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swovelin

But I'm Too Young To Have 40 Years of Skydiving!

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OK, just so that it is "properly noted in the ship's log," I must mention that I made a fun jump today Aug 2 2010 at Skydive Elsinore with my wonderful wife Barbara. That, in itself, is unremarkable.

What is of somewhat greater note, at least on a personal level, is the commemoration of a previous jump, my first-ever parachute jump. On Aug. 2 1970, a skinny high-school kid came to a place called "Skylark Field" in Lake Elsinore and paid $30 to make a static-line jump on a surplus 32' round. That kid was never the same again.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to the many individuals who have contributed to these absolutely amazing forty years of skydiving and BASE jumping!

Also, just to note it in the ship's log, I ain't done yet!

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Congrats on your accomplishment! Thats a lot of years and jumps. Sounds like no better friend to share the special day with as well.
We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

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July 1st, 73.



Newbie




Aug 5 1972



LOL, I wouldn't have beaten you even if I'd been allowed to jump when my Brother and I first went out to Z-Hills in November of 72. He started jumping then but my parents would not sign for me (I was 20 and the legal age in Florida at the time was 21). They (Florida) lowered the legal age to 18 on July 1st, 1973 and I made my first jump the same day. Still a newbie in this thread...

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

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Dec. 2, 1962. Dad asked what I wanted for my 16th birthday and he said, "How about a parachute jump?". I said "Why not"" and it was the start of whole lot of fun.
DZGone.com
B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

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surplus 32' round***

I have one round jump, BRRRRR - never again, not sure I would have continued to jump if all we had was rounds and a prayer :P

you guys and gals seriously clank when you walk. - oh, and the crazy farkers who did downwind landings on rounds for accuracy were just tough nutty bastards.:D

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

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July 1st, 73.



Newbie




Aug 5 1972


LOL, I wouldn't have beaten you even if I'd been allowed to jump when my Brother and I first went out to Z-Hills in November of 72. He started jumping then but my parents would not sign for me (I was 20 and the legal age in Florida at the time was 21). They (Florida) lowered the legal age to 18 on July 1st, 1973 and I made my first jump the same day. Still a newbie in this thread...


Wow.. good thing no one checked me then:)

I was SO not 21 yet:ph34r::ph34r:

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surplus 32' round***

I have one round jump, BRRRRR - never again, not sure I would have continued to jump if all we had was rounds and a prayer :P

you guys and gals seriously clank when you walk. - oh, and the crazy farkers who did downwind landings on rounds for accuracy were just tough nutty bastards.:D

Roy



PFFFT... ya woosie:ph34r:


I would like you to know that my landing gear is still 100% OEM, with no aftermarket titanium parts. I had a few hundred round jumps back in the day.... and about a dozen round jumps in this millenium


( ok ok... so most of those round jumps these days are into the water since landing those old ragged out rounds on TERRA WAY TOO FIRMA seems to hurt more than it did once upon a time)

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surplus 32' round***

I have one round jump, BRRRRR - never again, not sure I would have continued to jump if all we had was rounds and a prayer :P

you guys and gals seriously clank when you walk. - oh, and the crazy farkers who did downwind landings on rounds for accuracy were just tough nutty bastards.:D

Roy



I have about 350 (of 1000) round jumps. Nearly all were standup landings including my one reserve ride (26' Navy Conical). I've seen way more violent landings on current canopies than I ever saw on rounds...

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

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When I got back from the 100 way attemps in Vancouver (Pitt Medows) I told my housr mate about a guy named Swovelin that was acting weird even for a skydiver and wearing the ugliest pair of sunglassed I had ever seen. He said, "Mrs. Swovelin had 2 sons. One was polite, courtious and well mannered. Pat was the other one." Congratulations on lasting this long. :)

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

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Didn't anyone warn you that it could be addictive?

