2019 Examiner Standardization Meetings Scheduled

July 26, 2018                                     My USPA Account

2019 Examiner Standardization Meetings Scheduled
At the July 13-15 USPA Board meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Safety and Training Committee discussed the
results of the 2017 biennial examiner standardization meetings. Most of the participants at each of the five U.S.-based
2017 meetings wanted to continue with meeting in a physical location, rather than using online meeting software for
virtual meetings. But the switch to a one-day meeting for each discipline in 2017 required organizers to eliminate
valuable presentations and discussions from the program that previously ran for two days. So the board decided to
return to a two-day format.

The committee also dealt with the issue of adding coach examiners to the meetings. Many instructor examiners are
reporting that the coaches arriving for AFF, static-line, IAD or tandem instructor rating courses require a lot of training
just to get them up to speed with the basics of instruction and student supervision that should have been covered in
the coach course. And some candidates have stated that their coach course was little more than a single day with
very little information. So coach examiners are now required to attend a 2019 standardization meeting. This will be a
great opportunity for all coach examiners to receive much-needed input about the program from other examiners and
also receive continuing education from USPA. For now, the committee has elected not to require the standardization
meeting for static line and IAD instructor examiners, because of virtually no reported issues with those courses.

The 2019 meeting dates and locations are as follows:

       February 7-10 in Dallas, Texas, in conjunction with the Parachute Industry Association Symposium
       April 30-May 3 at Skydive Sussex in New Jersey
       July 16-19 at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois
       October 15-18 at Skydive San Diego/TACAir in Jamul, California
       December 3-6 at United Parachute Technologies in DeLand, Florida

At each meeting location, the schedule will be the same for the four days:
     Day 1: coach examiners
     Day 2: coach, tandem and AFF instructor examiners
     Day 3: tandem instructor examiners
     Day 4: AFF instructor examiners

Day 2 will cover general information that is common for all examiners. The other three days will be for the specific
examiner rating. Getting back to a two-day agenda allows for an expanded schedule that brings back valuable content
to the meeting to make it a worthwhile program for all the disciplines. The continuing education will help create a
stronger and more knowledgeable group of examiners.

Register Now for the 2019 Drop Zone Operators' Conference!
                                     Registration is now open for the 2019 Drop Zone Operators' Conference, scheduled
                                     for Sunday-Monday, February 3-4, in Dallas, Texas, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
                                     The conference will take place in conjunction with the USPA Board of Directors
                                     meeting February 1-3 and the Parachute Industry Association Symposium
                                     February 4-8. Don't miss this valuable opportunity to learn all the latest on the DZ
                                     industry, from safety to aircraft to marketing topics. More information and the
                                     registration form are available on the USPA website.

                                     As always, we'd like to make the DZO Conference as valuable as possible for
                                     attendees, so if there are topics you'd like to see covered or if you have other ideas
                                     for the conference, please let us know by emailing sportpromo@uspa.org.

FAA Proposes Airworthiness Directive for the PAC 750XL
In its notice of proposed rulemaking, the Federal Aviation Administration seeks comments on a
proposed airworthiness directive for the PAC 750XL jump plane. The AD would address an unsafe
condition caused by fatigue cracks on the fin forward pickup plates. The proposal is related to a
service bulletin issued by the aircraft's manufacturer. The FAA estimates the required parts will
cost about $1,692 per aircraft. The full NPRM is available in the Federal Register.

Learn to Skydive Month a Success!
This past May, USPA held its third annual Learn to Skydive Month, with the goal of welcoming more newcomers into
our sport. Participating drop zones across the country and abroad held a free first-jump ground school sometime
during the month. The goal was to introduce more people to skydiving without obligating them to jump but hoping they
would not only make a first jump, but continue to pursue the sport.

This year, about 25 drop zones joined the effort, some holding multiple free ground classes during May or the months
prior. Participating DZs ranged from small, single-Cessna clubs to large multi-turbine skydiving centers. Following the
promotion, most DZs reported that the classes went well and that many of the students jumped and some planned to
return to pursue their licenses.

Offering a free ground school gave drop zones the chance to gain customers who have an interest in the sport, and
even those who didn't jump likely still left with better knowledge about skydiving and a favorable impression of the drop
zone and the sport. Thanks to all those DZs that participated!

Make the Most of Sisters in Skydiving!
                                      With the busy summer season in full swing, S&TAs, instructors and other drop
                                      zone staff should make sure to let their new female jumpers know about USPA's
                                      Sisters in Skydiving program. Most likely, your DZ already has a number of Big
                                      Sisters. Make sure to coordinate with these women to connect them with female
                                      newcomers. Make the most of SIS to get your female tandem students to return
                                      for a second jump. Your drop zone's Big Sisters can talk to the female first-timers
                                      to answer questions and offer to mentor them if they decide to come back. If you
                                      have new women going through your student progression, make sure to connect
them with a Big Sis for mentorship, friendship and support. SIS is a great way to keep your new female jumpers in the
sport, so make sure your DZ is making the most of all SIS has to offer! Women with 100 or more skydives can register
as a Big Sister on the USPA website here.

DZ Marketing Tip of the Month: Host a DZ Open House!
Lots of people say they want to go skydiving, but for one reason or another, they never seem to make it happen.
Whatever their reasons, there's a good chance that an underlying fear of the unknown is coming into play. One way to

help people overcome that fear and get in the air is to host a DZ open house where people can come learn more about
the sport without feeling pressure to jump.

Schedule the open house for a Saturday to get the best attendance. Invite the general public to come watch the local
skydivers in action, and give them front-row seats to watch tandem pairs landing. Here are just a few ideas of things to
include in your open-house event:

       Feature demo jumps with experienced skydivers jumping with smoke and flags.
       Offer discounted first jumps if attendees purchase them onsite that day. Even just $10 or $20 off is a great
       incentive.
       Let people sit in on first-jump classes.
       Offer equipment orientations and airplane observer rides.
       Have TVs set up playing cool skydiving videos that include plenty of excited reactions and endorsements from
       first-timers before and after their jumps.

You can advertise the event with minimal expense by using social media, posting flyers on kiosks in town and sending
information to free event listings in local papers and websites. You can even invite one of the local radio stations to
come broadcast live from the DZ during the open house, which the station will surely announce repeatedly beforehand.

By allowing people to see up-close the exhilaration, serenity and safety of the sport, you can help allay a lot of the
fears that keep them from jumping. And once onsite, they're much more likely to sign up and take the plunge. For
relatively few dollars, you can gain lots of business for your drop zone and expose people to the exciting sport of
skydiving!

USPA's monthly marketing tips offer tons of ideas that drop zones can use to help their businesses grow. To look
through previous DZ Marketing Tips of the Month, view "The Professional" archives here.

If you have a marketing technique that's working well for your drop zone and you'd like to share it with other DZs, email
your idea to sportpromo@uspa.org.

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