lucky508 0
oldwomanc6 38
Quotehere's a link to a pathfinder unit that made several combat jumps out of Huey's to secure LZ. pretty intresting stuff. Airborne! All the way!
http://11thpathfindercompany.com/Combat%20Jumps.htm
Lucky508
Clicky!
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9
Well, I'm having fun too. So I'll add one that IS from the early 70's
Back then students all had to start with a few static lines. Jumpmasters learned pretty quick to spot the most likely to back out and make sure they were not in the front of the 170. My buddy took a load up and miscalculated which to put in the front seat. He had one that wouldn't go and they circled for several passes and he finally got her out on the step. She was so petrified that when he tapped on her leg and yelled GO!! she wouldn't let go. And so they made another go around with her on the step. This next time he gave the go she let go without pushing off and fell straight down so that her backpack wedged over the step.
He had some of the students hold on to his legs and was out trying to lift her off the step, but couldn't get enough leverage to lift her off the step.
They were making go arounds under power but were still not maintaining altitude.
We used to have a game we did for spectators that we called "Helmet Time". Everyone would hold their helmets and the pilot would slowly push the nose over and gain speed until finally pull up and get some negative Gs over the top and all our helmets would float. It wowed the newbies!
My buddy had a quick idea and told the pilot "Helmet Time!". He hung out with the others holding his feet and when the negative Gs happened he had the strength to flip her off the step. Thank god she was on static line because she wasn't going to pull any ripcord!
The rest of the students went in order and did just fine. We never saw that one again.
Back then students all had to start with a few static lines. Jumpmasters learned pretty quick to spot the most likely to back out and make sure they were not in the front of the 170. My buddy took a load up and miscalculated which to put in the front seat. He had one that wouldn't go and they circled for several passes and he finally got her out on the step. She was so petrified that when he tapped on her leg and yelled GO!! she wouldn't let go. And so they made another go around with her on the step. This next time he gave the go she let go without pushing off and fell straight down so that her backpack wedged over the step.
He had some of the students hold on to his legs and was out trying to lift her off the step, but couldn't get enough leverage to lift her off the step.
They were making go arounds under power but were still not maintaining altitude.
We used to have a game we did for spectators that we called "Helmet Time". Everyone would hold their helmets and the pilot would slowly push the nose over and gain speed until finally pull up and get some negative Gs over the top and all our helmets would float. It wowed the newbies!
My buddy had a quick idea and told the pilot "Helmet Time!". He hung out with the others holding his feet and when the negative Gs happened he had the strength to flip her off the step. Thank god she was on static line because she wasn't going to pull any ripcord!
The rest of the students went in order and did just fine. We never saw that one again.
BillyVance 34
That was awesome. 
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban
At the Cessna DZ I learned to jump at (...which shall remain unnamed), they had you step on the wheel. If you didn't go, the pilot simply unlocked it. They never had these kinds of problems...
We are all engines of karma
Erroll 74
QuoteAt the Cessna DZ I learned to jump at (...which shall remain unnamed), they had you step on the wheel. If you didn't go, the pilot simply unlocked it. They never had these kinds of problems...
Same here, and in addition, the pilot would throttle up just a tad as he let go of the wheel brakes.......
Long ago and fat away I found a better way. I had a student frozen on the step. I climbed out next to him with the intend of hip checking him off the plane. He had both feet firmly planted on the step. I was trying to get my foot planted next to his on the step and leaned over and said "Excuse me." to him. He moved over. And he was gone. I did that a few times after that and it never failed. It always amazed me how polite people were.
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
scr 316
skybill 22
QuoteLong ago and fat away I found a better way. I had a student frozen on the step. I climbed out next to him with the intend of hip checking him off the plane. He had both feet firmly planted on the step. I was trying to get my foot planted next to his on the step and leaned over and said "Excuse me." to him. He moved over. And he was gone. I did that a few times after that and it never failed. It always amazed me how polite people were.
