The origin of the Pea Pit

[AggieDave 6]

Yeah, we all know why they were invented, but when and where were they invented?

Also, anyone know what the average depth of the peas are? I keep meaning to go out to the peas in Aggieland with a long pole to see if I can find the bottom, since they were put on the field sometime during the '60s and supposedly they're VERY deep. I do know that about 10 years ago a jacked up Jeep was stuck to the frame in them (eh, skydivers when they're bored...)

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[metalslug 31]

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Yeah, we all know why they were invented, ...

Uh, I dont know.

What is a pea pit or "the peas"?
I'm not familiar with that. What is/was it used for ?

[darkwing 4]

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What is a pea pit or "the peas"? I'm not familiar with that. What is/was it used for ?

It is a big circle filled with smallish rounded stones, so that it absorbs impact energy gradually. If you are going to hit hard, it is definitely the place to do it. Accuracy jumpers liked it because you could concentrate more on hitting the target and less on breaking your legs. I think originally they were sand/sawdust filled maybe. Probably related to high jump and pole vault pits from track and field.

edit--> "pea" comes from the term "pea gravel" which is what you ordered a truck load of.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[andy2 0]

darkwing said it. They most definitely originated in track and field.

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in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[jonstark 8]

Robert Kempf and I used to have a DZ named Skydive City in Sylvania, GA. Back in 76 or 77 I dug a pea pit with the help of an underwater demolitions guy who provided me with 36 sticks of dynamite. We very carefully arranged them in an array so as to blow the dirt away from the center. I let my girlfriend touch the battery and BOOM. The dirt went about 100 feet in the air and came right back down where it came from.

I spent the next couple of weekends digging the pit about two feet deep and 30 feet in diameter. We laid drainage pipes and filled it with very white sand blasting slag. You could see the pit for miles in the corner of the field. It made for a good student reference. As a matter of fact I flew over the field years later and the circle was still visible.

Now that I think about it though... I can't remember using the pit for accuracy. I was too busy throwing students out and getting back to the trailer to gather up another three or pack for them.

At Beaver Valley Skydivers outside of Pittsburg they used to rototill their peas annually. It really is necessary to keep them properly soft for serious accuracy.

At Perris there was a light circle that I thought were peas and, loving accuracy, went for them only to find the pit compacted to hardpan. UGH!

[darkwing 4]

There have been many different "fillers" for a pea pit. Pope Valley, CA in the 70's had some very light and porous volcanic stone that would float if put in water. It was nice, but not really any nicer than a more traditional stone-filled pea pit.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[chuteless 1]

I know of one dropzone that turned their "peas" into cocrete and painted it green. It sure would hurt to land in the peas there.

[mr2mk1g 10]

just so long as they did it so that they could use it as a heli-pad I don't think the jumpers would complain

[airtwardo 6]

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I think originally they were sand/sawdust filled maybe.

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The dropzone I started at used saw dust....

A real mess July- -August in a hot and humid
Illinois cornfield!

People thought I was a lumberjack from the mess in my car!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jaymundo 0]

Rememger the un-PC saying"cutaway and track for the peas"?