airtwardo 7 #26 February 21, 2014 oldwomanc6 ***Oh THOSE things...used 'em on reserves, for a main just ran a 4 line and packed her up in the dirt ! Are we talking girls or canopies? Yes ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #27 February 21, 2014 airtwardo ******Oh THOSE things...used 'em on reserves, for a main just ran a 4 line and packed her up in the dirt ! Are we talking girls or canopies? Yes I'm guessing that would depend on whether it was before, or after, sunset."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dpreguy 14 #28 February 21, 2014 First jump 1961. PCA = 2000 foot openings for D license. Got mine in about 1964. We had already been breaking the rule by going to 1800 or so, because we thought it was cool to do so. Then, when PCA OK'd 1800 foot openings, for D license,(actually, - ripcord extraction), we D's felt obligated (or something like that), to go to the 1800. We had already been fudging 2the 2000 feet and going to 1800 anyway, so when the 1800 was OK'd for D's; since we had already been going there, well, we just naturally fudged the 1800 too. So we'd always fly thru 1800 and then not even be in a hurry to pull the 4 pin ripcords. Had the 'ol floating housing and the ripcord was already out of the pocket, in our right hand awaiting the actual pull. Had bigass black 2 1/2 deep aircraft altimeters on our belly mounts. Could sometimes hear the jumpers in freefall if the air was still at all. Even solo's. This backfired on me twice and pulled way too low. Having the horizon/sky disappear from your field of vision, and have the earth fold up around you like a big bowl is damn scary. Happened once on a fuck up and I swore I'd never let myself go that low again Then shortly after, I fucked up again and it happened again and I knew I was being too careless. I think the earth bowl folding up around you is just under 1000 feet. I never knew because when it happened I wasn't looking at any altimeter. Just pulled in a panic at that point. Those low," in the dirt bowl" mistakes scared everybody - not only the jumper but the guys on the ground too. Aside from those mistake jumps, we just let 1800 go by and pulled a second or so later. Jump after jump. Because we could, and because we thought it was badass. Automatic openers weren't invented, except the one that the student had to turn off, so it was on you. Scares me now to remember. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #29 February 21, 2014 See... I just KNEW you were older than 50! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #30 February 21, 2014 Old : 1. 5 dollar reserve repacks. 2. "Flaking some cheapos" during a weather hold, or after a busy day of SLs. 3. SLs.... i.e. static lines 4. "A buck a thousand " for jumps. 5. Double zipper jumpsuits, as a HUGE step forward,, from mechanics overalls. 6. 4 - pin containers 7. Sleeves and then, PODS 8. Using temporary pins to pack a MAIN. 9. One A3 or Two MA1s 10. A 'formation load ' meant a 180 and a 182 which I was always invited to join. 11. Nine ways, from a DeHav. Beaver. 12. Taking an aspirin on a sunday morning, to try to shake that hangover. 13... a weekend of skydiving made Everything Allright !!New : 1. 75 dollar reserve repacks. 2. Having the local 14 year old packing wizard, get you on a 10 minute call. 3. The only LINES anymore are for people to use their credit cards at the Tandem manifest counter 4. "thousands of bucks" for a few AFF dives. 5. Double and triple jumpsuits, in the gear bag,, and that's JUST for RW..2 more for FreeFlying 6.. 1 pin containers and in the case of BASE rigs w/Velcro.. ZERO pin containers7. FreeBags and D Bags. 8. No longer even packing your own main.9. A pilot chute that you need to cock. 10. A formation load is a skyvan AND 4 or 5 otters, which I am seldom invited to join. 11. 20 ways from a DeHav Otter, which (luckily ) I still get asked ON, from time to time. 12. Taking 1000 MG of ibuprofen on a sunday morning, to try to shake ALLL those aches and pains. 13. a weekend of skydiving makes Everything Allright.!!!edited to add some pics. Then & Now jmy A 3914 D12122 4 stack 930 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzswoop717 5 #31 February 21, 2014 Old: Age 16 to 40 ate, breathed, slept, dreamed SKYDIVING. At the DZ always. Loved every minute of it. Thought it would never end. Now: Age 40 to 51, too busy with business , family and life to get to a DZ. My brother , myself and a few friends make a hand full of jumps each summer from our own airplanes. Haven't been to a commercial DZ in a couple of years. Appreciate each jump I get to make. Still dream every night about jumping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCS292 1 #32 February 21, 2014 airtwardo WORTHLESS without PICTURES! Thanks for rubbing it in. I usually had to use my reserve for weight since I didn't have a hot chick to lean for me. I do remember the grass and dirt falling on my head after opening. