AGM this week, Snowy mountains

Snow-capped peaks

Well, this WAS a freezing weekend, wherever you were. Robertson was no exception. We did have forewarning with Robertson Winery posting a picture of the snowy mountain peaks and slopes on Facebook on Friday. Nevertheless, several people went straight through to Robertson from Donovan and Siobhan’s engagement party (congratulations guys) to get set for the weekend.

On Saturday, not much went on other than marvelling at the beauty of the valley. Nature had kindly built a swoop pond for us, but without a significant background in swooping, Nature did not seem to realise that under the trees between the clubhouse and the hangar might not be the best place for it. We will have it moved by summer.

Andi says the temperature on the ground hovered between 6 and 10 degrees. She doesn’t mention the night-time temperature – she may have blocked it out. Only one load was eventually done because of cloud, but apparently it was really beautiful. Craig Ziman who joined us for his FTJ course got his jump in and is all set for AFF progression.

Unfortunately crime has reared its ugly head again. We need to remember much of the work in Robertson is seasonal, so this will happen. During the winter months, keep all your stuff (not just valuables, the lot) locked up in your car or in the hangar/clubhouse so that intruders can find nothing of interest. The hangar will be locked when it gets dark, and the clubhouse will be locked if unoccupied.

As per last winter, cars that are parked behind the clubhouse must be brought round to the apron at nightfall. Items stored in cars should be in the boot and not visible and cars must be locked. We need to make sure there is nothing to take. If we start to look like an attractive prospect it will only get worse.

It goes without saying that trespassing on the dropzone / airfield is not permitted. If you see anyone you do not know, point them out to a Committee or staff member, or challenge them. All trespassers must be reported to the police.

The operating weekends are updated on the Skydive Robertson Face Book Page, and we often post updates during the weekend as well… make sure you stay informed – Check under EVENTS http://www.facebook.com/SkydiveRobertsonWPSPC

Blue Skies

Skydive Robertson

== Chairman’s Comment ==

I am looking forward to the AGM with all the fun awards to follow. Yes, I said AGM and fun in the same paragraph. If you don’t believe me, think back to previous Tequila Mojo presentations. We have a few more surprises up our sleeves, as well once we have worked our way through the more serious stuff.

If you didn’t get your chance to jump out and see the snow this past weekend, then come on out next weekend. Hopefully it will stick around for a bit. We can learn a bit of Paraski before Erik gets back and show him how it’s done.

== Upcoming AGM - Portfolios ==

The only two portfolios we have not yet covered are the ones that actually have a skydiving requirement attached to them.

Chief Instructor
The CI heads the Instructor and Jumpmaster body on the dropzone. He is responsible for every aspect of skydiving safety, and reports to the National Safety and Training Officer who is appointed by PASA. He must be an Instructor with more than one year of experience. He is the one who ensures we adhere to the MOPs. Once per year, he will attend a CI seminar and he will regularly conduct safety seminars for his staff. Currently Alister McQueen is our CI. Andre d’Argent will be standing this year.

Chairman
According to our constitution our Chairman acts as Drop Zone Operator. According to the ADZO, the DZO must hold a D license, or hold a C license and have the support of an experienced instructor, or be an experienced Instructor. The DZO is basically where the buck stops for all issues of safety and/or liability whether related to skydiving, to aircraft or to any other issue. He must coordinate the other portfolios and ensure all necessary tasks are completed. The DZO attends ADZO meetings twice a year. Pam Russell is our Chairman/DZO.

If you feel up to either of these tasks then discuss with a Committee member or simply arrange to be nominated at the meeting. If you have a candidate in mind, don’t just nominate them. Make sure beforehand that they are prepared to stand.

== Quote of the Weekend ==

These are getting to be stories more than quotes. The first one requires skydiving knowledge. Gabriel (2) falls off a couch and starts crying. Justin hands him to his dad, Marcel.

Justin: You are teaching your son to hook too low
Marcel: Gabriel, you need to trust your rears
Gabriel: (stops crying) Alright

For the next quote, it’s cloudy and a sucker hole opens up. A sucker hole, for non skydivers, is a hole in the cloud that opens and makes it look like the weather is clearing. It gets the name because only a sucker flies up through that hole which will immediately close behind you so you can’t see the ground or descend safely. Despite urging from juniors Shimmy and Andre decide the load cannot go. The hole promptly shows its pedigree and closes.

