Welcome to the last issue of the Toggle Times for 2012. Although some of the following items have been covered in this newsletter over the past months, I thought it fitting to give an overview of some of the highlights of 2012:

• In February the IPC Plenary was held in Buenos Aires where PASA was once again ably represented by Jacqui Bruwer. The members at this meeting voted to award the FAI Parachuting Gold Medal to Tim Mace.
• Also in February, Rob Verner and Selwyn Johnson participated in the Australian National Canopy Piloting Parachuting Championships placing 13th and 16th respectively.
• Rob Kruger participated in a test event in June for the World Games being held in Cali, Columbia in 2013, placing 16th overall.
• Pretoria Skydiving Club hosted the combined South African National Skydiving Championships during April. Peter Lawson and his team went all out to make this a seamless, well run and memorable event for competitors and spectators alike.
• In May, the oldest active skydiving club in the country, Skydive Robertson, celebrated their 40th birthday. We look forward to another 40 years of excellence from this stalwart of the South African skydiving fraternity.
• Skydive Parys was approved as a new drop zone. Situated at The Stonehenge in Africa Resort on the banks of the Vaal River, it is a 7 day a week non-student operation.
• Hosted by SkyDive Rustenburg, the Ranch SkyDiving Boogie and Symposium was held in August. Claire King, Julie Teague, Pam Russell, Tamsin Stedall, Yolandi van den Berge and Karen Fourie successfully built a 6-person all female hybrid skydive on National Women’s Day. Although weather hampered the event, much fun was had by all with a number of celebrities doing tandems and various skydiving related seminars being presented including one by Olav Zipser on the Freefly Astronaut Project.
• SkyDive Rustenburg, Durban Skydive Centre, Skydive PE and Skydive Robertson have all hosted Skydive for Rhinos events organised by Mike Rumble and the African Conservation Trust.
• The PASA Manual of Procedures has been updated – a mammoth task for all involved.
• Looking towards the end of the year, the 2012 Mondial takes place in Dubai from 28 November to 9 December 2012. South Africa will be represented by Team Voodoo in 4-way and 8-way Formation Skydiving (Vana Parker, Dennis Parker, Dave Sumter, Colin Rothman, Paul Leslie-Smith, Emile van den Berg, Bailey Edmunds Jr, Amy Kirtland and cameraman Erik Vliegenthart), by Serafim Fernandes in Accuracy Landing and by Rob Kruger, Christopher Teague and Selwyn Johnson in Canopy Piloting. Tim Mace will be participating in the demonstration Speed Skydiving event. We wish them all the very best and know they will do us proud. Also at the Mondial, the InTime scoring system, developed by Dirk Venter and Claire King, is being used for FS, AE, CF and CP. Jasper Williams is the CP technical course director and also designed and built the gates for this event. Dirk Venter, Chanel Robinson, Stuart Robinson, Deborah Seber, Ettienne Bosch and Agnieszka Solomon will be judging at the event.

Finally, as has become customary, we close off the year with
the J Bay boogie hosted by EP Skydivers.

On a personal note, I look forward to welcoming many old
friends and new faces at the boogie.

My best wishes to you and yours over the festive season
and into 2013.

Blue skies,

Joos Vos

AE and CP Coach, Chris Teague, assisted by Julie Teague, will be hosting an AE Skills Camp at Skydive Central on 27 and 28 October 2012. Since not much freeflying has happened at Skydive Central in the past, there has been overwhelming interest. They will start with a ground school at 8am on the Saturday morning which all club members are being encouraged to attend. Chris will be doubling up as a Canopy Piloting coach for the weekend.

Contact Cois if you're interested in joining in the fun!

Money, it’s a gas

Grab that cash with both hands

And make a stash

Announcing the FS Money Meet on the 17th and 18th of November at the Johannesburg Skydiving Club.

3 Rounds of 4-way Competition for prize money - Winners take all, and the more teams that participate, the more cash will be up for grabs. The categories on offer are 4-way Novice and Open. The money prize goes to the winning Open team, with fame and glory awaiting the Novice winners.

A R150 (per person) entry fee received two weeks before the event will guarantee you an event T-shirt. Entries can be e-mailed here or to any of the FS Committee members. Please remember to list all team members plus the team camera man for the day. For more information go to the FS SSA Committee Facebook page. See you all there!

New car, caviar, four star daydream

Think I'll buy me a football team!

The J-Bay Boogie 2012 will be hosted by EP Skydivers again at Paradise Beach from 19 December 2012 to 2 January 2013. Come join the fun! A licence and up.

