Demo Pay?

[rapter 0]

So I did a demo this weekend for a free jump, Tri-tip and beer.
I was wondering how many demo jumpers are paid in cash. What's the going rate for a jump. Does anyone get paid?

Only the good die young, so I have found immortality,

[stratostar 5]

I have always been paid for paying demos and not been paid for the free ones. As for rate of pay it would depend on the demo and what you ask of me as to how much I will charge. Most of the time is 100.00 to get on the plane without any flags or smoke and nothing special. Anything special we'll have to talk.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[billvon 3,067]

I've gotten $20 and a beer, and I've gotten $600 a day plus airfare, hotel and incidentals. (And I earned that $1800 let me tell you.) It all depends on what's expected of you and what your task is.

[EDYDO 0]

I got a ride in a T-33 this past week-end in exchange for 3 demo jumps. That was pretty good pay !!

Ed

[slotperfect 7]

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I have always been paid for paying demos and not been paid for the free ones.

And . . . there you go!

I don't recall ever being paid cash for a demo - directly, anyway. When I was a GK it was an assignment, which I got paid for, but that's a little different.

Food seems to be a fairly common means of compensation. On one of my first few demos (as a member of the 82nd Team) we jumped into the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham for a Busch Series race. Our sponsor was CSX railroad. They fed us burgers & beer, let us watch the race from their corporate booth, and gave us a logo mini-maglight. I still have it in my Rigger kit.

At one of my many GK demo locations, I was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter. From the start, the interview was not going very well. She was hung up on a line of questioning about what pay, perks, benefits, etc. we received as GKs that other soldiers did not. I had no idea what her motives were for the questions she was asking. She honed in on pay . . . she asked if we got paid more for doing demos. I explained that we got jump pay like other Army Paratroopers, but did not get paid especially for doing demos. She then asked me if I would jump out of airplanes even if they didn't pay me for it. I looked her in the eye with a big smile on my face and said "what do you think?" The interview went very well from there.

Arrive Safely

John

[BillyVance 34]

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I've gotten $20 and a beer, and I've gotten $600 a day plus airfare, hotel and incidentals. (And I earned that $1800 let me tell you.) It all depends on what's expected of you and what your task is.

Yep, it varies from demo to demo. No two demos are the same. I've done demos for free, and gotten as much as $250 for a demo that was cancelled at the last minute due to winds, and if it had been a successful demo, the amount paid would have been $500. The average pay I've gotten is usually $50 to $100. It just depends, like billvon says, on what the event organizer wants, and how bad he wants you to jump.

If YOU want to jump and they haven't thought about it or don't care, but are open to the possibility, you probably won't get anything, except maybe free access to their event or something. Every air show demo I've done, I didn't get paid, but I got free admission and free food.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[airtwardo 7]

Every air show demo I've done, I didn't get paid, but I got free admission and free food.

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So ya got pair what yer worth?




I've done large events for beer & food, and I've done small events for 1000.00 a day, it depends on what they want you to do, what all is involved as far a logistics on your end, and how bad ya wanna do it.

Like Billy...I've done airshows where my 'pay' was the family getting tickets in and to the VIP area....so the we could have a fun, free weekend together.


The largest and best demo I ever did was the Century of Flight into Kitty Hawk...cost ME money to do it...!

Would have paid 3 times as much to be on it

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[rehmwa 2]

college campuses - free jump, club publicity

ball games and stadium events - free jump, t-shirt

airport breakfast fundraisers - free jump, food and drinks (mmmmm, fly-in pancake feeds)

private events - mostly food and drinks

air shows - perks, free jump

All the above, the organizer and the airplane owner go extra too (as he should). We just jumped.



But this is a lot different than doing contract demo work for professional shows or for corporations, etc. That kind of stuff requires more serious work. That I'd expect some additional kick back if I was hired rather than asked to 'help out' by a friend.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[wrightskyguy 1]

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The largest and best demo I ever did was the Century of Flight into Kitty Hawk...cost ME money to do it...!

Would have paid 3 times as much to be on it

*** That was a good one all right.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

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[SkymonkeyONE 4]

I have been paid $500 for several one-jump shows, have gotten into countless events and had free run of the suite-level amenities, and have even been paid in all the Vidalia onions I could carry with me. Most importantly, though, is the simple fact that I (and the teams I was a member of) got asked to do those high-profile demos in the first place. There is simply nothing that compares to landing with the american flag into a bowl stadium, at night, to a capacity crowd for a Monday Night Football game in the nations capital (immediately after 9/11). Fucking awesome.

Chuck

[BillyVance 34]

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I have been paid $500 for several one-jump shows, have gotten into countless events and had free run of the suite-level amenities, and have even been paid in all the Vidalia onions I could carry with me. Most importantly, though, is the simple fact that I (and the teams I was a member of) got asked to do those high-profile demos in the first place. There is simply nothing that compares to landing with the american flag into a bowl stadium, at night, to a capacity crowd for a Monday Night Football game in the nations capital (immediately after 9/11). Fucking awesome.

Chuck

How soon after 9/11? After the flight ban was lifted? And I thought the nation's capital airspace was restricted to D.O.D. teams?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[JohnRich 4]

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So I did a demo this weekend for a free jump, Tri-tip and beer.

What's a "tri-tip"?

[DougH 270]

BBQ

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

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How soon after 9/11? After the flight ban was lifted? And I thought the nation's capital airspace was restricted to D.O.D. teams?

I can promise you that our team (USASOC parachute demonstration team, "The Black Daggers") was the first who jumped within the capital airspace after 9/11. It was the opening game (first of the season to be televised) of Monday Night Football. Redskins versus Eagles. We jumped a UH-60 Blackhawk from 2000 feet, straight over the top of the stadium. Lovely. The game was actually halted for a bit around midway through because some security guard pepper-sprayed an unruly fan and the spray got sucked into the fans near the benches!

