joesky

I have had three belly mount reserve rides. The first one was under my 5TU. It was a practise situation and I remember taking hold of the reserve and throwing it out. Throwing it into the spin sounds like the method I was trained under, but in this instance there was no spin as I was under a good canopy. It inflated ok and I landed under both canopies. The second one was under my PC and there was a pilot chute. I did not have that much experience at the time and I was unable to get rid of my main probably due to it being stubbornly caught in my burble, so I fired off my reserve. It went up ok and I landed under both. The third was on a style jump when after finishing my set I had a total (due to a small rigging mishap =)) and had to fire my reserve. I remember I rolled sideways before pulling the chest mount so there would be less stress on my spine. It was a solid opening but I remember being a little surprised that it was as soft as it was.

I was 20. It was 1967 and I was working as a lab tech and fast becoming bored with my job. So I thought I'd get into flying. I was taking flying lessons and learned in my medical that I was so colour blind that being a commercial pilot was not going to be in the cards. So I gave that up and went across the field to watch the jumping and decided to give it a try.

try the organizer: Bobby McGee maybe he has a copy I filmed the jumps using the ground to air but my tape has been lost over the years

Regarding filming competition style, I have used most systems in Canada and the US over the past 30 plus years including the BC Council, Borghese, Airforce, Golden Knights, Eloy, Ganaonoque and Jones system. Most are gone now. Two or three are still around. Non of them were ever called a Cinetheodolite so I think you must be looking for something grander. Attached picture is of the Eloy system at the 2008 Nationals.

some might find the following interesting - copied from an obituary appearing in the Globe and Mail today about the the passing of Jean St. Germain and written by Tu Thanh Ha: "....St Germain, a grade school dropout and former army para trooper who became a prolific inventor, died Sept 16... he was 79.... enlisted in the army in 1954, joining the Royal 22nd Regiment...trained as a paratrooper and was posted in West Germany... back in civilian life, he started a family, taught parachuting and settled in the Saint Hyacinthe area... At one point he ran a parachute school, so the family lived in an aviation hangar next to a 1930's DC-3 transport plane... one of his more successful ideas was the Aerodium, a 23 metre high silo with a propeller at the bottom that acts like a vertical wind tunnel, allowing people to soar in the airflow and experience the sensation of skydiving....Mr. St. Germain was featured in People magazine in 1982 when the American real estate tycoon Marvin Kratter paid him $ 1.5 million (US) for the franchising rights of the Aerodium.

Don started judging in 2002 and quickly progressed up the 'judging ladder' earning his Provincial, National and FAI ratings in several disciplines. He judged all across Canada at Provincial and National Championships. As well, he judged down in the States at various Al Zilk Memorials, the US Nationals and the 2005 CP World Cup in Florida. Barb Davies, the current chair of CSPA's Competition and National Teams Committee, had this to say: "Don was a long standing member of the CNTC and had only recently reaffirmed his commitment to continue on the committee for 2016. I can't remember when he came onto the committee but it was during the years Mary Watson was Chair, perhaps 2003 or 04. Don was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2008 and told he had six months to live. He certainly lived past his best' before' date by several years. In the early years Don worked tirelessly on the CSPA website and especially on the CNTC portion of the website and also on the publication of our manuals in both languages. He was the guy who helped keep my sanity when various versions of the manuals started flying back and forth, which one was the correct one and he liaised with our translator to keep everything straight. Unfortunately, after he became ill, I never found anyone else so committed to promoting competition through our website like Don was. However, he remained active replying on most issues privately to me. He was a strong advocate for the fair and equitable treatment of competitors. He was also responsible for those black uniforms, ever practical "they don't show the dirt"." He was awarded a CSPA Service Award in 2011 for his commitment to the sport. He was well liked and will be missed.

what specifically are you looking for?

Just to be clear - are you looking for a classic accuracy canopy (zero, foil, classic) to use on base jumps? And second, are you looking for someone with the appropriate knowledge and skill with classic accuracy canopies to help you/coach you with respect to your base landings?

How big is the tight spot you want to land on? Is it a 2 cm dead center on a tuffet? Or is it a 10x10 foot area? Or bigger still such as a baseball diamond or the end zone in a stadium? If your answer is the dead center then you need a Zero, Foil or Classic (as Ryoder points out). And, you will need a whack of training jumps and bigger container etc. However, if your goal is to be accurate within yards or feet then I would suggest that there are probably a number of sport canopies out there that can get the job done. Our readers know which canopies might be best for you – I do not ( I have only ever jumped accuracy canopies). But, if the 2 cm. dead center is calling to you!! - then by all means get yourself one of the above mentioned accuracy canopies. It is a terrific discipline. The most challenging in the world – to stand on a podium in a major classic accuracy competition means you have bettered 200 other competitors. Only canopy piloting comes close to that many rivals (for example a typical FS event will see 30 to 40 teams). But I am getting off topic. More important to ask you why you need a different canopy? Jumpers have been accurate with every canopy type over the years. They got that way with training. PC’s were deadly accurate (world records of 100’s of dead centers in a row [10 cm. disc]). Perhaps you need to invest in some coaching and not a different canopy. After all, it is not the canopy that is accurate. It is the pilot. Like I said earlier there is probably a better canopy for your needs out there. But the biggest factor in your future improved accuracy will not come from the canopy but from your training. Seeing, understanding and utilizing the angle, wind and canopy speed are the key elements. Don’t try and re-invent the wheel – get some coaching.

