LIVE WATER TRAINING
Posted August 15, 2008

Friday, August 22 from 6:00 PM till 7:30 PM. The class will be taught by SDNM Instructor "Big" John Walter.  Live water training is required for your B license, and you must hold at least a B license to be able to do water jumps. If you aren't B licensed, and want to make a water jump you need to attend this class.  This training is also a great refresher for those that haven't made a water "landing"  since last year. This will be the only water training class offered before Water Boogie, so don't miss it!  

The training will take place at Tracy Osmond's house. The address is: 7612 Spring Ave. NE, 87110. Map here 

Don't forget to bring a swimsuit and towel! 

3-WAY SCRAMBLE UPDATE
Posted August 15, 2008

We have over 20 jumpers and videographers signed up for this event. The dates will be Friday, August 22 thru Sunday, August 24. Friday is an optional practice day, and the  competition will  be held on Saturday and Sunday starting at 8:00 AM.  There will be 2 rounds flown each day, and at the end of the day there will a mass video debrief and RW seminar. There will be beer and prizes! By now, everyone involved should have received a copy of the rules and roster. Please email Hank if you haven't got yours. David "Hank" Henry :  freefall02@earthlink.net  The teams will be picked this weekend, and if you aren't at the DZ,  you'll be notified by email as to which team you're on.

WATER BOOGIE UPDATE
Posted August 15, 2008

On Sept. 6 & 7 we are moving the Skydive New Mexico DZ to beautiful Elephant Butte Lake! We are going to camp out, cook out, and jump out all weekend! If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. There's a sign up sheet in the Manifest Office, or you can respond to this email. All skydivers past and present and their friends and families are welcome at this annual event.

INTENTIONAL WATER JUMPS
Posted August 15, 2008

If you are planning on making a water jump at this year's Water Boogie, you should start making your plans now. Here are some words of advice from our Chief Instructor and S&TA, Ken Mascarenas:  "If you don't own a water rig, it is your responsibility to arrange to borrow one BEFORE THE EVENT from the few individuals who do own them. Rich Greenwood, Rudi Krenz, and John Walter have parachute gear intended for lake use. The gear needs to inspected and packed prior to the Water Boogie.
Jumpers will also need live water training scheduled for August 22 (see above). Don't expect anyone to provide water gear at the lake unless you have made the effort beforehand. Rich Greenwood will be out of town on business during Water Boogie but has several water rigs available for use. Contact Rich to reserve gear as well receive method specific training on use." 

That's all for now, the weather has been perfect for skydiving lately, especially in the calm, cool mornings; come on out and make some jumps!

DROPZONE STORM DAMAGE
Posted July 27, 2008

Hello Skydivers,
The damage to Skydive New Mexico's hangars from last Tuesday night's storm has been mostly fixed and the DZ will be fully operational this weekend. None of our aircraft or skydiving gear were damaged in the storm. All in all, we were incredibly lucky!

There was damage to the hangar doors, both of which are now difficult to open and close. There was also some damage to the wall between the hangars that has been mostly fixed. All the soaking wet carpets and furniture were removed, sun dried and then cleaned and reinstalled on the 42X side. The carpets from the 55DN side have been dried, but those haven't been reinstalled because the roof is still leaking in that hangar.

All in all, we got away with very minor damage considering the force of the storm.

Thanks to Carey and Bob and the Husbands for securing the building on the night of the storm! And thanks also to the club members that showed up to fix up and clean up the mess over the last few days.  Due to their efforts, we can go skydiving again!!

Click photos for larger images.

SKYDIVER APPRECIATION BBQ
Posted July 27, 2008

Carey and Mary Olson will be hosting a Skydiver Appreciation Barbecue at their home on August 2, 2008. We will have burgers and dogs and all the accoutrements. Beer and soda will be provided.  If you want something stronger: BYOB.

Date: Saturday, August 2, 2008
Time:  4:00 - ?
Place: 1200 John Road, Belen

Carey and Mary would like to thank all of you for your continued participation, hard work and enthusiasm for this sport, and it is official, Barney is paid for.

Please join us for some groceries and good conversation. 

