blongb

This is the version used in the early 70's

Mike Gennis

Nice! I remember deploying my 26' conical at 500' following my messing around with a total (bent pin on a very low exit). Enjoyed watching the excellent fast deployment; had no time to play with steering or to judge decent rate. It was a less than terminal landing, so it was all good....... Thanks for bringing back that memory! Bill

First few seconds after exit, that weightless feeling; then the power of opening shock........

#338, Xenia, OH, 8-man star, Apr. 11, 1971, SCR705, No one in the group had their SCR previously. Pilots Dave Ellis, Jim West, pair of C-180 Bill

I chopped off 48" from each line on my MKI while watching TV in my mobile home. Not a rigger, just seems like a fun thing to do. I didn't sew the ends as was the factory method of finishing, just taped them. I made 900 more jumps on it, so I guess I knew what I was doing?!? It did make it more "sporty"

Ray told me he had his hand in the assist strap (to help getting into the cockpit from the main cabin. During the crash his arm was "stretched"; very nasty injury.

Boz, I was always on the up and up when I was back in Ky, plus I packed a lot of reserves under Kenn's license while trying to get my rigger's ticket, including my own (I have 5 or 6 pack jobs that were actually used; mine once, very cool) When I got to Calif., my attitude changed. I never forged your sig..............honest............ Yes, that's why I wasn't too concerned since my reserve was not silk. I began to think the worst thing to do was to mess with a perfectly good pack job. Bill

$5 in the late 60's in Ohio........moved to Calif in1973 and it was $10...found it was much cheaper to pencil pack it...60 repack cycle was ridiculous........... BL

August 1968 - Darbydale, OH - SL $35 - no certificate......

1969 - Darbydale, Ohio 2 SL 3 SL with dummy ripcord pulls 3 Clear and pulls 3 5 sec delays 3 10 sec delays 3 15 sec delays 3 20 sec delays 3 30 sec delays then on your own. I think you have to have 75 jumps before you could jump a PC.

There was a Greene County DZ in Jenkinsburg, GA in the 70's...

I jumped with Mike in at Pope Valley in the early 70's. One terrific genuinely nice guy! He was dating a cute flight attendant, CJ Saunders, at the time. I do believe he went in as described in any earlier post: 1981 as a jumpmaster trying to rescue a no-pull student. I believe it occurred at the old Fremont airport. Student survived, Mike did not.

I remember that day.............. Hey Gypsy Moths WAS state of the art.......... Bill

I always used dual MA-1's with my PC and never had a problem in 1200 PC jumps.. Always a positive opening. I started used the dual setup after not enjoying a couple of pilot chute hesitations. Did use my reserve twice, once due to my bad pack job, once due to the top pin bending as I scrapped the top of the C-180 door on exit. Bill

The amount of wind we would accept was dependent upon the number of weekends we weren't able to jump beforehand. Hook turns would work up to a point, but I would usually rely on the slight side slip into a forced PLF followed by the release of a capwell. The worst was 40 MPH winds at Greene County Xenia when we landed in a cow field full of fresh cow patties. We bounced along the ground hitting big piles of s*** finally being stopped by the fence at the end. I just couldn't reach my capwell release due to the pounding I was getting.

indeed plus one-and-a-half shots and chest mounted reserves (as god intended)...........

I seemed to be the only one on the ground. I heard a loud flapping, looked up and saw the passenger separated from the tandem master by several feet with a big wad above them. Both were face to earth. After they went in behind that yellow hanger, I looked around and no one seems to have noticed. I ran into manifest to tell them what happened and they just blew me off. It wasn't long before the others in Stephanie's group missed her..........and the facts unfolded.

LAGNAF Skydivers, Ava, NY 1960's Evansville Skydivers, Chandler, IN late 60's early 70's and Boz, wasn't there a GCSPC in Franklin, TN and Jonesboro, GA for awhile?

No, Kim's name doesn't ring a bell. Women parachutists were pretty rare back then, so if she had been around when I was around Darbydale, I'm sure I'd remember her. Boz, time just flies by doesn't it?!?!? Howzit going with you??

Yeah, Steve Noonan and I both started jumping at Darbydale, me in 1968 while a UofCincy student. Quite a rag tag group. I'll see if I can find a couple of photos from back then. What is (or was) her name?? Potenza, Hensel, Rudy Samples, John Simpkins, Pete Potee (manifest), Mert Offet, Larry Jonas, Luther And Carol Este, the first California girl I had ever met. Definitely not a midWestern girl. Heard she killed herself over a guy (Jim Johnson). How long ago was all that?!?!? Bill

I jumped with dual MA-1's for years and never had a problem. I started using them because I would get hesitations with just one. I would stack them on top of each other, not side by side. Dunno if that made them work better. Plus I liked humming it down and I always got quicker openings Bill

I was probably only actual witness, cuz no one else on the DZ seemed to notice. Face to earth, student on the bottom, a big wad above them. Very sad day.

Adrian Meredith was the pilot. I heard that he was drunk as usual and clipped wires on short approach. It was the main jump ship of Yolo DZ back when George Morare ran it out of the back of his pickup truck. This was back in the Pope Valley Parachute Ranch days way before Skydance took on its Yolo operation. Occasionally, Yolo would jump into PV from their Twin Beech and sometimes us PVPRers would jump in Yolo from our Twin Beech. Adrian was always drunk when he flew from what I remember. Bill

I bought the PINKIE from Pete Pertee, Columbus, Ohio, 1969.. Dunno know where he got it. Yes, that $75 was an absolute fortune to a poor college student. I have no idea how I afforded to jump back then, but I guess if there is a will there is a way......... Regards, Bill