hudsonderek 0 #1 March 9, 2008 I work as a flight instructor (ASEL) for a living. someone mentioned that I used to fly jumpers out of a 182 and the student I was with at the time started telling me how he skydived when "paracomanders where only for experienced jumpers" and twin beeches were the aircraft of choice. he said he made 20 something jumps, then had a mal and broke both his legs and some ribs, he hasn't jumped since. I told him about how nowadays, the equipment rarely is the cause of accidents. it's pretty amazing to think about how far skydiving has come in even the last 30 years. I wonder how many people started jumping back then, hurt themselves, and never returned to the sport because of it? I wonder if you could get those people to make some jumps now, the guy I talked with was blown away when I told him about swoop records and some of the stuff you can do with ram air canopies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobie331 0 #2 March 9, 2008 QuoteI wonder how many people started jumping back then, hurt themselves, and never returned to the sport because of it? reply] Took me 20+ years to finally go back after tearing up an ankle under an old round. I jump today with guys that were at that dz back in the early 80's though that never had an injury, or at least they say, under a round. It's a gift, I don't try to explain it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites JerryBaumchen 1,064 #3 March 9, 2008 Hi hudson, As someone who started jumping in the '60's I can tell you that most people who quit jumping in the '60's & '70's did not quit because of some injury. It was for just about every other cause. We were tough & could take it NOT! JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airdvr 200 #4 March 10, 2008 Let's be real here for a second. Most of you who have been around awhile know what makes alot of people drop out. I think alot of old timers would rather say they busted themselves up. Saves alot of explaining. Risk vs. Reward. I don't thinks its an absolute..my measurement has changed several times over the years.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jimmytavino 16 #5 March 10, 2008 i did see alot of my friends get hurt when the ram airs started getting popular..... many people who had to have 'the latest and greatest' found out the hard way,,, that ram air technology had a loooong way to go..... lots of low turn injuries, some cutaways of mains with "ropes and rings", resulting in a 24 ft or 26 ft. round reserve deployment,,, waaay low, and waaay upwind...( since they were "spotting long, cause of the squares' longer range".) so some people got hurt from off field reserve landings...many of the injuries were serious, and many of the injured re-thought their involvement with the sport...I just kept jumping my French Papillon, spotting sensibly, pulling high, and standing most of the landings... waited a long time til finally transitioning to a para Flite cloud..... NO 5 cell, for this kid. gear was cheaper, lifts were cheaper, hell even beers were cheaper..... sadly, as all the costs associated w ith this sport went UP,,, some of the active participants, stood down..... factor in outside influences like family, work, and spouses,,,,, and attrition took it's share of the 'regulars'....... many "flashes in the pan"... lots of jumpers who were there one year and gone the next,,, ( my log book is Full with the names of these long ago jumping buddies )they may still be pals,,, but likely no longer Jump..... so some injuries, some fear, some financial reasons, some loss of interest.....all these things have made it tough for lots of the Old crowd to stick with it... In the 80's and 90's we saw the rise of the "credit card carrying skydiver".. deficit spending was rampant for some... we also saw the rise in what i call the "mountaindew generation".... the go go go crowd,,, looking for speed, and flash and admiration of their peers..... sadly, speed can gettcha..... and slow and steady will often win the race, before... hurry hurry hurry....... as for returning to the sport today????? i bet many would just rather re-live "past glories", with their feet firmly on the ground,,, than to go through the entire 'indoctrination" period all over again.... cheaper, and safer...Plus most of their jumps stories have seasoned with time, and are even More glorious Now... so why push it????? still plodding along, after all these years, jimmy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites itllclear 1 #6 March 10, 2008 Quotestill plodding along, after all these years, I resemble that remark! Jump #1, Oct 11, 1969 Jump # 6,000, March 9, 2008 BSBD, Harry"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there." "Your statement answered your question." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites howardwhite 5 #7 March 10, 2008 Last Thanksgiving weekend I marked the 42nd anniversary of my first jump by landing maybe 50 yards from where I landed on the first one. A few bumps along the way, but it's still fun. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tbrown 26 #8 March 10, 2008 gear was cheaper, lifts were cheaper, hell even beers were cheaper..... Nuh-uh, weren't either.... C'mon James, it's never been cheaper, only in hindsight. When I saw prices like $365 for a Paracommander or $595 for a Para Plane Cloud, all I could think was "My God, I'll NEVER be able to afford this sport !" We were paying $5 to 7500 ft and the rare occasions we could even make ten grand we paid through the nose at $7. Most beers were $1.65'ish a six pack, but if you wanted to go classy and get Molson's it was over $2, but you earned some respect for it. But it's always been a struggle and has never been cheap. Decent altitude has ALWAYS cost a bit more than a GOOD hourly wage. (By the way, Jimmy is one of my oldest friends in this sport and was one of my Jumpmasters way back in '75 at the old Ripcord Skydiving Club, a single Cessna operation in W. Bloomfield, NY.) