jbrasher

What I did was gather up the piglet 21' round reserve and look for the 2 smoke brackettes and smoke, along with the cutaway and reserve handle. After a not so good spot and having to fly a round over some power lines AND do a stand up landing on the side of a slope, I thought that was acceptable. I then waited for the guy with a kid's fireman's hat (w/ rotating beacon, of course) drive the golf cart up from the 15 freeway were he'd just saved my main from being used as a car cover by some guy after it landed in the median.

Tempo 170 Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Here's the picture. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

After thinking some more about this I dug this picture up. The first time Elsinore flooded we move down to Thompson field in Temecula for about 9 months. This would be in 1980 I think. We had just (that week) started using Hanbury student piggybacks with T10 and 24'. Jim had decided that the static line put too much wear on the container flap and was using some bungeecord to keep the mains closed. Mike Wheeler was the JM for 3 people from a local radio station and Tom Sanders was along to film. First student out doesn't go when told to but instead steps off and hangs on the strut. The propblast works the static line out of the bungeecord and the T10 goes over the tail. Aircraft goes noise up and eventually the student cuts away but the main is now jammed into the elevator causing the plane to dive for the groud. Mike trys to throw the next student out but when he starts lifting her the main container opens and the main spills out. He puts her back on the floor and tells everyone to brace themselves. I was teaching a FJC that day and was walking my students thru an equipment container showing them equipment while this was happening. When I walked out the chief instructor had this funny look on his face (shock) and I asked him what happened. He said the Howard just went in. I ran to the parking lot and commandered an old cadallac convertible and went bouncing across a field and up over a slight rise going "There's no smoke, that's good" but I expected to see a crater when I got there. What I saw was Tom rapidy taking pictures (even though he was long out of film) and everyone else standing around the plane as seen in the picture. The pilot (naturally I can't remember his name, good one though) was the only injury, a cut face because the shoulder harness hadn't been tight. The canopy hung up on the tail was diving the aircraft at the ground and he was able to get the nose up enough the belly it in and strip the landing gear off. Someone had a tape recorder going the whole time and we timed the whole thing at 35 seconds from canopy over the tail at 3,200' until impact. It was a good airplane and Larry Perkins still has the parts, so there's still hope.

The only rule is ANYONE who wants too! Besides if your a jumper you always have at least one jump left. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Just to be P.C. we've very often done a HER.... Her.....Her....F**K Her Works for me. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

I've got 2 G-4s. I've got a Diablo 150 and a Sabre 150 in them now. I've had a Triathlon 120 up to a Specter 190. Loop adjustments as needed But check with RI for sure. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

You can be dependent upon anything, audible, visual, other jumpers, etc. What you want is a way to crosscheck each one. Multiple points of reference will usually show a discrepency and hopefully then you pay more attention. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

My first square was a Stro Star bought in 1976. Two jumps with the rings and ropes and they were gone and it was short lined with a slider. Always thought no wind landings in the morning were more fun than I wanted but otherwise it beat the hell out of anything else. My god it was fast (compared to a PC) 500 jumps and never had a malfunction. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

The Howard used in Gypsy Moths came from Elsinore. At one time Larry Perkins had at least 3 flying and several others in various stages of re/dispair. We all hope he be able to rebuild one and let us jump it again Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

I believe you

cutaway back then meant with a knife. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

OK, here's mine. It was an Air Trash wedding (couple hundred sit down) at the Ritz Calton. There were 30 of us in a DC-3 jumping into the beach with the hotel up on a cliff. The groom had been telling the hotel staff about the jump on the wedding day but they didn't really believe him.

One time at Elsinore in the late 70's got to watch an impromptu demonstration by Art Scholl. He took up a roll of tokiet paper one Sunday morning and chopped it into very fine peices. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Just bring a blank tape, they'll record it for you no charge, or $5 will get you a blank tape. It desn't seem to matter how much experience you have when you first get in there, you'll find all of the things you need to fix Your probably at an advantage, you haven't developed all the bad habits the more experienced people have. Look at it as a learning/FUN experience, that's what life is meant to be HAVE A LOT OF FUN. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Bring a VHS tape also. Reviewing later is worth it. My first time was last weekend, no coaching. I was advised the the first time is humbling It is worth it. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

That's Joan Rumble Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

My Diablo 150 gets the nod from me. A Sabre 150 w/ a pocket slider comes in second. A while ago a Unit III was really nice, except for the 4 blow ups Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Sadly you are right. "Whitey" was my 1st jump instructor in 1972 at Hinkley. I lost friends at Taft. A shortly thereafter a D-18 went in at Hinkley. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

"Feet and knees together, bend forward at waist, look at cutaway mechanism, grasp cutaway mechanism(s), look at reserve handle, activate cutaway mechanism, pull reserve handle and throw it away. If there is a pilot chute on reserve, then punch the container to help it open. if there is no pilot chute on reserve then: grasp the entire reserve canopy, throw it ... " you forgot thow it in the direction of the spin, if any Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Early 80's up in the Northwest. Courtesy of Diver Driver [URL]http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001214X44100&key=1[/URL] Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

When your younger you sometimes don't think things through as much as when you gain experience through things like this, If you live. The next year we were doing the 1st (maybe the last) AirTrash Memorial boogie (Richard Hayden founded AirTrash) up at California City in a D-18. Al Frisby and I were standing in back of the pilot (who was unfamiliar with that a plane; although he had owned another one) counting heads and wonder just what the hell we were doing and decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to have 13 jumpers in the aircraft seeing as how that was the reason for this memorial boogie and vowed to not go over 10 on the remaining jumps. :-) You stood up in back of the pilot to get the weight as far forward as you could because of the lack of room, and to get a good view out the cockpit when you took off. D-18 could be a handful if the center of gravity got too far back, although not as touchy as a LoadStar. I've lost a number of friends and aquaintances to D-18s and prefer to not jump them any longer. I also tend to count bodies on aircraft to see if maybe there's too many on board. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

You'll lose it. Gauranteed, if not today then pretty soon. A standard Protec is perfect for a Dytter IF you mount it in the ear hole. This usually works perfectly. They usually will stay in place through friction but you should take a peice of waxed chord or string and tie the brackette to the cross-bars in the ear hole. Then the Dytter is protected and easily heard. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

I had the privilege of making a jump with Bob about 10 years ago at Elsinore. I've been a rain-chicken for Santa, also. (rain-chicken; that's a chicken with antlers) jumping into a swimming pool sized area filled with fake mashed potatoes for Boston Markets 500 store opening. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166

Well I was asked to do a safety seminar at Elsinore about 8 years ago. During the day I was thinking of things to go over and did a 6 way with some people. We ended up long towards Grand avenue and at breakoff I was lucky enough to be tracking back towards the DZ. I knew I wasn't going to make it back to the landing area if I tracked as long as I might normally have, so I waved off looked over my shoulder and tossed. At line stretch I'm looking up at my canopy and reaching for the risers when I see a body with a deploying canopy coming right at me. As he went by something hit my left hand as his canopy brushed me. This was a guy who was directly opposite me in the last point, a round. Normally I would have thought he'd be tracking for Grand avenue but I guess he knew where the DZ was, too. He was a visiting Japanense with about 1,000 jumps and no English. He opened below me and I followed him down and landed next to him. My first question, in my best AFF/I voice, was "What happened?". He replied by giving me my wrist mount Altimaster III which had been on my left hand and he had grabbed on the way by, I hadn't noticed it yet He wrote a page in my logbook (in Japanese) which I think is his side of it but I haven't had it translated yet. Or maybe he just said I was an idiot. I'm sure you can guess what my topic was that evening. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166