Major improvements in Skydiving gear in the last thirty years.

[popsjumper 2]

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...I'll add...design of RW suits.

In some respects, yes. The worst innovation in RW suits was grippers. They give people something to grab and hang on to instead of just flying and touching.

Improvements? I'll go long with the dual parachute container system and the 3-ring over everything else.
Sure simplified the cutaway and reserve deployments!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[darkwing 4]

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...
cut-in laterals
....

I don't consider cut-in lats an improvement, but rather a de-provement.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[slotperfect 7]

For everyone -

Let's stick to the original topic please . . . and save the one-liners for The Bonfire.

Thanks,

Arrive Safely

John

[Remster 26]

No one has mentionned RAM air canopies...

Remster

[crazydiver 0]

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No one has mentionned RAM air canopies...

Yes they have.

Cheers,
Travis

[crazydiver 0]

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What about:
1) risers
2) kill-line

Are you kidding me? Risers?

For many other folks on this thread:
It seems like many folks on here are just listing off container options as you would see them on an order form. You all are the marketing professional's dream come true. Keep buying things based on advertising.

Cheers,
Travis

[APC 0]

It's outside the 30-year range, but I'd say the -
#1 Mother Innovation is a 50s combo - the soft-opening deployment sleeve and the steerable,open gore mods on the cheap, tough little C-9 surplus canopy, i.e., Double L, 5-TU, etc., along with the "roll pack" reserve, (C-9, $15-20, reserve, the twil T-7a, $7.50.) This was the Model-T that made skydiving possible, and even the word itself.

Inside the 30-year range, I'd say,
#2 The Ram Air canopy which reduced the land needed for a DZ from 60 to 100 acres to as little as 10-15, most of which was in a sod runway. This huge reduction in the capital required for a DZ meant a DZO could control enough land to operate reliably. With rounds, most DZs operated at the mercy of the airport board or agreeable adjacent land owners.

#3 Tandems which created a new, high-margin cash flow that, in conjuction with the lower land cost, made the DZ business a viable possibility. One of the big differences today is the number of DZs that operate on their own land, something unheard of in the days of rounds and static-line FJCs.

These three things coincided with the two big growth spurts in the sport - the early 60s and the 80s. I'm guessing they had something to did with it.

After that I'd vote for the 3-ring, a tremendous safety boost, the modern automatic opener. Lots of other good, incremental improvements, but nothing that had the impact of the first three.

[pbla4024 0]

Why? I think there were days without risers and got burnt by lines everytime you used reserve.

Fido

[mjosparky 3]

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Why? I think there were days without risers and got burnt by lines everytime you used reserve.

What did the lines hook to if there were no risers?

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[pbla4024 0]

Directly to harness?

Fido

[ripcord4 0]

I have been jumping military and sport since 1960 and have seen many changes to both styles of jumping. However, the greatest changes have occured in our sport. The #1 improvement has to be the ram-air canopies. #2 is the dual backpack harness & container, regardless of the deployment method. #3 is the three-ring release system. #4 is the reliable, safe AAD. #5 has to be the great increase in turbine/high performance aircraft availability for the sport. (Try going to 12, 500 in a Piper Tri-Pacer with 3 jumpers wearing chest-mount reserves. Bring a lunch!)

[Andy9o8 0]

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Piggyback containers. Back in the day we had belly mounted reserves and backpack mains. You felt like a parachute sandwich. Ughh! Amazing that anybody stuck with the sport..

Agreed; but let me ask all of you who started out on belly-warts this: the first time you ever jumped a piggy-back rig, didn't you feel a bit "naked"? I know I did. It felt weird no longer having the ability to reach into the reserve container if it got hung up. (Remember "Jesus strings"?)

[mattmais 0]

Audible altimeters...i saw Rsl under skyhook...but how about RSL

[tombuch 0]

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(Remember "Jesus strings"?)

Last hope rope?
.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[ripcord4 0]

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Piggyback containers. Back in the day we had belly mounted reserves and backpack mains. You felt like a parachute sandwich. Ughh! Amazing that anybody stuck with the sport..

Agreed; but let me ask all of you who started out on belly-warts this: the first time you ever jumped a piggy-back rig, didn't you feel a bit "naked"? I know I did. It felt weird no longer having the ability to reach into the reserve container if it got hung up. (Remember "Jesus strings"?)

Yes, I agree. I bought a Security Crossbow piggyback in 1967 for my Para Commander. Without the chest reserve, it was an eerie feeling even with the chest strap and belly band. Took a while to get used to, for certain. And yes to the "last hope rope".

[mjosparky 3]

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#5 has to be the great increase in turbine/high performance aircraft availability for the sport. (Try going to 12, 500 in a Piper Tri-Pacer with 3 jumpers wearing chest-mount reserves. Bring a lunch!)

You are right, that is one that often gets over looked.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[georgerussia 0]

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Agreed; but let me ask all of you who started out on belly-warts this: the first time you ever jumped a piggy-back rig, didn't you feel a bit "naked"?

This is exactly how I feel now on my AFF jumps.
Had 33 jumps on round 10 years ago in Russia, all with belly-mounted reserve. Provided tough fixation in harness, and useful extra space for anything, from a hook knife to altimeter:)
And now when I'm in harness, every time when I look down and see my knees, my brain still tells me that something is wrong.
Hope this will wear off in next 10-20 jumps.

Also another major enchancement I can notice is the decreased total weight of gear. The total weight of my gear was about 54 lbs, which was about 1/2 of my own weight.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[ripcord4 0]

Georgerussia....

Is that a D-5 or D-6 you are wearing in your photo?

[georgerussia 0]

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Is that a D-5 or D-6 you are wearing in your photo?

This is D-5, and Z-5 reserve. Our DZ did not have D-6.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[JerryBaumchen 1,082]

Sparky,

Re: So what did the lines hook to if there were no risers.

On some military surplus chest packs the lines wrapped around the 5,000 lb snaps and were then sewn together; just like on a connector link but without the clove hitch.

No risers.

Jerry

[mjosparky 3]

Boy, now I know you are old. How long has it been since you have seen one of those?

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[pbla4024 0]

That's exactly what I was talking about. I haven't seen any, just heard description. Anyway I think I was wrong and this change is probably outside 30 years time span.

Fido

[fcajump 155]

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Boy, now I know you are old. How long has it been since you have seen one of those?

Some of us still have them in the loft... their called "artifacts"

Jim

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[ripcord4 0]

I have 2 reserves in my gear locker tied off to snaps as described. They are still around, believe me.

[ripcord4 0]

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Is that a D-5 or D-6 you are wearing in your photo?

This is D-5, and Z-5 reserve. Our DZ did not have D-6.

George,

I have had the pleasure of jumping both the D5 and D6 in Russia on several different occasions, usually with the "freefall drogue" system. I prefer the D6, of course, but both are fun to jump.