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,064 #3 March 9, 2008 Hi hudson, As someone who started jumping in the '60's I can tell you that most people who quit jumping in the '60's & '70's did not quit because of some injury. It was for just about every other cause. We were tough & could take it NOT! JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 200 #4 March 10, 2008 Let's be real here for a second. Most of you who have been around awhile know what makes alot of people drop out. I think alot of old timers would rather say they busted themselves up. Saves alot of explaining. Risk vs. Reward. I don't thinks its an absolute..my measurement has changed several times over the years.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #5 March 10, 2008 i did see alot of my friends get hurt when the ram airs started getting popular..... many people who had to have 'the latest and greatest' found out the hard way,,, that ram air technology had a loooong way to go..... lots of low turn injuries, some cutaways of mains with "ropes and rings", resulting in a 24 ft or 26 ft. round reserve deployment,,, waaay low, and waaay upwind...( since they were "spotting long, cause of the squares' longer range".) so some people got hurt from off field reserve landings...many of the injuries were serious, and many of the injured re-thought their involvement with the sport...I just kept jumping my French Papillon, spotting sensibly, pulling high, and standing most of the landings... waited a long time til finally transitioning to a para Flite cloud..... NO 5 cell, for this kid. gear was cheaper, lifts were cheaper, hell even beers were cheaper..... sadly, as all the costs associated w ith this sport went UP,,, some of the active participants, stood down..... factor in outside influences like family, work, and spouses,,,,, and attrition took it's share of the 'regulars'....... many "flashes in the pan"... lots of jumpers who were there one year and gone the next,,, ( my log book is Full with the names of these long ago jumping buddies )they may still be pals,,, but likely no longer Jump..... so some injuries, some fear, some financial reasons, some loss of interest.....all these things have made it tough for lots of the Old crowd to stick with it... In the 80's and 90's we saw the rise of the "credit card carrying skydiver".. deficit spending was rampant for some... we also saw the rise in what i call the "mountaindew generation".... the go go go crowd,,, looking for speed, and flash and admiration of their peers..... sadly, speed can gettcha..... and slow and steady will often win the race, before... hurry hurry hurry....... as for returning to the sport today????? i bet many would just rather re-live "past glories", with their feet firmly on the ground,,, than to go through the entire 'indoctrination" period all over again.... cheaper, and safer...Plus most of their jumps stories have seasoned with time, and are even More glorious Now... so why push it????? still plodding along, after all these years, jimmy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
itllclear 1 #6 March 10, 2008 Quotestill plodding along, after all these years, I resemble that remark! Jump #1, Oct 11, 1969 Jump # 6,000, March 9, 2008 BSBD, Harry"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there." "Your statement answered your question." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #7 March 10, 2008 Last Thanksgiving weekend I marked the 42nd anniversary of my first jump by landing maybe 50 yards from where I landed on the first one. A few bumps along the way, but it's still fun. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #8 March 10, 2008 gear was cheaper, lifts were cheaper, hell even beers were cheaper..... Nuh-uh, weren't either.... C'mon James, it's never been cheaper, only in hindsight. When I saw prices like $365 for a Paracommander or $595 for a Para Plane Cloud, all I could think was "My God, I'll NEVER be able to afford this sport !" We were paying $5 to 7500 ft and the rare occasions we could even make ten grand we paid through the nose at $7. Most beers were $1.65'ish a six pack, but if you wanted to go classy and get Molson's it was over $2, but you earned some respect for it. But it's always been a struggle and has never been cheap. Decent altitude has ALWAYS cost a bit more than a GOOD hourly wage. (By the way, Jimmy is one of my oldest friends in this sport and was one of my Jumpmasters way back in '75 at the old Ripcord Skydiving Club, a single Cessna operation in W. Bloomfield, NY.) Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,064 #9 March 10, 2008 Hi tbrown, Let me take you back a little farther. I made my first jump in Feb '64. Paid $18 for the S/L course. A few months later the CrossBow System came on the market, a complete rig (harness/container, main canopy & reserve canopy) cost $525. Soon thereafter it forced the ParaCommander onto the market; $225 for a Mark I PC. A jump to 12,5 cost $5.25. I Googled wages and the average salary for '64 was $6,000. Things change, JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
longtall 0 #10 March 11, 2008 Congrats on 6K Harry..................................J........" 90 right, five miles then cut."---Pukin Buzzards Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
