Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
A C182 parachute operation out of X49 (South Lakeland Airport); level at 10;500 FT reported '2 minutes prior to jump.' This report is requested of the pilot for a number of reasons; among them: so that we can make a blanket broadcast that there are jumpers in that area and issue traffic advisories issuing vectors away from the area if we deem it necessary. An SR22; was approximately 12 to 15 miles north of the jump zone on an IFR flight plan; southbound at 5;000 FT. Based on the SR22's position and speed; I determine that there was no need to vector the aircraft away from the jump zone because; the jumpers were scheduled away in 2 minutes as the pilot had reported. I made the blanket call for parachute jumping in the vicinity of South Lakeland and moved on to other duties. After approximately 5 to 6 minutes [had] elapsed; I noticed that the C182 was still circling level at 10;500 FT. The SR22 was now only about 4 or 5 miles north of the jump zone. I asked the C182 to confirm that the jumpers had left the airplane. He responded that there has 'been a delay'. I advised him of the traffic and stated that I expected the jumpers to have been long gone by now. He apologized and stated 'jumpers away.' It was now too late to vector the SR22 away from the jump zone. The pilot of the SR22 asked me if the jump area in question was over South Lakeland; clearly concerned about his proximity to the area. I respond that it was about 3 miles west of his position. In retrospect; I believe that the SR22 was closer to the jump zone than 3 miles. The jump continued without incident; but this situation could have gone very badly just as easily. This has become a recurring problem with this particular jump operation. The pilot routinely reports '2 minutes prior to jump' and then waits for varying lengths of time before actually releasing the jumpers. This practice renders the 2 minute advisory completely useless as a planning mechanism. The pilots of the parachute operation at South Lakeland Airport have to be educated in the importance of accuracy in the reports that they give us. They require ATC service from us; demand that we issue them traffic advisories; often ignoring those advisories and commencing jump operations anyway. The jump corridor is an extremely busy IFR route; we have constant overflight traffic at various altitudes in the immediate vicinity. We cannot sterilize the airspace around their jump zone for unlimited; unknown amounts of time while they maneuver for their jump operation.
TPA Controller described an unsafe condition with regard to the parachute operations conducted at X49 and the potential conflicts with other VFR/IFR traffic; noting more accurate reports from the jump aircraft is imperative.