Deuce 1 #1 September 30, 2002 Did this happen? From the Darwin Awards site: (North or South Carolina, 1980's) A parachute instructor was videotaping the lessons he was giving to a group of trainees. He had attached the video camera to his helmet so that it would capture the entire day of instruction. The group of enthusiastic beginners went up in the plane, and the instructor led them through preparations for the jump. When they reached the jump site, the students and instructor jumped from the plane, tape still running. A few minutes later, the instructor realized that he had been so focused on preparing his trainees for the jump, which needed to be perfect for the sake of the videotaped lesson, that he had forgotten to strap on his own parachute. All but the last ten feet of his fall was recorded by the camera. The very last part of the tape was destroyed by the impact. Readers! If you can confirm this story, please Share Your Information!. It happened in the mid-1980s, in North or South Carolina, and was probably reported in many newspapers. http://www.darwinawards.com/ *** Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 September 30, 2002 I'm not sure it happened exactly as related on the Darwin site, but essentially, yes, at least one camera flyer has left the aircraft without his rig. I -believe- I may still have a copy of the an article about it, but undoubtedly it's buried several geological layers deep.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropdeded 0 #3 September 30, 2002 Saw the video years ago on some(?)t.v. program.Don't know anything except yep,it happened.Don't know the actual circumstances. dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #4 September 30, 2002 Yikes. I had been warned that when I took up camera that I'd start to leave the hangar without my rig, having spent all my worrying time thinking camera and video. Leaving the plane, though.... Hey Q! Nice picture of you and Lori on the Perris site from last weekend! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pop 0 #5 September 30, 2002 QuoteWhen they reached the jump site, the students and instructor jumped from the plane, tape still running. A few minutes later.... Must have been a very high altitude jump, becasue it usually takes about 80 seconds from 14,000 feet to readh the ground if the chute is never deployed7 ounce wonders, music and dogs that are not into beer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythoughts 0 #6 September 30, 2002 Being a cameraflyer, I don't know if you remember Dave "Pink" Floyd. Heavyset with a handlebar mustache? Pink was a good friend of one of the camera guys who have done this. Apparently, he followed a team out. Unsure if it was intentional. It has happened more than once with cameramen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gale 0 #7 September 30, 2002 OK, so this guy (if it's true) wasn't too bright or too safety-oriented (say, I don't know, checking your handles before you leave...) But what about the other people ON THE PLANE? The pilot, the jumpers, ANYONE! How could they not have noticed???? The whole idea that someone would not have pointed this out getting INTO the plane let alone before getting out of the plane is unreal. Man, we really have to learn to look out for each other. GaleI'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #8 September 30, 2002 If i remember the story it was chest mounted VCR recording unit in the just after chest mount reserve days. Everyone might have thought that was a canopy...Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #9 September 30, 2002 QuoteBut what about the other people ON THE PLANE? The pilot, the jumpers, ANYONE! How could they not have noticed???? A very large part of this is that people think they see what they expect to see. Happens all the time. People get on-board aricraft without chest straps secured . . . whatever . . . nobody notices because nobody is -really- looking. People think to themselves, "It's too uncomfortable. I'll tighten the straps up -just- before I exit." We had a guy leave an airplane with his chest strap undone just a couple of weekends ago. Nobody saw it. He figured it out when he exited and his left shoulder strap came down to his wrist. He spent the majority of the skydive fixing it. So, who -should- have caught it? Well, the skydiver himself when he put the rig on, his buddies when he went to the mock-up, the skydiver again when he was boarding the plane, the loader, himself again while he was on the ride to altitude and maybe his buddies again during gear checks before jump-run. Still, nobody caught it. Lot's of folks have different attitudes when it comes to gearing up and loading on the airplane. As a general rule, I won't pick-up my camera helmet in the packing area unless I already have my rig on. I try to not go near the loading area unless I'm geared up enough to exit the airplane -- leg and chest straps as tight as they'll be at full altitude. Sure, it's a little less physically comfortable, but a heck of a lot more mentally comfortable.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jfields 0 #10 September 30, 2002 I agree with Paul on a number of counts. The physical discomfort of riding to altitude with everything fully snugged up is trivial compared to the mental comfort of being ready to go. It is also just good procedure, even for people who would feel okay finishing gearing up on the plane. Knowing my luck, the time I decide to get on a plane without my gear in order would be the time I had to do an emergency bail out due to aircraft emergency. I won't get onto the plane without the minimum required to leave the plane in flight. Helmet, goggles, altimeter and audible are all optional in an emergency, but I have to have my rig squared away so I could at least get out, deploy, and land. The people I see mucking with their gear on the ride up are never novices. It is always the people with thousands of jumps who have gotten complacent and sloppy. They are the people who should know better. From my experience, video people are the most likely culprits, because they are most likely to turn loads with multiple rigs to film students. Novice (including myself) are way to paranoid to fall into that particular trap. Others, yes, but not boarding without being ready. