skypuppy

Shut the competition jumps down at 3;30 and compile the results to find the top 20 place jumpers. Then finnagle an extra hour of jumping from the mayor and have a final round jump-off in reverse order of placement from 4-4;30 pm. Any ties still apparent could then go in sudden-death simultaneous pairs (ie top 2 jumpers go together, then next 2) from 4;30-5;00. (for that matter, if the competitors aren't jumping off continuously you could let others go to, providing they stayed away from the tuffet). If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Well, you asked for it... Ode to Skydiving The pilot's right on, There's time to relax, And think of the skydance ahead... You know in your heart There's no better place to be... 'Cept maybe with someone in bed! A blast of warm air as the door opens The world revealed to sight. Jump run begun, Life looking up. Your face is grim, But you're smiling inside. You start to climb out Against the rush of the air. Feet dangling, you look back inside. They're all in their places, Rock forward, then go... Up here there is no place to hide. The pilot's a renegade The plane's all beat up Our gear isn't even the best But when we're flying high Chasing clouds through the sky We're like heroes fulfilling a quest If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

A guy I know from Russia is still jumping a Russian triangular reserve... From what I heard it has excellent forward speed and opening charcteristics... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

The pegasus was a great canopy for CRW in it's time. Eventually Django got sued patent infringement over the line attachment points, the company changed and the canopy was re-born as a Fury... I still have my old Pegasus downstairs in the chest - I use it for water jumps, but it's quite baffed out now, with well over 1000 jumps on it... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I was once all wrapped up with a guy under canopy - I yelled up that his canopy was okay but I had to chop, and proceeded to do so, then watched him land his main while all wrapped up in mine, with just his face sticking out through a crossport... He later said that when we first wrapped he couldn't see a thing, and 'you know, I thought we were gonna die - but Puppy, I couldn't think of a better guy to die with!' I took that to be a compliment... But of course, by the time he said it we'd already survived, so maybe he made it up... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

After 2000 jumps and 20 years I'm just getting interested in classic accuracy... Is there enuf interest in the classical disciplines of precision accuracy and freefall style to warrant a forum of our own (everyone else seems to have one!) We could discuss where and how to train; local, national and international competitions; and tips on improving your performance; equipment, etc. Anyone interested? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Hmmmm..... Maybe we need a recipe forum at dropzone.com...? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

OK, so it sounds like legend #2 is essentially true. Where is Otay.... California? Skypuppy. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Back when I started there were some stories that were told that may have been sort of like urban legends, you didn't know if they were true or not - but they were always fun to hear! I'm going to record a couple here in case someone at dz.com knows whether they actually happened or not... Skydiving Legend #1 - THE GULCH My favorite t-shirt is one I bought from Chet Poland in 1981, 'The Gulch Lurks', showing a disembodied hand reaching out of the pea gravel holding a ripcord... Legend had it that there was a jumper at the Gulch who had such an appendage that he carried around with him to show wuffos and pose in pictures, etc. ... Anyone know if this is true? TRUTH OR DARE? Skydiving Legend #2 - THE 'GREEN-TRAC'? At the risk of libelling someone here I seem to recall a rig called the '/green /trac' that had a problem with the reserve risers coming off when people attempted to open their reserves... Legend has it that at a California Dropzone (Quade? Bill von?) some poor sucker cut away his main and went for the reserve only to have the risers peel off his harness and depart somewhere over the desert. As he was back into freefall and getting down to a couple of hundred feet above the clubhouse, people on the dz heard him yelling, 'TAKE PICTURES!'... TRUTH OR DARE? Skydiving Legend #3 - THE DOUBLE BOUNCE. I don't remember if this was supposed to have happened in California or Arizona or some other sunny western state, but legend had it that two people streamered in one day on the same load, landing on the other side of the highway from the dz about 1/4 mile apart. What made this an endearing legend is that the way the story goes, one jumper died on impact while the other was still alive... Of course the first ambulance on the scene arrived and took the dead guy away, leaving the other jumper for a second ambulance, by which time he too had expired.... TRUTH OR DARE? These are the only ones I can remember for now (the '70's and '80's are a little hazy for me) but if I can think of any more I;ll add them later... Meanwhile, anyone else got any they wondered about? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

