PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL ACFT INADVERTENTLY FAILED TO LOOK FOR SKY DIVING ACTIVITY OVER AN UNCTLED ARPT RESULTING IN AN AIRBORNE CONFLICT.

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ON SEP/XX/93 I CHKED DUAT FOR A LCL AREA VFR FLT. THE WX WAS GOOD VFR AND I FOUND NO NOTAMS RELATED TO MY INTENDED FLT. I PLANNED TO DEPART MANASSAS ARPT; GO DIRECT TO CASANOVA VOR; THEN TRACK THE 206 DEG RADIAL (VICTOR 453) FOR NAV PRACTICE BECAUSE I AM UNDERGOING TRAINING FOR AN INST RATING. THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY AND I TRACKED THE 206 DEG RADIAL AT 2500 FT; WHILE MONITORING DULLES APCH ON 124.65. AFTER PASSING CULPEPER; I SWITCHED TO 122.8 TO MONITOR ORANGE COUNTY ARPT BECAUSE THE AIRWAY PASSES OVER THE ARPT. I HEARD PLANES IN THE PATTERN AT ORANGE USING RWY 25 BUT DID NOT OBSERVE ANY TFC. THERE WERE OTHER ARPTS USING 122.8 AND A GREAT DEAL OF CHATTER AND NOISE ON THE RADIO WHICH IS NORMAL FOR A SUNDAY MORNING. THERE WERE 2 PLTS WHO I COULD HEAR CLRLY DISCUSSING WHICH FREQ TO UTILIZE; BUT DID NOT SAY WHAT FOR. I CONTINUED TO SCAN FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN; AND SEEING NONE; CONTINUED OVER THE ARPT. A SHORT TIME LATER; I DECIDED I WOULD RETURN AND LAND AT ORANGE BECAUSE I HAD NEVER BEEN THERE. I TURNED NWARD; ENTERED THE PATTERN ON A 45 DEG TO DOWNWIND; AND ANNOUNCED EACH POS IN THE PATTERN AS NORMAL. WHILE ON BASE LEG; AN SMT BACK-TAXIED AND COULD NOT GET OFF IN TIME; SO I CONDUCTED A GAR; THEN FLEW A NORMAL PATTERN AND LANDED. I WAS TOLD TO RPT TO THE RAMP AND MET BY THE ARPT MGR AND AN ASSISTANT. I WAS TOLD THAT WHEN I FLEW OVER THE ARPT SBOUND THAT A PLANE WAS DIRECTLY OVER ME DROPPING JUMPERS. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT ON MY GAR THAT BY GOING ALONG THE R SIDE ON THE RWY; I WAS CONFLICTING WITH THE DROP ZONE WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE RWY. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE FILED A STANDING NOTAM FOR WKENDS AND HOLIDAYS REGARDING PARACHUTE OPS BUT THE FIELD IS OPEN TO NORMAL AIRPLANE OPS ALSO. THE ARPT MGR; JUMPERS; AND I DISCUSSED THE SIT AND FELT THAT A GND OBSERVER WITH A PORTABLE RADIO WOULD BE OF BENEFIT. AT NO TIME DID I EVER HEAR A WARNING REGARDING JUMPERS AT ORANGE; ALTHOUGH I DID HEAR SEVERAL REGARDING JUMPERS AT CHAMBERSBURG; PA; WHICH USES THE SAME FREQ OF 122.8. ALTHOUGH I FELT I WAS BEING VIGILANT; I NEVER SAW ANY PARACHUTES OR AIRBORNE TFC UNTIL I WAS ON DOWNWIND LEG AFTER THE GAR.