Douggarr

Great tribute, Sandy. Thanks for posting. My only addition is that yes, knowing him was a privilege. He was a terrific guy, besides being a special skydiver. One of the great emissaries of our sport. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Good story. Can we use it for a book that Tim Long is planning called NSTIWTIWGD? (No shit, there I was, thought I was gonna die.). SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

This was forwarded to me in an email from Dan Poynter, probably the skydiver who knew him best. I went way back with Howie, too. He'll be missed. Howard White began jumping at Orange Sport Parachuting Center (later Jumptown) in 1965 and soon joined the instruction staff. A graduate of Harvard University, he attended the Monterey Language School and studied Russian while in the Service. He served USPA as Northeast Conference director in the 70s and as editor of Parachutist magazine on an interim basis after USPA moved to Washington. He chaired the Historical Committee of the Parachute Industry Association. He was a newspaper reporter for the Boston Globe and the Quincy Patriot Ledger. Later he did public relations work for the University of Massachusetts. Howie was an avid SCUBA diver and active skydiver. -30- SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I was just about to post a reply to this guy and say, "See what Winny has to say on this subject." If it weren't for you we wouldn't even have had baby steps. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

This is an interesting string, and I respect the arguments for and against raising the opening altitudes for everyone, including C and D license holders. I'm inclined to think it's a good thing, mainly because of the reasons already mentioned in the argument -- AAD, higher wing loaded canopies, slower and longer openings, etc. I might add: one of the main advocates for raising the hard deck by 500 feet is Bill Booth, who knows a thing or two about skydiving safety. If you can find it, he talks about it at last year's equipment manufacturer's enclave in Las Vegas. It's probably on YouTube somewhere. I urge everyone who is against the idea to at least watch the video of Booth's interview. Bill is a smart guy, everyone. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I enjoyed reading this string, and I found most of the comments fairly intelligent. I will tell you one thing, however. In the four malfunctions I've had that resulted in reserve rides, not once did I calculate the cost of replacing a freebag or losing a main, etc., or even saying, I'm at a wide open DZ or my canopy is solid green and I'm over trees, yada, yada, yada. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I couldn't agree more with Airtwardo. Inspect your gear thoroughly. Before each jump, I make sure that every moving part is moveable. This means the reserve pin, ripcord handle, and cutaway cables. Not just before each jump day. Each jump. On busy DZs you never know who's going to futz with your gear when you're not looking at it. Not as maniacal on the plastic casing and separate gear bag. But I do keep my rig in my office where the temperature is a constant 70 degrees F. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Jumped with Ray at Stormville in the old days; Lodestar especially when we were making big (for the day) rounds. He was very funny, a great guy. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I shortlined my Mark 1 48 inches. Most were doing 36 inches. I wanted to absolutely reduce oscillation on accuracy approaches in those days. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Back in 1969 when I started jumping at Greene, N.Y., there was a skydiver named Don "Sea Pig" Fellner who regularly went to the DZ via his motorcycle. He had a Security piggy-back with the blast handle reserve. I remember worrying about an accidental deployment, and I think Pig told me that he used temporary pins (with red flags) in the two-pin main as a precaution. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I just called Strong Enterprises. This was apparently an accident during a training exercise in Texas. That's all they can say until there's an investigation. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

This is a shock. I just jumped with Ted last month at the Pioneer's reunion up at Orange, Mass. Went to the web site but there are no details yet. I'm going to e-mail Dan Poynter, and others to find out. Ted really took care of himself and was in great shape for his age. I still can't believe this. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Stop when you brain or your body tells you to. I stopped in 1983 for 25 years, and then I came back. I don't regret either decision. I'm now 62 and feel terrific physically. And I made several jumps a couple of weeks ago with Lew Sanborn, D-1, who is 80 and still jumping actively. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

