The problem with the PA

Every dropzone knows the scene. Over the speakers: “Load 6, 10 minute call.” Half the load is packing in the hangar and hears it. One jumper is in the parking lot, one is at the bathroom, one is under the shade with earbuds in. The plane taxis while someone is still sprinting across the grass with their rig half on.

The PA reaches a place. A load call needs to reach people. That gap costs you turn time, nerves at the desk and, now and then, a slot that flies empty.

For dropzones: one button at the desk

Load calls are built into Manifest Desk, the browser system your manifest staff already work the loads board in. Each load has its call buttons right on it.

• Called: the load is on. Everyone on it gets told at once.
• Gear-up at 15: time to gear up, on every phone on that load.
• 10 minutes: the 10 minute call skydivers expect, on every phone on that load.
• 5 minutes: final call. Rigs on, heading to the plane.
• Boarding: walk out now.
• Hold: winds, weather or the aircraft. The load knows straight away, and you can put every load on hold with one tap.

The call goes only to the jumpers on that load. Nobody on load 9 gets pinged for load 6, so people trust the notification instead of learning to ignore it. The desk does not have to shout, repeat, or walk the hangar looking for the last name on the manifest.

Keep the PA for the hangar if you like. The phone call is the one that reaches the packing mat, the parking lot and the bathroom at the same time.

For jumpers: your load in the Dynamic Island

On the jumper side, Manifest puts your load on the iPhone Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island with a live countdown. You see the load number and the minutes left without opening anything.

• Gear-up at 15 minutes.
• 10 minute call.
• Final call at 5 minutes.

This is part of Manifest Pro. At Manifest Desk dropzones your load on the Lock Screen is free, because the dropzone runs its loads in Manifest. Loads also turn live in the app at 150+ dropzones, pulled from the dropzone’s own manifest board, so you can see minutes to call and who is on each load.

With Pro, recording also starts by itself 2 minutes before takeoff, so the jump is captured for the 3D replay even if you forgot to press anything. Recording and the 3D replay themselves are free.

How it works

1. The dropzone runs loads in Manifest Desk. Jumpers are manifested on the loads board, or book themselves from the app within the limits the dropzone sets.
2. Jumpers have the Manifest app. Free on iPhone. Whoever is on the load in Manifest is who the call reaches.
3. Staff press a call on the load. Called, gear-up at 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, boarding or hold.
4. Every jumper on that load gets it. As a notification and on the Lock Screen, with the countdown in the Dynamic Island.
5. The load goes up full and on time. A hold reaches the same people the same way.

What this changes on a busy day

• Fewer missed loads. A jumper away from the hangar still gets the 10 minute call.
• A quieter desk. One button replaces the repeated announcements and the name-calling.
• Holds that land. When the winds pick up, the load hears it the moment you decide, not when someone walks past manifest.
• Calm jumpers. A countdown on the Lock Screen beats guessing whether that was your load on the speaker.

Load calls sit next to the rest of the desk: live loads, standby, jumper balances, holds and alerts, the hangar TV board and landout safety. See it all on the Manifest Desk page, or check pricing.

Questions