The PD Blog

Skydive Radio show with PD's John LeBlanc

 

Recently our beloved Vice President John LeBlanc did an interview with the great folks from Skydive Radio.  For those who haven't aren't familiar with Skydive Radio they do a show about once or twice a month which you can listen to on their website, or iTunes podcast.  Each episode usually has an skydiving guest on the show that they speak with about their area of expertise.  The most recent episode you can hear hosts Stump, Dave, and Karry speak with John about his first days of skydiving rounds and the beginnings of Performance Designs.  This was the first part of a two part interview with John.

Have a listen HERE.

200 jumps...Or 150

Well, all in all yesterday went well.  Once Kevin started his jumps the weather stayed nice for the rest of the day/night.  His plan was to start at 4am, so all of his volunteers and him were up early just waiting for the weather to clear up.  Due to the late start (11am) there was a late finish (10-10:30pm.  Kevin was feeling good but after such a long day he made a decision based on safety.  He picked 150 as the target for the day and finished strong.  The staff of volunteers was amazing so 200 jumps was a very realistic goal.

I am sure all of you are curious who won the PD canopy.  Kevin sold 100 "chance tickets" for $100, winner gets a PD canopy of choice.  A local jumper in that area by the name of Brian won the canopy.  I guess Brian has been a huge supporter of the cause so it's great he won.  Congratulations Brian!

The late night and weak internet is the cause for such a late update, sorry for any of you that were waiting to hear how things ended. 

Congratulations Kevin on 150 jumps and for reaching your goal of donating over $60,000. 

Skydive Everest Report-May 2010

Here's a quick update from the folks at Skydive Everest....

May 2010 – Everest Skydive Progress Report

Here's an update from the Himalaya as we prepare to begin jump operations in a few days.  After arriving in Kathmandu earlier in the month, the team began it's necessary preparations to move our equipment into the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park.  A few days later the team arrived at Lukla airfield (Elevation: 9,000ft MSL) to begin the 2 day trek to the Syangboche Airfield (12,350ft MSL), the world's highest civilian dropzone.  All of the team parachute equipment was subsequently flown into the Syangboche Airfield which arrived shortly after the expedition team.

After carefully inspecting and repacking the parachute equipment at the Syangboche Panorama View Lodge (13,000ft MSL), unofficially now the world's highest rigging loft, the team has now set out to manifest it's jump program for the May 2010 expedition.  In addition to the traditional range of both solo and tandem jumping, the Everest Skydive staff is also planning some new and exciting jump programs.  The programs include the first ever Everest Skydive wingsuit jumps which are scheduled to be made during this expedition as well as the possibility of  potential repeat of the world record setting jumps made last year onto the Kala Pattar plateau (17,192ft MSL) if weather conditions permit, landing even higher on the ridgeline.

Everest Skydive is proud to announce that with the introduction of the United Parachute Technologies Sigma Tandem system to the equipment roster, that now all Everest Skydive parachute systems are  Skyhook equipped.  As Everest Skydive has grown into a sustainable, repeatable venture, with more and more complex jumps being made each year,  it became clear to the expedition staff that the potential for high altitude breakaways predicated that the Skyhook become adopted as standard equipment for all sport and tandem jumps being made. 

The May 2010 equipment roster includes:

Performance Designs Canopies

United Parachute Technologies Sigma Tandem Systems and V3 Sport Systems

Sunpath Javelin Sport Systems

Vigil II Automatic Activation Devices

Larsen & Brusgaard Altitrack and Military Altitrack Altimeters

 

Without the tremendous support from expedition sponsors, Everest Skydive would not be the global success that it is today.  The entire staff of Everest Skydive would like to extend our heart felt gratitude to all of our sponsors.

 

Namaste to all and thank you all for your support,

 

 

Reported by: Everest Skydive Expedition Mountain Crew-

Wendy Smith, Tom Noonan, Mary Noonan, Ryan Jackson, Antione Forestier

 

Bill Coe's Birthday

Last year the world celebrated 25 Years of Flight as Performance Designs reached the quarter century milestone.  This year we celebrate yet another milestone, except this one is for PD's owner and head hancho.  Please join us in congratulating our fearless leader, Bill Coe, on his 50th birthday.  We suprised Bill today with a delicious cake, some gag gifts and an superb rendition of the Happy Birthday song.

If you would like to send Bill a happy birthday message, leave a comment on this blog post for him.

PD Spotlight: Kappie the Engineering Guru

Allllll right.  It's time to point the PD Spotlight into the far corners of PD, where the Engineering Department does it's thang.  Engineering Manager Kappie is the wise leader of the nerds brilliant minds making up the department responsible for supplying us with new and cool toys to play with!

How long have you been at PD?

For 6 glorious years.

How the hell did you end up at PD? Err, we mean…. What brought you here?

I am an electronic engineer and started working in South Africa, tinkering with electronic gadgets. I was part of a team that designed and developed a guided parachute delivery system, utilizing ram air parachutes with GPS navigation. After that I spent 18 months in working in New Jersey [shiver!] for a company specializing in cargo systems that worked with Performance Designs. Whilst there, Performance Designs asked me to join the company.