Shimmy (pilot, to skydivers): Good thing we didn’t take off or you could have been dead right now.
Kris: No you would have been dead. I would have jumped out of the plane.

Every sensible pilot knows it’s better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here. Good call from the experienced heads on the DZ. And Kris, if you jump through the cloud in a valley, remember what it is that MAKES it a valley. The edges have teeth.

== Awards ==

I believe it is too late to vote still, so I hope you picked your favourite nominee. The award for Clubmember of the Year is a big one, and a way for us to say thanks to contributors who have gone above and beyond in helping the club in a given year.

This year, we picked Dylan Owen, the Fuidges (Andrea and Justin) and the du Preez’ (Andre and Viv) as nominees, for the reasons that we gave in the previous newsletter. It needs to be remembered, however, that this one item we highlighted in each case, is part of a general pattern of service to the club which we truly appreciate.

Outside of that, there are also many other clubmembers who work hard, some of them very much under the radar – and deliberately so as they do not want to be singled out. We really do want to thank each and every one of them for their contributions. A club cannot survive without active input from its members.

== Booking Requests and General Information ==

I have deleted much of the standard information from this newsletter. It will reappear from time to time so that it is always handy in your recent archives, but we don’t need it every single week. If you can’t find it in a recent newsletter, you can always refer to our website.

If you are interested in trying out / starting skydiving please request our latest information and bookings document.

We look forward to welcoming you and your friends and family to Skydive Robertson, and introducing you to the exhilarating sport of skydiving and parachuting.

Blue Skies and Great Skydives...

Skydive Robertson

www.Skydive.co.za
bookings@skydive.co.za
Club Cell +27 (0)83 462 5666
GPS - S 33°48'46.55" / E 19°54'3.78"
www.facebook.com/SkydiveRobertsonWPSPC

Skydive Robertson
Western Province Sport Parachute Club (WPSPC)
CAA / ARO / 0004

These emails contains important operational information as well as other relevant and interesting stuff pertaining to Skydiving and Parachuting. Emails are sent out WEEKLY. This is our primary method of communication. Thanks for receiving and reading. If this email not displaying correctly? Click here to view it in your browser.

