Narrative:

The potential for a major disaster occurs in our airspace on a daily basis. Parachute jumping, between 8000-12000 ft, is being done in one of our busiest arrival corridors. Let me give you some backgnd first. This will help explain why this is so disturbing. I've been at cincinnati since 1990. I never saw a problem with this jump school until several yrs ago when the parachutists started jumping at higher altitudes. This school was located in wilmington, oh, right under our arrival corridor from the northeast. We are fed from 8000-12000 ft, but the jumpers were usually below that. Then a few yrs ago the owner of this school started using the higher altitudes. In addition to that, he purchased a twin otter so he could carry more people aloft. We were talking to the jump plane and he would give us a warning prior to releasing the jumpers, but it was not a good situation. Our people talked with the school about moving their jump area. The owner refused and said he was there first -- 'we should move.' he took the issue all the way to washington and in the end we were forced to move our arrs away from his school. A major expense and many headaches. This had a tremendous impact on our operation. We are now a level 5 facility -- one of the busiest in the country. There was much time and expense involved in moving this leg for the safety of everyone. Now, it's been probably a yr since the change took place, away from the parachutists. Recently, however, without any input from the work force, a change took place. The same jump school (under a different owner) has moved to a nearby airport located directly under our new arrival leg -- and our management signed an LOA with the school to control the operation! Even though the agreement attempts to lessen the impact on our operation, the fact remains -- we have parachutists (sometimes as many as 12) jumping among everything from E120's to MD11's carrying hundreds of people. During major arrival rushes the line of arrs 5-10 mi in trail will last for 30-40 mins. I wish I had more room. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the facility has an LOA with the parachute operator. The operator moved the operations from the old location. The reporter alleges the FAA directed the facility to rerte their traffic. Reporter indicated the new location and altitudes used conflict with their traffic as well as with day's traffic below reporter's airspace. According to the reporter, the LOA requires the pilot to call during climb to altitude and then give a 2 min before jumpers away call. Reporter indicated the operator was given times of their arrival periods so that the operator could plan jumps reference the traffic. Reporter indicated that there has been no noticeable change. Reporter has called the FAA hotline but has not received a response. Reporter is waiting to see if there will be a change before submitting a ucr.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTED SIT OF PARACHUTE ACTIVITY RELOCATING IN THE VICINITY OF A MAJOR ARR RTE. PARACHUTE OPS HAD MOVED FROM OLD LOCATION FROM WHICH ATC HAD REVISED THE ARR RTE TO AVOID THE ORIGINAL PARACHUTE AREA.

Narrative: THE POTENTIAL FOR A MAJOR DISASTER OCCURS IN OUR AIRSPACE ON A DAILY BASIS. PARACHUTE JUMPING, BTWN 8000-12000 FT, IS BEING DONE IN ONE OF OUR BUSIEST ARR CORRIDORS. LET ME GIVE YOU SOME BACKGND FIRST. THIS WILL HELP EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS SO DISTURBING. I'VE BEEN AT CINCINNATI SINCE 1990. I NEVER SAW A PROB WITH THIS JUMP SCHOOL UNTIL SEVERAL YRS AGO WHEN THE PARACHUTISTS STARTED JUMPING AT HIGHER ALTS. THIS SCHOOL WAS LOCATED IN WILMINGTON, OH, RIGHT UNDER OUR ARR CORRIDOR FROM THE NE. WE ARE FED FROM 8000-12000 FT, BUT THE JUMPERS WERE USUALLY BELOW THAT. THEN A FEW YRS AGO THE OWNER OF THIS SCHOOL STARTED USING THE HIGHER ALTS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, HE PURCHASED A TWIN OTTER SO HE COULD CARRY MORE PEOPLE ALOFT. WE WERE TALKING TO THE JUMP PLANE AND HE WOULD GIVE US A WARNING PRIOR TO RELEASING THE JUMPERS, BUT IT WAS NOT A GOOD SIT. OUR PEOPLE TALKED WITH THE SCHOOL ABOUT MOVING THEIR JUMP AREA. THE OWNER REFUSED AND SAID HE WAS THERE FIRST -- 'WE SHOULD MOVE.' HE TOOK THE ISSUE ALL THE WAY TO WASHINGTON AND IN THE END WE WERE FORCED TO MOVE OUR ARRS AWAY FROM HIS SCHOOL. A MAJOR EXPENSE AND MANY HEADACHES. THIS HAD A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON OUR OP. WE ARE NOW A LEVEL 5 FACILITY -- ONE OF THE BUSIEST IN THE COUNTRY. THERE WAS MUCH TIME AND EXPENSE INVOLVED IN MOVING THIS LEG FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE. NOW, IT'S BEEN PROBABLY A YR SINCE THE CHANGE TOOK PLACE, AWAY FROM THE PARACHUTISTS. RECENTLY, HOWEVER, WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM THE WORK FORCE, A CHANGE TOOK PLACE. THE SAME JUMP SCHOOL (UNDER A DIFFERENT OWNER) HAS MOVED TO A NEARBY ARPT LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDER OUR NEW ARR LEG -- AND OUR MGMNT SIGNED AN LOA WITH THE SCHOOL TO CTL THE OP! EVEN THOUGH THE AGREEMENT ATTEMPTS TO LESSEN THE IMPACT ON OUR OP, THE FACT REMAINS -- WE HAVE PARACHUTISTS (SOMETIMES AS MANY AS 12) JUMPING AMONG EVERYTHING FROM E120'S TO MD11'S CARRYING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. DURING MAJOR ARR RUSHES THE LINE OF ARRS 5-10 MI IN TRAIL WILL LAST FOR 30-40 MINS. I WISH I HAD MORE ROOM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE FACILITY HAS AN LOA WITH THE PARACHUTE OPERATOR. THE OPERATOR MOVED THE OPS FROM THE OLD LOCATION. THE RPTR ALLEGES THE FAA DIRECTED THE FACILITY TO RERTE THEIR TFC. RPTR INDICATED THE NEW LOCATION AND ALTS USED CONFLICT WITH THEIR TFC AS WELL AS WITH DAY'S TFC BELOW RPTR'S AIRSPACE. ACCORDING TO THE RPTR, THE LOA REQUIRES THE PLT TO CALL DURING CLB TO ALT AND THEN GIVE A 2 MIN BEFORE JUMPERS AWAY CALL. RPTR INDICATED THE OPERATOR WAS GIVEN TIMES OF THEIR ARR PERIODS SO THAT THE OPERATOR COULD PLAN JUMPS REF THE TFC. RPTR INDICATED THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO NOTICEABLE CHANGE. RPTR HAS CALLED THE FAA HOTLINE BUT HAS NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. RPTR IS WAITING TO SEE IF THERE WILL BE A CHANGE BEFORE SUBMITTING A UCR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.