On the other hand, I know some jumpers that are into competition and training, and I NEVER see them do a fun jump... Some are even into accuracy, and I don;t know the last time they would have made a freefall over 5-8 seconds... This is not necessarily because they don't want to do more jumps, but because they only have so much money and time to work with/ It all depends on what you want to do, I guess... I know I have to admire someone with the determination and discipline to focus on what they wish to achieve to the sublimation of everything else. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

*** No...my perception of BASE jumpers is pretty... ...unchangeable. You can usually tell by the limp, whether they're 'hard-core.. or just a "Wanna-Beeee" I don't really think of it as a limp - I just figure if I ever go out for a walk in the woods and get lost, I'll eventually end up back where I started from.... Skypuppy BASE 92 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

It would be excellent if you could get me a copy... Thanks. Rob Price BASE 92 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

After missing out last year due to an injury (ankle), I will be there with a couple of friends this time... Last time I jumped there was 1988 (pre-broken hip). Skypuppy BASE92 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I love doing demos. Last year due to an injury I was not able to renew my ejr (Cdn. exhibition jump rating), however two weeks ago I was finally able to get the jumps in and I;m scheduled for one at a charity air show next week out the Canadian Warplane Heritage DC-3. Not doing them last year I was able to think alot about the purpose of doing demos... It's not about the ego, or even the 'sport' necessarily - it's about the audience. If it gives us a chance to get some of these young kids thinking outside the box and about what they can accomplish in life a demo can have a big effect on someone... That's why I think more women should get involved in demo jumping... It's never a problem to get guys to go and strut their stuff, and the boys love it - but for the young girls in the crowd it's great if you can have some accomplished female jumpers who can even come down and show up the guys so the girls can see that they too can get involved and excel in athletics... Cheryl Stearn, eileen Vaughn come to mind.... I think many women don't seem as interested in doing demos, but I think female role-models are something we should be trying to present as well as the dare-devil alpha-male. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I think the horseshoe was caused by the fact that the bag fell out on the step of the Cessna as they were going, and lines from the main subsequently wrapped up on the legs of the tandem passenger... I used to have a picture showing the pair on exit with the lines flailing about, but I can't find it now... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

