?Is the WFFC slowly dying off?

Ok.....I've got three Quincys and one Rantoul under my belt....

I just want to know, do you feel as if the WFFC is dying a slow death or is it slowly rebuilding after the move?

And if you were there this time.....how busy was it?

Thanks

I haven't been to Rantoul, but I did go to seven Qunicys in a row. Didn't go to Rantoul the first year cause I wanted to get the bugs out.
I also started spending my skydiving money closer to home. It takes a bunch of money to go to the WFFC. Travel expenses to get there, jump tix for two (can't seem to talk her out of jumping ), and time off from work. I have one of those jobs that doesn't come with paid time off. I can only take about three days off total in the summer to jump in addition to most weekend days so time is also a factor.
Those are my personal reasons. My thoughts are that WFFC seemed to peak in 96 or 97, There are alot of smaller regional boogies now and you can do three or four of them without taking any time off from work and without traveling as far. It might be a simple case of been there, done that. Without a jet a lot of people that I have talked to aren't interested.

I had a great time every year that I went and met some great friends from all around the country and even from other countries. If I can figure out how to take a vacation and keep my job I would love to go next year. Even without as many specialty aircraft as in the past, where else can you jump as much (or as little) as you want for ten days?

Yes. Pro-rating the registration fee somehow for those just staying a few days would help.

On the aircraft subject, skydivers can jump the usual fleet of turbines at a lot of dropzones so an unusual airplane such as the Russian Antonov72 jet. (STOL aircraft with big tailgate exits) that is used at the Espace boogie in France might wet our appetites. I know that that may pose some certification problems here in the US as these aircraft presently operate in the us under some special experimental category but new FAA rules coming out in the future might make this kind of operation easier to approve.

The aircraft manifest girls were constantly calling for jumpers to fill aircraft. One Otter load I was on took off with about nine of us on board, that's WEAK.

On the subject of equipment vendors, Mirage Systems raffled off a custom Mirage and proposed to sell 100 tickets at 20 dollars apiece. Now that made the odds pretty good. They sold about 70 some tickets through the end of the drawing on Thursday night. You would think that 30 more people out of 1100 skydivers could of bought a chance. What a bunch of "Cheap Charlies"

On the bright side the Staff did a tremendous job to pull this off with the turnout that they had. Scotty and Tammy kept us fed including Tammy's bitchin meatloaf that we dined on Thursday evening during the light show from a severe thunderstorm. After all, it wouldn't be the WFFC if we weren't entertained by Mother Nature would it?

Speaking of entertainment, Bringing a major Classic Rock band like Roger did for the Convention when he was alive would be an improvement.

Anything else you folks want to add have at it and put your suggestions in to Don and Beth.

Chris

I went to the original and first 10 conventions,,,I don't ever need to go again........