Questions or directions call 550-3472 or email

3-Way Scrambles 2008
Posted July 27, 2008

Hello jumpers,
The Scrambles are quickly taking shape. We have plenty of folks signed up and Tom B, Hank, and Kyle B have stepped up to design and run the meet. The following folks are signed up as competitors, videographers, or both:

Ken Mascarenas
Elijah Combest
Danny Combest
Bob Pahl
Eric Kieffer
Krishan Khalsa
Hank
Tom Beranek
Kyle Bailey
Steven Stoffan
Shane Migliore
Kelly Wilson
David Harper
Fred Turner
Rich Greenwood
Dave Johnson
Amanda Bolton
Rhonda Webber
Christopher Holmes
Josh Romero
Michael Hotchkiss
Alan Welch
JC Brown

WATER BOOGIE 2008
Posted July 24, 2008

The Skydive New Mexico 2008 Water Boogie will be held the weekend after Labor Day, September 6 & 7, at Elephant Butte Lake near Truth or Consequences. There's a sign up sheet in the Manifest Office at the DZ, or you can respond to this email if you plan to attend. Please sign up soon, as that'll help Lee with his logistical planning. Our good friends and fellow aviators of the Wicker Clan Balloon Club will be having a gathering at the Butte on those same dates and we'll coordinate some ariel and ground based activities with them.

What is Water Boogie? It's 2 jump planes equipped with friendly and knowledgeable  FAA licensed pilots, hundreds of gallons of Av Gas, an airport, a lake, a camp ground for the outdoor enthusiasts, and hotels and other amenities close at hand for everyone else, altitude, gravity, water jumps, balloon jumps,  regular old skydiving jumps, good friends and family, and one hell of a party. Despite the rising cost of everything else, the entry fee for this year's Water Boogie is still only $40, same as last year.

If you are planning on staying in a hotel, you should make reservations ASAP. The Best Western is closest to all the action; here's their number: (505) 894-6665

USPA COACH COURSE TO BE HELD AT SNM
Posted February 13, 2008

Coach candidates must have recent copies of the SIM and IRM. More details to follow in a future email

NIGHT JUMPS
Posted February 13, 2008

Night Jumps will follow Safety Day! There are 17 jumpers manifested for night jumps so far. You can send me an email or sign up on the list in the Manifest Office if you want to participate in these full moon night jumps. Remember, you must have a USPA B license and some special gear to make night jumps. Please review your SIM for more details.

SAFETY DAY 2008
Posted February 13, 2008

USPA Safety Day is an annual event that focuses on renewing your skydiving survival skills for the upcoming season. All aspects of skydiving safety will be covered: Gear, Aircraft, Freefall, Canopy Flight, and much more. Safety Day is the perfect opportunity to get recurrent after a winter off from skydiving. Come out and review your EPs and take a warm up jump for the upcoming skydiving season!

HELICOPTER JUMPS!!!
Posted February 13, 2008

UPDATED: February 19,2008

Greetings jumpers,
I'm sorry to report that we are NOT going to do helicopter jumps this Saturday Feb. 23. At this time it's not economically feasible to ferry the heli from DEll and jump it at Belen Alexander.        
We could  save the ferry fees by doing the jumps at DEll, so that's what Bob and I are currently working on. Unfortunately, we won't be able to make all the necessary arrangements with the airport authorities before this coming weekend, so we have to stand down for now.

This event will be rescheduled as soon as possible...stay tuned, JC jcbfly@mac.com

Helicopter jumps are scheduled for Saturday February 23. All jumpers cleared for self-supervised freefall may participate in these jumps. 
Jumpers should meet at SDNM at 8:00 in the morning and be ready to start jumping at 8:30. The Jet Ranger 206 Blll helicopter can carry 2 or possibly 3 jumpers on each load. The lift to 6 or 7 thousand feet AGL should take about 10 minutes.  We will hot turn loads for as long as folks want to make jumps. Please feel free to make multiple jumps.

We will need to have at least 16 jumpers that want to make at least one jump for this to happen. If there aren't 16 jumpers ready to go at 8:00 on the morning of the 23rd, then we won 't ferry the helicopter from DEll. If you have manifested, please don't disappoint your jumping buddies by not showing up!

The cost per jump will be $75. Sorry, but you won't be able to use your SDNM accounts to pay for these jump tickets.

WATER TRAINING FOR 'B' LICENSE
Posted January 17, 2008

Hello skydivers,
Outstanding Nylon-American and SDNM club member Eric Kieffer has arranged for "Live Water Training" to be offered to Skydive New Mexico members at Kirtland AFB at the following time and date:

Saturday, January 26, 2008 AD. 0900 - 1100 hrs. Cost per participant - $2.50 USD, Instructor - "Big" John Walter Live water training is required for partial completion of the USPA 'B' license. A 'B' license is required to participate in night jumps as well as part of the minimum qualifications towards a USPA Coach rating.

Please contact Eric: eric505@comcast.net or  505.306.1210 for more details and to reserve a spot in the water training class.

If you are close to your B and want to participate in the upcoming night jumps then don't miss this class!