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QuoteDoes anybody still "ride the rotating beacon" at airports that have them? Used to do that at night and leave your signature on it.
They still ride the beacon at the dz's that I jump (naked, of course).
Last time I rode the beacon was at old Spaceland, 1979.
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
Beacon riding is still very much alive here at Raeford. Actually there at two separate categories:
wrassling on the grate
wrassling on top of the beacon while it's rotating
wrassling on the grate
wrassling on top of the beacon while it's rotating
wmw999 2,311
QuoteLast time I rode the beacon was at old Spaceland, 1979.
Man, I miss all the fun. I was there that weekend and didn't ride the beacon. You must be cooler than I am
Wendy W.
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)
Last time I rode the beacon was at old Spaceland, 1979.
No shit!!! The first beacon I ever rode was the one at old Spaceland in 1980
The older I get the less I care who I piss off.
Some how, we got a newspaper clipping of the old TSR done sometime in the early '80s at the old Spaceland, at my DZ.
Anyone care to share some stories/trivia/etc about that jump? I think it was a 76-way.
Anyone care to share some stories/trivia/etc about that jump? I think it was a 76-way.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."
QuoteQuoteLast time I rode the beacon was at old Spaceland, 1979.
Man, I miss all the fun. I was there that weekend and didn't ride the beacon. You must be cooler than I am
Wendy W.
You didn't miss any fun. Liquid courage got me up there. It was covered with dew, 2 in the morning, and I left finger nail marks in the lens trying to hang on. Scared the shit out of me.
Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
hagalo 0
This song was traditional at some DZs.
Twas was a week ago Sunday,
On a broken down runway,
Just as we climbed in our plane.
When by a car bumper
There stood a strange jumper,
Who seemed to be almost insane.
He said with a shout,
Can I follow you out?"
But he sure had a strange looking rig-
It was a front-mounted pretzel,
An Eddy Grimm special!
While the rest of the load wore a pig.
Well after the jump,
When it came time to dump
And the ten-way had finally split -
After cutting away
From his first mal today
This new guy was starting to shit!
His reserve wasn't working
After lots of hard jerking
And just when I thought he was dead
In a voice that was splitting
From the bricks he was shitting,
He looked at his poptop and said
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve,
Four hundred feet and I'm losing my nerve -
I've had some bad ones,
I've lived through some sad ones,
But this one I just don't deserve!
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
Well after he bounced
We smoked up an ounce,
And stared in the hole where he lay -
I started to wonder
If maybe - I'd thunder?
The next time that I cutaway.
Well the whuffos report
There's a much safer sport
But I think I'll keep jumping instead -
If my square doesn't open,
I'll cutaway hopin'
And remember the last words he said,
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
Four hundred feet and I'm losing my nerve
I've had some sad ones
I've lived through some bad ones,
But this one I just don't deserve!
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
Twas was a week ago Sunday,
On a broken down runway,
Just as we climbed in our plane.
When by a car bumper
There stood a strange jumper,
Who seemed to be almost insane.
He said with a shout,
Can I follow you out?"
But he sure had a strange looking rig-
It was a front-mounted pretzel,
An Eddy Grimm special!
While the rest of the load wore a pig.
Well after the jump,
When it came time to dump
And the ten-way had finally split -
After cutting away
From his first mal today
This new guy was starting to shit!
His reserve wasn't working
After lots of hard jerking
And just when I thought he was dead
In a voice that was splitting
From the bricks he was shitting,
He looked at his poptop and said
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve,
Four hundred feet and I'm losing my nerve -
I've had some bad ones,
I've lived through some sad ones,
But this one I just don't deserve!
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
Well after he bounced
We smoked up an ounce,
And stared in the hole where he lay -
I started to wonder
If maybe - I'd thunder?
The next time that I cutaway.
Well the whuffos report
There's a much safer sport
But I think I'll keep jumping instead -
If my square doesn't open,
I'll cutaway hopin'
And remember the last words he said,
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
Four hundred feet and I'm losing my nerve
I've had some sad ones
I've lived through some bad ones,
But this one I just don't deserve!
You picked a fine time to fail me, reserve!
wmw999 2,311
Thank you thank you thank you -- I was looking for that one.
Wendy W.
Wendy W.
