377

Is it still at Perris? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Three times I've traveled for a Connie jump and struck out three times. Damn. Probably will never be more Connie jumps. Lufthansa has spent more than 30 million restoring the Ultimate Connie, a model 1649. Even milled new wing planks. http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/super-star 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I've been jumping since 1968, still active, and thought I was no longer scared, was at peace in freefall, etc etc... I truly believed I was a freefalling Zen Master, beyond all earthly cares. then the facts blew up this illusion, BIG TIME. I belong to a group which combines skydiving with ham radio. We made some APRS radio telemetry gear that broadcasts GPS and pulse oximeter data to mountaintop repeaters which put the data on the Internet in real time. Anyone with a browser can see our speed, course, altitude, heart rate, blood oxygen level etc. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7gV5LMQG1a4YzRlN2VhYmMtOTM2ZS00Mjg2LThmYTctODlkYmRkMDlhNTc5/view?ddrp=1&hl=en&pli=1#. We also send live video to the ground on 5.8 Ghz. My resting pulse rate is around 74 BPM. During jumps it spikes as high as 173. At peace? Relaxed? I was just kidding myself. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

From their website on 3/18/16: Douglas DC9-21: The Douglas DC9 was another first not only for Perris but the world. It is the only privately owned commercial transport category Twin Jet aircraft that you can jump from in the world. The airplane is currently in storage and refit but will be back in the air before too long. It is able to take 80 jumpers in full airline comfort to 13500′ AGL I n a well appointed cabin with normal airline seats in 4 minutes. This is an amazing airplane that was specifically modified by Perris for this role and used successfully. Are they really refitting it for future use? This website says it has been sold: http://www.moodypas.com/pistons/dc-9-21/ I know the plane had one calendar expired engine (not operating hours expired). A JT8D-11 OH is very expensive. What a shame that the FAA can time out this engine by the calendar rather than just operating hours/cycles. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Meet Robbie, the new Tandem Master. No extra charge for heavy passengers. Robbie doesn't care about discomfort. With GPS guided approaches and a laser altimeter controlled canopy flare, a smooth landing is assured, always. And Robbie won't put any moves on your girlfriend. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

What BillVon says. +1. Trump's popularity is easy to explain. I always laugh at what presidential candidates, even sophisticated ones, promise to do if elected. They act like the legislative and the judicial systems do not even exist. No pres can overturn a Supreme Court decision or amend the Constitution. Nor can they unilaterally levy or cancel taxes. But you'd never guess that from the campaign promises made. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Any video with a DC 3 low pass is good by me, even if they got the shutter speed wrong in one segment. A high speed low pass with props appearing nearly standstill is soooo wrong. But perhaps it was intentional? You know those cinema artistes'. Lots of cool old gear. Looks like some of the stuff I jumped in 68 when I started. Keep up the good work. Real gear, not kludgey props. Saw one pathetic video with jumpers wearing camping knapsacks. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Trump is all about MONEY. We get money to live. He lives to get money. If the RNC wants The Donald out of the race make him a really sweet offer. Together I am sure they could figure out a payment structure that wouldn't violate the campaign financing laws. How much would it take? At least 250 million, perhaps a lot more. The potential profits from a presidency may make $250M seem like chump change to Trump. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

" The pins on the piggyback reserve came out and the reserve opened, inverted, at terminal, un-restricted. OUCH. Actually blacked out for a second. I know it inverted because the pilot chute was hanging from the apex like the clapper on a bell. :-) " DAMN! Now that's a REAL slammer. Not a freefly friendly rig I guess. Things can really start vibrating, almost buzzing at high speeds. Easy for a vibrating pin to slip out of cone or loop. What was the Travis Club like? Heard it existed but never talked to anyone who jumped there. Was it at the AFB? What kind of jumpships? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I sold that canopy as a prop to a photog. After that it was just a matter of connecting the dots :) Amazing. I post a fashion shot and you ID the exact canopy. What are the chances? Hope you got top dollar. That canopy is now famous. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Sure do. Heavily loaded DC 3 with tired engines. Siesta time. Half hour and even a bit more sometimes. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

It looks like it could be the exact same canopy. If it is, how did you make the connection? Some say C-9s do not have "pucker vents" at the apex but my 1951 vintage orange and white candy stripe USAF surplus C-9 sure did. Bought it in 1968, Jumped it well into the 1970s. I am pretty sure I was the last guy jumping a cheapo at Pope Valley. Man did that beast land hard. OUCH. I was on a college student budget and was always a gen or two behind on gear. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Thanks Jim. Sure wish I could have met George before he passed away. Surviving a C-133 ocean ditching is miraculous. I never jumped Yolo in the old days, just Livermore, Antioch and the best DZ ever: Pope Valley. Blue skies and 73 Mark 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

