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Bulletin
One – January 1st 2006Skydive Arizona is proud to host the Parachutists
Over Phorty Society’s 8th World Championships. 2006 also marks the
40th anniversary of the POPS. We look forward to celebrating this landmark
event at our drop zone.
We expect to have pre-registration online shortly which will allow us
to make this process as simple as possible. Meanwhile, this information
bulletin should contain the answers to most of your questions. Other information
bulletins will appear on the POPS page of our web site as information
about event registration and pricing, excursions, etc. is finalized. If
there is anything we can do to make your visit more enjoyable, please
let us know.
Sincerely,
Bryan Burke
Meet Director, Skydive Arizona
Drop zone owners Larry and Liliane Hill started out in the skydiving business
at a gravel airstrip north of Phoenix with a single Cessna 182 in January
of 1978. Over the years their business grew steadily, operating multiple
aircraft and then moving to Coolidge. In 1990 greater expansion was needed.
Eloy was chosen as the site of a new center, built from the ground up
with the intention of providing the finest skydiving services possible.
Work began on the new facility in February 1991 and it opened for business
in April. Since then Skydive Arizona has become the busiest skydiving
center in the world and achieved widespread recognition, hosting six US
National Championships, the World Championships of Formation Skydiving
in 1993 and of Canopy Formation in 1998, the World Cups of Formation Skydiving
and Artistic Events in 2000, a 300-way World Record in 2002, World Cups
of FS, AE, and Canopy Formation in 2005, and countless boogies and smaller
competitions. Dozens of National and World Champions have called Eloy
their home.
Location, Travel, and Accomodations
Skydive Arizona is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert in the American
Southwest. Located in the town of Eloy, Arizona, we are less than an hour’s
drive south of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Sky Harbor is one of the
ten largest airports in the world, with connecting flights from every
inhabited continent and thousands of rental cars available. Although a
shuttle service from the airport is available, access to an automobile
is almost essential if you plan to spend much time away from the drop
zone. There is no local public transportation.
Phoenix and Tucson are about 50 miles from Eloy. Most services are available
in nearby Casa Grande, twelve miles west of Eloy. The town of Eloy itself
is quite small with only minimal services.
Once you arrive at
Skydive Arizona you will find that the month of October provides perfect
skydiving conditions – the best of the year! Days are warm but with
very low humidity. Expect daytime high temperatures around 32 C. (92 F.)
with lows at night near 14 C. (58 F.) The average temperature is 24 C.
(75 F.) Days tend to be very sunny, with little or no rain expected at
this time of year. Be ready for warm, sunny days but remember the dry
desert air cools quickly at night. You will want long pants and a jacket
at night. Temperatures at altitude can be cool for the first few loads
of the day.
There are numerous hotels in the area, ranging from luxury golf resorts
to economical motels. World Top Pop Karl Poruben and USA Top Pop Tom Zukowski
have already booked rooms at the Francisco Grande resort on the west side
of Casa Grande. Although at 20 miles from the DZ it is the furthest away
of the area hotels, it also has the finest rooms and suites as well as
a superb 18 hole golf course.
For those wishing to stay closer to the drop zone several hotels in the
area offer a variety of accommodations. Detailed contact information,
including online reservations, can be found on our web site. At HYPERLINK
"http://www.skydiveaz.com" www.skydiveaz.com click on the “Facilities”
button. From there, click on “lodging.” Scroll down through
the lodging options on the drop zone to find area hotels at the bottom.
Many of our visitors from abroad enjoy renting a motor home (caravan)
for their visit. This not only allows for private, comfortable, and economical
lodging right at the drop zone, but of course gives you the means to tour
the region in comfort before or after your visit to Skydive Arizona. We
have parking spaces with water and electrical connections on the drop
zone.
Schedule of Events
The following schedule is tentative. Timing of competition events may
be affected by weather. For those not entering all events, fun jumps will
be available on a continuous basis from 8 AM until sunset (~18:00) daily.
Organizers for fun jumps will be on site throughout the event.
Saturday, 7 October: arrival and registration. Opening Ceremonies will
begin at 17:00.