Hi JW and all,
Funny how that goez!!......'Back in the day....before someone "invented" the Pilotchute assist device (either a velcro strap or breakcord tie between the S/L and Pilotchute) the S/L would just open the pack and hopefully the P/C spring did it's job!! 'Hangin' around the old Southland Skydivers DZ at Hammond Airport, La. one day, R.L. Tycer D-339 (I think??) was tellin' a story 'bout a S/L student hangin' strut on the old Red Howard at DeRidder, La. a while before. Said R.L.,"He froze up on me an' ah' said,'Ah' gotta' do sumthin' 'Bout that!!....So ah' pulled his Static line......'Instant Gone!!'".....I believe that Howard is long gone but the students' fingerprints were still imbedded on that strut!!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680
III%,
Deli-out
III%,
Deli-out
wmw999 2,310
I remember watching a student from the ground once standing on the strut. We'd been warned that she was more scared than average, so she was third out. This was a fairly tight dropzone, with both a river and plenty of trees to contend with. Cheapos, of course.
So there they are, right around the spot --
GO!
NO!
GO!
NO!
GO!
NO!
Then the pilot dipped a wing, and she was gone.
No attention whatsoever to the arrow to guide her down, as she drifts over the trees -- the spot was way long, so her chances of landing in anything besides trees was minimal.
But she manages -- makes it just over the trees, lands on the field, jumps up and asks "Can I go again?" 
Nope, she didn't go again
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)
wetrock 0
found this story about B.J. worth and thought it belongs here
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=615405;search_string=%20B.J.%20Worth%20;#615405
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=615405;search_string=%20B.J.%20Worth%20;#615405
drjump 0
Sounds like Turners Falls DZ.
wmw999 2,310
Yeppir.
Wendy P.
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)
mrubin 0
This is such a great thread and I had to make sure it at least stayed on the first page, so...BUMP.
"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
lufkincy 0
The stupidest jump I ever made was in Bandera, Texas. Ed Fitch and I had been invited to a dude ranch to make demonstration jumps. We flew up in Ed's plane but they furnished their plane and pilot for us. Saturday went fine and we each made a half dozen or so jumps. Sunday I decided to do something different. I had it planned before we left but didn't tell Ed. He didn't ask why I had brought so many reserves. I was jumping a Security piggyback and had modified a harness adding extra D-rings. That was before the 3-rings so I had capewells. Sunday morning I got dressed up in my Security and 4 26' conical reserves with one snap hooked to each of 4 D-rings. I had a 5th with the lines chainlinke and everything stuffed into a box. Don't recall for sure but think it might have been a Bell helmet box. Ed said I looked like a wierd robot. I had the pilot go to about 15,000 and I exited, immediately tossing out the box and as soon as it opened I cut away. I then deployed the 2nd, cut away from it and did the same for #3, 4, and 5. Containers were flapping everywhere and I pulled my Security main for the final deployment and safely landed, with my piggyback reserve not used. A few years ago a friend told me that I landed on reserve #5 rather than the Security main, but I'm almost certain I deployed the Security.
Mrubin,
I just came across this particular thread, so I a have a story for you. In the mid-70s I was jumpmastering for the USF Sport Parachute club at the SOD Farm DZ south of Tampa, Fla. A S/L student came up to me and asked me to take him up - he brought the rig he had packed the day before (this was Sunday, and I hadn't been there Saturday.) All of our students understood that they were only to pack under the supervision of one of the jumpmasters. So I took him up with 2 other S/L students in the Cessna. He was to be first out. Jump run came and I put him out when SCHWAAANNNGGG. I did a double take - I had a student in tow! He was swinging under the tail with about 3 feet of canopy out of the bag and about 2 line stows out. I pulled my knife off my pop-top reserve and looked down the line to see what he was going to do (he was trained in cut-aways and could have chopped it since he was hanging from the 2 line stows worth of line) but he didn't. In the heat of the moment, he pulled his reserve. The plane gave a huge jerk and he was free, under his reserve with the main snaking around by his feet. It had shredded the whole side out of a military D-bag. I got to the bottom of it after we landed. He had packed without supervision and made the locking stows on the bag last instead of first. So of course they came out first, then the canopy was free to tangle with the deploying lines and everything just seized up. We got lucky things worked out the way they did.
