Ramblers DZ Round-up
DZ Round-up Newsletter No5.
Picking up from Tuesday 5th July.
Well Julie didn’t do Stage 9 Tuesday, it was too windy. It stayed that way ’till Thursday and Dave Hodge was back to continue his AFF course which kept the 182 going all day. Same Friday, Dave did stages 6,7,8 and 9 out of the 182 and then the weekenders started arriving, so we got a load out of Homer (the Caravan). It was a great sunset load, Dave Hodge got his first Caravan load and Phil lead a tracking jump on his back.
 
Macca and Belgy - Photo (right) by Phil.
There was me and Pat Hopkins, Costa, Belgy, and Wade Davey (photo above, left). Dave Bleakley streaked past us with his new tracking pants on and was gone!
Michael Vaughan rocked up after the sausage sizzle and treated all assembled with a terrific little seminar on all sorts of canopy stuff. The weekend was Michael’s.
Michael on exit, Photo by Bubba
He trained up 20 canopy pilots over the weekend. They all did five jumps each, all videod and debriefed by Michael. Everybody raved about how much they learnt. It was a privilege to have Michael for the weekend and good-on-ya everybody (go Allison Mitchell!) who did the course and cheers to the SEQS Club for putting it together.
Actually it was great having both the 182 (Michael’s crew doing hop-and-pops) and Homer going. It was a busy little weekend. Saturday was a bit windy for the lesser experienced beginners –sorry Christine- but Dave Schmuttermaier, Dean Weiss, Cameron Faust, Dan Darvill, Tim Leach and Dave Hodge all got jumps in. We had quite a few tandems too, including ORBY and SAM HOOD from Gatton starting their Tandem Master Rating with Belgy. (Belgy has been doing more on the front than on the back lately!)
The wind didn’t stop Hayden’s wingsuit crew of 6 going hard. Birdmen everywhere. A few of the flatties got going too.
I got a couple of jumps in with James Stotton, a track,
 
James Stotton, Photos by Macca
...and a head-down attempt (sorry James!!).
Sunday was a beauty, perfect weather. Christine got two jumps in with John McMahon, with Splash watching on anxiously. I had to shoot through and do the demo at Fernvale with Doug Stewart on the River 949 flag. The dz cruised along. Dave Hodge cruised along, still! Tim Leith and Dan Hale were back for more. We had a few more tandems and Orby and Sam did more first tandem course jumps. Kimbo is in the news again, he did his first passenger jumps with the candidates.
 
Orby with Kimbo on the front, Photo by Louis.
Macca tracking, Photo by Bubba.
I got back from the demo just in time to make the last load – another track. It was right on sunset, what a beauty.
Monday saw just about everybody on the dz doing passenger jumps with Orby and Sam. Bubba was practicing his tandem camera-flyer skills. Chris Coulson organised a good 4-way with Louis, Paul Chivers and Dave Bleakley. Phil and I got another head-down in.
Phil tracking, Photo by Bubba.
Nathan Key did his First Jump. Congrats!!! (He'll be back!)
Tuesday was a beauty, Adam Martin, Dave King and Senan Gibson were back for continuation training. Orby and Sam kept punching them out – even Rebecca (manifest chic) went on the front.
I took off to the Sunshine Coast and went ground crew for a couple of beach tandem loads at Coolum Beach. It was the first day of operations out of our new Clubhouse at the Sunshine Coast Airport. What a beauty!
Only one load Wednesday, Scott Hamilton brought a couple of tandems along for their first taste. It was back on the tools for me. Wade and I did the tandems, Louis and Phil did the videos. Thanks for looking after me Wally.
 
Wade with Eliot Heansy, Photo by Phil.
Macca & Wally, Photo by Louis.
Dave Hodge was also back again Thursday and did a couple of photo shoot tracking jumps with Louis.
Dave flips out of the 182 and Dave's Delta Dive,
Photos by Louis
The weekend of the 16/17 was a rite-off. The cloud and intermittent rain made it miserable all day Saturday but that didn’t stop Kat Mettler from getting a couple of 182 loads going. Kat was on a mission to get her 500th done in Aus, and she was on jump no.497! She did it on Sunday in the arvo when the weather finally cleared up and we got a couple of loads away. There were only the die-hards left on the dz by then, Sunday arvo, but the jumps were terrific.
Kat's 500th
Mark Laing, Dale Findlay, David McEvoy, Peter Ebone Etherton, Kathryn Mettler, Ben Dalglish.
Photo by Lisa
Dale & Belgy CRW dock, Photo by Lisa
Dale Finlay, Belgy, Kat and Ben Dalglish did some CRW ...me, Dave Bleakley and Louis did some more tracking,
Louis tracking, Photo by Macca
Tegan Arnold rocked up for a SURPRISE 21st tandem, with Belgy,
Tegan with Belgy, Photo by Louis
...and Cameron Faust (photo below) arrived at the right time for a couple of A licence qualifier jumps
...and Lisa was on every load! And that was it for the weekend.
Monday the 18th has come and gone. Nathan Keys was back for Stage 2. (Told ya so!)
Nathan Stage 2 with Phil and Belgy,
Photos by Louis
and didn’t he have fun!! ...and Trevor Richards brought his French mate along for a tandem with Belgy while he did Stages 5 and 6 with Phil.
....and that’s IT for this Round-up.
See Ya ,
Macca.
PS: Please send in your photos and feedback!
Photo Parapenalia
 
Phil transitioning (left photo by Macca),
and Macca's Headdown exit (right photo by Louis)
Tracking Jump, Sunset Load. Pat getting tackeld.
Photo by Louis
 
Kat's 500th opening, and "High Fives" on the ground with Ebone and Ben. Photos by Lisa.
Learning Curve Camps
15th - 18th August 2011
Ramblers Learning Curve Camps are personalised mini-boogies specifically designed for A-F licensed jumpers ie. low experience level jumpers who are wanting to increase knowledge and awareness, gain experience, achieve licences and ratings and try new things in a safe and fun environment, plus experienced jumpers wanting to try new things, new camera flyers and jump pigs wanting to get on heaps of midweek loads.
Videos of the day’s jumps on the big screen each night plus landings videoed each day and debriefed as a group each night. Seminars most nights on a number of topics.
No rego and no hidden costs.
Register on-line to let organisers knows about your skill level, the jumps you want to do, the coaching you require, the seminars you want to hear and what goals you want to achieve.
Come and find out why Ramblers is Famous for Fun! Stay for the weekend of fun and games.
|