[BillyVance 34]

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How soon after 9/11? After the flight ban was lifted? And I thought the nation's capital airspace was restricted to D.O.D. teams?

I can promise you that our team (USASOC parachute demonstration team, "The Black Daggers") was the first who jumped within the capital airspace after 9/11. It was the opening game (first of the season to be televised) of Monday Night Football. Redskins versus Eagles. We jumped a UH-60 Blackhawk from 2000 feet, straight over the top of the stadium. Lovely.

You lucky bastard! I've only done one bowl stadium demo, and it only had 20K out of 85K seats filled.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[basehoundsam 0]

Got 100.00 for jumping in to the University of Colorado Folsom Field stadium on Monday. 4 Practice jumps over two weekends + actual Memorial jump carrying military flags(5 jumpers) + Huge American Flag (1 more Jumper).

Jumping over Boulder Colorado into one of the nations largest Memorial Day celebrations (2nd largest 10k in the world)(Boulder Bolder) = Priceless !!

Jay Epstein Ramirez
www.adrenalineexploits.com

[AndyMan 7]

I did a free one a few weeks ago. It was into a little-league baseball game in town. I did it as a favor to the DZ, who does it as a favor to the neighbors. No beer, no food. It was fun.

When I get paying demos, I get paid at least $100, but usually more depending on how much the client is paying. I usually jump with a team of 4, we all have matching canopies and jumpsuits.

Some of them sure have been fun.

www.windycityskydivingteam.com

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[GrabGrass 0]

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Jumping over Boulder Colorado into one of the nations largest Memorial Day celebrations (2nd largest 10k in the world)(Boulder Bolder) = Priceless !!

Not always Priceless!

~ "Pack Fast, Pull Low... and Date Your Riggers WIFE!" ~

[bigway 4]

When i was running marketing for a dropzone in new zealand I organized plenty of demos.

Each demo we did, were like jumoing into all black rugby games and big radio station events etc.... We charged $1000 a demo, anywhere from 4-9 jumpers. Cessna to porter.
Not once did any of the jumpers get paid. My demo jumpers included the likes of J.C... wendy smith, New Zealand 4 way team and also the new zealand CRW team the jellyfish.

They did it for the sport of it. One demo Wendy made into a complete swoop demo for the hot air balloon festicval while JC was visiting.

However there were always perks when it came to demos and that is how i paid my demo jumpers... For example each demo into international Rugby games My demo jumpers would get Box seats, or even just freetickets to the game, as well as a free top class motel with spa bath etc and i would take them out to a sponsors bar and they would put ona nhuge bar tab for the night and they would be first on the list ot be invited to anything that the customer was inviting me to such as concerts etc.

The demo jumpers i found did it for the pleasure, They loved the box seats with full bar and food watching super 12 games and the sheer enjoyment of doing a 4 stack diamond in to a park with flares and 40,000 screaming rugby fans and Live interantional television.

If i had stayed on their i would have like to have found a way to pay these guys the same price as a tandem master or a camera jumper. These guys did not want the money though, they wanted to be the guys who got the phone calls from me asking them to jump into international rugby games. As modest as they were about they loved the feeling.

This is just my experience with paying demo jumpers zero cash but paying them with thrills instead and the satisfaction that they were the guys called up each week to do more.

I wish i stuck around there more as that was also the highlight of my job.... Getting celebritys to jump for their tvshows and hanging out in box seat rugby matches and having radio stations phone me up for live interviews about our dropzone events etc.....

The contract went so good that we ended up getting the dj of the radio station we did the demos for as an AFF student who always talked about skydiving on air.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[recovercrachead 0]

We got $5000 to jump into Belmount, Queens in 1998 out of a porter. That was the year when the lemondrop kid was going for the triple crown.

Track high, Pull LOW!!!

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

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So I did a demo this weekend for a free jump, Tri-tip and beer.

I've seen you drink beer... I doubt whom ever paid y'all in Tri-tip and beer will be offering free beer in the future as demo jump payment.

[basehoundsam 0]

Your point being what????? That this demo has been done by the same DZ for well over 15 years, and that 4 years ago that the team didn't pull it off. This Demo is one of the hardest/ high profile jumps out there. It's located less than 2 miles from the flatirons that make up the Rocky Mountain Range/Continental divide.
If you must rub salt into the Demo teams one bad incident, I will remind you of a few facts. The team was put thru a rigorous FAA investigation, where the jumpers and DZ were absolved of any question of bad decision making. Winds at the stadium were well below limits well before the jump occurred. An FAA official was onsite thru-out the event, and more than vouched for the validity of the jump.
I have personally jumped into Folsom field 12 times. Pucker factor=high. Technical proficiency requirement = high. Conditions need to be favorable. I was not part of the Team that particular year, but would stand by decisions made by the team and captain. They are very very current local jumpers who have been jumping high altitude/ rocky mountain conditions for in excess of 25 years.
As always, it is quite easy to monday night armchair quarterback any skydiving incident/DEMO gone wrong. All I can answer to you is this..... next year we will be looking for applicants that feel they are qualified to be involved with such a technical demo. If you feel the urge, come to Boulder Colorado, make a test jump or two into the Stadium, assess it for yourself, and come back with an educated assessment.

Oh.... and for everyone out there that thinks you could never get caught by the weather......... the winds........ or downright bad luck/circumstances....... Bowling is for you.

Jay Epstein Ramirez
www.adrenalineexploits.com

[2shay 0]

did my first for free and really don't care if I ever get paid but hey if you do thats awesome. You should get paid because you are risking it.

don't try your bullshit with me!!!