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)
Airdivr 0
QuoteI visited The Blue Sky Ranch in New York in 1991. On my first skydive there, we took off on an otter load, and at about 500 feet or so, someone yelled "SHAWANGA!" The rest of the plane responded by yelling "FLY BABY, FLY!"
Shawanga came from the dropzone Stormville, NY, just a few miles from where the Ranch is now located. It originated (if my feeble mind is working correctly) with a team called the "Spaced Rangers" but may have been used prior to them.
The Ranch has now adopted the slogan for its own.
Elaine
Cool! THanks for the history lesson!! 
Arrive Safely
John
John
RonD1120 58
QuoteIn Florida in '79 - '82 we used to have crater parties... Anyone even know what one is now?
The first one I heard of was Z-hills 1972. I was ASO at the time but was in Deland watching the Collegiate Nationals. Tony Fredine(sp?) from CA was the so honored guest. He won the the low pull, aka chicken jump, contest the night before around 0200.
Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.
QuoteLong ago at Z=hills they (I hear) used to pour plaster of paris in the craters.
At a lot of DZ's I have been to I have been taken on the "crater tour". It was almost part of the check in.
Ron
In all the time I was at Z'hills I never heard that one. The Gulch maybe?
Hoop
murrays 0
QuoteQuoteLong ago at Z=hills they (I hear) used to pour plaster of paris in the craters.
At a lot of DZ's I have been to I have been taken on the "crater tour". It was almost part of the check in.
Ron
In all the time I was at Z'hills I never heard that one. The Gulch maybe?
Hoop
There was a bird bath made from a crater in Perris. If you do a search on "bird bath crater" you'll be directed to the "Scary Stories From the Old days" thread and some posts by myself and "Skybill".
--
Murray
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey
Murray
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey
Krip 2
I think "picking up used gear" is a universal tradition.
I know talking about it is.
Glitch 0
Ditto... I heard this shortly after a safety briefing in Deland somewhere around '83. The chorus has been bouncing around my noggin every since! 
...mostly because I couldn't remember the words.
And for those who don't know... it's set to the tune of 'You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille' by Kenny Rogers.
Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...
mccurley 0
Words by Al Miller of London Onatrio
He also wrote
Lions roar
Wolves howl
Only Skydivers know
why Birds sing
He also wrote
Lions roar
Wolves howl
Only Skydivers know
why Birds sing
Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI
We were just talking about that today Are you a turtle ? "You bet your sweet ass I am Was the proper reply or a drink of the asker's choice was bought. How about 5th degree turtle with a pitcher of beer dumped down their funnel. Did you ever do a pyramid to the 5th layer in the" Bucket Bar" in Clinton MI north of now Skydive Tecumseh Mi and tear down all the ceiling tile when it callopsed. Only to find it back in place for the next nights fun with Mike Johnston doing his human flame thrower trick then tearing the ceiling tile again. Did anyone ever jump in Canada and play "Dead Ants" and be the last one to hit ground sitting back wards on a bar stool to then buy a round cuz your last to lie on your back like a Dead-Ant Waking up the next morning to wonder why you hurt all over. Did you ever streak the fire at Richmond with "Naked Wendy" leading 7 guys naked on her crutches. Did you ever see some one at Richmond sleeping outside on an air mattress with a cell phone by their head . then further down a guy doing it proper with 6 or 7 empty beer cans, with a silly grin and a ball buster hangover coming on.Did you ever see Sherry doing Cart-Wheels down a hallway at the Holiday Inn at Lima -Leap fest in a bikini to Murfs room . The mere fact her bra fell of on the second flip,no way in hell I would tell her . I loved her internally then and still would today if I only knew where.I am amazed I am still alive today after some of the traditions started back then.It's nice to see some people remember the stuff we did then but only heard about the next day. Hackey sack was bare foot with a silver dollar until we found The sheperds at Jesus time played it with a goats scrotum. Streaking was running towards traffic on a Sunday mornig with only "Frenchie jump boots" for one mile on an Inter-State Highway to count. I'll think more over night but sleep with a grin. DId you ever pass beer to a buddy in the next lane doing 85 and only one person in each car on an Interstate .
and play "Dead Ants"
Quote
Picture a resturant in downtown St. Louis...about 77-78
My folks taking my GF & I out to dinner, I bet my dad 20.00 I could make the ole drunk guy at the bar fall flat on his ass without touching him.
The round cost me the 20, and we got booted, but when he got back up...the look on the face of my DZO 'boss' was worth it!
