Sunset? loads

[Krip 2]

Hi Old farts and sweet young things

How many times have you manifested for a sunset load that ended up being a night jump?

When we finally made it to a real DZ with a paved runway the second time we manifested for a sunset load we knew it was going to be night jumpbefore T.O.

DZO says no problem we'll leave the light on at the porch so you can find the LZ

We started to locate the roads, powerlines, fence lines and other challenging locations relative to the porch light to stay away from
Another time at a different DZ the pilot gave us a gift of a xtra 3-4K and didn't tell us until 5k. "Don't move around to much we're going to 16-18k".

Sweet, no extra cloth's some folks didn't have gloves and it was going to be dark, very dark by the time we landed. This time the DZO was nice enough to use some car head lights to light up the ends of the runway and the peas

One Jump Wonder

[wmw999 2,121]

Back when I used to hang around the DZ all day and into the night, I'd say that most of the loads that we called sunset loads were pretty close to night loads from everything except for a 1-hr after sunset point of view.

But this was already the late 70's, and a real airport, so there was enough ambient light to find whatever we needed to. There was still a difference between a "real" night load and a sunset load gone bad.

Wendy P.

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)

[skybill 18]

Hi Krip,
Seems like all of em'!! How about the last load taking off after the sun had dropped below the horizon and at a couple of thousand feet or so it's back up!!! Also 'ya might still have some light at alt. or under canopy but when ya' look down at the DZ, it's definitely dark down there!! Sunset loads, after a day of dives, top it off with a hop out the plane, build a round and break it open to a line opening to the west and cruise till pull time watching the sunset.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Krip 2]

Hi Bill/Wendy

Then there are the real night jumps when there's a full moon

One Jump Wonder

[airtwardo 6]

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Hi Krip,
Seems like all of em'!! How about the last load taking off after the sun had dropped below the horizon and at a couple of thousand feet or so it's back up!!! Also 'ya might still have some light at alt. or under canopy but when ya' look down at the DZ, it's definitely dark down there!! Sunset loads, after a day of dives, top it off with a hop out the plane, build a round and break it open to a line opening to the west and cruise till pull time watching the sunset.

Ahh yes, Elsinore in the summer!

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

[airdvr 197]

Most. I used to keep a set of clear goggles in my jumpsuit for just such an occasion. Only took a couple of 'sunset loads' with dark goggles to realize I couldn't see shit.

Back in the day when it was RW every day, all the time the last load of the weekend was usually a multi plane job trying to get the bigger formations. Dirt diving took longer than we thought and we'd end up at altitude looking at cars with their headlights on.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[oldwomanc6 38]

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Hi Krip,
Seems like all of em'!! How about the last load taking off after the sun had dropped below the horizon and at a couple of thousand feet or so it's back up!!! Also 'ya might still have some light at alt. or under canopy but when ya' look down at the DZ, it's definitely dark down there!! Sunset loads, after a day of dives, top it off with a hop out the plane, build a round and break it open to a line opening to the west and cruise till pull time watching the sunset.

Ahh yes, Elsinore in the summer!

It was such a fine balancing act there and then. Waiting for the winds to die down and getting up before it got too dark.. My first jump it was purt-near black by the time I walked back in. This was repeated again and again.

And then came squares, and the wind tolerances went up.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[wmw999 2,121]

Best is a full moon of a DC3

Wendy P.

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)

[BillyVance 34]

Once. Not saying where, but back in the late 90's, I got on a sunset load, which technically took off just after sunset. It was like you got to see two sunsets.

I was probably more scared on this one than any of the real night jumps I've done since nobody on the load had night gear, and it was really getting fucking dark while under canopy!

I could just barely see enough to notice other canopies in the air and the DZ and its layout. As it turned out, I happened to be right on a beeline for the pea pit. And I hit it!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[drjump 0]

Sounds like Spaceland.

[pchapman 261]

The scene: Last Twin Otter load of a busy day, pushing things a bit, half hour plus after sunset.

The guys with the Neptune altis on the load think they're smart because their altis have back lights.

Problem is, in the dark during the climb they can't read the menus to figure out how to turn on the back light.

[wmw999 2,121]

I couldn't tell, couldn't see well enough

Wendy P.

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)

[Krip 2]

Hi PC

Can't imagine a bunch of rocket ships and flying boats zipping around in the dark trying to do the downwind base final thing without even a chem light.

At least our canopies we loaded at 1to 1. or 1 to 1.5. Forgot about the problem with the cool looking smoked goggles to keep the sun out of my eyes.

"No problem we'll leave the porch light on". Damn its way over there. Suck it up cupcake

At least they counted heads to make sure everyone made it back ...... eventually.

R.I.P.

One Jump Wonder

[TKE_440 0]

Last one I did was the last time I jumped in nine months. Ten of us were doing a hop and pop at altitude during sunset. The sun just went below the horizon by the time the green light came on.

Unfortunately, my p.c. instead of going backwards after I cleared, it went forward, between my legs, up behind my right shoulder back to front, and finally around my neck. Once I got it off my neck, I threw it back into air stream not realizing how it was routed.

My bridle - not me- pulled my cutaway handle, leaving my RSL to fire my reserve. By the time I looked up, my reserve is out and starting inspecting on what the hell just happened; mostly concerned with two parachutes out. My brand new main w/only 20 jumps fell to the ground like a rock in the d-bag fully stowed.

Because it was at sunset (right at the verge when the sun was going to bed) and at 14K feet, my mian wasn't found for 6months. It became a nice warm home for a family of field mice who decided to chew their new dwelling out.

[oldwomanc6 38]

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Best is a full moon of a DC3

Wendy P.

Your DC3 looks suspiciously like the back end of a neckid woman. Is that the full moon to which you were referring?

lisa

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[crustySCSA69 0]

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I was probably more scared on this one than any of the real night jumps I've done since nobody on the load had night gear, and it was really getting fucking dark while under canopy!
....

3rd night jump was my NSCR, i got to go pin out of a beech at z-hills because i had 2 night jumps, poor Albert was relegated to base as it was his first, talent was, we were reversed here...

5 FIVE people )out of 10) on the load had NO LIGHTS at all... 3 of those had no altimeters...

Hoop was on it, we had a guy was gonna solo from 7.5 on his first night and Hoop asked him if he'd like more altitude... so he gave him 12k then told the pilot to do a SLOW turn, climbing and we came over at 15.5K ....

it built to 10 in about 15 seconds... like a speed star..
low clouds to the east all the way to Tampa all lit up... we flew it and flew it and flew it

the no alti guys freaked out and left so i turned to track and noticed just above 6k on mine.... i tracked away and tracked and tracked and noticed I was going right off the airport and stopped at about 3k and just waited for 2.2 and dumped ...

in many night jumps at Z-hills I don't remember anyone lighting up anything for landing ... I suppose
they might have had the odd truck at the peas... I just don't remember that (maybe the Oysters and pitchers at OJs for the pre-jump safety meetings blurred my long term faculties)

[SWIMDOC 0]

I was jumping at Antioch (CA) and the "Last Load" was something cool. We would take off just as the sun was about to set and then watch it set again as we climbed (summertime). I was in a hurry to make the last load and was re-packing my PC. I was running late and so I just sort of folded up the stabilizer panels and stowed them. You got it. Malfunction junction. I cutaway from the spinning malfunction after about 2.5 revolutions as the canopy was diving down and I was above it. Good times..

DOC