vanair

Full Metal Jacket, Most realist boot camp depiction ever!!!!! Spent my summer vacation there in 75. Will never forget!!!!

Sometime depending on how the student is, when I hook them up for a tandem. I shake the four attachment points and say "Your hooked up here, and your hooked up here. So there's no way you can die alone"

Female tandem 1st jump. Screaming the whole freefall, opened still screaming. I asked if she was O.K? She said "Yes, thousands of dollars of therapy and all I ever really needed to do was jump out of an airplane"

One night my friend was over and my dog was sitting there licking himself. My friend whimsically remarked "I wish I could do that" To which I replied. I think you better pet him first.

To me the real question is "Why doesn't everyone skydive?" Or at least want to.

funny names. we have a "Shades Of Death RD" Here in NJ

Years ago I met a girl at a party, Her name was Tara. So I said nice to meet you Tara. She said, No it's Ta-Rah. I couldn't help but laugh in her face. It sucks getting older, so many of my stories start with "Years ago"

Years ago, late 70s Fountain N.C. Near Jacksonville. A one Cessna 182 DZ That had no buildings, It was run out of the owners truck. Anyway, He had 2 D-rings on a short riser hooked up to a capewell. The idea was if we had a non responsive student in tow. We hooked up the chest mount reserve stored under the pilots seat to the other D-ring, pulled the rip-cord(no pilot chute) then cutaway the capewell and don't get in the way. Hoping that what ever caused the hang up doesn't un-hang at 200'. If they were responsive they were to put their left hand on top of their helmet and their right hand on their reserve rip-cord. Signaling that they will pull the rip-cord when we cut the static line.

it's not biannual= 2xs a year it's biennial= once every 2 years

I started jumping in 1973, one of the real corny ones from back then was an episode of MOD squad, can't remember the name of the episode. It was about a drunk that lived in an old car at a dz that they took him on a aff type jump. He went in. The squad investigated it as a murder. it would be funny to see it now, it was corny then.

Wow, my head hurts. I always thought it was 50/50, either I'm going to die or not. Shawanga!

I used to jump sometimes in the early 80s at skydive east. In 1981 I had a cast on my right arm from being hit by a car while on my bicycle, I had about 700 jumps then, a fair amount for that time. I asked Doug if it was ok with him (DZO) to jump. He just looked at me and said "You know what you can and can't do" very cool guy. I jumped, no problem. I did scare a rookie when I flew very fast to close third, slowed and had a soft dock. Later on the ground he told me all he could see was a large very hard cast coming at him.

It was a submarine. What else did you get wrong?

Before that, John Charter(not sure of spelling). Jumped from a chopper, landed on the top of the Verazzano Narrows bridge tower chopped his main and used his reserve. I had jumped the world trade center 9/13/80. And on12/7/80 climbed inside the tower of the bridge and jumped from the top, landed on Staten Island. Later at LSPC he asked all about the top of the tower so he could do his jump. Don't know when but he died on a base jump a few years later. It's someplace on Nicks Base fatality list.

Wow, I was off line for a few days. Thanks for all the info. Now what he says is that I misunderstood him, He now says he was a Corpsman attached to the Seals, not a Seal himself, I'm gonna let it slide. He's keeping a real low profile since I started to pin him down. Running like a cockroach with the light on. Thanks, Van

Don't know for sure, just his attitude, he's done too much. He was a seal etc. And he doesn't know certain things about the m16. Granted I'm a marine. Not as lean, not as mean but still one. And some things like the m16 nomenclature were drilled into my head. I find it hard to believe he can't remember certain things, yet brags about other stuff. Before I call him on being the asshole I'm 99% sure he is I want to be 100%

WAAAA, no ones talking to me! I think this is a far better weapon. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/new_rifle_developed_at_picatin.html

Hey, Did anyone look up this rifle? It's a major leap forward!!!!

Hi, Does any one know how to look up someones record, I have a co-worker that I think is lying about his. I have all his info even his SSN. I read somewhere that a group of Viet Nam vets formed an organization to do so. I read that they discovered half the homeless Vets were really BSers. I googled but got frustrated by all the FREE web sites that half way thru wanted to charge $. Thanks, Van USMC VET

I was a punk assed 16 yr old H.S. kid when I started jumping. Where did it go???? SHA-WAN-GA

Ditto, also TM looks very head down on drogue toss.

It looks like low recoil from the video. Whats really cool is a 20mm type rifle that has a laser range finder. When the bad guy ducks behind something, tree, wall, ditch etc out of line of fire. Just point the laser at tree etc. It programs the round to detonate within three feet I think up to 1000yrds. So a 20mm round that has a kill radius of about 15 feet goes off next to him. No longer need line of sight. Just aim right next to tree or over wall etc. Also very cheap compared to arty. Was developed here in NJ at Picatiney Arsenal. Read about it about a week ago in the NJ Star Ledger

Yes a few years ago in conn. solo low time jumper, I think less then 50 jumps. Saw the piper coming didn't do anything hit the rudder, ripped his boot off breaking his ankle. piper pitched up stalled, spun in with jammed rudder killing 4 people. A more experienced jumper probably would have pulled, which if I remember right he had time to do and be above the plane. Also I think in the 80s in Calif. a jumper closing in on a 3 way was taken out by a military cargo plane, missed the 3 way. Plane thought it hit a big bird didn't find out till after landing. Jumper dead. Can probably find out more online.

Sometimes it's hard to look well. About 5 years ago at the ranch NY. I was TM I was about 7000' in freefall looking at camera person Kaz she slightly below and in front. I HEARD something did a quick look around then down. My mind took a picture that is etched in my memory. About forty feet below me is a Cessna Skymaster push pull twin. I would have hit the middle of the left wing. I pointed and Kaz turned and got the plane flying away. Not as impressive with a fisheye lens. He was probably doing 180-200 MPH. About 3 miles a minute, I got out of the otter at 14000'. Probably about 35-40" into freefall I guestimate that when I exited He was about 2 miles away. He was flying south, our jumprun was to the west. I would have had to see him thru the starboard windows. Don't know if I even looked. Lady luck was with me. When we got on the ground, we told the clueless girl because it would be on her video. I asked our pilot to tell ATC they suck.

true about climbing, and yes I know the altitudes and direction above 3000' AGL. What I was talking about is how it seems everyone below 3000' AGL seem to always fly at 1500, 2000 or 2500. That's why if I have to cruise below 3000' because of clouds or under a class B, I choose an off alt such as 2300 etc.