Click HERE for the article

The Southern Summer Jam is happening at Pudding Hill again from the 10^th – 13^th March.  This year we are celebrating 10 years of the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving so former students & all skydivers put this in your diary.  Aircraft include the Cessna Caravan, Walter Fletcher plus balloon & heli jumps.  Martijn Van Dam from Tora Tora & Stephan Lipp from Flight Club are load organising so there should be plenty of fun to be had.  All levels of skydiving will be catered for & there will be plenty to learn should the weather not oblige.  Accommodation & evening entertainment is at Pudding Hill Lodge next door.  Accommodation ranges from camping to 3 star units.  

Balloon Flights are limited so bookings are recommended.  Information is available on the Southern Summer Jam website.  I hope to see you there.

The New Zealand Skydiving School was first established in 2001 as a dedicated training establishment offering formal skydive training through the New Zealand education system.  It is an NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) approved PTE (Private Training Establishment), similar to a vocational college in the United States.

Director’s Steve and Kirsty Smith’s involvement in skydive business dates back to 1981 and they are Directors of Three dropzones in New Zealand, winning the New Zealand Tourism’s Supreme Award for their business’s Nzone based in both Queenstown and Rotorua.

Difficulties in staffing these dropzones with suitably qualified personnel coupled with the desire to have a qualification that gives students’ access to government funded student loans and allowances was a major motivator in developing the courses on offer.

The school is dedicated to producing graduates who are focused in a career in the commercial side of skydiving.

The Diploma in Commercial Skydiving offers 200 jumps in 32 weeks for beginner to intermediate skydivers, which actually places the students at a fully operational dropzone for Work Placement for 12 of the 32 weeks.  Over 90% of the students who complete the Work Placement continue to work at that dropzone after completion of the course, many of them gaining outside Camera positions. 

The Diploma in Advanced Skydiving offers 350 jumps in up to 65 weeks for more advanced skydivers looking to gain Tandem Master and AFF Instructor qualifications.  It is also offers a progression path for students who have completed the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving.

As a group member of the USPA, the school offers USPA Memberships and Licenses to all of the students.  The school currently averages 50 diploma students a year and continues to grow.  In addition are the independent AFF students who undertake training.  The school also offers USPA Coaches Courses to each of the four course intakes.  To date, Raul Bocanegra, and Stephan Lipp from Flight Club have conducted these.

Part of the Diploma in Advanced Skydiving includes a Tandem Rating course and an AFF Instructor Rating.  Each year the school invites outside coaches and evaluators to monitor the courses.  This year the school was honored to have Jay Stokes run the evaluations for our Advanced Course.   Students Sam Perry and Brian Martin gained their rating as well as Tukes Iwamoto gaining a USPA conversion as one of our full-time instructors.

Here’s their story…

Sam Perry started jumping in 1991, not completing his AFF until 1996.  He bought his first rig in 2005 and started jumping more consistently, but only had about 300 jumps by the time he heard about the new Diploma in Advanced Skydiving Course on offer at the New Zealand Skydiving School. Thinking it may be a good way increase jump numbers and earn ratings that might lead on to work opportunities, he enrolled in the first course in April 2009.  “Never did I think or aspire to work in the industry. I have a business; and that was my work… the drop zone was where I went to get away from work. Skydiving was just a hobby.”

As he spent more and more time and money skydiving, he thought he might as well think about being employed in the industry.  “Being at the school has given me the opportunity to learn better skydiving skills and disciplines for myself.  I get to learn to teach, and to practice teaching skydiving to beginners on an everyday basis.  It has changed the way I look at the sport overall, its not a hobby anymore but an industry I want to work in! “Jay is obviously a man of great experience; it was an honor to have him as an evaluator. He had a cool way of getting the point across while at the same time, stuck to the business. ‘Not a bad bloke’ as we’d say down here in NZ.”

