Narrative:

I am self-employed pilot under contract with a skydiving operation on an uncontrolled airport (ded) in central fl. This is not the first time a situation like this has occurred at this airport. Deland airport is used by not only this very busy skydiving operation, but used heavily by a local flight school and a local helicopter operation as well as other miscellaneous GA aircraft. It is not uncommon for the sky over deland to be full of parachutes and have 6 or 7 aircraft in the traffic pattern at the same time. This particular situation began as I taxied my aircraft for departure on runway 30. I observed as well as heard the radio call of a cessna on base leg for runway 30. As I approached the runway, that traffic was on short final. I announced my intentions and took runway 30 for departure. Up to this point, only myself, the cessna landing, and another aircraft on the 45 degree to enter downwind, were talking on unicom 122.8. As I pulled onto the runway, a 4TH aircraft announced that it was turning final. (1ST radio call heard) the cessna was still on the runway, and I assumed, would make the first turn off, but he started to take off. It is published that touch and goes are not permitted at ded with 3 or more in the pattern, so I was quite surprised to see the touch and go. The other aircraft made another final approach call -- on short final -- with a tone of urgency in his voice, so I accessed the situation as to whether I could safely make my takeoff and departure, and began rolling down the runway. The takeoff was accomplished as planned. Keeping the departing cessna in sight, I overtook that aircraft to the right and slightly low. At this point an argument ensued over unicom frequency as to the safety of my departure and climb segments. This argument ended with the cessna threatening to stop by my operations and deal with this later. The fact that ded is so busy is a factor that contributed to this problem. Unicom frequency 122.8 is extremely congested. The majority of the time all that can be heard is a loud squealing or maybe the end of a call. I think that at such a congested airport, a different unicom frequency would be appropriate. Even a new unicom frequency that could be used at all skydiving airports would be an excellent idea. 1) it would notify pilots that it is an active parachute center, and 2) the frequency wouldn't be as congested using more different unicom frequencys. Also, I believe that a control tower would eliminate almost all the problems encountered at ded. Skydiving operations, in my opinion, could use more separation from GA traffic. Or, even if the GA traffic had more knowledge or how skydiving operations work. The control tower would eliminate sits like this one, as well as the quincy accident from occurring. Our operation does communicate with dab, above 4000 ft dab does an excellent job of notifying us of pattern traffic and traffic that would conflict with the skydiving operation. However, that does us, as well as the GA traffic, no good when below 4000 ft. Basically, this airport is one of the most congested uncontrolled airports that I have ever worked or flown in and out of, and at times can be unsafe. There are just far too many aircraft doing too many different things at one field. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter believes that a CTAF without interference from other airports on the same CTAF, would be an immediate improvement in safety. This reporter believes that ATC is adequate because she gets a great deal of support from the dab TRACON, who can identify other aircraft in the pattern. Currently, jumpers are dropped over the approach end of runway 30, and on windy days, they are dropped northwest of the runways. The jumpers usually free fall above 2000 ft, and below that altitude, the chutes are open. The reporter states that the open chutes make the jumpers highly visible when traffic is in the pattern.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPTS OF EXCESSIVE TFC AND FREQ CONGESTION AT A NON TWR FIELD. WHILE CARRYING SKYDIVERS THIS RPTR BECAME SANDWICHED IN-BTWN ARRIVING AND DEPARTING ACFT, AND OVERTOOK THE ACFT ON THE UPWIND. THE PLT OF THE UPWIND ACFT ACCUSED THE RPTR OF 'BUZZING' HIS ACFT.

