skybill

Hi DK, Don't go makin' a mountain outa' some molehill!! Just get yourself into AFF and "DO IT!!!" You have a Tandem AND Tunnel time under your belt already SO, AFF will be a breeze!!! When we first started doing AFF at Perris (I worked with New Dimensions Flite School, 82-84) we didn't have no stinkin' tunnels and Tandems were still in the Test Program. We took AFF #1 out the door, no previous skydiving/parachuting experience required! The program worked very well. Along came Tandem and made it better because it gave the Student a "hands on " experience of the Skydiving enviornment!! Tunnels are great too! Wow! I need to go into my archives and find the videos from those days (over 20 years ago!!) I hope the tapes havn't stuck together!! Enjoy your AFF. "Time sure flys when you're having fun!!!" SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Now we know who to use for "Bait" when we go fishing!!!!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Wasn't there so I don't know the details. Looking at the foto though, seems like a 4-way "horney gorilla" with the jumper on the left getting his D-bag, lines,and pilotchute served to the group as an "appetizer!!!!" Tube dives (roll out a tube, go to an upside-down donut when the tube goes over on its side, let go and go to a round and then horney gorilla) are good for creating interesting happenings sush as this!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

"where there is a will, there is a way." You have to make priorities and organize your life style around what you want to do!! Sometimes you have to put some of the things you like on the "back burner" in place of others. Being a Sky Bum or Hanger Tramp is OK for a while but you will move on. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Sell the House and car and move to the DZ and have your Pizza's delivered!!! You can't win any other way!! It's a WHUFFO controled world and they are out to get us!!! Sorry to hear about your troubles. If possible sell everything else but try to keep your rig! Even ditch the cypress but keep the rig. You can always find a suit and hat and you're in the air. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