Sunday, 8 October: late registration and fun/practice jumping.
Monday, 9 October: Three rounds of accuracy in the morning followed by
three rounds of 4-way Scrambles.
Tuesday, 10 October: Complete last two rounds of Accuracy. Afternoon excursion
by bus to area attractions, fun jumps.
Wednesday, Three rounds of team 4-way, three rounds of sport accuracy,
fun jumps.
Thursday, finish any incomplete events/rounds in the morning. Excursion
by bus in the afternoon. Fun jumps.
Friday – fun jumps in the AM, Hit ‘n’ Rock in the afternoon.
Saturday – Fun jumps and/or complete any unfinished rounds of competition.
Closing banquet at 19:30.
Sunday – departure day.
Requirements
When you arrive you will need proof of membership in your national parachuting
association, POPS membership (available on site), proof of experience
such as a log book and/or parachuting license, and packing data for your
equipment. If your national aero club membership does not provide liability
insurance, you will need to purchase a temporary US Parachute Association
membership for fifteen dollars, valid for 30 days and providing $50,000
in liability insurance. Our Federal Aviation Regulations require that
foreign parachutists maintain and operate their equipment under the regulations
of their country.
Aircraft
At this time our fleet consists of three Twin Otters, three Shorts Skyvans,
one King Air A-100, one DC-3, and one Beech D-18. Although we will be
seeking possible unusual aircraft, the current insurance climate in the
US combined with the high cost of ferry fuel may make it impossible to
procure exotic aircraft.
Directory
of Services
POPS World Championships Organization
DZ owners: Larry & Liliane Hill
Meet Director: Bryan Burke
Aircraft Operations: Shawn Hill
Registration and Hospitality: Betsy Barnhouse
Chief Judge: TBA
Packers & Rigging Services
Packers for hire are located under the tents next to the swimming pool.
Desert Skies Rigging, for reserve re-packs and repairs to equipment, is
located at the south side of the central grounds. We recommend that you
have your reserve in date when you arrive. Major events can create a backlog
of work at the rigging service.
Skydiving Equipment and T-shirt Purchases
Square Two is on the east side of the central grounds, near the Bent Prop
Café.
Food and Drinks
The Bent Prop serves food, drink, and liquor. Crimson Sky Café
has several varieties of coffee and pastries. Both open at 0700.
Communications
Incoming telephone, fax, and e-mail messages are posted on a large message
board inside the main building. Pay telephones are located in the shower/laundry
building, in the Bent Prop, and outside of the main building. If people
are calling for you, we will take messages so that you can call them back
at your convenience. Arizona time is seven hours earlier then GMT.
E-mail can be sent and received at the Cyber Café, adjacent to
the Crimson Sky Café. Faxes can be sent through the manifest office,
for a nominal charge.
Packages, letters, and post cards can be mailed through the manifest office.
You can have packages or mail shipped to your name at the manifest office.
Incoming mail goes to a mail box outside the manifest window, inside the
building.
The mailing address is:
Your Name
4900 North Taylor Rd.
Eloy, Arizona 85231
Automatic Teller Machine, Currency Exchange
There is a cash dispensing ATM machine located in the Bent Prop Bar and
Grill. There is no place in Eloy or Casa Grande to exchange foreign currency
to US dollars. We suggest you acquire US dollars at home or exchange your
currency for them at the airport exchanges.Medical or Parachuting Emergencies
On the Drop Zone:
Report any emergencies to the manifest office. We have comprehensive first
aid equipment and well established procedures with the Eloy Fire Department.
For medical emergencies on the drop zone, please do not attempt to contact
the Emergency Medical System (911) on your own. This will only create
confusion and possibly delay response.
If you see problems such as reserve rides or out landings please notify
manifest.
In any emergency, be sure you stay at the manifest until we have the necessary
information to respond. We will need to know the nature of the problem,
when it happened, and the direction and approximate distance to the problem.
Off the Drop Zone
Call 911 on any telephone. This connects you to an emergency services
dispatcher who will send the appropriate response – medical, police,
or fire.