Brian Martin accumulated 420 jumps since completing a static line course at Skydive Taranaki in February 2001.  He never really thought seriously about being a Tandem Instructor until he heard about the Advanced Course in February 2009.  Even then, he didn’t really consider it until he found out his friend Sam Perry was already on the course,  “I was feeling a little envious so just two weeks before the start of the course I gave notice to my employer and a week later had relocated to Methven and enrolled to start my new adventure.

The last year has been a total immersion in skydiving.  Myself and three other advanced students assisted the other instructors with first jump courses, teaching packing, coaching and various other ground skills required to keep a dropzone operating. 

The vast mix of cultures and personalities of 15 or so new students every 3 months from the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving course certainly provided challenges and rewards and also a lot of new friends in the industry.”

Brian completed his USPA coaches rating in December 2009 and completed his Tandem Rating by the end of January 2009.  He then he focused on training for his AFF Instructor Rating. 

I was extremely lucky in being able to complete 45 coach jumps with Stephan Lipp to prepare for the evaluation process.  I have never been skydiving with anyone as passionate about the sport as Stephan.  The man is quite simply a skydiving machine who is able to communicate with anyone on any level and get the message through.  I had no idea what to expect but my best guess was the ground evaluations would be easier than the air evaluations.  Close, but no cigar. Both parts of the process were equally important with Jay and Stephan being very meticulous about conveying information and instruction to the students.  Clear and specific were the key words with no scope for any misconceptions. Probably one of the most important lessons I learned from Jay and Stephan was that you have to have a lot of belief in yourself and never assume anything”

Tukes Iwamoto, originally from Japan, has spent the last 11 years in NZ and started parachute packing in 2002.  He didn’t start jumping until 2004.  He continued in the industry & started working at NZSS in mid 2008 with 4,000 jumps as a junior instructor.  He competed successfully winning many titles at the national skydiving championships.  In his two years at the school he has managed to pass the 5,500 jumps level.  He currently has Tandem and AFF Instructors ratings, gained his USPA Coaches rating last year, and took the evaluation with Jay Stokes to convert his current ratings to USPA approved Tandem and AFF Instructor ratings. 

“For me it’s such a unique place because the focus isn’t on just a Tandem operation, but to train up to 18 students from zero to 200 jumps in less than 20 weeks.  Add to that a new intake of students every 3 months, and you’re constantly teaching everything from AFF to individual coach ratings.  It doesn’t matter what the weather is, there’s always training going on.  With Jay, it was the greatest honor to jump with someone with that much knowledge and that much experience, and super-nice guy on top.  I like the USPA structure and openness the organization has to share all of the information available.  Jay shared different techniques and philosophies throughout the course that allowed me to learn a huge amount of new information.”

Jay Stokes arrived on March 24^th.  He was here to evaluate to Brian, Sam, and Tukes for their ratings.  This is what Jay had to say & why he traveled all the way to New Zealand.

 “I received a few emails from Stephan Lipp {the Course Director}, inviting me to visit the school, and finally to teach the USPA AFF Instructors course for the Diploma in Advanced Skydiving.  It’s been an extremely positive experience here, not only the country, but especially the people.  The people are very nice.” he said.

“The uniqueness for students of NZSS relies on the fact that not only do the students do intensive training for up to 4 months at a time, but also places the students at a dropzone to gain real world experience. 

NZSS trains the students to work within the commercial industry and have skydiving as a career, not just a sport.  It’s not just the jumping, but the students learn DZ operations, and have a duty roster which teaches them not only responsibility at the dropzone, but also teamwork in a very supportive environment.

It’s extremely important what Stephan (Lipp) is doing here to introduce the couching side to the students at the beginner level as it helps instill and pass on the passion for skydiving within the industry.

The way structured continuity lends itself to high standards and instills in the students pride and a professional attitude towards the sport.

It’s also unique for all of the instructors and support staff here, because they work as a team.  There isn’t any ‘I’m better than you’ attitude.  They all have a shared goals and the group dynamic is very synergistic.  There are no leadership issues thanks to the structure that is in place. “

The school provides consistent, year-round work, for up to 7 instructors at a time.  And allows the instructors to have a variety of roles throughout the year as AFF Instructors, Coaching in Formations, Free Flying, and Canopy Control.  Jay comments, “The instructors are constantly learning from each other and passing their passion on to the students in all aspects of the course.  You don’t get AFF burnout, or Tandem burnout here, as an instructor, as you get to take students from 0 up to 350 jumps in a year’s time.