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpaq 1 #33 February 21, 2014 Old: First ram-air rig was $750.00 used. Lift ticket to 10,000 ft was $8.00. Keep the wife and kids at home. Pulling 4 ways off at 3,500ft. Belly bands. Injuries & fatalities from malfunctions. Lots of WWII vets jumping. If it's round it's sound. 50 jumps on a cheapo before a PC jump and 50 jumps on a PC before a ram-air jump with a sign off. A dozen jumps on the weekend kept you sore and limping until the next weekend. "Have A Good One"/ Thumbs Up sign before jump. Students car pooled or drove old VW's or rust buckets. Fortyfive to fifty pounds of gear on your back. A few select self taught skilled cameramen on the DZ with ten pound of equipment on their helmet. Sport parachutists. Today: New rig is $7,500.00 Lift ticket to 10,000 ft is $25.00. Bring the wife and kids to the DZ for family fun. Minimum jump altitude 5,500 ft for lots of DZ's. BOC's. Injuries & fatalities while under fully opened parachutes. A hanfull of WWII vets still around. :( What is a round? First jump students on ram-airs. Twenty jumps a weekend keeps you invigorated until the next. Fancy fist bumps and hand jestures passed on before jump. Students drive new luxury automobiles. Fifteen to twentyfive pounds of gear on your back. Everyone is a camerman with a ten ounce GoPro. Skydivers. The difference between now and then is that the "Now" is better than the "Then" and these present "Now" days will soon be remembered as the good old days so enjoy. www.geronimoskydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #34 February 21, 2014 Old: Making the sunset load every day because it took all day to get enough Cessna jumps. Now: Everyone out of energy and money with 2 hours of summer daylight left, having done a dozen tandems and AFF out of the Twin Otter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #35 February 21, 2014 Your first photo shows another blast from the past: toggles that really are toggles! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #36 February 21, 2014 Andy9o8 Your first photo shows another blast from the past: toggles that really are toggles! I pretty much almost always had hard toggles up until my current rig...just too tight! Easier to grab at night with gloves on, easier to adjust for flare. Hard plastic that's 1/2 the diameter of the old wooden ones...wish I had 'em on my current canopy! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guru312 0 #37 February 21, 2014 Andy9o8Your first photo shows another blast from the past: toggles that really are toggles! Well...I don't have any pictures of toggles, connector links, or D rings so I thought I'd post a picture of my very first jump pilot: Marsha Ivins, astronaut. Marsha flew for me during the summer of 1969. She retired from NASA last year. Marsha sent the autographed picture to my daughter. "Greetings from space." How cool is that?!Guru312 I am not DB Cooper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grimmie 181 #38 February 21, 2014 In the old days you would just show up at the DZ and have a bunch of people to jump with. Everyone knew each other, because we all did RW. We didn't need 30 hours in a wind tunnel to learn how to smile on a skydive. Fun jumping was...fun! People actually learned the old fashioned way by doing, not by watching youtube. Now we have so many different factions. RW, head down, swooping, CRW, Wing Suits, angle flying, tracking jumps etc. that it keeps people from meeting each other at the DZ. And jump run used to be over the top with everyone falling straight down. Now jump runs are mayhem, with people going in all different directions and freefall speeds, which can lead to LZ mayhem. As for the death of skysurfing, it's pretty simple. All of the boys were getting really sick and tired of being beaten down by a 105 lb lovely little brunette dynamo named Tanya Garcia. They all took their boards and went home. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackwallace 3 #39 February 22, 2014 Old- everything before tandems. New- everything since tandems.U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler. scr 316 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katzas 1 #40 February 22, 2014 Olden days, eh? Well--here's a dose of the REAL old days. Military surplus B-4 backpacks with ripcords and double shot capewell main releases, no cutaways, Corcoran boots, "French" boots, football helmets for students, belly mounted reserves, every canopy was round, minimum of 100 jumps to jump a 7-TU modification (look it up), PLF on every jump or you get hurt, Para Commanders were so-called "death traps" (minimum 500 jumps to jump one), moving the reserve to your back was a "death trap" making a cutaway mandatory with two release points on your harness, every student did static line training with dummy ripcord pulls, slamming into the ground five times in a day was about all you could handle......BUT, the parties, the camaraderie, the bon homme, the waiting for the sky to clear, the instructors who actually gave a damn about students....that was there too (thanks Butch Rubb--rest in peace old friendQuote). You didn't dare call yourself a skydiver unless you got off the "rope" and did freefall. Now? Well, the gear is much better, there are lots more places to jump (if you avoid the tandem factories), squealing girls who do one tandem jump call themselves skydivers, parties are hard to find and if it's too windy, well, home james. Was it better then? Yes--and no. Is it better now? No--and yes. Do I miss the old days--yes. Would I jump a 7-TU today? Nope. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #41 February 22, 2014 Then ~ Minimum 200 jumps to fly a square Now ~ 200 jumps to fly a camera. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #42 February 22, 2014 Quote I will admit I miss spiraling I still have my Sabre I. I lose all of 250' in a spiral.We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonstark 8 #43 February 22, 2014 OLD It was an outdoor sport... Somebody would call out "jumprun!" and we'd all look up to watch our friends jump and how well they'd do. Big suits ripping through the air in freefall were NOISY! Kiss pass on break-off. Pulling at 2000' wasn't low at all. Somebody on the ground would yell "PULL!" or "CUTAWAY!" if they got nervous. The Safety Officer wasn't afraid to bruise your ego if you screwed up. We spotted ourselves and a long walk back reinforced the spotting lesson. We packed outside. The gear was antique, snaggy and could kill ya. NEW Nobody looks up. We have no idea how our friends' jump went. We weren't looking. Full face helmets. No more kisses! Pulling at 3000' is LOW! We don't spot ourselves and trucks come to pick us up if we land more than a couple hundred yards away. We pack inside. We watch ourselves on video and consider it a debrief. The gear is sleek, modern and can kill ya. jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #44 February 22, 2014 Old Huge VCRs in y' jump suit F1-11 Round mains & reserves AADs .... yeah right Pegasus .. Best canopy EVER Belly Bands .... !!!! Turbines? Bwhaaaaaaa RW .. seems like a perfectly good term .. why change it to FS? Blue Licenses More dropzones to choose from no tandems getting in the way Old and New I 'kin LOVE BEING IN THE SKY (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
in2jumping 0 #45 February 22, 2014 wolfriverjoe*** And what happened to skysurfing. Haven't seen that lately. I've only been around since the early "00s", so I don't pretend to know about the "old days" other than what I've heard. But skysurfing died because it was a dead end. The learning process was interesting. Learning how to get on top and stay there and make it go where and how you wanted was a challenge. But once you got that down, there really wasn't much to do. I beg to differ, Rob Harris was a bad azz on a board. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTxKwk-7n70 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
format 1 #46 February 22, 2014 QuoteI beg to differ, Rob Harris was a bad azz on a board. Top ten Most wonderful!What goes around, comes later. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #47 February 22, 2014 Quote AADs .... yeah right They were 'AODs' ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #48 February 23, 2014 airtwardo Then ~ Minimum 200 jumps to fly a square I bought a strato star when I had 60-ish jumps. They told me I was gonna die. But I listened to my instructors. And even did what they told me to do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,382 #49 February 23, 2014 Quote I bought a strato star when I had 60-ish jumps. They told me I was gonna die. There was a local jumper named Rick who did the same thing, and was told the same thing (recommendation was at least 200 jumps). He didn't die either Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #50 February 23, 2014 JohnMitchell I bought a strato star when I had 60-ish jumps. They told me I was gonna die. But I listened to my instructors. And even did what they told me to do. Well, they didn't say exactly when you would die, now did they?"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