Tipping: In the USA, many service workers are paid a nominal wage and
make much of their income from gratuities. A rough guide to tipping follows.
Generally, excellent service warrants a better tip; poor service, a smaller
one.
Meals at restaurants – full service: 15% of the bill, not including
taxes.
Bar service: 10 to 15% of the price of the drinks.
Taxis: 10 to 15% of the fare.
Luggage carriers at airport or hotel: $1 per bag.
Welcome to Arizona
Arizona has much more to offer than great Skydiving. It is one of the
most geographically diverse regions in the world with climate zones ranging
from the arid desert to tall forests to alpine tundra. A state of contrasts,
land-locked Arizona receives less rainfall than any other state in the
union and yet has the most boats per capita. A three hour drive can take
you from water sports at a sunny lake to skiing on a snow covered mountain.
The Grand Canyon, over two kilometers deep, is only 100 kilometers from
3,840 meter high Mount Humphreys. Although famous for its deserts, Arizona
has the largest forest of majestic Ponderosa pine trees in America!
The sixth largest stare in the union with 113,909 square miles –
about the size of Italy – Arizona has a population of about five
and a half million people. 75% of these people live in the areas of Phoenix
and Tucson, leaving the rest of the state sparsely inhabited. In fact,
only 17.5% of the land is privately owned. Of the rest, 12.2% belongs
to the state, 26.7% to the Native American Nations, and the rest is federal
public land held by national forests, parks, or monuments. The great scenic
beauty of the state and the clear, sunny climate has made tourism one
of the largest segments of the state’s economy.
A colorful historical and cultural background enhances the state’s
beauty. The region has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years. Some
of North America’s most sophisticated native cultures were nurtured
in the mesas, canyons, and valleys of Arizona. To this day the indigenous
people of Arizona retain much of their ancient culture, partly because
the remoteness of their lands and partly because of their long and largely
successful resistance to both Spanish and American incursions. The Apaches,
for example, fought the European invaders with considerable success for
over 120 years, and to this day the Hopi have never signed a surrender
to the United States. Navaho, Pima, Havasupai, Quechan, Mohave, and the
local Tohono O’odham tribes also remain a powerful cultural force.
Arizona’s second cultural influence was Spanish. Spanish explorers
first reached the area in 1582, and after years of sporadic visits by
explorers and missionaries the first settlement was started in 1752. Tucson,
Arizona’s second largest city, was founded in 1775. Although the
area became American territory in 1848, the Hispanic influence remains
powerful – notably in the architecture, cuisine, and place names.
For a look into the past, the lovely mission of San Javier del Bac just
south of Tucson makes a great day trip.
The third influence on the area came overland from the eastern United
Sates in the 1820s as fur trappers and traders sought new frontiers. More
Americans came as Arizona became an important route to California during
the gold rush of 1849. Low mountain ranges and mild winters made up for
the blazing summer heat when surveyors sought a path across the continent,
and in 1858 the first transcontinental stage coach route across the United
States passed just one mile from where Skydive Arizona stands today. The
town of Casa Grande was founded as a railroad construction depot for the
southern railroad line.
Arizona, which had been included in the New Mexico territory of the U.S.A.
after the Mexican war, became a separate territory in 1863. This was a
reflection of its increasing importance due to the discovery of gold in
the 1860s, followed by silver and copper in the 1870s. More settlers fostered
ranching and farming throughout the latter decades of the nineteenth century.
This population growth also brought decades of war with the native population
and attracted the gamblers and outlaws that gave the territory its “wild
west” heritage. With the completion of Roosevelt Dam on the Salt
River in 1911 the region entered a new era and became a state in 1912.
Since then, the water projects that provide relative security from drought
have made a growing, modern economy viable.
Apparently steady supplies of water have led to overuse of the most precious
resource a desert community has. In the Eloy area hand dug wells found
clear water only six to eight meters below the surface 150 years ago.