For the AFF Instructor and Tandem Rating evaluations that I’ve done while I’m here, the level of candidates was average, which is an incredible thing considering I’ve done evaluations for students with thousands of jumps, and these students have good solid ground and air skills and they’ve been in an environment where they’ve been constantly tested and evaluated in a relatively short period of time.  (Advanced students were all under 700 skydives)

The Instructors help the students become ambassadors for the industry as well-trained, experienced professionals.  It’s not how long they’re in the sport, it’s the amount of jumps they do and the amount of experience they find within the time they are at the school.

The structure of the advanced course argues the theory of time in the industry versus the amount of jumps you do.

As for the facilities, NZSS has well-maintained gear for the students, large indoor packing areas, soft grass landings with alternate landing areas, excellent transportation with a Cessna Caravan, and a huge potential to grow.

Overall, the school has a huge potential to grow, as it is a well-established and credible skydiving institution.”

< -->

< -->

It’s Boogie Time!  Welcome one and all to the Southern Summer Jam at Pudding Hill from February 11th to the 14th.

This boogie is primarily aimed at creating an anual event where any past students of the New Zealand Skydiving School can return to the school to reunite with old course mates. It is however open to all sports jumpers to come along for a great weekend.

Check out the website www.southernsummerjam.co.nz  for all the details you need.

PERRIS, CA –  September 26, 2009 – Leigh Ainsworth joined 180 other female skydivers from 30 other countries on September 26 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time to set a new women’s formation skydiving world record and raise over $900,000 USD for the fight against breast cancer, the most in the event’s history.  The week-long event was organized to raise funds for City of Hope’s breast cancer research.  Sponsored by Jump for the Cause (www.jumpforthecause.com), a sky diving nonprofit organization, the event was held at the Perris Valley Skydiving Center (www.skydiveperris.com) in Perris, California, September 21-27 to kick off October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Perris Valley Skydiving Center is the largest in North America providing 9 planes to lift the women to 17,000 ft. and create the new women’s world record formation skydive.  Participants include breast and other cancer survivors, friends, family and supporters.   Women from all walks of life with varied occupations and motivations worked together to be a part of this historic event and contributed to a cause that affects women worldwide.

Led by Kate Cooper-Jensen, one of the foremost skydivers in the world, Jump for the Cause was co-founded with Mallory Lewis, Lamb Chop’s sister, after her mother, legendary puppeteer Shari Lewis, lost her own battle with cancer in 1998.  Events in 1999, 2002 and 2005 raised a combined total of over $1 million and broke the previous world records with 119 women in 1999, 131 women in 2002 and 151 in 2005.

Leigh Ainsworth received her  Diploma in Commercial Skydiving from New Zealand Skydiving School (formerly Christchurch Parachute School) in 2001.

We have new signs at the Entry to Pudding Hill on Highway 72, and at the Dropzone.  A new fireplace in the reception area, a new staff car park with an improved guest car park, and a new outdoor area with 6 tables for the guests and students to watch the skydiving landings.  We are accepting bookings for everyday of the week, and we encourage anyone to stop by and have look at all of the recent improvements.

At the start of April we offered the first Diploma in Advanced Skydiving Course filling four out of the possible five slots for the course.  As the first course of this Qualification, we couldn’t ask for a better bunch.  With the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving, or the equivalent experience, as a pre-requisite, we have 2 students who passed the Diploma, and 2 students who have equivalent experience in skydiving.  It adds to our learning environment to have 4 more experienced skydivers around to help out all of the new students for the Diploma in Commercial Skydiving.

The Diploma in Commercial Skydiving had 18 students join us in April, and we’re expecting the July, October, and next January courses to fill up fast, so be sure to get your applications in at least 8 weeks in advance to help secure your place.  With the influx of so many new students, we’re now in the process of building a new student lounge to give the students a place of their own to enjoy.