Snow-capped peaks Well, this WAS a freezing weekend, wherever you were. Robertson was no exception. We did have forewarning with Robertson Winery posting a picture of the snowy mountain peaks and slopes on Facebook on Friday. Nevertheless, several people went straight through to Robertson from Donovan and Siobhan’s engagement party (congratulations guys) to get set for the weekend. On Saturday, not much went on other than marvelling at the beauty of the valley. Nature had kindly built a swoop pond for us, but without a significant background in swooping, Nature did not seem to realise that under the trees between the clubhouse and the hangar might not be the best place for it. We will have it moved by summer. Andi says the temperature on the ground hovered between 6 and 10 degrees. She doesn’t mention the night-time temperature – she may have blocked it out. Only one load was eventually done because of cloud, but apparently it was really beautiful. Craig Ziman who joined us for his FTJ course got his jump in and is all set for AFF progression. Unfortunately crime has reared its ugly head again. We need to remember much of the work in Robertson is seasonal, so this will happen. During the winter months, keep all your stuff (not just valuables, the lot) locked up in your car or in the hangar/clubhouse so that intruders can find nothing of interest. The hangar will be locked when it gets dark, and the clubhouse will be locked if unoccupied. As per last winter, cars that are parked behind the clubhouse must be brought round to the apron at nightfall. Items stored in cars should be in the boot and not visible and cars must be locked. We need to make sure there is nothing to take. If we start to look like an attractive prospect it will only get worse. It goes without saying that trespassing on the dropzone / airfield is not permitted. If you see anyone you do not know, point them out to a Committee or staff member, or challenge them. All trespassers must be reported to the police. The operating weekends are updated on the Skydive Robertson Face Book Page, and we often post updates during the weekend as well… make sure you stay informed – Check under EVENTS http://www.facebook.com/SkydiveRobertsonWPSPC Blue Skies Skydive Robertson == Chairman’s Comment == I am looking forward to the AGM with all the fun awards to follow. Yes, I said AGM and fun in the same paragraph. If you don’t believe me, think back to previous Tequila Mojo presentations. We have a few more surprises up our sleeves, as well once we have worked our way through the more serious stuff. If you didn’t get your chance to jump out and see the snow this past weekend, then come on out next weekend. Hopefully it will stick around for a bit. We can learn a bit of Paraski before Erik gets back and show him how it’s done. == Upcoming AGM - Portfolios == The only two portfolios we have not yet covered are the ones that actually have a skydiving requirement attached to them. Chief Instructor The CI heads the Instructor and Jumpmaster body on the dropzone. He is responsible for every aspect of skydiving safety, and reports to the National Safety and Training Officer who is appointed by PASA. He must be an Instructor with more than one year of experience. He is the one who ensures we adhere to the MOPs. Once per year, he will attend a CI seminar and he will regularly conduct safety seminars for his staff. Currently Alister McQueen is our CI. Andre d’Argent will be standing this year. Chairman According to our constitution our Chairman acts as Drop Zone Operator. According to the ADZO, the DZO must hold a D license, or hold a C license and have the support of an experienced instructor, or be an experienced Instructor. The DZO is basically where the buck stops for all issues of safety and/or liability whether related to skydiving, to aircraft or to any other issue. He must coordinate the other portfolios and ensure all necessary tasks are completed. The DZO attends ADZO meetings twice a year. Pam Russell is our Chairman/DZO. If you feel up to either of these tasks then discuss with a Committee member or simply arrange to be nominated at the meeting. If you have a candidate in mind, don’t just nominate them. Make sure beforehand that they are prepared to stand. == Quote of the Weekend == These are getting to be stories more than quotes. The first one requires skydiving knowledge. Gabriel (2) falls off a couch and starts crying. Justin hands him to his dad, Marcel. Justin: You are teaching your son to hook too low Marcel: Gabriel, you need to trust your rears Gabriel: (stops crying) Alright For the next quote, it’s cloudy and a sucker hole opens up. A sucker hole, for non skydivers, is a hole in the cloud that opens and makes it look like the weather is clearing. It gets the name because only a sucker flies up through that hole which will immediately close behind you so you can’t see the ground or descend safely. Despite urging from juniors Shimmy and Andre decide the load cannot go. The hole promptly shows its pedigree and closes. Shimmy (pilot, to skydivers): Good thing we didn’t take off or you could have been dead right now. Kris: No you would have been dead. I would have jumped out of the plane. Every sensible pilot knows it’s better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here. Good call from the experienced heads on the DZ. And Kris, if you jump through the cloud in a valley, remember what it is that MAKES it a valley. The edges have teeth. == Awards == I believe it is too late to vote still, so I hope you picked your favourite nominee. The award for Clubmember of the Year is a big one, and a way for us to say thanks to contributors who have gone above and beyond in helping the club in a given year. This year, we picked Dylan Owen, the Fuidges (Andrea and Justin) and the du Preez’ (Andre and Viv) as nominees, for the reasons that we gave in the previous newsletter. It needs to be remembered, however, that this one item we highlighted in each case, is part of a general pattern of service to the club which we truly appreciate. Outside of that, there are also many other clubmembers who work hard, some of them very much under the radar – and deliberately so as they do not want to be singled out. We really do want to thank each and every one of them for their contributions. A club cannot survive without active input from its members. == Booking Requests and General Information == I have deleted much of the standard information from this newsletter. It will reappear from time to time so that it is always handy in your recent archives, but we don’t need it every single week. If you can’t find it in a recent newsletter, you can always refer to our website. If you are interested in trying out / starting skydiving please request our latest information and bookings document. We look forward to welcoming you and your friends and family to Skydive Robertson, and introducing you to the exhilarating sport of skydiving and parachuting. Blue Skies and Great Skydives... Skydive Robertson www.Skydive.co.za bookings@skydive.co.za Club Cell +27 (0)83 462 5666 GPS - S 33°48'46.55" / E 19°54'3.78" www.facebook.com/SkydiveRobertsonWPSPC Skydive Robertson Western Province Sport Parachute Club (WPSPC) CAA / ARO / 0004

These emails contains important operational information as well as other relevant and interesting stuff pertaining to Skydiving and Parachuting Emails are sent out WEEKLY This is our primary method of communication Thanks for receiving and reading If you no longer wish to receive communication from Skydive Robertson, please click here to unsubscribe.