YES!!! The 1976 "Wonderhog!!!!" Belly band pouch, 26'NAVCON Reserve and a Black rainbow Stratostar!!!That was the "Hot Setup!" Still have mine in the archives. Also have a lot of other "old stuff" but that's another story!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Are you having fun (sewing) yet? Get a "Scare-a-gear" catalog and get some "E" thread V-T-295, type II, class A whatever color you want. and some at least size 19 needles for your machine. If you don't want to spend the bucks (they cost a few) ask a rigger for his Poynters Manual to check out, great stitch patterns and other good sewing info. You too can learn to sew, become a rigger and have your friends show up at 01:00 in the morning on Sunday with a unpacked reserve from their malfunction on the last load yesterday evening and would you pack it for them so they can make the early bird load!!!!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi KR. Yup, got em all logged except for maybe a 10SD back in '66. Got all the log books, a bunch of the old blue "Parachutist Logs" 150 entry types and the rest are the wire bound fliptop Precision Freefall logs. I log all the pertinant stuff and ink out the dive plan in as much detail as possible. Sometimes I just do the basic dive and sometimes I write a novel!! I get them signed by other jumpers, friends who visit the DZ, jumpers passing thru, Lew Sanborn, and whoever. When video came on the scene, I'd try to get the video guy to copy the dive to my current DZ tape. This way I not only have a paper trail but a video one also!! With current technology cameras keeping video logs is great! What really gets me is the characters who make 4 or 5 jumps a day sat and sun for about 10 weekends of training (about 100 jumps), "don't log any of them" then go on about how they did about a thousand with this team and a thousand with that team!! R-I-G-H-T!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, keep loggin'!! Years later you'll look back at those logs and every dive is there. Oh yeah, Charlie and I got on the hot shots 10 Man and we got in!! Wow I almost forgot....... no, you logged it. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Low/ no wind landing crashes!! Been there done that! Lots of factors are involved and one that nobody mentioned yet is "density altitude!" Since you say this just started recently and you had no problems before? Could be that now that warmer weather (spring/summer) is upon us, the density altitude goes up too. As the air temp. increases there are fewer molecules of air per cubic ft. of air thus the air is thinner and your parachute loses performance! Also, add in humidity and the senario gets more interesting!! As the relative humidity goes up, the air gets even thinner because for that same hot cubic foot of air, now h2o molecules displace air molecules. The glitch is that h2o molecules weigh "LESS" than air molecules. On COLD DRY days it seems like you can glide forever and landing flares are great! Reverse the scene HOT HUMID days, no glide, no flare. One trick I use in hot humid conditions is I loosen my chest strap so my canopy spreads a little more and I lean forward in the saddle to get my C.G. a bit more forward. I also try to have a little extra momentum in my final approach and be a little more agressive in the flare! No hot dog hook turn mind you!!!!! I hope this helps you out. Ask your jump pilot about density altitude and how it affects his plane! Density altitude affects your canopy the same way. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hahahahah sure is funny!! Until you look at the other side of the picture. Messing with an aircraft in flight (or on the ground for that matter) can and will be construed as a violation of the FAR's and is a FEDERAL OFFENSE!!! As long as nothing major happens it might be taken as a prank by those involved. If "something" like the Pilot crashing the A/C off (or on) airport, etc. now the person who took the key has a problem!! Someone did the take the key trip to one of the pilots at Elsinore in one of the Howard DGA-15's they flew back in the bad old daze (well look Howard DGA-15 in your Funk and Waganals!). The pilot conveniently took his spare key from his pocket and continued on. To add a bit of agnst to the incident, he flew over to Rancho Airport, landed, went in to the greasy spoon there and had breakfast. "Then" flew back to Elsinore (about 10 miles away). Lost airplane? what lost airplane? Crash?? No!! Joker that took the key was in hot water by then as the DZ thought the A/C had crashed!!!! Well, the joke got turned on the perperetrator "this time!" These daze with all these terrorists and their buddies running around everyone is really "gun shy" around airplanes! It would be best to "NOT" fool around with any airplanes or their pilots!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi Slappie, Hang in there with your buddy. I had an old orange tabby we named "Fartsarelli" that came down with an overactive thyroid condition. He lost a lot of weight and we took him to the vet. We thought we wwere going to lose him but the vet came up with some meds that got him stabalized. He hung in there with us for another two years. What we do for our pets. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hey Pabman, Beer has been around us humans for longer than we know!! God only knows when the first cave men began brewing and drinking the stuff?? As far as Skydiving and Beer, well as long as there have been Skydivers. AndyMan did a good post about (Beer Rules) and I'd like to add a couple of notes. When I started Jumping some 40 odd years ago, one outstanding beer rule was for "Unintentional Ripcord Loss!!!" DON'T DROP YOUR RIPCORD! If you had a malfunction it was ok to toss the R/C so you could use both hands to get your reserve out(someof us may remember no pilotchute hand deploy reserves!) "Dropped" ripcords was a case of beer! The Bottle of liquor for the rigger has been around as long as there have been riggers. I know this was a military tradition. Many military riggers were "Honored" by the pilots and crewman who had to bailout of crippled, shot up aircraft and used a chute packed by "that" rigger to save their life!! Aviators and beer just seemed to go well together! Remember Beer call at Pancho Barnes Happy Bottom Riding Club out by Muroc (Edwards AFB) in The Right Stuff!!! As Skydiving grew, so did the Beer Rules! As mentioned for any noteworthy accomlishment!! Getting your SCR (Bob Boquor memoial Star Crest) "Really" got the beer going in the 70's and 80's!! The beer was for the people on the SCR dive "FIRST," all lurkers had to wait till the 8-way got their beer! Typical question on an RW dive,"Who doesn't have their SCR??" The race is on. All this writing sure has built up a powerful thirst!! Wonder if there's a "Cold Beer" in the frige?? SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Scary Stories!!! They are all scary, just some more than others!! New Years Eve '63-64' don't remember which, Ben and Barry Seal are going to make a "New Year Jump" leave the Piper Tri-pacer 30 seconds before midnight and open 30 seconds after midnight. This was at Hammond Airport Louisiana at that time DZ for Southland Skydivers and Louisiana Skydivers and other Jump Bums. The jump went as planned, they exit, freefall, do a night 2-man, separate and dump. Ben gets open and Barry has a Total!!!! He shakes the rig (remember boys and girls this is early 60's B-4 harness, chest reserve and a "NAVY NB-8" container!! It had a stifiner accross the top under the top cone to help flatten out the pack.) The pilot chute was caught under the top cone and down Barry goes!! They were probably a bit low? but time flys when you're having fun! Barry shakes the rig a couple of times and rolls over as he goes for his reserve. He pulls the ripcord and tosses out the reserve(remember, no pilot chute) . The ground was right there and "BAM" Barry thought he bounced!!! He was on the deck and quite alive! Got out of his rig and was running around, jumping up and down yelling,"I'M ALIVE, I'M ALIVE!!" This happened at the north end or runway 36-18 and most of us ground crew were at the south end. A bunch of us get in Billy Bankston's convertable and head to the "Scene" Barry is running around still yelling "I'M ALIVE!!" and some of us check out his gear. From the harness, the main (28' 7-TU) was open and colapsed (no wind!) just like normal. The reserve was stretched out and still folded with about 2/3rds of the lines out just like it was on a table being packed!!!!!! When Barry rolled over the wind blast blew his pack open and started his main deploying, it got open just above the deck!! His strung out reserve just settled to the ground as I said. He probably got primary opening shock and hit the ground!!! Close? Yeah, I'd say that was close. Don't know where Ben is these days, Barry Seal was involved in some strange deals, got killed years later and that's another story. As for the jump, I was there and I saw it. As I remember, also in attendance were Numan Gill B-1929 ( my later to be first jump instructor) Ken Gillard, Billy Bankston, Ben and Barry's dad and younger brother Wendell and a few other "spectators." SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Watch? Don't need no stinkin watch! Pilot says out at 12500', down the hall, turn right, out the door, log it as 60SD. I have two eyes and can see the ground, when it's time to pull,(why do we refer to altimeters as "clocks?") I don't care what time it is, PULL!! Check the sun angle to the horizon, how many jumps left till sunset? Is that 10 real minutes or 10 manifest minutes??? 'Don't have no watch, there's one on the stove (and it don't work since grandma died!) SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi there, Yup, chest straps, pillows, in-d-old-daze-twisted bellybands(remember thoze!) the list goez on!! Good job and don't stop! Where the H-E-(2xL) do you think "Blue Skys, Black Death" came from!! I have this skull-n-bones Jolly Roger flag that I tow when I'm under canopy and people that don't know wonder why?? "Constant Vigilance is Everybodys' job!!" The reaper lurks. Keep your eyes open! Oh yes another good one is mis-routed pilot chute bridles!! I know of a few that killed people and a couple that tried like hell!!! If you close your last flap "over" your bridle from the pin to the P.C., boy are you in for a surprise!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hey man, Pecos Parachute School was a "GAG!!!" The video was called "Proof" and the movie that got made around it is called "Fandango." The only other gag they should have done is on the takeoff, the 182 should have flown "under" the wires!!!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Just read this whole thread. The only thing that changes is the year, the make and model of the jump A/C and the make and model of the rig. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

