tonybrogdon

Well said Jim

Tony

Hi Jim

I bought from Charlie Brown before he joined the Army Golden Knights back in Petersburg, Virgina.

It had a PCmain packed in a bag instead of a sleeve besides.

I fortunately never tested the reserve.

Tony

GreenStar Express. I had one

Gary's Memorial will be held on the 14th of November at Skydive Elsinore,

Gary was a very trusted friend for over 20 years. He was my former business partner and someone of incredible intergity. Gary was President and founder of Perris Valley Skydiving Society, Inc. which re-opened Perris in August 1985. He was President and founder of Cy Perkins Parachute Club back in 1961 which reopened Elsinore. Gary was a Vietnam War Hero as well as a hero to many souhern California skydivers as well as around the world.

He will be missed.

Tony Brogdon
D-18555

When I started jumping in 1977 there were two steel ripcords. One for the main on your back and one for your reserve on your stomach. In between there has been plastic ripcords, blast handles with spring loaded pilot chutes and then hand deploy on your stomach band, then your hip now on the bottom of your main. When you are down to your last option to save your life a good ole steel ripcord still is what you count on.

Looks like Tom Sanders going into Jack Murphy Satium in San Diego. Its now called Qualcomm Stadium I believe.

Now two of my granddaughters are scheduled the 28th at Perris with Jim Wallace for tandems. One's father ,my youngest son, is retired Navy Chief and made a tandem before they used drouge chutes and was only 16 at the time. His older brother made 200 jumps of which I was on 100 of them with him. Third generation will fortunately not have to use front mounted reserves.

You are right Larry

A lot of good memories for sure!

Hi Bill

I remember the "blast Handels ".

Do you remember the capewells? Pull the medal tabs, put your thumbs thru the medal rings and pull both exactly at the same time. Cold weather and wearing gloves played havoc with this system sometimes. I remember watching Mongo a few hundred feet just south of the manifest window at Perris, spining trying to release the second capwell. He finally did jus in the nick of time and got his reserve open. Needless to sat he bought a new red , white and blue rig shortly after.

Parachute Landing Falls. This was the basic part of the 1st jump coarse when using a T-10 and Front mounted reserves back in the 70's jumping off plat forms and demonstrating you could do a PLF. The good part is that it stays with you from then on, in case you need it. After you made a number of jumps you were encouraged to pull down on on the rear risers just as you land and do a " stand up ". That was accomplished if you had a good spot and a just right into the wind landing. Who says those were the good ole days??

That was it. I couldn't remember if it had a rip cord or not. Again I didn't have to test it. We were told though to punch both ends before throwing it out.
The DZ in Petersburg in 1977 had all three kinds: ones with no pilot chute, those with Pilot chutes and ones with automatic openers.
How would you like to be in a high speed spinning malfunction and try to remember which one you had?

Hi Jim

Don't remember spit rule.

1977 was a few years ago when I was referring about but I clearly remember if you had a malfunction you were suppose to punh both end of the front mounted reserve and throw the reserve out by hand. I didn't have to personally test it but I did observe another Petersburg skydive sucessfully do it a very low altitude.

I don't remember where the rule originated about having to have 100 jumps under a round before jumping a square but I heard it in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. My first square jump was in the winter of 1978 Dublin, Va. It was in the middle of an ice storm. The Cessna took three attempts to get airborn. I did a hop and pop and the wind was so strong I came straight down under a Strao Star 5 cell.

Back then, there was no tandem or aceeleriated free fall. You had to make 5 sucessful static line jumps before you could do a hop and pop using militery surplus T-10's with front mounted reserves. Then you graduated from 3,000 feet to 5,000 the 7,500 then eventually to 12,500 before getting off student status. After making my first 12,500 free fall in Petersburg, Va. I went to a New Years Eve boogie in Deland, Fla. I jumperd out Mr. Douglas with local 11 skygods forming a Venus Fly Trap formation.

Now Feb 28th one of my Grandaughters is making a tandem at Perris.

Back in 1977 USPA rules required 100 round parachute jumps before allowing to jump a square. My first rig I bought was a military rig with with a T-10. I would rent front mounted reserves. Most had pilot chutes, some had automatic openers and I remember one in Petersburg, Va. that didnot have either. The emergency procedure training was if your main malfunctined, use your 1 1/2 shot capewlls to cutaway, then use both fist to hit as hard a you can both sides of the front mounted reserve until you would break free the reserve then reach in with both hands and throw it out off to the right or left. Fortunately I never had to use it. I did have an improperly calibrated automatic opener go off at 3000 feet. I was spinning so it wrapped around the lines of my T10 causing a streemer. All I could see was white. I kept pulling it down out of my face as quickly as posible until finally I freed it from my main's lnes and it fully inflated.

Anyone remember crabing on your T-10?

One way to avoid trees in higher winds.

As you know Smittys first parachute was made with a car steering wheel, a horse harness maker made his harness and his parachute was made of a silk bed sheet.

Thanks very much for the photo. He brought hi srig to Perris Dec 15th, 1985. An incredible pioneer of our sport.
Tony

A foot note of skydiving as a sport. With the term sport comes competition. If I have the right information the first Officail Competition was between the Russian Military and the Chinese Military. 19??.

Smitty loved to be considered as both a pioneer and a member of POPS and loved to hang around drop zones. I met him in 1977 in Hutchin, Kansas on the day I made my first jump. We became friends. I payed for him to come to Perris on Dec 15th, 1985 where he made a tandem surronded in freefall by the Coors skydiving team. His son Jerry came along and made a tandem. He died at age 92 a year after making his last jump , a demo at Oshcosh. Hi sjump stories would surpass any that I know of.

My friend Smitty the Jumper should always be included in the history of free fall.
He built his first rig (horse harness maker made his harness) and made his first parachute without ever seeing a parachute made several jumps.This all happened in 1922. He was a barnstormer and went from farmers field to farmers field jumping using up to two reserves and opeing below tree top level.
The term pioneer for sure applies.

They were all members of the Korean Army Parachute Team

Thanks, Mike

"Special Skydiving Memories" has a new host address.

It's: olympicskydiving.com

I met Smitty September 1977 he day of my first jump, Sky Sports, Hutchinson , Kansas. We became very good friends until he died.
I brought Smitty to Perris December 15th, 1985 to make a promtional Tandem. He was truly an incredible human being as well as a true pioneer of the sport. He has always been one of my heros in my life.
Blue Skies Smitty!

Extremley sad news. Harry and I have been friends for 30 years, He was a wonderful person and will greatly missed by many people.

Blue Skie Harry!