1960s Para-Commander

[FlyingBlueJay 0]

Hey everyone,
My dad used to jump with the British Military back in 1962-1964 and used Para-Commanders. I have been talking to him about the sport now and showing him all about ram-air canopies. It blew his mind.

Anyway, does anyone have pictures of any P-Cs from that era? I'm curious to see what he used to jump.
-R

There is an art, or rather a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day, and try it. - Douglas Adams

[stratostar 5]

Go look in the photography fourm under post your best shot, I just posted a bunch in there.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[howardwhite 5]

Here are three, one from the jumper's point of view. (In the event you can't figure it out, the black portion at the bottom of the picture is the front.) The heavier lines from the risers to the center of the canopy are crown lines, which pull down the center.
Small prize for identifying the jumper landing near the elephant. (He's still actively jumping in Southern California.)

HW

[Zing 2]

I'm guessing its Jim Wallace.

Zing Lurks

[zoobrothertom 5]

The 2nd photo looks like a starlite!

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[cosmobuddy 0]

The PC-Smoke jpeg looks like a UT-15.

www.SkydiveLostPrairie.com

[mark 104]

Quote

The heavier lines from the risers to the center of the canopy are crown lines, which pull down the center.

Oops! The center lines are, well, center lines. Crown lines go from the uppermost part of each radial seam to the pilot chute attachment point.

Thanks for this continuing series. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Mark

[howardwhite 5]

You're quite right about my oops. I know better, didn't think as I typed.

HW

[JerryBaumchen 1,066]

Hi cosmo,

I agree, that is not a PC.

I was thing Ruskie also.

JerryBaumchen

[fastphil 0]

My ole red, white and blue...

[JumpUpMyAss 0]

I jumped a buddie's short-lined PC 7 years ago at 220 lbs. This how a fat boy does a plf.

[lekstrom10k 0]

Our DZ used these for student canopies for years. For talking them down it was great ,we knew which way they were facing wether they did or not. I made over 1500 on PC's and only one cut-away. It was better odds than my Baby and Para-Planes ropes and rings one out of twenty. I jumped the regular 24 ,competition. 27 Ruskies. 28 and 32., also the RW. I saw to many hard landings on the 23 Russian to want one of my own. Each one had its own personality. My yellow and black checker board was great for stand-ups My Red Baron matched my rig . I had a Carousel from my buddy getting out of the sport,etc etc.I still have a 1964 Golden Knights I am holding for Steve if he ever wants back in the sport.

[howardwhite 5]

I grabbed the pic from my half-vast archives because it was labelled PC and it was pretty. I didn't look too carefully at it.

The son of the guy who took it tells me it is Chuck Embury jumping a Russian PC (the Pioneer version) into a shopping center in Orange/Athol MA in the early seventies.

Sharp eyes out there.

By the way, the jumper in the elephant picture is Rich Piccirilli. The elephant was part of a Jacques Istel publicity thing at Orange, MA. Rich also has given me some pictures of JAI, D-2, on the elephant

HW

[BCA 1]

As I recall, the first PC's hit the market in 1964.

BCA

[andrewhilton 1]

Russian and Mark 1 PC pictures attached, recently taken

[howardwhite 5]

A day after I posted this, I have learned with sadness of the death Oct. 15 of Chuck Embury.
I knew and worked with Chuck from 1969, when he and Tom McCarthy arrived from Canada to work at and later manage the Orange Sport Parachute Center. Chuck went on to become sales manager at PI, which was a major distributor of gear, especially from Pioneer.
He went to Elsinore when PI ran the center there, and later got into hang gliding. He was seriously and permanently injured in a hang gliding accident.
I have posted a separate item in "Blue Skies," which includes a farewell note from his former wife, Maryanne.

HW