The January ‘09 Course is off to do their work placement soon, we’ll be sad to see them go, but they must all leave the nest eventually!  Best of luck to the crew:

Maybe the biggest news of all, we’re getting a Caravan!  All the skydivers rejoice!  If you don’t know what this means, check it out:

SkydivingNZ operated two dropzones, one in the heart of the City, and one in the heart of the Southern Alps.  Now, with Wigram Aerodrome closing on the last day of February 2009, all operations will move out to Pudding Hill.

Pudding Hill is located just over an hours drive from Christchurch, and only 10 minutes outside the town of Methven.  Methven is famous for the Mt Hutt Ski Area, which is the largest ski field in Canterbury.

From Christchurch, the Pudding Hill location is only 5 minutes past the turn off to Mt Hutt Ski Area from Highway 77.  It is a beautiful location with amazing views from the Southern Alps out to the Ocean.  It is also an adventurous area, with a multitude of tourist activities within minutes of each other.  Come out for a skydive and then hike through the native bush around Sharplin Falls.  Or keep your adventure day going with a jet boat ride through Rakaia Gorge.  Or relax on the Methven Golf Course, or head over to Terrace Downs for a luxurious day of Golf, horseback rides, and more.  The area is packed with options, and it all starts with jumping out of a plane!

We offer a shuttle from the Tram Stop at Christchurch City Centre at 830 am for advanced bookings only, so be sure to visit our bookings page or give us a call.  We will also offer transport from the Methven I-site at the Town Centre, but either way, it’s a beautiful drive through rural Canterbury that will only add to your entire experience.

The New Zealand Skydiving School is pleased to welcome Stephan Lipp from the Arizona Flight Club as a visiting coach for our participating students from 21^st February – 29th^th April.  In support of the sport we would like to offer all skydivers the opportunity of experiencing coaching at this level.  In addition, for those who pre-book, we will offer scheduled slots at a discounted rate of $35 (reduced from $45) & Stephan is happy to coach at US$35 plus the slot rate.  He’s available 7 days a week so make the most of this opportunity.

Stephan Lipp – Arizona Flight Club - www.FlightClub.Tv

Born: July 5, 1973; professional skydiver & BASE jumper; # jumps: 13.900+;

Experience: Interim Vice President, Coaches Certification Course Conductor for Skydive University, Inc, (1998-2002);

Accelerated Freefall Instructor, Coaches Certification Course Conductor for United States Parachute Association (since 1998) Co- Founder & Director AZ Training Center, Eloy, AZ, USA (2002-2004), IBA Instructor (2008)

Competition & Awards:

FAI World Record, skydiving competition, Team AZ Airspeed Blue, Eloy, AZ, USA (2001); FAI World Record skydiving exhibition, 300- way World Team, Eloy, AZ, USA (2002);  US National Champion, 16- way Formation skydiving, Team AZ Airspeed Blue, Eloy, AZ, USA (2001) & Chicago, IL, USA (2002); Bronze medal, 8-way, US National Championships, Team Elsinore Matrix, Eloy, AZ, USA (2001); Certificate of Appreciation, US Department of Defense, Army Parachute Team Golden Knights;

Former Technical Advisor/ Training Partner to the following National- & World Champion skydiving teams & US Armed Forces special tasks groups:

AZ Airspeed 4-way (USA); US Army Parachute Team Golden Knights 8-way; US Navy Parachute Team Leap Frogs; US Navy Seal Team 5; US Bureau of Land Management Smokejumper Battalion Alaska & Idaho; Elsinore Matrix 8 (USA);

About Skydive Arizona, Eloy & the Flight Club

Mecca of sport skydiving & home of the world’ s largest & most modern fleet of turbine aircraft. FlightClub, LLC offers licensing & progressive skills development courses in all disciplines of the sport & for all experience levels. All training is conducted by US National Champion skydivers & in compliance with United States Parachute Association regulations.

All coach jumps will be recorded in Full HD quality.