget the first jump that I made. I opened the door, turned out, and I just sat on the side of the plane for three minutes at 29,500ft MSL, just staring down the right wing, looking "down" onto the peak of Everest. (We got within a 1/2 mile of the peak before turning away for our jump run and exit.)

I had the opportunity to discuss the jumps with Colonel Joe Kittenger a few weeks later. He holds the record for the highest freefall at 103,000ft MSL. When I made my first skydive on June 12th, 1999, I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that some day I would be skydiving in the shadow of Mount Everest and then discussing those high altitude skydives with Colonel Kittenger, but there we were, talking about our experiences. Skydiving can produce some amazing experiences, all we have to do is give it the chance.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

(Attached is a picture of Mary and I with Colonel Kittenger)
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Last edited by TheNoonans; 06-11-2009 at 09:49 AM. Reason: Uploading Photo
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Old 06-11-2009, 11:50 AM   #5
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Thumbs up In Response to the pic in post #107

All I can say is WOW---I would never have the gumption to take that jump. I can't imagine what you are feeling and thinking at that very moment! I would assume between your adrenaline and everything else you almost feel like you are turning yourself inside out a few times. Thanks for the pictures! Now any of us who are too scaredy cat to take the plunge can at least get an idea what it's really like! This thread is a great way to notify people that your coming to the Lakes Region and what to expect. I guess we can thank flyguy for something after all!
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Old 06-22-2009, 02:07 PM   #6
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Default Skydive Laconia

Greetings to all,

I just wanted to post a follow up to our meeting last week. Mary and I flew into Boston Wednesday night and spent the day in New Hampshire taking care of different aspects of our business proposal. From one local business to the next, we continue to be thrilled with the positive response that we have received from the community. We keep hearing "Good luck!" and "Look forward to having you here!" and it really makes a difference with all the work that we are doing, so again to the community as a whole, we thank you.

As for the meeting, we were pleased with it's outcome. If we understood correctly, the airport authority should be prepared to issue a decision, yes or no at the July 16th, 2009 meeting. We are preparing a response for the LAA regarding a handful of operational questions they posed, nothing out of the ordinary, so at this point we remain very hopeful that the LAA has come to see how little impact we will have on the airport and that they (hopefully) are prepared to approve us.

We have a number of exciting things planned for the business and the area that go beyond just jumping out of airplanes. With an approval to move forward, we can begin to put these plans into action. If the LAA approves us next month, our website will go live the next day (www.skydivelaconia.com) with all of our information and plans.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom
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Old 06-22-2009, 07:01 PM   #7
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Post Can this be done in Laconia

Can this be done if the Noonnan's get their permits for laconia?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZWUq_HgSVM

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Old 06-22-2009, 08:13 PM   #8
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Default Awesome!

Quote:
Originally Posted by EZ-Pass View Post
Can this be done if the Noonnan's get their permits for laconia?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZWUq_HgSVM
I love reading the responses on YouTube ... my favorite was .. "Holy S***" , which was exactly my thought when I watched it.
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Old 06-22-2009, 08:28 PM   #9
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Default Skydive Laconia

Hi EZ-Pass,

Your youtube video shows an 81-Way canopy formation that was formed over Lake Wales, Florida. Flying parachutes in a formation is called "CReW" which stands for "Canopy Relative Work".

To answer your question, yes, that sort of thing can be done over Lake Winnipesaukee. I was actually working alongside the organizer of that event this past weekend in Sebastian, Florida. I can ask him this weekend what it will take to get all those jumpers up to the Lakes Region in the future.

It is a HUGE undertaking to organize such an event, requiring at a mininum, 4 twin turbine aircraft (Twin Otters and Casa 212s), but it can be done. Imagine a photo of that formation with Lake Winnipesaukee in the backdrop, it is entirely possible. It would bring 100 or so skydivers traveling to the area for a week, staying in local hotels, patronizing local restaurants and bringing television and paper media coverage to the area.

On a smaller scale, there is a local 4 person CReW demonstration team called "Air Adventures" that we were planning to invite up for our grand opening, if/when we are given permission to operate. They would build 4 way diamond formations and fly them over the lake. Who knows, a few years from now maybe the next world record CReW formation may find itself being built over Lake Winnipesakee. With the support of the airport and the community, anything is possible.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom
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Old 06-23-2009, 02:02 PM   #10
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Hey - maybe Flyguy can take a few pictures of the formations!

Oh.

Maybe not.
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Old 06-23-2009, 03:03 PM   #11
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Is "Skydive Laconia" a Franchise, thereby enabling numerous skydiving operations around the country to pool resources, such as marketing and perhaps the purchase of group liability insurance ..? Just wondering.
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Old 06-30-2009, 09:08 PM   #12
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Default 60th Birthday Celebration....

This gal loves skydiving. She wants to at Laconia Airport as well!

The Noonan's are very welcome here!

T
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:54 AM   #13
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Greetings to all,

Just an update, this is the big week so to speak. Based on comments from the LAA at last month's meeting, the board should be prepared to render it's decision on our proposal at this week's meeting, Thursday July 16th, 2009. As always, we invite anyone, pro or con of our proposal, to come meet with us prior to the meeting at 5:30pm, we should be arriving in the terminal building around 5:00pm.

Thank you all for your support. We look forward to bringing skydiving to the Lakes Region.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom & Mary
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Old 07-13-2009, 11:16 AM   #14
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Default Skydive Laconia

Good luck...you will be a great addition to the area.
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Old 07-17-2009, 08:02 AM   #15
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Good morning to all,

I wanted to provide an update on last night's meeting. It's a good news/bad news result, but in the end the good news far out weighs the bad news.

First, the bad news. In June 2009 we were told that the LAA's Safety Committee would be ready to render a decision on whether or not we could land on the airport. That decision did not occur last night, so we cannot move forward yet.

The good news is that the LAA has elected to contact the ADO and have an airspace evaluation done. This is fantastic news, as we have been asking the LAA to do this since our November 2008 meeting. We are thrilled because from the beginning, we have been stating that the FARs clearly state that the FAA considers itself the only entity that has the knowledge and expertise to make the decision as to whether or not an airport can safely sustain skydiving. Now that the LAA has asked for it, the FAA can finally step in and make an assessment, which is what we have wanted all along. Let the FAA make the decision. When the FAA comes back and states that the airport is suitable for skydiving, this process can finally conclude.

We will be back for the August meeting and from what we understand, the FAA should be able to get in and make an assessment by then. We are THRILLED by that news.

Thank you all for your continued support. It is very much appreciated.

Blue skies to all and to all a good flight,

Tom

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Old 07-17-2009, 08:17 AM   #16
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Default Well All And All....

we do know how very slow that things can happen when the rest of us just want to SkyDive, in Laconia that is!!
We are rooting for you Two!! Tom and Mary!!
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Old 07-17-2009, 11:32 AM   #17
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Default Good Luck!!!!

All this should be all set and done so I can get my first and probably only jump for my milestone Birthday next year!!!
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