Here's a missing piece of this story. I have just a few minutes ago posted a photo of myself and my then-girlfriend standing next to the Bodacious Thunderchicken , a Stinson V77, on August 27th 1972. I posted it in the "Vintage" category. What the previous posts regarding Thunderchicken didn't reveal was this: When they were starting that monster radial engine they had a CO2 fire extinguisher right near the cowl. Because when it started, a small fire sometimes (often?) would start up in the drizzled fuel in the bottom of the bottom end of the cowl, and they'd calmly blow it out with the extinguisher, as if that was perfectly normal "nothing to worry about" and get us newbie jumpers into the plane. Honest. It really did catch fire that day. Hooked up to our static lines, and took off. As we were taxing the jumpmaster said something like "If the engine quits and we're over 800 feet you're all jumping out." Gave us newbies the idea that we were safer outside the plane than in it. A little extra incentive to climb out on that strut and let go. ;-) This was my first date with my girlfriend, Karyn (in the photo with me). First jump for both of us. We had WWII surplus chutes, boots with all the shock absorbance of a concrete block (in hindsight should've worn my running shoes. You hit the ground hard with those chutes. It was static line jumps. None of this softy duel jumping with chutes that flare to soft landings you folks have. Came back and did one more static line jump the next week. Decided skydiving was going to be too rich for my then very limited budget. Was 30 years old at the time. Next year took up a cheaper and just possibly safer sport... hang gliding. These days I fly a light sport aircraft, and if I want something a little wilder I fly with the doors off. ;-) Think I'll scan and post my vintage jump certificate after I post this.
