It seems rather hopeful that we have less then 1 month to go before opening day and there is snow on the ground. With temps reaching –22 I don’t think global warming has reached the Midwest!!
This winter I have been traveling quite a bit, mostly to avoid the cold but also to scout locations for future boogies. Nothing set in stone but there are some in the works. 
I picked up 10EA from the paint shop and WOW is she beautiful!! This is the first Otter that we bought. Since we have owned it, it has flown in almost every state and every boogie. It has been to Canada, South America, Mexico, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Puerto Rico. I can only image how many different people have jumped from this aircraft. I think Pops would be proud if he could see her now. New –34 motors, brand new props, fresh paint…wait ‘til you see her! Next in line is 30EA wait to see what we have in store for her!! 
As most of you read we were invited to Puerto Rico. After picking up 10EA we gave here a once over, not that I didn’t think she would make it, but it’s a 7 hour flight over the Bermuda triangle! We departed Chicago at –22 temps on the ground and we never looked back! With the strong winds that day we got up to cruising altitude and had an incredible ground speed of 250 knots (283 MPH)! Anyone that has flown an Otter knows that is unheard of. With a short flight to Atlanta we meet up with Dave for a quick fuel stop and then headed down to Florida. 
We rolled into Sebastian around 5 pm and met up with the locals for some dinner. The next morning we planned out the trip and got the life jackets and raft ready (just in case). We planned for an early morning take off, weather depending. 
The next morning was perfect. W e departed and headed into the big blue. It is rather intimidating seeing the land disappear. The flight was awesome. The Bahamas have some of the most amazing colors of water I have ever seen. We landed at Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas around 10 am and fueled up for the next leg to Provinciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Both stops had some of the best scenery I have seen while flying. I really wanted to overnight, but didn’t want to miss the deadline of being in Puerto Rico. 
We arrived in Puerto Rico just before sunset and were met with a lot of smiles. I guess if I jumped out of Cessna’s the sight of two Otters would make me smile!
This boogie rocked!! I mean I would go back just for the goody bag. Not only was the bag a real bag it had a full bottle of booze in it and a flask! Jason and Viviana did a great job making sure everyone was looked after. Guy Wright, Tony and Jeff from Tony suits, Jimmy T, Purple Mike, Luis Prinetto and Scott Campos were just some of the organizers that keep the two Otters turning. 
The wingsuits ruled the boogie doing full wing suit loads, which were a cool sight. The boogie offered great nightlife, daily beach jumps, and did I mention the bottle of booze in the goody bag? I tried to register twice!! 
The boogie kept me in the aircraft most of the time but the last day I did get to do some tourist things. The Otter will be there for another week. Dave flew down to take over. I have another training camp with Mandrin that I needed to fly back for. Hopefully Dave doesn’t become another victim of the triangle on his flight back! 
Speaking of home, we are doing some changes to the building. We are trying to update the look. Time really does fly and after thinking about how long the look has been the same we have decided to upgrade. We are anticipating another busy season and we want the DZ looking its best.
Don’t forget to check your reserve cards to see if you will be in date on March 15, opening day. 
I have gotten a few e-mails regarding safety day being on a Friday. Last year we hosted it on Saturday and everyone was jumping. Safety day will start at 5pm and go until we run out of questions. I will do a short review Saturday morning for anyone that isn’t able to attend. Geniez Café will be open Friday and Saturday to take care of dinner. 
Geniez Café will be adding some new meals to her already great menu. Look for more breakfast items in addition to lunch and dinner. She is also planning on keeping the Tiki bar open during the day on Saturday once summer rolls around. We are also adding a TV there to watch daily videos.
The 2008 calendar of events is up on the website and is growing daily. Be sure to keep checking it for the most updated version. Check us out on Myspace or Facebook. If you don’t know how to, just ask your kids! 
We are still looking for some help with the grounds. If you are interested please contact rook@skydivechicago.com.
I’m definitely ready to start another great season!
Rook |