sevenhillsblog

Middleton’s Big Demo
By Kim Schuette
This year Middleton decided they wanted to start the summer out BIG.
What better way than to have fun events all day, followed by live bands,
fireworks and of course SKYDIVERS.Middleton’s organizers contacted us. Thru great sales skills of our scheduler/PR person, Rich interest
in Seven Hills was set. Our crack Demo committee Chairman, Jim aka Razz negotiated the deal. We
were selected to be the Skydivers for the event. With a flurry of print and radio advertisement,
Middleton promoted the event.
June 14, started out to be a beautiful day however by 4 pm dark ominous clouds loomed the area
looking very threatening. But our weather wise Demo leader, Jay assured everyone that it was just
an edge of a storm to the south and it would clear in time.
The crew gathered at Middleton-Morey Field FBO. The Daredevil Demo team consisted of Jay, Bill,
Dave and Dean. The support ground crew consisted of Brent, Greg, Kurt, Nathan and I.
We waited out the rain and hail to pleasantly blue skies. The event was still on. Next we needed to
make sure the plane would be able to get from Juneau to Middleton for the event. The rain caused
enough delay in the events that the Demo teams ride arrived right on time. Our fearless Demo team
boarded the plane, waved and off they flew into the blue skies.
With communications from the event planners, the ground crew and demo team 8:25 was selected as
the exit time. Jump run, the sun and clouds all provided the perfect backdrop for our Demo Team.
The crowds could see the team as they exited at 7, 000 feet. They cheered with delight. As the
canopies opened, streamer unfurling and finally the Flag unveiled the crowd roared even louder. As
the demo team approached the landing area one by one in their calculated flights one could hear the
amazement of the crowd as they each artfully landed back on the ground. Seven Hills membership
completed another well done demo.
website: Seven Hills Skydivers of Madison, WI

Bi-plane weekend
June 21-22, 2008
By Diana Kruchten
Hi everyone, I was inspired to write a little note about my first jump
from a bi-plane. By the way, thanks to Greg Porter for arranging for
the plane to come. Good job Greg.
The ride in the plane was fun and exciting. I requested “The full Monty” as it was called, ride,
aerobatics, jump, and pictures. I did request “light” aerobatics being a little concerned that I might
get sick. It was actually just right. The nosedives were great but my stomach didn’t like pulling out of
them too much.
The exit from the bi-plane was the easiest I have ever had. The plane would slowly roll over and
dump you out. The pilot described the exit as “floating out” which is pretty accurate. I wanted so
badly to hold on for a while but I just don’t have the upper body strength for that. I fell away and
watched as the plane spiraled down in front of me. It was great.
Another reason I really enjoyed the bi-plane was my father. I have mentioned that my father was a
pilot, learned to fly during World War II. He never flew in combat but he always loved to fly. My
father and his brother George I’m sure flew planes like this in their younger days. My uncle George
was a barn stormer and I remember many times flying out to the farm with my father when I was a
child. I think I got my skydiving genes from my father and uncle. My bi-plane dive gave me a chance
to be a little closer to my family for a little while and imagine my father and uncle enjoying the ride
with me. Thanks for the memories.
website: Seven Hills Skydivers

When you come to Seven Hills Skydivers you can expect a warm friendship from and amongst the members. We each have our own reasons for jumping. We come from all walks of life and come at least every weekend to experience once again the thrill of freefall and to escape the routine of daily life.
We come to be with our friends, our fellow jumpers. In our club we have come to know each other well. We know each other’s capabilities which are so vital in advanced sport parachuting. You will get to know us as we get to know you. We strive for perfection through cooperation, teaching, and practice. You can expect pleasure from the Seven Hills Skydivers organization because that is one of our primary purposes. Jumping is a sport and it should be enjoyed.
The Seven Hills Skydiving club is an organization for people who are interested in good safe sport parachuting and friendship. We are a group with close ties out to better ourselves in every way, every day, to attain the supreme pleasure of skydiving. The organization is the vehicle for us attaining this goal. The organization helps the individual as the individual helps it.