We will have the PAC once again, great scenery and beach landings. Bring the family for one of the most festive boogies on the calendar.

Registration fee: R250 will include a quality T-Shirt and patch from the organisers. Contact James Williamson for registration forms.

Check our web site for more news and any updates as well as the facebook page

Slot rates: R250 to 12 000ft AGL, 14 000ft first 2 loads of the day.

Tandem rates: R1750

Camera fees: R450

Accommodation: Contact Hester Fourie on 0827958394 at the Aston Bay Caravan Park or Reinette Strever on 0726685222 for self catering units.

Skydivers country-wide are gearing-up again for another J-Bay jaunt and once again, it’s looking to be a blast.

What: The J-Bay Boogie

When: 19th Dec to 2nd Jan

Where: The beautiful Paradise Beach in Jeffreys Bay

Who: YOU, of course, and our gracious (or at least ridiculously fun) hosts, EP Skydivers

Come and experience the unparalleled hospitality of EP Skydivers at their perfectly wicked annual beach boogie.

From December 23rd, Dirk Venter, Claire King and Bailey Edmunds (Jnr) invite you to join us in a Formation Skydiving Fest’. The PAC will be flying and we’re going to fill it with FS!

Whether you’re after 2-ways or 12-ways, novelty sequences, coaching or some competition, come out to J-Bay and show yourself. Our plan for 10 days is to jump, jump, jump and we want to fly with you all!

FS loads will be organised according to the jumpers there each day, what you each can and want to do. We can jump with you or assist you on the ground. If its FS, we’re game.

We’re calling on PASA jumpers from all levels, goals and interest groups to come and show us what South African skydiving is about.

Check it out: here!

Suppliers & Manufactures of fine Skydiving Equipment

Need Skydiving Gear?
New or Second Hand
Reserve repacks and repairs

Accessories:

Jumpsuits, Parabags, Packing mats, Helmet Bags,
Altimeters - Wrist mount & Audible, Helmets,
Hook Knives, Goggles, Skydiving Videos/DVD's, Skydiving T-Shirts

Visit our Shop

138 - 7th Ave
Edenvale
Gauteng

Contact: Manuel Cordeiro

Website: www.icarus.co.za

Email: manny@icarus.co.za or icarusaw@global.co.za

Telephone: 011-452-8858 / 083-252-8720

Season IV of the SA Skydiving League is off to a fantastic start. We are really pleased to see so many coastal and smaller club entries – this is the perfect opportunity to compete without having to travel to competitions. Whether you’re in it to show the Vaalies how to skydive, show them what a real DZ view should look like, just for some fun (with the bonus of prizes), for the coaching or because it’s easier than working out skydives yourself, it’s great to see more of you joining us and to get an eyeful of some of the talent hiding in the dunes.

We have 13 teams entered so far. You can enter yourself in multiple teams and/or multiple events each month – the more teams you enter, the better your chances.

It's not too late to enter - the season runs through to Nationals 2013. Go to the website to register and get jumping.

Some Tips

Two main things have emerged from judging:

Many teams are losing points to camera angle or distance. If the grip (or separation, or inter) can’t be seen, it will be bust. The team and videographers have the skills but just don’t know what FS judging requires. Chat to your cameraman before the jump so they know what you want:

• Stay as much on top of the formation as possible. On-level footage hides grips and gets busted heavily. Keep close to the formation. Judges need to see all hands on correct grips together (and clear simultaneous separation).
• Keep close, especially when you’re over houses/busy backgrounds. Coastal teams – the sea is a perfect background for judging – use the advantage if you can.

Many teams can’t always complete all 3 rounds. This is just one of those unavoidable things, but when this happens, we work out the averages with weightings.

• Tip 1: Submit whatever you have. Teams who only did 2 rounds in September still got points. You never know how many others also couldn’t finish up.
• Tip 2: Start with the fasted round – if for some reason you don’t get all the jumps in, at least you “egg” a slower round and lose fewer points from your total.

Lastly, teams, make your hands visible. If you don’t have white gloves, rather wear no gloves. Black gloves on black grippers are tough to spot and will bust built formations.

Check out your team's feedback by logging on to the site and going to 'My Stuff' -> 'My Jumps'.

Check the website every month for the latest draws. We have awesome prizes every month. September’s winner received a Bev Suit while October’s prize is a pair of Xtreme V6 Blueye goggles to the cameraman with the best footage. We will also have some awesome Arizona Airspeed t-shirts up for grabs. If you would like to know what makes FS footage good, give us a shout.

FS suits protect you from sunburn, rain and minor scratches, and hide hairy legs and hobbit feet. Wear one on every skydive!

