B737 FLT CREW DESCENDING INTO PHL REPORTS CONFLICT WITH JUMP PLANE 10 NM NORTH OF VCN.

Narrative

I AM FILING THIS RPT TO BRING ATTN TO THE CLOSE PROX OF THE PARACHUTING ACTIVITIES NEAR THE PHL RWY 27 APCH AND HOW THE JUMP PLANES OFTEN MANEUVER ABRUPTLY; EVEN THOUGH IT IS BROADCAST ON THE ATIS AND SOMETIMES THE POS IS INCLUDED (10 MI N OF VCN). WE CHKED IN WITH PHILLY APCH CTL AND WERE ASSIGNED AFTER VCN DIRECT TO THE MARKER FOR RWY 27R (ALMOST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE). WHEN WE WERE N OF VCN AND ATC CALLED OUT TFC AND TOLD US TO TURN 10 DEGS R OF COURSE. SOON AFTER; THE CTLR ISSUED ANOTHER 10 DEGS TO THE R. WE WERE ALREADY DSNDING TO AN ALT OF 6000 FT. WE SAW THE TFC ON THE TCAS AND SOON AFTER VISUALLY ACQUIRED THE TFC. HE WAS IN A SLOW DSCNT. THE TFC WAS AT APPROX 11 O'CLOCK POS AND MOVING L TO R. I CALLED OUT THE TFC TO THE FO AND HE CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD THE TFC ALSO. ONCE THE TFC WAS AT APPROX OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS; HE STARTED A SLOW L TURN. I TOLD THE FO TO START A TURN TO THE L AND TO INCREASE OUR RATE OF DSCNT. THE TFC TIGHTENED UP HIS TURN AND I AGAIN HAD THE FO INCREASE OUR RATE OF DSCNT AND ALSO OUR TURN RATE. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF IT APPEARED THE TFC WAS TRYING TO TURN AND DSND INTO US. WE RECEIVED A DSND RA OF ABOUT 3000 FPM WHICH THE FO COMPLIED WITH. ABOUT THE TIME THE DSCNT RATE WAS ESTABLISHED; I LOST SIGHT OF THE TFC AND THE RA WENT TO ABOUT A 3000 FPM CLB. I TOLD THE FO TO JUST PULL IT RIGHT UP WHICH HE DID RATHER ABRUPTLY WHICH WAS THE WAY I WANTED IT DONE. I MAY HAVE EVEN HELPED ON THE CTL YOKE. THIS WAS DONE BECAUSE WE NOW DID NOT HAVE THE TFC IN SIGHT AND THE LAST TURN WE SAW HIM MAKE WAS A TIGHT TURN RIGHT TOWARDS US. WE WERE NOW AT ABOUT 8000 FT AND HIGH FOR THE APCH WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CLR OF CONFLICT. WE CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND CLRED THE VISUAL. WE WERE STILL ABLE TO GET THE AIRPLANE CONFIGURED IN PLENTY OF TIME TO BE STABILIZED. NUMEROUS PAX WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ABRUPT MANEUVER AND THE ACFT THAT PASSED BELOW US. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WISH I WOULD HAVE HAD MORE TIME TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM ON THE PA; HOWEVER; WE WERE BUSY PREPARING FOR OUR NOW HIGH APCH TO RWY 27R. AT NO TIME DO I BELIEVE WE HAD A 'NEAR MIDAIR;' BUT THE WAY THE ACFT WAS FLYING; IT DID SEEM LIKE HE WAS COMING AFTER US. ALSO; THE CREW THAT WE WERE GIVING THE AIRPLANE TO HAD ARRIVED ABOUT AN HR BEFORE US HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE FROM TALKING TO THE FO OF THE ACCEPTING CREW. HE HAD SAID THAT AT THE SAME POS THEY HAD RECEIVED A TA AND SAW THE AIRPLANE AS IF IT WAS TURNING TOWARDS THEM. I AM NOT SURE HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT ON THE LOCATION AND HOW ABRUPTLY THESE JUMP AIRPLANES MANEUVER; BUT IT SHOULD BE DONE. BETTER AWARENESS OF THE PARACHUTE OPS AND HOW ABRUPTLY THEY MANEUVER. OTHER ACFT ABRUPTLY MANEUVERING.