WOW! Raeford will never be the same! Only trouble is by the time she gets old enough to legally buy beer and pay off all her beer debts., (5 more years) she'll have to own the brewery to do it!! LOL Unless dad gets hit with the task! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi Steve I'd be interested to know what kind of "Rumors" you heard?? Talk is cheap, good skydiving costs BIG $$ and don't you forget it!! As the T-shirt from the SCR Scrambles of 1978 at Elsinore says,"Ya pays yer money an' ya takes yer chances!" So if you still want to skydive, come on. If ya are lookin' fer an E-Z way out, ya can find a gazillion. Look around! I've been around Parachutes and Airplanes most all my life and I've heard lots of great rumors!! Just add yours to the list and GO JUMP!! PS I have the T-Shirt!!!!!!!!!! PPS If you want to know what an SCR Scrambles is, go ask some crusty old fart skydiver at your local So. Cal. DZ. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

By co-ed I was thinkin' of having at least a 50-50 mix of guys and ladies on the skydive more or less. Whoever is interested, improptu and "FUN!!!" By all means,"TAKE PICTURES!!!" SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

It's true. Photo sequence is in an old Scare-a-chutist and or Lyle Cameron's SkyDiver mag. I have them buried in my archives. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi Jeff, It was my understanding that we "all" were whuffo's until we made that first fling from an airchine'. After reading some of these posts I see where a lot of us, myself included, did some hair raising (on our parents and significant others e.g. aunts and grandmothers) things that led us on the path to the big blue sky! When I was about 5 years old, my neighbor Graham (aka Pompy), his brother Garland and I would climb this big mulberry tree in his yard and play paratroopers jumping from the big fork smashing into the ground below! Wow, what a rush! How we didn't break any bones is beyond me!! The mulberry tree got blown over by a hurricane in 1953 but I'm still here. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Waz jez' thinkin' that next Friday is the Summer Solstace/Longest day of the year. This calls for a co-ed naked skydive at "YOUR" Dropzone (and mine)this weekend!!! Times past there have been some really fun improptu naked dives, e.g. check out some of the photos on the wall in the Bombshelter!! Another solstace is upon us, what will it yield?? SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

The only thing that changes is the year and the make and model of the Parachute. I love this sport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out

Hi Jayne! Well have fun over there, hope you get some high jumps in now and then. Most of my Brit jumping friends come over here to the "colonies" to get any altitude to jump . Keep us posted on your progress. SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out