SMA EXPERIMENTAL PLT IS SURPRISED TO FIND SKYDIVERS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY WHILE ON TKOF ROLL.

Narrative

DURING TKOF ROLL ON RWY 6 AT ZZZ THIS AFTERNOON; A VHF XMISSION '...AWAY OVER THE FIELD' WAS HEARD ON 122.7; AND ABOUT THEN 6 OR 8 PARACHUTES WERE OBSERVED OVERHEAD AND DSNDING TO LNDG SPOT ABOUT 1000 FT TO THE R OF THE RWY. IT WAS TOO LATE TO ABORT THE TKOF AND NONE OF THE JUMPERS WERE IN THE DEP FLT PATH SO SAFETY OF FLT WAS NOT COMPROMISED; BUT THE EXPERIENCE WAS A BIT UNNERVING FOR THIS PLT AND PROBABLY THE JUMPERS. MANY PLTS IN THE ST LOUIS AREA (INCLUDING THIS ONE) DO NOT NORMALLY FLY INTO OR OUT OF ARPTS WITH ONGOING PARACHUTE OPS. THE LEGITIMATE PASTIME OF PEOPLE JUMPING OUT OF AIRPLANES OVER UNCTLED ARPTS ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IS NOT A PROB; BUT PLTS UNFAMILIAR WITH SUCH LCL UNCTLED OPS COULD BE A PROB. PERHAPS; IF THERE IS A WAY TO DO IT; A MESSAGE TO AREA PLTS ON THIS SUBJECT WOULD HEIGHTEN AN AWARENESS TO BE ESPECIALLY ALERT WHEN ON AN UNCTLED ARPT WITH PARACHUTE OPS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR PLTS ACCUSTOMED TO FLYING OUT OF CTLED ARPTS WHERE ATC KEEPS ONE INFORMED OF SUCH EVENTS. AN ATIS/AWOS TYPE SVC BY PARACHUTE ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL IN ALERTING NON LCL PLTS OF ON-GOING PARACHUTE OPS.