In the latest Nieman Marcus catalog. Is it a dyed C-9? Navy conical? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Four PW 4360s will soon be pulling a C 97 around. After years and years of work BAHF's C 97G has received its EXPERIMENTAL certification, passed FAA inspection and will soon be flying. I had the pleasure of seeing one of the last flights of a KC 97L in military service. It was in 1978 as I recall. The L model had two outboard jet engines added to help with takeoff and climb. The sound of four 4360s at full power with two screaming J 47 turbojets adding to the mix was incredible. I watched it take off from Travis AFB. It was a TX ANG tanker. Ever hear of the C 133? Like a Herc on steroids. Here is a website I made commemorating the last flight of the C 133. Enjoy: https://sites.google.com/site/boeing377/c133 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Johnny Cochran was a phenomenally skilled defense lawyer. Not much has been written about his skills as a prosecutor. I was trying a felony case in LA decades ago. During a long break I walked over to an adjoining courtroom where Johnny Cochran, then a Deputy City Attorney, was prosecuting an African American defendant in a major felony case. I watched his closing argument and knew I was seeing a major and as yet unsung talent at work. He was phenomenal. I was literally in awe. His jury, which included a number of African Americans, came back very quickly with guilty verdicts on all counts. Hard to believe that OJ would be so stupid as to squander a miracle acquittal in the murder case by getting involved in a subsequent armed robbery. Perhaps his brains got scrambled in football. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Hello, I'm Robbie the Robot. I'll be your tandem master for today's jump. Good thing human tandem masters work so frigging cheap. Not a great market for robot replacements. Same for riggers. Actually same for our underpaid jumpship pilots as well. Not a lot of economic fat to trim in the skydiving business. I work in robotics. I know how potential markets are assessed. I don't think we will be seeing robots in skydiving anytime soon. One possible exception is in manufacturing canopies. Robots can do a pretty good job making patterns, optimizing yields and even cutting and sewing. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I jump an old (but truly like new) NARO with a big Triathlon main. I only use it for belly flying. Works fine and my rigger has no issues with it. Looks well made but, as others have noted, has a lot of Velcro. I got what I thought was a great deal: Naro rig, Triathlon 220, Tempo reserve and Cypres 2 (in need of an 8 year check). Rig and main had only 38 jumps. $1000 for all. Talked to my rigger before buying an orphan container and he said go for it. Never regretted the purchase, although the 8 year AAD check, RSL install and 8 Slinks added significantly to the final price. Still jump it and like it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Talk about REALLY bad spots... was reading a copy of Skydiver magazine from 1967. These guys used O2 bottles and jumped from about 32,000 feet. Turned out winds aloft were "150 mph" (Jetstream?) . They landed TEN MILES from their DZ. Ground winds were normal, no injuries. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Great article Bill. Thanks for writing it. Sad that in most cases the safer gear choice is the less "cool" one. Smaller usually means less safe, with the notable exception of SLINKS. I still see people skydiving without helmets. How is that ever a good idea? Highly loaded reserves carry a huge risk if you are unconscious or unable to work the toggles. But you wont look cool with a bulky rig, so many jumpers choose postage stamp reserves. The list is endless. Our sport attracts risk takers. Always has. Guess it's no surprise that they push the edge on gear choices. 377 First jump 1968, still jumping 2 reserve rides: 1st 26 ft Navy Surplus Conical, 2nd PD 190R

Has anyone ever checked his forearms for burn scars? He has an explanation. It's from those pyro demos he does. ;) 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I have two Triathlons, a 190 and a 210. Been jumping them for many years. They open a bit slower than other canopy types I have jumped but I've never had any experience like the ones our original poster experienced. Just another data point. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

http://nypost.com/2000/05/26/plane-bandit-chutes-self-to-death/ 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Thanks! I sure botched the syntax. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

No altimeter issues but really keep an sharp eye out for power poles, and the nearly invisible lines that span between them, you almost certainly wont be landing at a DZ that you are familiar with. When I did my balloon jump it was from a fleet of balloons at WFFC in Illinois. A young woman jumper from another balloon picked the same small landing area I did, which had a tricky approach due to winds and power lines that were high and stretched between two towers that were located far off the LZ patch. After gathering up my chute I walked over to her and said that was kinda difficult setting up with those power lines over there. She said what power lines? She hadn't even seen them and crossed over them without a lot of room to spare. She looked sick when she saw what she had missed. Balloon jumps are really fun, unlike any jump from a moving aircraft. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.