I just came across this particular thread, so I a have a story for you. In the mid-70s I was jumpmastering for the USF Sport Parachute club at the SOD Farm DZ south of Tampa, Fla. A S/L student came up to me and asked me to take him up - he brought the rig he had packed the day before (this was Sunday, and I hadn't been there Saturday.) All of our students understood that they were only to pack under the supervision of one of the jumpmasters. So I took him up with 2 other S/L students in the Cessna. He was to be first out. Jump run came and I put him out when SCHWAAANNNGGG. I did a double take - I had a student in tow! He was swinging under the tail with about 3 feet of canopy out of the bag and about 2 line stows out. I pulled my knife off my pop-top reserve and looked down the line to see what he was going to do (he was trained in cut-aways and could have chopped it since he was hanging from the 2 line stows worth of line) but he didn't. In the heat of the moment, he pulled his reserve. The plane gave a huge jerk and he was free, under his reserve with the main snaking around by his feet. It had shredded the whole side out of a military D-bag. I got to the bottom of it after we landed. He had packed without supervision and made the locking stows on the bag last instead of first. So of course they came out first, then the canopy was free to tangle with the deploying lines and everything just seized up. We got lucky things worked out the way they did.
BillyVance 34
GTairhossMrubin,
I just came across this particular thread, so I a have a story for you. In the mid-70s I was jumpmastering for the USF Sport Parachute club at the SOD Farm DZ south of Tampa, Fla. A S/L student came up to me and asked me to take him up - he brought the rig he had packed the day before (this was Sunday, and I hadn't been there Saturday.) All of our students understood that they were only to pack under the supervision of one of the jumpmasters. So I took him up with 2 other S/L students in the Cessna. He was to be first out. Jump run came and I put him out when SCHWAAANNNGGG. I did a double take - I had a student in tow! He was swinging under the tail with about 3 feet of canopy out of the bag and about 2 line stows out. I pulled my knife off my pop-top reserve and looked down the line to see what he was going to do (he was trained in cut-aways and could have chopped it since he was hanging from the 2 line stows worth of line) but he didn't. In the heat of the moment, he pulled his reserve. The plane gave a huge jerk and he was free, under his reserve with the main snaking around by his feet. It had shredded the whole side out of a military D-bag. I got to the bottom of it after we landed. He had packed without supervision and made the locking stows on the bag last instead of first. So of course they came out first, then the canopy was free to tangle with the deploying lines and everything just seized up. We got lucky things worked out the way they did.
I'm glad they did too. Similar situation but different circumstances. Buddy of mine was jumpmastering 2 S/L students. After that he and I were going up to altitude for a 2 way. First student got off without a hitch. Second one... not so much. He was tall and lanky. Buddy told him a couple times to get down while he was climbing out, but he didn't hear him. The back of the rig was raking across the door the whole time until it caught the door handle. Whole thing was over in less than 2 seconds. If you blinked, you missed it.
The pin got pulled out and the spring loaded pilot chute sprung out and he got immediately ripped off the strut, and barely missed the horizontal stabilizer, by inches. The canopy, however, caught the stabilizer and as he went by just under it, the resulting force tore the stabilizer back roughly 4 to 6 inches at the wing tip before the chute slid off. It was all fouled up with maybe a quarter of the canopy jammed through one of the grommets. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. He landed on the taxiway under the round reserve and broke a foot.
The pilot was actually a stand-in because our regular one was sick or something, and the new guy had never flown skydivers before. We thought about bailing out to lighten the load but he got scared. So Buddy and I rode the plane back down with him uneventfully. I was in the back of the plane and can imagine today how close I was to going down in a death spiral had the stabilizer been ripped off.
As for the student, to his credit, he came back after he healed up and became a skydiver, even doing CRW with me and a couple others on a regular basis for a while.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban
That student coming back is pretty amazing. Speaking of tails ripped off - at Woodbine, Md we used to share the field with a glider operation. One day a glider was landing in 1 direction and the tow plane was landing in the opposite direction. The tow plane saw the glider and powered up and banked to go around. He hit the outhouse and tore the tin roof half off and it tore an elevator off the plane. The pilot was able to land with 1 elevator. Another one, it was in Md, but I can't remember where - some of my jumping buddies were up to make a demo. The first guy out had his canopy get out and it hooked on the left elevator (plane was a Beaver). He hung there for a while then cut away. When he chopped, the canopy inflated and tore the elevator off. Again, the pilot was faced with a 1 elevator landing.
http://11thpathfindercompany.com/Combat%20Jumps.htm
Lucky508
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