Game ON!
The SASL Committee

The SSA is pleased to announce that the 2013 SA National Championships will be hosted by Johannesburg Skydiving Club from 29 April to 2 May 2013 (training days 27-28th, competition from 29th).

All disciplines will be included.

To all jumpers: Remember, that Nationals is for every one of you, regardless of your experience level or interests.

Please contact your SSA discipline Committee with any questions.

Looking forward to another great Nationals.

Blue Skies!

Sport Skydivers Association

By Mike Rumble, C1499

Making use of 2 Turbine Atlas Angels at the luxurious Protea Hotel Ranch Resort, an excellent mix of skydiving, informative and educational seminars and presentations, and socialising / partying was enjoyed by all. In honour of National Women's Day an all female South African Skydiving Hybrid formation was also achieved.

Hosted by SkyDive Rustenburg, the event generated significant exposure for sport skydiving, the event, and the venue through newspapers, magazines, TV and Radio.

Once again, The Ranch SkyDiving Boogie and Symposium earned its right to be known as South Africa's Premier Sport Skydiving and Parachuting Event.

If you missed it, you missed out!

A special thanks to:

• 'Father of FreeFly' Olav Zipser for attending the event, sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience with everyone, for the 'FreeFly Astronaut Project' presentation, and for coming on board as an International 'Skydive for Rhinos' Ambassador.
• SSA FS, AE, and CP Committees for skills camps, load organising, coaches, and informative presentations and seminars held at the event.
• Paul 'Simba' Marcellin for the presentation on the 400 Way World Record, and for load organising at the event.
• Pierre Carter and James Braid for the presentation on the Red Bull X-Alps.
• Colourful Conservationist Digs Pascoe for the update of the Rhino Poaching Crisis.
• Aero Club of South Africa for officially supporting the event, and hosting the 'Safety First Aviator' campaign at the event.
• Bob Alison for providing AFIS.
• Sponsors and supporters: Angels' Way Trust; BluEye; Ecko Unltd; EmCare; Insurance for Skydivers; Afrox; Mall of The North; Chevrolet; African Pilot Magazine; Sign-A-Rama; MyPolokwane.com; and Capricorn FM.

All female hybrid ladies - Claire King, Julie Teague, Pam Russell, Yolandi van den Berge, Tamsin Stedall and Karen Fourie seen here with Mike Rumble

A big thanks to Protea Hotel Ranch Resort Owners and Management for allowing us to host the event at this premier venue, and to the working team that ensures that everything runs smoothly, efficiently, and professionally in the run up to, during, and after the event.

Finally, a big thanks to all sport skydivers for attending and supporting, and for the contributions received towards African Conservation Trust's 'Skydive for Rhinos' Rhino Fund.

If you haven't seen the video check here

Dates for The Ranch SkyDiving Boogie and Symposium 2013 will be announced in the new year.

By Oliver Nöthen, C1729

When I was invited to take part in the Wingsuit World Record, I decided that there was no way I was not going to take part. I must admit that I had no idea how much hard work and fun it would be. It is quite hard to explain how it felt to be part of this amazing event but to give you a small glimpse: The anticipation of what is about to happen is flooding your body with adrenalin. The unknown knocking on your door, you open your eyes and look at 23 other faces dealing with the same intense feelings. A few deep breaths and you step back, for a split second there is nothing… but before you have any time to react, reality strikes, you are airborne; you see the rest of your team exit out of the first tail-gate Skyvan. You are with a 100 other Wingsuit pilots leaving a 5-plane formation with one common goal: to build the first 100-way Wingsuit formation.

Be safe, head on a swivel, arms swept back, Dive Dive Dive, get to your slot and fly it solid. Keep your eyes on the person in front of you and your team mates, creating the diagonal lines producing your perfect position in the formation. Fly and adjust and stay there until it's time to fly to safety. You fly the break off, deploy and land, check-in, pack, debrief and repeat.

It was not all fun, we were dirt diving fully kitted-up in 38° Celsius temperatures in the Perris Valley sun. Heat exhaustion and dehydration were serious risks but luckily Riaan Bergh and I, being from South Africa, were used to the dangers involved.

Having returned from the event, I can only feel thankful for all the great friends and experiences I had gained over that week. I was part of something truly amazing. 21 countries were represented at this event. We were able to achieve the record of 100 Wingsuiters in a diamond formation to the satisfaction of Guinness World Records.

A big thank you to Taya and the Team Captains, the ground crew Dan and Eli, the super awesome camera men, Dan BC and Skydive Perris for hosting this awesome event.