In the 20th century, groundwater pumping has lowered the water table to
where it can no longer be reached economically in some areas. The vast
canal systems seen from the air over Skydive Arizona bring water from
sources as far as the Colorado River, 500 kilometers away. The challenge
of water conservation and distribution becomes even greater as the population
grows. A vivid reminder of this area is the Casa Grande Ruin, only a fifteen
minute drive from the drop zone. There, ruins abandoned six hundred years
ago hint at what can happen when a society dependent on complex water
projects is confronted by the cycle of flood and drought common to this
area.
Today, Arizona is home to high tech industry, universities, agriculture,
tourism, and many other elements of a modern economy. The attractive climate
and good business environment have made it the second fastest growing
state in the U.S.A. But in the popular imagination it is still the land
of cactus and canyons, scorpions and rattlesnakes, Natives and cowboys.
Here, the Wild West still exists only a few miles from the modern cities
of Phoenix and Tucson.
We hope you enjoy this unique land and culture! If you would like more
information about places to visit while you are here, please enquire with
our staff. Many of the staff have made Eloy their home for years and will
be happy to share their favorite places with you.
Area Attractions
Phoenix and Tucson are major metropolitan areas with a variety of museums,
art galleries, shopping, sports facilities, music venues, and restaurants.
Our manifest can provide telephone books and directions. If you have a
particular interest, please inquire with our staff. Odds are someone on
the staff shares your interest and can provide good suggestions about
where to go.
Shopping
Casa Grande has two factory outlet shopping malls where great prices for
famous brand items can be found, both along Interstate 10. One is at exit
198 (Jimmy Kerr Boulevard/Hwy 84). The other is at 194 (Florence Boulevard.)
One of the most famous shopping districts in the western US is Scottsdale,
Arizona, about an hour north of Eloy. Besides famous brands and stores,
there are dozens of art galleries and shops specializing in southwestern
jewelry, clothing, rugs, and crafts.
Outdoors
If you would like to experience the Sonoran Desert first hand, Picacho
Peak State Park is just 15 miles to the south east and offers both easy
and extremely challenging trails. For more primitive hiking in an equally
beautiful surrounding, try the Ironwood Forest National Monument, about
20 miles south of the dz. You will need to get directions – ask
at the manifest for details. An hour away, in Saguaro National Park, is
the Sonoran Desert Museum. This fascinating facility is a must-see for
anyone interested in nature. Here you can see most of the wild creatures
of the desert, from tarantulas to mountain lions, in a modern zoo that
faithfully reproduces wild habitat.
The clear desert air provides spectacular sky viewing. The Kitt Peak Observatory,
an hour south of the dz, has the most diverse collection of sky observing
instruments and telescopes in the world. It is well worth a visit, day
or night.
The Grand Canyon and other National Parks
If you have a few extra days for travel, the Grand Canyon is a six hour
drive from the drop zone. You will gain 6,000 feet (nearly 2,000 meters)
in elevation so expect much colder temperatures than are found in Eloy.
Along the way you may want to stop at the haunting Indian ruins at Montezuma
Castle or Wupatki National Monument or visit the volcanic cinder cone
fields of Sunset Crater. North and east of the Grand Canyon are the spectacular
canyon lands, mesas, rock formations, and Indian ruins of the Four Corners
area, where the states of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico meet.
Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelley, Bryce and Zion Canyons, and other
sites have made this vast region world famous for incredible scenery.
Missions and Presidios
South of Tucson are some well preserved sites dating from the Spanish
colonial era. The mission cathedral of San Xavier del Bac is lovely and
still in use. Tubac Presidio has been transformed from a small historical
site to an artist’s colony. Tumacacori National Historical park
is the site of a well preserved mission ruin.
The Wild West
Many of the famous icons of the American west are associated with Arizona.
The Apaches, gunfighters, cowboys, and miners of Arizona left an indelible
mark on American culture. You can re-visit this fascinating area at several
locations. Old Tucson, Tombstone, and other historic sites/theme parks
recreate western action.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is about six hours driving time from Eloy. Even if you do not
care to gamble, the variety of shows, restaurants, shopping, and other
entertainments makes this a worthwhile trip for anyone who enjoys bright
lights and night life.
Link to the official
POPS website Click here |