As an old timer who started on rounds, I routinely opened at 2,000 -2,500 feet. Back in the sport after a long layoff, and noting the nicely sequenced slow opening of today's mains, which use up more airspace. I upped my minimum to 3,000-3,500 feet, except on big-ways where you may have to open lower. I did this before I saw Booth's comments, which seemed to be logical. If you do this, you needn't worry whether your Cypres or Vigil is set to fire at 750 or a 1000 -- assuming you do not stay with a malfunction beyond the normally acceptable time frame. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Jump your ass off kid, right away. You'll find it soon if this is something you love. Ask a lot of questions. Read a lot. Don't be embarrassed to ask for gear checks. This is an unforgiving sport. Stay safe and have fun. You'll find a lot of skydivers at lots of DZs ready to help you. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

i screwed up the reply... What I wanted to say is that Wendy P. has nailed it precisely. I started way back in the Cessna days when it was easy to keep track of four or five canopies that were round. Now you have single pass Otters with all sorts of disciplines, all sorts of wing loads, all sorts of break off altitudes, and all sorts of opening altitudes. Chaos? You bet. There is no way to avoid it except to keep your head on the proverbial swivel, learn how to track, and not care about landing where you're going to have a long walk back to the packing area. This risk can be lowered by better canopy training, and multiple passes (not likely because DZ owners are cranking expensive tach time aircraft), and more segregated landing areas. At the recent SOS big-way in Elsinore, I felt more comfortable with 60 guys in the air who 1) knew the break off altitude and were precise about it 2) tracked like their life depended on it (which it did, sort of), and 3) landed in three distinct parts of the drop zone. In fact, I felt safer than when I'm in an Otter with 16 other folks who begin a conversation with "What are you opening at?" "How many seconds should I give you before I exit?" Uh oh. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Quote SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Keithbar is indeed correct. Nothing has changed since '69. If you started on the dope rope, then your first free fall was a case of beer. Then 100, and 1000, etc. Bottle of booze of choice for the rigger who packed your reserve on a cutaway. Not beer for the DZ when you had your first malfunction. This has gotten out of hand largely because rookies are taking everything so literally. Whenever somebody utters a sentence with the word "first" in it, somebody jokes that it's a case of beer. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Hammo's place is a gem. Jumped there in April for the first time with the SOS geezers. That week we were treated like royalty, from office to packing area. The vibe at the Bomb Shelter reminds you of the early days of DZs, where you hang out for hours just talking about skydiving. It's not as buffed as Perris, but that's the point. We don't need no swimming pool or full bar. (It would be nice, though.)

I just saw a post from The Ranch that mentioned the passing of Ray Finneran, on April 29th. Anyone who has ever been in a jump plane and heard the war cry, "Sha-Wan-Ga, Fly Baby Fly," should appreciate that Ray originated the chant. I jumped with him a lot in the old days -- at Sha-Wan-Ga -- and at Stormville and The Ranch. He was one of the greats in the sport. He once told all his relatives not to have any celebrations on the weekends -- no communions, birthday parties, weddings, etc. -- because he wouldn't be there. RIP, Ray, and condolences to his family. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I heard the sad news in an email from Cliff Davis. This is a huge loss for our very tight community. I met Kevin at the Greene SPC accuracy meet in 1970. Greene, NY, not Ohio. We locals were in awe of this very famous California skydiver, photographer, stuntman, etc., and were more impressed by what a great gentleman he was. Not wearing a skygod ego at all. Helpful, friendly. I met him again at Raeford in 2009 for the old farts reunion that Howard White was probably referring to. We'll miss him dearly. Condolences to his son and others close to him. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

Ok, thanks. I now feel better. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

is it just me or is the TSA just plain clueless? My last three trips, I've been detained and hassled 5 of 6 flights by security people who ignore the AAD X-ray card, the USPA letter saying we're not terrorists, etc. and watch them search their manual for "what to do when a skydiver boards with a parachute" instructions. Jetting out of LAX last week, I was as polite as possible, never once uttered the word explosive and was just short of having to open both containers. In fact, one of the security officers tried to take my rig out of my gear bag by pulling the reserve ripcord handle. Like to hear what others have to say. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I bought a lime green 7-TU used with a four-pin Navy container for $35 in 1969. The apex was dyed gold. Lots of patches. Pretty cool rig. My first jump on static line was $25; a $5 discount because we showed up in a group of five. Once you had a main you could use the DZ's reserve, boots, helmet, jumpsuit, altimeter, and water gear for free on any jump. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

I met jeannie at the Nationals in Tahlequah in 1971. She was such a hoot; really friendly, great skydiver, and a legend. I think she had one of those vans (everybody seemed to in those days), and she had a tonneau-like cover outside the sliding door, where she held court and offered anyone who stopped by a cold brew. SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353