I started in 1967. Like everyone I was a 'fun jumper' for the first years but turned competitive in the late 70's. If it was not for competition I would have quit long ago. Competition keeps me challenged, keeps me fit and keeps me 'young'. I make over 200 a year and compete regularly at the Nationals on both sides of the border. Just returned from Lodi where I made 96 training jumps and competed in the Stearns meet. I will be competing in August at the World Championships in Bosnia and again in Dubai later in December. The fun continues to come from the challenge. I have remained healthy apart from a slight crushing of a vertebrate under my PC in the mid 70's. What continues to make it all possible today are the large slow accuracy canopies and the soft tuffet to land on.

The attached photo was taken by Ron Dionne over Abbotsford in May 1971. JerryBaumchen hi Jerry Yes a nice "Polish star". As you know it made the cover of the Canadian Parachutist. Remember - that's the issue you offered me $450 for. You still stuck down there? I still think it's worth $550 Lots of memories over Abbotsford. Looks like a good time. Also looks like your blast handle is having a good time too - looks like it wants to fly around and turn a couple points as well! Nice thing about jumping today - no more blast handles. I was jumping the same rig at the time. Of course we should have switched the blast handle out as, for example, Scratch has in this old shot. Joe

oops that's the wrong picture. That's from 2008 in CPI. But it shows how small the disc is - you can just make out the 2 cent yellow disc. Here's the one from last year in Dubai - 47 years of accuracy and still going strong!!

Jerry said: A tip from a very old accuracy jumper, set up your approach so that you can go for the disc with your right foot if you are dropping the gut pack to the left side. Can you actually see the disc with the gut pack blocking the view? hi Jerry yes, you're right, but the answer to the problem is not on what side you swing the reserve to, but rather making sure you are square to the disc when you get there. In the picture you can see that my capewells/shoulders are not square so I am having to peek past the reserve. Unfortunately that also means my canopy is moving laterally instead directly to the disc. As a result I had to use my left foot and I missed the dead center - got a couple pennies. But yes, it is a great shot that I thank Ron Dionne ("the King of the Island") for. I think it was an interclub at Abbotsford in '68. Today, of course, we don't have to worry about the gut pack and I mostly can keep myself square to the pad as in this shot from last Dec. thanks

hi Jerry "Your 'old days' are rather young. In my old days it was a 15 cm disc." yikes, I'm not that old! I started with the small plastic frizbees which were probably not much bigger than 10 cm. Joe

"Is anyone here older than my 73?" ooh ya: as long as I read my age backwards. Or, read it standing on my head!

In the old days, a dead center on a 10cm. disc read as 0.00 on the scoreboard. Today a dead center on a 2 cm disc reads the same - 0.00cm. hardly any difference at all!

although not on topic with respect to the original thread re: DZ's who still use DC3's, the BBC news web has a good story on them www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131009-dc3-still-flying-at-70

What a shock. While Dave was President I had a great sense of confidence in his abilities. Something that I haven't always felt in our 'politicians'. He was very smart and helped drag CSPA to a higher level. Although I only recently met him in person, having roomed with him in Dubai and then again drinking too many beers with him at the Nationals, he was a good guy and a fun guy. Hard to believe he is gone so suddenly. My heart goes out to his family.

yes, a big loss. Barry started in the early 60's and I met him in '69. He was my rigger for the last 35 years. It is true he was a giant as a volunteer and had friends worldwide. http://cspa.ca/note/Barry_McAuley.pdf Barry loved to skydive. He led our team accuracy stack at many meets and I miss following him out the door. He loved a cold one and his scotch. I raise my glass.

The 2012 POPS WPC was at Tuege this past June. Part of the ceremony/display was a crowd pleasing demo of numerous old canopies that brought back lots of memories. I can't find any enthusiasm to get back under any of them though.

the cutaway I remember with my one shots was when I had to cut away from my hot 5tu and due to the 'slippery' gloves I was wearing I only released one side as my hand slipped off the other cover. So I transitioned to a more exciting instant streamer.

bummer He had a special way with jumpers. I went to Raeford to learn how to turn style. He got me dabbling in the sixes. Lots of memories. thanks Gene.