Hoop
www.jimhooper.co.uk




In every first jump course I ever gave, I ALLWAYS gave the warning. "If you're not careful, you will wind up spending50% of your time and 75% of your money skydiving." Some of the truest words I have ever spoken.
Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

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surplus 32' round***

I have one round jump, BRRRRR - never again, not sure I would have continued to jump if all we had was rounds and a prayer :P

you guys and gals seriously clank when you walk. - oh, and the crazy farkers who did downwind landings on rounds for accuracy were just tough nutty bastards.:D

Roy




D - 22369? 5 digits? What is that? It looks like a serial number on a Switlik Navy conical. ;);)
Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

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so then,,, you've been jumping for more than 66 % of your life..
congratulations!!!
not a lot of people who can make that claim...!!! ;)B|

i'm closing in on it.
sept 16, 1972
# 1 airplane ride
# 1 parachute jump
i had just turned 19.

25 jumps or so on cheapos, just a few on PC's and the American Papillon and then,
over 900 jumps on a variety of French Papillon Canopies and made # 1,000 on that type of canopy,, ('79)
Had a few dozen jumps on clouds by that point, but never owned a ram air canopy til i had over a grand.... hey !!! you couldda BOUGHT a ram air canopy back then, for UNDER a Grand!!!:o:S:PB|
in the 70's i had 2 reserve rides on rounds ,, one a 26 ft navy conical
the other a 26 foot Strong lopo...both stand ups..B|:)

looking forward to 2012...

jt

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When I got back from the 100 way attemps in Vancouver (Pitt Medows) I told my housr mate about a guy named Swovelin that was acting weird even for a skydiver and wearing the ugliest pair of sunglassed I had ever seen. He said, "Mrs. Swovelin had 2 sons. One was polite, courtious and well mannered. Pat was the other one." Congratulations on lasting this long. :)



Nick, that story is just TOO damn funny. (Said Jerry, the younger brother, the one who wasn't at Pitt meadows.)

Thanks for sharing the memory!

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Okay. Jump #11 was a Mae West on a flat circular surplus 5 TU. I hand deployed a WWII vintage 24' twill reserve and then cut away the garbage, The reserve oscillated a lot but by luck I managed to time one of the oscillations perfectly and made a standup on a concrete apron.

Fifty jumps later, I had another reserve ride under the twill. This time the landing was a LOT harder....
DZGone.com
B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

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surplus 32' round***

I have one round jump, BRRRRR - never again, not sure I would have continued to jump if all we had was rounds and a prayer :P

you guys and gals seriously clank when you walk. - oh, and the crazy farkers who did downwind landings on rounds for accuracy were just tough nutty bastards.:D

Roy



of 1000 jumps, they were almost ALL on a 26' Navy Conical w/4 line release (no steering holes) as a main, and guess what my reserve was ? When main got sun-damaged enuff you could rip holes in the fabric by hand, main was thrown out, reserve was unattached and installed as main, new (surplus) 26' was purchased as reserve - for about 100 dollars. My complete gear, when everything was NEW was 400 dollars.

I stood up all the time, and landed in pea gravel all the time (when I spotted). It was the only INTENTIONAL round on the first 64 way formation circa 81 (they had at least 1 actual reserve per load).

Why jump it ? I was cheap and it was the ABSOLUTE FASTEST opening canopy around AND there was NO pain whatsoever, zero, every time. Dump at 2200 you are open at 2000, always (unless you happened to dump a little lower, purely by accident).

I did DEMOs into some very tight areas with that thing and stood up (softly) every-one.

If I ever get my hands on a 26 Lopo (with no st5eering holes, or maybe sew them up), you will see it live and in action.

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I made my 1st jump 48 years ago tomorrow ( Aug 5th 1962)

I am glad you are still young. Old age creeps up when you least expect it. I thought I would be 40 yrs old forever.

Bones break easier, heal slower, but best of everything to you, young man.

Stay well.

Bill Cole D-41 Canada




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