Narrative: I AM SELF-EMPLOYED PLT UNDER CONTRACT WITH A SKYDIVING OP ON AN UNCTLED ARPT (DED) IN CENTRAL FL. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A SIT LIKE THIS HAS OCCURRED AT THIS ARPT. DELAND ARPT IS USED BY NOT ONLY THIS VERY BUSY SKYDIVING OP, BUT USED HEAVILY BY A LCL FLT SCHOOL AND A LCL HELI OP AS WELL AS OTHER MISC GA ACFT. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR THE SKY OVER DELAND TO BE FULL OF PARACHUTES AND HAVE 6 OR 7 ACFT IN THE TFC PATTERN AT THE SAME TIME. THIS PARTICULAR SIT BEGAN AS I TAXIED MY ACFT FOR DEP ON RWY 30. I OBSERVED AS WELL AS HEARD THE RADIO CALL OF A CESSNA ON BASE LEG FOR RWY 30. AS I APCHED THE RWY, THAT TFC WAS ON SHORT FINAL. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS AND TOOK RWY 30 FOR DEP. UP TO THIS POINT, ONLY MYSELF, THE CESSNA LNDG, AND ANOTHER ACFT ON THE 45 DEG TO ENTER DOWNWIND, WERE TALKING ON UNICOM 122.8. AS I PULLED ONTO THE RWY, A 4TH ACFT ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS TURNING FINAL. (1ST RADIO CALL HEARD) THE CESSNA WAS STILL ON THE RWY, AND I ASSUMED, WOULD MAKE THE FIRST TURN OFF, BUT HE STARTED TO TAKE OFF. IT IS PUBLISHED THAT TOUCH AND GOES ARE NOT PERMITTED AT DED WITH 3 OR MORE IN THE PATTERN, SO I WAS QUITE SURPRISED TO SEE THE TOUCH AND GO. THE OTHER ACFT MADE ANOTHER FINAL APCH CALL -- ON SHORT FINAL -- WITH A TONE OF URGENCY IN HIS VOICE, SO I ACCESSED THE SIT AS TO WHETHER I COULD SAFELY MAKE MY TKOF AND DEP, AND BEGAN ROLLING DOWN THE RWY. THE TKOF WAS ACCOMPLISHED AS PLANNED. KEEPING THE DEPARTING CESSNA IN SIGHT, I OVERTOOK THAT ACFT TO THE R AND SLIGHTLY LOW. AT THIS POINT AN ARGUMENT ENSUED OVER UNICOM FREQ AS TO THE SAFETY OF MY DEP AND CLB SEGMENTS. THIS ARGUMENT ENDED WITH THE CESSNA THREATENING TO STOP BY MY OPS AND DEAL WITH THIS LATER. THE FACT THAT DED IS SO BUSY IS A FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROB. UNICOM FREQ 122.8 IS EXTREMELY CONGESTED. THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME ALL THAT CAN BE HEARD IS A LOUD SQUEALING OR MAYBE THE END OF A CALL. I THINK THAT AT SUCH A CONGESTED ARPT, A DIFFERENT UNICOM FREQ WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. EVEN A NEW UNICOM FREQ THAT COULD BE USED AT ALL SKYDIVING ARPTS WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT IDEA. 1) IT WOULD NOTIFY PLTS THAT IT IS AN ACTIVE PARACHUTE CTR, AND 2) THE FREQ WOULDN'T BE AS CONGESTED USING MORE DIFFERENT UNICOM FREQS. ALSO, I BELIEVE THAT A CTL TWR WOULD ELIMINATE ALMOST ALL THE PROBS ENCOUNTERED AT DED. SKYDIVING OPS, IN MY OPINION, COULD USE MORE SEPARATION FROM GA TFC. OR, EVEN IF THE GA TFC HAD MORE KNOWLEDGE OR HOW SKYDIVING OPS WORK. THE CTL TWR WOULD ELIMINATE SITS LIKE THIS ONE, AS WELL AS THE QUINCY ACCIDENT FROM OCCURRING. OUR OP DOES COMMUNICATE WITH DAB, ABOVE 4000 FT DAB DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF NOTIFYING US OF PATTERN TFC AND TFC THAT WOULD CONFLICT WITH THE SKYDIVING OP. HOWEVER, THAT DOES US, AS WELL AS THE GA TFC, NO GOOD WHEN BELOW 4000 FT. BASICALLY, THIS ARPT IS ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED UNCTLED ARPTS THAT I HAVE EVER WORKED OR FLOWN IN AND OUT OF, AND AT TIMES CAN BE UNSAFE. THERE ARE JUST FAR TOO MANY ACFT DOING TOO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS AT ONE FIELD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR BELIEVES THAT A CTAF WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM OTHER ARPTS ON THE SAME CTAF, WOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY. THIS RPTR BELIEVES THAT ATC IS ADEQUATE BECAUSE SHE GETS A GREAT DEAL OF SUPPORT FROM THE DAB TRACON, WHO CAN IDENT OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN. CURRENTLY, JUMPERS ARE DROPPED OVER THE APCH END OF RWY 30, AND ON WINDY DAYS, THEY ARE DROPPED NW OF THE RWYS. THE JUMPERS USUALLY FREE FALL ABOVE 2000 FT, AND BELOW THAT ALT, THE CHUTES ARE OPEN. THE RPTR STATES THAT THE OPEN CHUTES MAKE THE JUMPERS HIGHLY VISIBLE WHEN TFC IS IN THE PATTERN.

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.