Click here for more information.

By Fred Whitsitt, D490

I met John Browett at the Pietermaritzburg Parachute Club in 1990 when he had just completed his AFF training. We started jumping together soon after that and have been friends ever since. John was an avid supporter of our South African 4-way team called Equanimity* from 1993 through to 1997 and followed our progress closely. Myself and two business partners opened up Skydive Miami in 1998, John soon became a frequent visitor with annual trips across the 'pond'.

Photograph courtesy of Lenny Wolf
(8th skydiver on the jump)

We have done so many skydives together, often just 2-ways, sometimes other friends and staff from the dropzone would come and join us in order to build something a little bigger, but always the simple goal has been to enjoy our time together in the sky, appreciating the company of each other during the ride to altitude and the freefall to follow.

Over the years John told me of his career in China and the culture of it's people. I learned the significance of the number 8 and how PASA had awarded him an honorary D888. When John arrived at Skydive Miami in early September this year he had 874 skydives to his credit and needed 14 more jumps to reach a personal milestone of 888 jumps before leaving on the 29th September. This was quite a goal considering that John normally averages just one jump a day, he is 87 years young after all, and also requires a wind-speed of around 10mph/16kmh to help with the landing, anything under this speed will require a PLF from John, of which he is an absolute master let me state for the record, but puts him at extra risk of injury.

We chose our jumping days carefully and his jump numbers rose slowly, at one stage it looked like the pace was too slow due to a lack of suitable wind for landing, so John upped the ante by doing two jumps on a perfect day. With four days to go John still needed four more jumps with the weather forecast never really in our favour. It all came down to the morning of his last day, the return trip to Miami International was scheduled for 3pm. We arrived at the DZ around 8am, barely any movement on the windsock, Load 1 was in the air and after talking to each other at length, while staring at the stubborn windsock, we decided to go for it on Load 2 since the forecast was for even lighter winds later in the day.

Standing left to right: Randy Melfi, Susy Manning, John Browett, Guy Manos, Greg Frank, Pam Manos Kneeling: Fred Whitsitt, Montana Manos Montana (not on the jump) is, at 16, the youngest skydiver on the dropzone, pictured here with OMJ who, at 87, is the eldest Photograph courtesy of Lenny Wolf

I had chosen 7 skydivers and a freefall photographer for a total of 8 on the skydive. The formation to build was a double-donut with John in the centre, when viewed from above we hoped it would look like the number 8. We quickly geared up, did one exit drill at the mock-up, completed gear checks and walked out to the waiting Cessna Caravan. Upon reaching 13500ft we stacked our hands on top of John's, shouted our exit count together and did final gear checks, waiting for the green light.

John exited first, we all dove down and slowly but surely our number 8 was built. There were no practice-runs for this jump, just a call the day before to some really special skydivers who wanted to share this jump with John, the fact that it all came together on 888 quite simply means, it was always meant to be.

For anyone wondering how John's landing was in virtually no-wind conditions, it was a perfect stand-up.

* Equanimity won bronze at the 1997 World Championships in Turkey

Father and son 2-way - "Old Man" John Browett, D888 Hon, with his son, John Browett, C1299.
Between them, they total 134 years - surely a record?!

Photograph courtesy of Tom Holmes

On World Rhino Day in Gauteng we received special permission to take 4 Rhino Ambassadors on a Tandem ‘Skydive for Rhinos’ at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Airshow, making use of a PAC 750 XL with Stop Rhino Poaching on both wings. At the same time in the Western Cape we took SABC Sports presenter Vaylen Kirtley on a Tandem ‘Skydive for Rhinos’ out of an Atlas Angel live on national television at Skydive Robertson. We also made it onto the front page of the Sunday Times. And that was just one of the ‘Skydive for Rhinos’ weekends!

To date a total 220 Ordinary South Africans have taken a stand, raised awareness, raised funds, and have Tandem Skydived for Our Rhinos.

160 Sport Skydivers have been part of the campaign, which has made use of 20 different tandem masters around the country.

So far the campaign has raised more than R6m, which is going very specifically towards strategic rhino anti-poaching efforts in South Africa.

Another ‘Skydive for Rhinos’ event will be happening at SkyDive Rustenburg on the 10th and 11th November.

Sport Skydivers are welcome, and encouraged, to come and be part of the campaign at this, the 6th official ‘Skydive for Rhinos’ event.

There are opportunities for Individuals, Celebrities, Groups, Sponsors and Corporates to Participate, Donate, Sponsor and Support.

 
Photograph courtesy of Karen Fourie

As a section 18a company, donations are tax deductible and Donation Certificates can be provided on request.