Any hidden talents, pet peeves or passions?

I am an Opera singer…ha ha. (JK) I am into cycling and motorcycles, anything on 2 wheels. And my pet peeve is excuses. [Really Kappie, how come you never come riding with Marketing then??]

What is most rewarding about your job? (apart from working with the lovely people in Marketing)

Seeing a new product succeed in the market.

What are you main responsibilities at PD?

The Engineering Department, Research & Development, Test Jumping Operation, Document Control, Scheduling and Planning.

What is the toughest part of your job?

Juggling all of the aspects of my job in order to give each section in my department the time that it deserves.

Have you made a skydive? If yes, give us the details!

123 jumps! My favorite discipline is to do is RW with safe people.

Is it true that the test jumpers jump out of black helicopters in secret locations at night?

Yes on moonless nights mostly, wearing night vision goggles.

Which canopy are you the most proud of on the market?

The Optimum Reserve.

How many top secret projects are you working on now?

Quick, look! Over there, shiny! Next question please.

What is your favorite canopy now that you have jumped?

The Sabre2, I’m somewhat of a badass swooper on it.

Which of your bikes would you keep if you were forced to choose only one?

Just kill me!! Don’t take any – I can’t bear the thought!

What would you be doing if you were not at PD?

I’d be in a job where I would be solving problems. [PD is proud to offer Kappie plenty of opportunities to use his problem solving skills, we aim to please]

PD Spotlight: Donna Wagner, the Canopy Whisperer

Ever wanted to know more about what goes on behind the PD walls during the day?  It can be pretty interesting with the many characters and legends (even if only in own mind) that work here.  The PD Blog feels the need to share, so we decided to launch this new feature on the blog to quench the thirst of inquiring minds.

This first time around, the PD Spotlight shines on Donna Wagner, our trusty PMD Supervisor (keep on reading to find out what PMD really stands for).

How long have you been at PD?
For 6 years and to be honest I have never worked at one company for over 3 years. This is a first for me.

How the hell did you end up at PD? Err, we mean….  What brought you here?
This was to be my in-between job after burning out in a Public Relations job previously held.  I was asked if I knew anything about Skydiving and I did know a little as I had spent time on several drop zones. It’s been fun ever since.

Any hidden talents, pet peeves or passions? 
I play Handbells, flute and love music – all kinds.  I think I only have one pet peeve and that is littering our earth. I am passionate about education, for myself and teaching others.  Reading good books and spending time at the beach and doing so at the same time every chance possible!

What is most rewarding about your job? (apart from working with the lovely people in Marketing)
PD is a company that allows me to personally serve the needs of our customers. I really enjoy the interaction with the customers.

What is the toughest part of your job?
Making sure that all of our work goes through in a timely manner. (is she suggesting skydivers can be impatient??)

Have you made a skydive?  If yes, give us the details!
Tandems! I’ve done six total and I really love it, but that adrenalin rush lasts me a long time and only need it once every three years. : )  My favorite Tandem Master is Art Shaffer at Skydive Palatka.

Most bizarre (or funny) canopy problem sent in? 
We had a canopy come in with bikini wax on it!  Determining what it was, and if we were going to remove it was a challenge. By the way, we were not able to get it off (and no, we are not telling you whose canopy it was).  Cats also seem to like canopies, we get lots of requests to wash the canopy to remove kitty tinkle.  PEEYEW!!!

What do people send their canopies in for?
Relines, patches, repairs, new skins, washing, permeability testing and any other issues with the canopies.

What makes Donna tick?
I just enjoy working with people. I Love to laugh but I am very serious about my work.

Why is there a baseball bat next to your desk?
“No Comment”

Suggestions for a proper maintenance routine?
Keep your canopy out of the sun as much as possible - UV rays are not good for parachtues. When packing, take care to orient fabric and lines properly to lessen the likelihood of line burns.  Also, wear a shirt to keep your sweat from getting on the fabric when packing.  The salt in our sweat weakens the fabric over time.  At the end of your jumping day, clear out all of your line twists. When walking back after a jump, pick your canopy up off the ground - don’t drag it through the rocks, grass, dirt etc (prevents snagging of fabric).
Watch your lines closely and reline when the performance starts to diminish or lines look worn or frayed.

What is PMD?
PMD stands for Parachute Maintenance Department. We inspect the canopy, slider, lines and slinks/links for any damage or deficiencies.  We advise the customers on what we see and let them decide what course of actions they would like to take. We do our best to educate our customers on what preventative steps if any,  can be taken.   I highly recommend an inspection before buying a used canopy unless inspected by a trusted rigger.   Oversews, replacing illegible warning labels, old logos, and many other things can be done at no charge to the customer while his or hers canopy is here at PD.  We keep the canopy up to date with any changes that may be available and we are ready to help with any issues the customer may have in the air or on the ground with their canopy.

Many thanks to Donna for taking the time to chat - we hope you enjoyed this mini-tour of PMD.
If you have any other questions about PMD feel free to post a comment and we will do our best to find you an answer!