How big were pea pits in the early days?

[jimartle 0]

Hey Bill, Remember when the Grafton guys would tell a new guy that they had a demo at the prison? They'd all get out on the step and the strut, and then all get back in the plane when you exited.

Lots of fun for the prison guards when an unexpected jumper landed in the "Yard" and had to try to explain why he just "Broke IN" to prison.

[mjosparky 3]

Apple Valley closed about 10 years ago but you can see the peas from 4,000 ft.

Sparky

Edited to add old Taft.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[jonstark 8]

I can't believe it but the pit in Sylvania, GA is still visible on Google Earth. It's been over thirty years and they have been trying to plant soy there ever since but that damn pit still shows up! We did good. Them farmers still wonder what the hell we were up to.

jon

[chuteless 1]

I recall Mike Swain decided to go for the pea gravel on a jump when practicing for the 2nd chuteless jump.

In the last few seconds of his descent, he changed his mind, and after landing he walked over to the pea gravel pit, and it was solid concrete.

He sure was glad he passed on landing there on his tailbone.

[Wenger 0]

Most of the old pits were a little bigger than 10 meters in radius because we measured out to 10 m on an competition accuracy jump. So most ended up at least 22 m in dia

[airtime1 2]

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I'm curious. When I started jumping in '97 I seem to remember a 30 foot pea pit. Another in 2001 was also around that size. The last few DZs I jumped at didn't have them. Are they a thing of the past?

When I was jumping a T-10 they were very small. In fact, when I was learning to spot I couldn't even see the pit it was so small. Jumping a PC, the pea pit got a little bigger. About the time I started jumping a Strato Cloud they started making the pit much bigger.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

How big were pea pits in the early days?

NEVER BIG ENOUGH!!

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[steve1 5]

Quote

How big were pea pits in the early days?

NEVER BIG ENOUGH!!

And that's the truth. You didn't want to miss, if you were down winding it. I was black and blue trying to make it into the peas, back in the 70's. I never could figure out how the Golden Knights could make it look so easy....

[patworks 5]

There were no pea gravel pits for accuracy in the early days. The original target was four strips of cloth laid on the bare ground in a "+" shape. We caled them "Target panels." The intersection of the "+" was open creating a 3' x 3' square called dead-center.
- All accuracy was down wind
- The panels were reaaranged to signal a style jumper what style series to turn after exit.
- If the winds got dangerous (> 12 - 15 MPH) the target panels were pulled in to abort the jump.

Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,