For the past 12 years Seven Hills Skydivers of Madison, WI demo teams have jumped into their largest venue, the Rhythm and Booms fireworks event at Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin. As many as 250,000 people view the fireworks with tens of thousands viewing in and around the park. Each demo jump has come off flawlessly with all skydivers landing safely and amazing the crowd each year with their accuracy and mostly stand up landings. This year we received a nice sized sponsorship from Culver’s Corporate and Culver’s of Sun Prairie to help defray our costs. Our ground crew of Kim, Greg, Linda, Sara, April, Sheila and Frank worked the incoming crowd with a booth offering info on the club and how to make a first jump. They continued their team efforts by securing the landing area and providing ground to air communications. Greg got us some pub on WOLX during the jump while April and Frank took some great photos which made a local paper and have also found their way into the office of Craig Culver himself. He loved ‘em!! Who knows where they may be seen next. Razz, Bob, Jay and Rich made the jump from around 7,500. Razz dutifully reminded the three of us to “don’t funnel’ the exit which ‘we’ of course did. You might want to ask Rich for an explanation but don’t expect a good one. After a masterful recovery we all deployed at the appropriate altitudes with Bob flying the American flag and Jay red, white and blue streamers. Razz, doing video, came to the rescue at 3,500 feet, yelling at the guy with the large Culver’s banner that it wasn’t fully deployed. One quick check of the belly bag with the tail of the banner snagged on the zipper fixed the problem quickly.
Demo jumps done properly, especially close to and on the ground, are a great way to promote our sport and our club. More than jumpers are needed to make it a successful event. Hopefully, there are many members in our club who have made making or being a part of a demo jump one of their goals. Though they can be filled with pressure, like any jump well done they bring a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Work on your skills (especially accuracy) and you too may have the chance to funnel an exit in front of thousands of people. I don’t think anyone saw except Razz - and his camera.

Safety: From your S&TA at 7 Hills Skydivers
First let’s talk about winter jumping. Summer is gone, fall is here, the leaves are falling and winter is near.
Following are a few reminders for everyone:
No 1. Don’t over dress. The more bulk you have on the harder it’s going to be to maneuver in the aircraft and the
slower you are going to be in freefall. It’s also going to slow your reactions in case of an emergency. The most
you should wear is a thin set of long Johns, a turtle neck and a sweatshirt. Also the more bulk the more likely you
are going to work up a sweat while packing and that means the cold blast of air is even going to be colder
when you open the door at altitude. Also keep the heat in the clubhouse at no more than 60 degrees. It not only
saves the club money, which we don’t have much of but it keeps you from over heating. While climbing to altitude
keep the heat in the aircraft to a minimum so when the door opens there’s not that huge change in temperature.
No. 2 When it comes to gloves they should be as thin and pliable as possible while still giving you protection
against the cold. Do not wear any bulky ski gloves or hooks. Make sure you can feel and take hold of all of
your handles. An S& TA or an experienced jumper should look at all gloves.
No. 3 Helmets and goggles fog up, especially helmets with a full-face mask. Keep them off until just before the
door opens.
No. 4. When flying relative, don’t plan as many points as you would on a nice summer day. You are going to be
slower and you will not execute as smoothly. Take your time and keep aware of altitude.
No 5. Make sure there is a ground crew so if you land out or get injured there is some one there to pick you up.
No. 6. When jumping in the wintertime and if the ground is completely covered with snow, be aware of the fact
that your depth perception is going to be way off. In other words it is going to be more difficult to judge your flare altitude.
Try to use buildings, trees, the windsock or other obstacles (if you are landing out) to help judge your flare
altitude. It is better to flare a little high than too low. Just remember, if you flare to high hold it at 3/4 brakes and
do a PLF.
No. 7 Equipment check. If there is snow on the ground, part of your packing procedure should be to check your cut away housings and your reserve rip cord housings for ice and snow and any other kind of debris. The last thing we want or need on a cold winter day is a hard pull in an emergency situation.
Let’s talk about RSL’s. For those of you who like to push the limit and jump in high winds, especially if you are doing a cross
country, you should think about disconnecting your RSL after you have done your primary canopy check. It’s easy to land out (and we all do) because of a bad spot, again, especially if you are on a cross-country. If you are getting dragged and no one to help collapse your canopy and you have to cutaway and your RSL is still connected you are in big trouble.

Remember the rule of firsts, always limit yourself to one new thing per skydive, and keep that skydive simple. If it is your first skydive with thicker gloves, layers of clothes, and a face mask keep the dive simple,
include a practice touch, and plan to pull a little higher. Most skydivers don’t fly as well when they’re dressed like the “Michelin Man”, so plan your dives accordingly.

Generally most people lose interest in skydiving when the temperature dips below about 20 degrees. If it’s cold out, and you can’t find people to jump with, it’s probably a good day to visit your travel agent. If we get a big snowfall, make sure the runway has been plowed before heading out to the airport. If the temperature gets much above freezing, then our runway
may become unusable, so stay in contact with you fellow members to find out where they may go to jump.

Other things to remember:
It’s always a good idea to have at least one person on the ground to watch when jumping in the winter. Landing out or injures become a little more critical when the cold is a factor. Snow covered ground provides fewer altitude references. Do not rely solely on the ground as your reference in freefall, use your altimeter. Canopy’s flare better in cold weather, so
anticipate this when you land. Frozen ground does not give, frozen furrows break ankles, frozen corn stalks break toes, it’s hard to run in the snow, a good PLF can make the difference between walking away sore and not walking away from a landing.
Website : Seven Hills Skydivers of Madison, Wisconsin

Hey All,

Any questions, or comments let me know.
Black Skies,
April