How about I just read about it, slapped a big pc on my main, took the bag off and leaped a tower in my back yard using my skydiving rig? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Gotta go with Ron on this - I liken ground rush to throwing a pebble into the water - there is one spot right under you that stays put, and concentric circles rushing out from it in waves... Actually saw my girlfriend's face in that one unmoving spot. Time expanded - realized I was going to die, and was a bit sad, thought about what the other people on the ground were thinking about me (did they just figure I was a dumbass or would they actually miss me) but there was nothing left to pull... Broke off formation at 700', missed handle, in the saddle somewhere south of 300'. I think the video timed it at somewhere around 11-17 seconds (two of us). Took me an hour or so for my hands to stop shaking, not from fear, but adrenaline... Would I do it again? Not bloody likely.... And besides, it sets a poor example. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Remember that risk is not the same as fear: roller coasters are scary, but not really risky. Experiencing fear can in and of itself be fun, but we need not have risk alongside fear, or the converse. Peace, D-d0g This is probably the most insightful and the smartest thing I've read in a long time... Hope to meet you sometime Dog... I know I'd do a lot more if the risk was less... Skypuppy BASE 92 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Something interesting about bottom skin vents in accuracy canopies in the '80's - or at least my understanding of them at the time... Usually there were two vents, one toward each end of the canopy, probably the next cell from the end (but I'm not sure on this point)... While on BASE canopies vents are there to let air in, on accuracy canopies they were for the opposite - to let air out! My understanding was that the reasoning was twofold - a, it reduced toggle pressure on some of those long deep-brake approaches, and b, it minimized push to the side from turbulence by allowing the canopy to accordian in a bit, spilling some air, instead of being pushed off-line... Whoever came up with the idea of using them to improve inflation was thinking outside the box! PS - I'm not sure, but didn't Parafoils have a 5th upper control line back then too? I thought that was why they were so bulky that accuracy jumpers still wore their reserves on their bellies? Skypuppy If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I've never had the good fortune to meet him or his offspring, but having read about him since the days of the old HelioStallion, I get the feeling that the thing that makes Mullins King Air stand out is...Mike Mullins! If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Me and another guy were going to jump a tower in Southern Ontario - he got there before me and started climbing right away even though it wasn;'t dark yet. When I got there it was getting dark and I started climbing after him... About 150-200' up, a police car showed up and started questioning our groundcrew about what was going on... They said they were just stopped to talk and drove away, after which the cop waited awhile, then turned around and drove off, too. What we didn't realize was that while he waited another cop had driven up and parked in a driveway not far away - we could see the headlights but didn't realize it was a cop... Later our groundcrew came driving back, no lights, and one got out and yelled up - 'Hey you guys better jump before the cop comes back!'... As soon as he shouted that the lights came on and the copcar pulled out of the driveway and on down to park at the base of the tower... He called up on the loudspeaker 'Okay, you want to climb down from there and we can have a little chat?' Next thing I hear my buddies canopy opening up about 30 feet away from me (he had still been above me the whole climb) and he flew down and landed by the road... I didn't think the cop would know I was up there too so I figured on just waiting him out and then jumping, but after a bit he got on the horn and said 'Your buddy tells me there's someone named Rob up there - you want to climb on down and I'll have a little talk with you too...' So I climbed up the rest of the way and jumped, flew through the guy wires and landed by the road... The cop had us both in the back seat of the cruiser and looked at us and said, ' you know, if I thought you wouldn't do this again I'd let you go...' 'Well', we said, 'we won't do this tower again - how's that?' 'Not good enuf,' he said... Simple trespassing, no court appearance, $75 dollars for 450 feet... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

"Isn't chuteless jumping considerably more common nowadays than the handful of stories in this thread ? I'm thinking that some of these jumps go undocumented, possibly so as not to raise a safety scandal at the DZ involved." ------------------------------------------------------------ Frankly I don't really believe it is more common - the only reason to do a jump without a rig would be for publicity/as a stunt/for money, and if it was done it would be marketed... On the other hand if a jump is done with a chute in a velcro-closed container such as the tuxes developed by Mike Zahar for BJ's Bond movies or Greg Gasson's handheld rig, they might be used just for effect in a movie... Look at these attempts - Rod Pack - the greatest stunt ever, Cole's chuteless jumps, Tyler's jumps on "That's Incredible" and Prieur's jumps. You can tell by the names involved in Alain Prieur's jumps that this is big stuff done live on tv and at big airshows... It may have been done and you should look into it more if you can, but I would doubt it very much... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Check the 'suspensions' thread for more. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I applaud your decision to attempt to make some changes - it seems that the Board and some member Groups of CSPA see no reason to revisit their decision of 30 years ago or even to declare it has outlived its usefulness, and they certainly aren't willing to listen to me and the handful of other CSPA individual members who have spoken up... Perhaps if enough people contact CSPA they can be persuaded to change their minds... If you do email CSPA I would urge you to send me a copy of your message at my own email (check profile) so I have some idea of the number of messages that go to the board... They have a way of not giving out that information... There are elections happening now in some regions of Canada - I urge you to ask respective candidates for CSPA office what they intend to do about this miscarriage of justice... Rob Price If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I'll have what he's having... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone