gunpaq

I had a rig come through during one of our fall boogie events back in the 80's. As we were tagging rigs I noticed on one rig that I had packed three years before had magically been packed by me many times over without me touching it. Where is that magic wand when you need it during those long nights in the loft? The jumper was given the option of paying for six pencil packs plus a "legal" repack...........an ugly scene developed and cops called. The responding officer was one of our regular jumpers and a rigger who gave the jumper the option of being criminally charged with theft of services, etc., etc., or pay up. The jumper told us to F off and left his rig behind..............could never figure that one out - surrendering a $1,500.00 value rig for a $180.00 balance due o0r trying to work something out like "I am sorry & will never do it again......here is $30 for a repack". A rigger friend of mine (RIP) used to simply permanently ground any reserve that came to him pencil packed with his name and seal intack.

We had a similar experience on a demo in Maryland in the 90's. A member of the team contracted a demo with a local SPCA grand opening event. Since we were jumping for the SPCA he thought it would be a great idea to jump with a life sized St Bernard stuffed dog he had recently won at a local carnival and rigged an old chest mount with a flair chute packed inside. The concept was great but the rigging bad but he said he was going to correct the set up and repack it at home before the demo.....what could possibly go wrong. I was doing the MC for the jump and the team pulled off a five way with smoke and "Fluffy" as the fifth jumper. Everything look great until pull time when "Fluffy" experienced a streamer and failed to cut-away and open his reserve because he was just a stuffed doll without a brain (similar to some jumpers we know) and had no reserve. The crowd below of 300 + was prepped by me to see "Fluffy" the skydiving dog not "Fluffy" the sky dying dog. To make long sad but comical story short, "Fluffy" bounced on a picnic table flipping it over with "Fluffy" coming to rest hanging by his lines from the eves trough of the new SPCA building. From doing MC work for our demo team over the years I was prepared for most any scenario to spin on a positive light for the crowd but for this one I was speechless as what to say except lookout because "Fluffy' looked like a real dog burning in with his ears blowing back. The screams from the crowd were something to behold as people scattered with some holding their hands over the eyes of their children. Thank God no one was hurt and the team member who jumped with "Fluffy" was a SPCA board member so we were able to walk away from that one on a positive note as we did two more demos for the same SPCA after that. Amazingly not a stitch was broken on that stuffed dog. Would have been nice to have had a video back then but the memories are just as good.

110%+

Tough people get through tough times. JE will get through it. :)

It is not just a job it is an adventure.

If your are focused, strong willed, and disciplined with a solid positive attitude then skydiving for a living is your dream career but if not you may end up living in a van down by the river.

Chapter and even books about stupid things we have done. Most surprising is we survived to tell the tales.

One of many for me was a Mr. Bill bungee jump. It all looked good on paper, the Mr. Bill dives were well rehearsed, and the rigging wasflawless. What possibly could go wrong? The jump was successful but what we did not count on was a beating by the bungee that would have impressed my drunken raged old man when I was a kid. I had welts and bruises that lasted for two weeks.

That show planted the seed for me as well plus the fact that our neighboring farm had a weekend parachute club operating out of their fields, Crossroad Skydivers of Downingtown, PA. My great-grandfather, 84 years old at the time and a dairy farmer, said if he was younger he would like to parachute jump.

Static Line from 2,800' in 1976 because that was all there was for a FJC then. Besides the FJC was $24 and $12/jump thereafter for students.

Rounds-what were they like to land? Well, I can tell you what they were like to land for my then young 185lbs? My 24' flat circular unmodified rerserve canopy landed me a little softer than a meteor. My 28' 7-TU canpoy landed me like a ton of bricks. Working my way up to my rented 32" lopo which landed like jumping off a 4" high porch. My friend the T-10 7-TU landed about just right and most always with a good PLF and every once and a while a stand up. My fancy dancy red Para-Commander was the cats meow and got me to where I wanted to land and only required a fall down immitation PLF when not standing it up. What I appreciated most about landing a round canopy was the relative certainty that I risked injuty upon landing and not death as we experience today with the highly loaded "square" canopies when mistakes are made.

Do not drop a chem-light and freak out the DZO.

Jumping the Glide and they are 110% all the way.

Welcome back!

My four daughters grew up at our drop zone in PA. As they grew in age so did their responsibilities from running the food stand, manifesting, packing, and washing the planes, etc. Only one has ever made a skydive as an adult but all savor the unique exeriences they had as DZ kids.

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Stop paying all your bills, move to a crappy trailer on the dz. Spend all your money on jump tickets and beer. Enjoy life. Welcome back!

Best advice.

One step at a time.

We have a few boxes full of old sleeves- some well used and others new.

Reply from seller after emailing him and suggesting donating the Ottley items to The Skydiving Museum or USPA:



Dear gunpaq,

I would love to if I could afford it. This is a business for me and at this point I don't need a tax write off.

Thanks for looking.

Found a little bit of history on Ebay. A seller is listing diamond wings and badge awarded to Bill Ottley in the 1970's.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/261451741168?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

WNY and Niagara Skydive have paved runways and both are now open for jumping. WNY is a super A+ friendly DZ and Niagara Skydive is a friendly low key center as well. I'm going to try to get to WNY this Saturday. Have fun.

A fellow left his gear for a repack and on the evening I did his reserve I found some interesting items. Inside one of the reserve cells were some ladies under garments and other intimate items that did not belong to his wife. I placed the suspect items in a zip lock bag and wrote "Danger Do Not Jump" on the bag with red magic marker.

One more reason to always wear a hard shell helmet.

Simple solution would be to jump on the student setting depending what you intend to do under canopy, etc. Rather than adjusting settings.

For the difference of two seconds keep it on PRO. You should approach each jump as though you do not have an AAD and skydive to survive.

I rely on my applying the brakes rather than the air bags in my automobile to save me from crashing into something. Likewise the AAD is a vital safety device but only you can be sure to save your own life not a back-up safety device.

Sometimes when we monkey with things that have been factory set we end up being the monkey.

The Vigil II has three settings all with different altitudes: Expert/Student/Tandem.

Simple solution would be to jump on the student setting depending what you intend to do under canopy, etc.

Like grimmie said, "Sit down with the S&TA at your DZ and discuss this. "

You want to do it safe, legal and right or not at all.

Also, if jumping Old Glory please use proper flag Etiquette
since that flag represents all who served under it, your Nation, and your fellow citizens.

Do your homework, do your planning, get cleared by your S&TA, do your practing and then go do it right if feasible.

H&P's about $25

Virtually no wait getting inexcept for holidays and commuter hours. Both Dz's ar twenty minutes from the border. US Homeland Security dictates a PassPort to get to and frow the border. Great swwop pond at Burnaby and fantastic scenery with the lake.