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #11 September 30, 2002 QuoteHey Q! Nice picture of you and Lori on the Perris site from last weekend! I'm such a dork.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoby 0 #12 September 30, 2002 I personally get the willies when I see someone on the plane with their leg straps undone or really loose. I can be forgetful, so I make sure everything is sorted before I get on. Sometimes I leave my helmet on the way up so I can't do something silly like drop it out the open door. I really hope I don't become one of the complacent types later on... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christoofar 0 #13 September 30, 2002 I am _EXTREMELY_ anal about chest straps and leg straps!!!! I will F with those things until I am 100% sure I'm not going to slip out of my rig in freefall. I also touch all three handles, once with the left hand, and once with the right hand, on EVERY jump so in case I only have one arm to use as in the case of my dislocated shoulder mishap last year, I am well aware of where my handles are. ____________________________________________________________ I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #14 September 30, 2002 QuoteI'm such a dork. No! No! The matching "We're cooler than you-ooo. We went to NASH-uh-nals!" Sweatshirts are a really nice touch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
homer 0 #15 September 30, 2002 I would think that most jumpers do at least 1 practice pull before every exit. Another thing you would think he would have noticed moving around in the plane would have been easier without the harness strapped around his body. CSA #699 Muff #3804 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #16 September 30, 2002 I agree 100% with Justin. I don't get in the boarding area until my leg straps and chest strap are tightened to get out of the plane. I'm paranoid enough (do my 3 & 3 about 5 times on the way to altitude) and don't need something else nagging at the back of my mind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbrasher 0 #17 October 1, 2002 version I remember: A videographer (w/ chest mounted recorder and a separate harness to hold it) was videoing a tandem out of a D-18. They were the last ones out and the cameraman sat up against the bulkhead until their turn came. Tandem was busy doing what he needed doing and didn't notice anything. Cameraman had worked 3rd shift the night before (as was normal for him) and was probably a little tired. It was not his first jump of the day/weekend. I saw a portion of the tape on TV and they showed a normal tandem exit and jump until just after the tandem pull. The videorapher did a double take when (I assume) he tried to pull and found nothing, looked around some and then... (end of broadcast). This wasn't the first time he apparently had gotten on a plane (that week? weekend? month?) with out a rig but no one caught it this time. With the workload and equipment configuration this scenario wasn't unreasonable; many top videographers of the day (and many that are still jumping today) had this happen but caught their error before exit/usually takeoff. There was a story (urban legend) about a year or more later that a suicide note was found; I have no idea if this is true. People have forgotten to pull many times because they were distracted, it isn't beyond reason for this either. PS. He wasn't first (or probably the last) to leave a plane unintentionally without a rig (there are stories predating this one). Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbarnhouse 0 #18 October 1, 2002 I have to say.....within the past month my camera flyer headed toward the tram without his rig. I asked him if planned on doing another jump after this one. His reply of course was "yes" I then pointed out to him that he might want to use a parachute.....yeah he has thousands of jumps and 10 years in the sport. Go figure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #19 October 1, 2002 Hey Q! Nice picture of you and Lori on the Perris site from last weekend! You mean this one? http://www.perriscam.com/Images3/dsg22647.JPG _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #20 October 1, 2002 Oh fer cryin' out loud! And here I was talking about how uncool Birdman suits looked on the ground. quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #21 October 1, 2002 I believe the faa nailed the pilot for this, didn't they? There was some talk about suicide, but the tape definitely showed him go for his handles to open, then pause and try again...If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #22 October 1, 2002 QuoteOh fer cryin' out loud! And here I was talking about how uncool Birdman suits looked on the ground. You mean like this one? Actually think -this- one is pretty cool! ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #23 October 1, 2002 I believe this happened at Franklin County SPC (don't think it still exists). I also remember hearing that this guy had been turned away by the pilot earlier in the day for showing up at the aircraft without his rig. On the jump in question, when the pilot showed up to fly, the cameraman was already on board. Arrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #24 October 1, 2002 QuoteThe matching "We're cooler than you-ooo. We went to NASH-uh-nals!" Sweatshirts are a really nice touch. Thanks Deuce! We're 2 of only 3 that call Perris our home that were at Nationals. So, it was a point of pride that we were sporting our sweatshirts for the camera. Although I look a bit goofy, I like the pic. Thanks. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jfields 0 #25 October 1, 2002 QuoteAlthough I look a bit goofy You are always safe if you are in pictures with Paul. The Goof-o-Magnet will point his way. Oh, Hi, Paul! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