~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~
Its the next morning now . At the Richmond boggie and Boogie, Night nude Beacon rides got you numbers as important as your SCR& SCS bragging rights.
The one thing I would like to see reoccur is Pink Plastic Flamingo's. At Freakport Roger Nelson gave jump tickets to the most gaudy and tasteless camp ground. A pup tent required at least 8 Mingos A motothome needed a whole herd of them. Once at Quincy a guy had the plastic picket fence the little guy with the ring to tie up horses. The mother goose with babys a mother skunk the same.Then some rotten guy poured Mountain Dew and a Baby Ruth candy bar with toilet paper in his plasti bird bath. He landed and thought some one really took a dump in his bird bath. At the same Freak Brothers Convention on a weather hold Roger declared a family reunion for the mingos everyone brought theirs to one area and it was a sea of pink. Now its cell phones and Ipods the shame of it all.
The one thing I would like to see reoccur is Pink Plastic Flamingo's. At Freakport Roger Nelson gave jump tickets to the most gaudy and tasteless camp ground. A pup tent required at least 8 Mingos A motothome needed a whole herd of them. Once at Quincy a guy had the plastic picket fence the little guy with the ring to tie up horses. The mother goose with babys a mother skunk the same.Then some rotten guy poured Mountain Dew and a Baby Ruth candy bar with toilet paper in his plasti bird bath. He landed and thought some one really took a dump in his bird bath. At the same Freak Brothers Convention on a weather hold Roger declared a family reunion for the mingos everyone brought theirs to one area and it was a sea of pink. Now its cell phones and Ipods the shame of it all.
QuoteQuoteIn Florida in '79 - '82 we used to have crater parties... Anyone even know what one is now?
The first one I heard of was Z-hills 1972. I was ASO at the time but was in Deland watching the Collegiate Nationals. Tony Fredine(sp?) from CA was the so honored guest. He won the the low pull, aka chicken jump, contest the night before around 0200.
Ron –
I forgot the name, you forgot the year. Tony Fredin was among the California jumpers that came to the First “Big Z” (Turkey) Meet in 1969. That was the era of smoking it down (literally and metaphorically) and the first day he asked Searles if he could put on a low-pull demo, and was much offended when the answer was no. The next night, about 2 a.m., a few folks were partying hard, when Fredin convinced a very drunk Moriarity to take him and fellow Californian Slick Armstrong up in his 172 for a low-pull contest. Fredin was just getting line stretch when he impacted feet first and an open canopy settled over his body. When I got to the DZ a few hours later, the small crater had been tastefully decorated with someone’s hash pipe as sort of a posthumous first place trophy. (“Well, he won, didn’t he?” a California confrere said reverentially.) If there was a plaster cast made, it must have gone back to the Left coast. I never saw it.
Hoop
Does anyone remember the whole Shawanga exit count down? I recall " Something Four Out the Fucking Door Shawanga" It would have been from 'the mid 70's or earlier.
HIM-HER-THEM should be kept alive at all cost. Being the highest compliment you can pay to a fellow jumper. Sometimes done at inopertune times Weddings and Funerals getting Whuffos up set but the reciever wouldnt want it any other way.
The half a pair of tennies hanging from a tree and ther story of where the other might be is always a good one
Just ramblings from a guy "Been there ,done that
HIM-HER-THEM should be kept alive at all cost. Being the highest compliment you can pay to a fellow jumper. Sometimes done at inopertune times Weddings and Funerals getting Whuffos up set but the reciever wouldnt want it any other way.
The half a pair of tennies hanging from a tree and ther story of where the other might be is always a good one
Just ramblings from a guy "Been there ,done that
Quote
HIM-HER-THEM should be kept alive at all cost. Being the highest compliment you can pay to a fellow jumper. Sometimes done at inopertune times Weddings and Funerals getting Whuffos up set but the reciever wouldnt want it any other way.
Don't worry, that one is alive and well.
wmw999 2,311
Not sure about the Shawanga part, but "one potato two potato three potato four, five potato six potato out the fucking door" made the rounds for a while in the late 70's or so.
Not real good in these days of everyone doing teams, though
Wendy W.
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)
I think this custom originated at the Shawanga something-or-other airport 30 or 40 miles south of the Ranch. Its runway went so far downhill that you lost sight of the plane before it left the ground.
HW
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