FREEFALL EXPRESS VS SKYDIVE CITY @ ZHILLS

There has been a lot of gossip going on about the situation at Zhills. Dropzone.com and various others are completely misinforming the public and it is time for Freefall Express to finally speak about the situation so that the rumors and slander stop.

First – Yes, we are in the process of trying to open another DZ at Zhills. Here is why.

What we will report are the facts that can be easily proven through records and court proceedings. Most of you know that Freefall Express has been supplying Skydive City with aircraft and employees for many years. Freefall Express implemented a change in the pricing structure to eliminate inefficiencies in loading and flying the aircraft. Instead of abiding by the verbal contract, TK Hayes chose to lease aircraft from various other competitors, including Sky’s the Limit and Deland, eliminating the need for our otters any longer. FFE owns two critical pieces that help run Skydive City: the fuel farm and the hangar. They invested thousands of dollars in this in order for Skydive CIty to comply with the terms for obtaining a lease extension on the land that they are located on, this not only Skydive City and FFE to keep operating, but also the Sunshine Factory, the Hard Dock Cafe, the Sunset Bar and Paragone Rigging. FFE also provided Skydive City with interest-free loans in the startup years to keep them established.

TK Hayes has lost the plot. He has cut the locks off the fuel farm and stole and excess of $27,000.00 from us and then proceeded to commandeer the hangar that was built by FFE, locking up all of FFE’s equipment. In addition, Zhills has been putting jumpers in imminent danger by violating FAA regs.

Our DZO’s have had to repeatedly travel to Zhills to take back what is rightfully theirs and have spent numerous hours in court and thousands in legal fees. In addition, several key personnel who we love very much have lost their jobs. This is a very bad situation and it is poisoning any relationship that The Ranch has with ZHills as well as Deland. Although in the past Ranch Hands have typically visited there for the holidays, this will not be so any longer. People are starting to reschedule vacations and we don’t blame them.The good vibe at Zhills has been lost. Even the Europeans are not going there in the number they used to.

More people are traveling over to Sebastian since it is a much nicer DZ, close to the beach and has numerous hotels (much nicer than the ones at Zhills) and they still have availability with skydiver rates. In addition, there is a lot more to do during non-jumping hours, from proximity to beach, amusements and nightlife. Even though many people are flying into Tampa, for loyalty reasons they have changed course: they are driving over to the East Coast to jump there instead so before you go, you may want to talk to the others since the game plans have changed and a lot of us are doing the East Coast this year.