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AggieDave

The "godfather" of swooping?

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The amazing thing about Brian was the fact that he was on a 135 Jedei !!

It just goes to prove that a larger canopy, when properly loaded, can surf like hell...
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We had a DZ in an orange grove up in Ramona and we'd hook T-10s into it . . .

Sometimes with the risers but mostly making the turn toggolish somwheres before the corner.

Going faster always means landing better. The first time I landed a Cruislite off the top of stack I wished canopies landed like that all the time. And yes, I think it was "86 or so for Dale. . .

NickD :)BASE 194

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Quote

I think the first of us were doing front riser carving approaches by about 1987. Is there anyone out there that was doing it before that?

Man, this thread is making me feel old...
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I was definitely yanking front riser 180's in 1986, as were several others at Raeford and the GB club. Of course they were under Bogys (me), Raiders (a few guys on the USAPT), and whatever club rental gear Rick Neely had over his head. They were low, as ugly as toggle whips, and didn't result in much of a swoop, but the "turf surf" game was definitely afoot then. That said, the same bunch of people who started trying that stuff would regularly intentionally collapse our parachutes and ride them down to within 500 feet of the ground before letting go of the brakes and letting them reinflate. We all did CRW at the bottoms of most every skydive as well, no matter what canopy was over our heads.

Like you, this thread definitely makes me feel old.

Chuck

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>>I am no Godfather, that's for sure. The guy that taught me to use front riser carves for landing was Willie Botcher at the Ranch in 1988.

Willie was the first person I ever saw do it right. Everyone else was toggle-hooking. Even Piras. Anyone know what happened to Willie? Probably off somewhere breeding

Willie did my first tandem in 6/93 at the ranch, last i heard from kim emerson he was either in south jersey or philly, status of jumping unknown, status of breeding ....hey... willie is willie!!
joey D .....skydive jersey shore last i heard

g

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While I don't know who was the godfather of swooping, I have to agree that the name "Rickster" just defines canopy genius to me. Though he has given the reins of "preplanned" cutaways over to Mike Olivetti (sp?), I feel honored to have just learned from watching him on those jumps. He is a truly amazing person and far more human than one would think. Outside of the swooping forum perhaps, but I think he might be a bit embarrased to be thought of as the the truly fantastic skydiver he is. Just my opinion though.

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Kenny .......? (an American who claimed to be affiliated with the CIA ....) did the first turf-surf I ever saw, In Strassbourg, France in 1987.
Kenny wore one of the first PD nine-cells in Europe.

Kenny hung out with T.K. Donle, Charles van Surrey (Swiss) and that crowd of ex-pats.

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