The African Conservation Trust is a 12 year-old KZN-based conservation charity with a historical footprint of working throughout Southern Africa. ACT is a registered Trust (IT 2174/00); a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO 030-243); a SARS-registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO 930014758); and a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (NG/25190). It is also a founder member of Project Rhino KZN.

Thanks for the support.

Wild and Horny… Lets keep them that way!

Mike Rumble
‘Skydive for Rhinos’ National Coordinator
African Conservation Trust Volunteer
Rhino Ambassador

Email mike@imagineering.co.za for more information or to get involved.

The SSA disciplines have all provided mid-term feedback on their plans as set out in April. We have published below just the feedback on activities and any other noteworthy information. A comprehensive feedback report will be presented by each discipline at the 2013 AGM.

The Artistic Events Committee has been really busy this year. We’ve already hosted 3 skills camps in Pretoria, Cape Town and Witbank, and will be at the Halloween weekend for coaching in Bloemfontein at the end of October. We also presented the facts regarding the new MOPs and took questions at the Ranch Boogie in Polokwane. A planned skills camp at Eston had to be cancelled due to operational changes – but this will definitely happen once everything in KZN is sorted out. The Facebook Group we created in May already has over 130 members and is growing daily. It’s been a useful tool in communicating events and developments.

The biggest news of the moment of course is that the new MOPs have finally been approved and we’ve already had two C-Licences issued under this system. We would urge all Chief Instructors, AE Coaches and Drop Zone Operators to read the following carefully. The changes are quite extreme and significant But can be summarised as follows:-

Cat II – You need to be able to maintain freefly speeds ‘down the tube’
Jump 1 : Introduces Basic Sit Position and Back Down Stable position
Jump 2 : Ensures vertical speed is maintained, and that students are falling down the tube, not sliding around.

Hereafter you are (legally now!) permitted to jump with one other Cat II person and use each other to practice, confident that you are each able to sit base for each other

Cat III – all feet down
Jump 1 : Fall rate control / Vertical movement
Jump 2 : Horizontal movement
You need to be able to slow down/ speed up as well as move forward and backwards with control

C-Licence – all feet down
Jump 1 : 360 degree turns
Jump 2 : Transitions
Qualifying Jump 3 : Maintains heading on exit. 360 turn, transition, move forward to dock
You need to be able to exit on your feet and maintain a heading, transition through any axis, as well as turn and to dock

D-Licence – all head down, teaching the same skills you have on your feet
Jumps 1 - 5 : Cat II, Cat III and C-Licence jumps duplicated in Head Down
Qualifying Jump 6 : Maintains heading on exit. 360 turn, transition, move forward to dock
Additional Requirement : Angled flight in back to earth orientation, with dock

I’m sure you’ll agree this is way more achievable, but still comparable to the skill level one needs to gain your licences in other disciplines. As things stand, there would be quite a few people who have their Cat III in AE, which is comparable to the C-Licence requirements of the new MOPs (in fact, you could say the old Cat III is even harder, I suspect). Jumpers who already have a Cat III under the old MOPs, are allowed to do only the C-Licence Jump 3 : Qualifying jump with docks (Page 9 of new MOPs) in order to be signed off for the C-Licence AE requirements. Progression jumps here must be signed by the AE Coach before the CI will sign off. Similarly, there are people who are currently coaches or senior jumpers who have never achieved their D-Licence in AE because it was never attainable in the past. As both the old and the new MOPs actually say that coaches need to hold a D-Licence in AE (page 12), all current coaches must complete their D-Licence Jump 6: Docking and qualifier jump (page 12) before renewing their rating next year – this will also entitle you to a D-Licence (if they don’t already have one!) Senior jumpers who aren’t coaches can also complete the qualifying jump in order to fulfil their D-Licence requirements in AE.

The other issue which we have identified is the lack of uniformity in coaching. With a new system in place, we feel it’s going to be vital to ensure a common goal on methodology employed in passing students, so that jumpers can be sure to follow the same progression and ideology wherever they jump in SA. So in addition to completing the D-Licence qualifying jump, Coaches will need to attend one of two seminars which will be held on the teaching format of the new progression before renewing their rating. We’ll hold similar seminars annually for the benefit of new coaches and to revisit best methods.

We hope that this new system will encourage you to get advice and coaching on how to progress in AE. Please feel free to contact the AE committee if you’d like any other information or assistance on understanding the new MOPs. Hard copies will be laminated and posted to each DZO over the next two weeks.

PASA and the Toggle Times cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, due to all content being submitted without verification.