Bob_Church

You could always tell the newbies at a boogie. They'd announce Scotty's negligee load and all these drooling guys would come running up with cameras.

My first square was a Parafoil with an x shaped material connected to the pilot chute through a hole in the center of the canopy. But I think ropes and rings was another thing all together wasn't it? If this is set up for an intentional cutaway, then don't you pretty much have to do a clear and pull or is there a way to rig a tertiary for a delay?

Try to think back on who you jumped with. With any luck there are a few people you jumped with regularly and you can fill some gaps from their log entries.

"Something to keep in mind is that AODA counseling/treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous are two completely different things. One is a medical/psychiatric procedure. It follows protocols, is administered by professionals, costs significant amounts of money (usually covered by health insurance). " I know this is a limited view from one person only, but I've seen a lot of people get clean and stay that way with AA. I've also known a lot of people who went the second route. Working at a state university the costs were covered and it was easy to use. I've yet to meet one person who got better through these programs. It was nothing more than a revolving door.

But unfortunately, anyone who still wants to drink will find SOME excuse not to get help.

I'd have an rsl on my rig of the manufacturers would just add a small loop for connecting it when you don't want to use it. If I'm doing CReW I don't want it connected, but I don't want it flapping around either. There should be someplace to attach it when not connected.

"That seems like a good idea, but might be tough to execute. It comes down to this, HAVE SOME COMMON SINCE! But we all know that cant happen." Unfortunately, after a bounce the families and lawyers come out of the woodwork and common sense goes out the window. If I were a dzo that would be my biggest worry, that a lawyer would use alcohol in the blood, even though it had nothing to do with the accident, to get the jury worked up.

We'd have these weekend long parties. One jumper ran a bar and he'd bring three kegs. We had two refrigerators, one with a tap and one that didn't but would hold the two spares and keep them cold. Well, not really spares, none of them made it until Sunday. The thing is you'd wake up with a brutal hangover and the ride to altitude would be torture but the first jump would clear it all out and you'd be fine. Except of course for our pilot. By the end of he day he'd be red faced with this little vein that pulsed in his forehead and meaner than a snake. If you had something you had to talk to him about you might want to wait until the beer light came on and he'd downed a few first.

I was warned early on by a skydiver who was to become a great friend about the worst hazard of drinking and jumping. "Bob, I was at this boogie but we were weathered out so we spent the morning drinking. Then the sun came out so we said Let's do one! Bob, (he's got tears in his eyes now) Bob, never do it. The moment I exited the adrenaline made me cold sober. I wasted all that BEER!!!!"

Speaking of patches, how do most of you apply them? It's a two parter I guess. There's a seamstress in Athens where I take stuff that I want to look good, like something on my new jacket. But for gear bags I usually sew them on myself. Any tips? I've though about gluing them on first but are there any downsides to this, does the glue ever discolor the patch? Winter's coming so it's time for cleaning up, healing up and stuff like this.

Hell, I am only 30 minutes away from the poster and would pack a round with no hesitation. I need to dig the line separator back out since I have not used it in years but its not that hard to pack a round. The hardest part is the inspection taking forever. It's due for a repack now. How could I get it to you?

I used to have a bunch of four stack patches but I think we cut them up to convert 8 stack patches to 9 stack.

Any luck? I've got a regular and night four stack patch I can spare. They've both been sewn onto old gear bags but are in good shape. If you need one just let me know.

Thanks, Bob

Just curious, but why did he chop? Wouldn't you bust the brakes and use them to pump the slider down, or should the risers have done it?

No, but the blast handle rings a bell.

A few years back (amazing how much time that can cover, isn't it) we had a jumper come into the hangar talking about how close he'd just come to cutting away. His right toggle had stuck in the toggle keeper and he couldn't break it free. It finally came out on his one last tug. I told him that the trick to that was to reach above to the top of the riser and hold that while tugging on it with the other hand. He said he couldn't, his canopy was pretty small and anytime he released the left toggle it went into too much of a spin. I said that at that point you hold the left toggle with your teeth. You may still have some turn but not enough to be a problem. He said, and I kid you not, "put the toggle in my *mouth*" and made it clear he would never even consider it. I just lowered my head and walked away.

Sorry, I do this a lot but on a Mac. I just don't know Windows software.

Back in the early 80s during my fourth malfunction I would have bounced without Pat's advice. While the USPA was saying "always look at your handles before you pull them" he had written "if you have to look you'll get killed when you get ground rush." After I read that I always practiced without looking. I was at Z-hills and me and some one I'd just met took a 2 way to 1500 feet then I had a total. Going through a grand at terminal was just like he'd warned. While my eyes were hypnotized by ground rush my hands did what I'd kept practicing and got a my reserve out. I was head low and terminal when the 20 foot SAC opened. I woke up under canopy, but I woke up.

I got a break Sunday when the air show started an hour and a half late due to weather. We still had a great show, it was amazing, sold all the chicken dinners and everything, but there wasn't time for a Santa jump with the candy drop. I hate doing the Santa jump. I got to open the show jumping smoke but left The Suit in the bag.

That is a good thought. I will look into that. Was thinking the opposite, making the loose parts "cut-a-way" friendly; meaning they come of easily if needed to. I will look at the costume when it comes in, might just be saved for halloween. A couple of hook knives might be good. One high (chest strap) and one low, (knee pocket). When I'm doing CRW I like a third one laced into my shoe laces. Hopefully if all goes wrong you'll be able to get your hands on one of them.

I've only got three or four actual night jumps but my log books show several "dark jumps." Those are the ones where you haven't got lights or anything but people screwed around so long that it was dark when we finally got to altitude.

I got seriously lucky on my first water jump. I got invited to do a demo for the Sternwheel Regatta in Charleston Wv. Instead of paying out money for repacks and stuff I got the jump free, the cleaning and repack free (my rigger was the one who invited me), a free t-shirt and $25 for the jump. And of course we got fed. And talk about safety, when I bobbed back up out of the water I saw the local Coast Guard crew zooming in on me in their boat.

Those are great articles, aren't they? I wonder if she'll still be doing them in 12 years?

It looks like it turned out perfectly. Well done!