Safety Day a success!
Safety Day at Skydive Kansas turned out to be typical March Kansas weather, as we sat in the hangar, listening to the rain hit the metal roof and the 30+mph winds whistle outside. But for participants, it was a fun time anyway.

Staff member Rick Gardner cooked slabs of ribs and brisket, getting the fire going at 6:30 am. The safety sessions started at 9:30am with donuts and coffee as DZO Jen Sharp presented an introduction and beginning a session focused for staff members about what to do in case of an accident. Topics covered were where to find jumper's vital information, what was in the First Aid kit, and how to be the most help, whether that be standing at the corner directing the emergency vehicles to the site, to good PR practices. The next session was a "round table" discussion featuring questions from all the major skydiving topics: gear, aircraft, exit, freefall, canopy, & landings. Since most of the skydivers attending were licensed and current jumpers, this session focused more on open ended questions instead of a first jump course review. (see attached sheet for specifics) Each question was on a separate piece of paper, and each jumper drew a question from a hat. They read the question aloud, gave their opinion/answer, and then we opened it up for discussion from the group. One of our pilots Jak Keller added a fresh perspective to the discussion, since most of the time, these topics are discussed only in skydiver circles. A pilot's view, especially on aircraft emergencies, turned out to be a welcome tho unplanned asset.

After the roundtable session, lunch was served, and casual conversations among the jumpers proved to be just as fun and educational as the structured sessions. The afternoon main packing class and reserve packing demonstration originally planned was cancelled due to lack of interest, but it will be offered again next year. The incentives of accuracy games and reduced prices on jump tickets as well as the intentional cutaways and tandem instructor candidate session, were all not possible due to weather thwarting plans of jumping -- those activities are planned for a later date.

And, there were NO leftovers from the BBQ!

PLANS: Saturday, March 13th beginning at 9am is Safety Day for Skydive Kansas, regardless of weather. Anyone may attend, even if you have not notified us ahead of time. The agenda is as follows: 9am - Donuts for everyone; sessions begin with an overview of "What if" by Jim and Jen.
9:30 - RoundTable including topics about "red flags", gear, airplane, exits, freefall, canopy and landing.
10:30 - (time adjustable)
- Strong Tridem cutaway orientation for those who qualify and want to jump the rig. Priority goes to Tandem Instructor Candidates first. Not everyone wanting to may be able to jump the system. Cost is $25 plus slots per jump.
- Skydiving will begin and we'll feature games and prizes!
- Individual retraining for those scheduled.
- Jen will give a packing class to anyone who is interested, featuring whatever topics come up, including packing your main, care for your gear, or even watch her pack a reserve if there is enough interest.
12:00 - Lunch features Rick's Rockin' Ribs (a couple slabs) plus brisket, cooked on the smoker. Rick is only asking donations for this meal, plus that you bring a side dish (such as chips, bread, buns, cookies, potato salad, cole slaw, your favorite lunch dish).