When and where did swooping originate? Who was the first swooper?

[Newbie 0]

I'm sure there has been a thread on this before, but i couldn't come up with anything.

I'm curious to know - how did swooping start? Someone must of started doing it somewhere and been seen by others etc. Who were the original pioneers?

I'm guessing it was a phenomenon that only started last decade? I was trying to think, and i imagined it must have been around the early-mid 1990's?

Anyhoo, i'm curious about the origins - anyone got any facts etc?

Thanks

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[flow 1]

How about this thread:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1699732

[Tonto 1]

Quote

I'm guessing it was a phenomenon that only started last decade?

Ahhh. No.

14 years ago I was jumping a production ZP eliptical 120 loaded to about 1.7, and I was swooping. 18 years ago I bust my femur when caught in the corner on a 270 degree turn when I was swooping - and there were many, many, many people swooping before me. Low turns go back into the Para commander and Papilon eras.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Newbie 0]

Interesting, thanks

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[chutem 0]

Do you think the first swoop was intentional or an O-shit low turn that got pulled out of just in time resulting in a "turf surf"?
James

[padawonMonkey 0]

My dad left the Golden knights in 83 or 84 and he still braggs about low turns and "bringin it between the uprights" at a football game. I'd be willing to bet that the first swoops came about the time the first square mains did.

--------------------------------------------------
"But I'm Just doin what I have to do to survive"-MM

[darkwing 4]

I know a guy who femured himself in about 1970 on a ramair canopy. I'd say it started about the time ramairs came out. A few femurs kept the rest of us gunshy for a couple of decades.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[Trae 1]

inreply 2" I'm curious to know - how did swooping start? Someone must of started doing it somewhere and been seen by others etc. Who were the original pioneers? "

Before ram airs there used to be things like Pteradactyles (sorry about the spelling) which were triangular single skin things a bit like a chopped up paracommander. It was also possible to make a roundy swoop but you had to work pretty hard at it.

Some people even recomended opening up your chest strap on an ex-mil roundy to get some extra performance.(not a good idea as it's easy to fall forward if it opens right out...yep did that )

Apparently the only way to get a decent landing out of the triangular bed sheets was to "swoop" it although it wasn't called swoopping then..It was called either hook-turning or landing out of a swing or oscillation.

The guys who flew these things were the real pioneers and 'real' hell men . Some even base jumped them as they opened VERY fast (some had incredibly long lines). No woosy types I ever saw even considered jumping one of the 'dacts' and I doubt very much if many people today would either.


There's nothing new under the sun

[jsaxton 0]

Gareth Holder still has an airworthy one and was letting people jump it
at a fundraiser we had a little while ago.

[Trae 1]

I seem to recall a guy cutting up a torn paracommander to make his own dactyle...can't remember how it flew.. wouldn't mind seeing one fly again.

very entertaining.

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