potatoman 0 #1 February 20, 2014 Can you remember what it was like in the olden days? What I can recall(Since early '90). OLD: Cutting edge squares (huge) Only 1 camera person on the whole DZ, doing stills only, and on film. Frap hats ruled Baggy jumpsuits Serious drinking parties GO LOW scene came along No internet etc, you had to drive to a DZ to find out whats what. ALL info you got was from the DZ, mouth to mouth, and via magazine. Lots of velcro, and leg throws NOW: Nearly every jumper has a cam on his head cross brased hankies Less partying Frap hat, whats that? VFS, XRW, WingSuiting, Proximity, Atmo... Swooping and ponds Interweb, youtube. Bad weather days, people go home, and don't chat about jumping on the DZ. TUNNELS, people can sitfly before they have even jumped. BOC And what happened to skysurfing. Haven't seen that lately.You have the right to your opinion, and I have the right to tell you how Fu***** stupid it is. Davelepka - "This isn't an x-box, or a Chevy truck forum" Whatever you do, don't listen to ChrisD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DocPop 1 #2 February 20, 2014 I wasn't jumping in the 90s (apart from a handful on rounds), but from your comparison, it looks like a much more "together" sport now. Looks like jumpers are taking it more seriously and the equipment has come on a lot!"The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisD 0 #3 February 20, 2014 Skysurfing Most wind tunnels no longer allow boards. If anyone would post who does, that would be appreciated. Additionally many DZ's don't want the liability, nor the aircraft owners as well. It might be nice if someone, anyone, would post a list of who does and who doesn't. Just my opinion of the current state of affairs of "Objects," in the sky. As far as some of the other stuff in the 90's and the 70's as well, as now, we had these things called phones and we used them extensively,.... Frap hats were very common, but they didn't "rule." We had Stilletto's and a few others, we even had some nut in TN that was jumping a 60. Many jumpsuits were skin tight. I don't recall the "go low scene" ever, but that's just my opinion. Go low in the 70's was because of 2,500 foot ceilings and you could do a static line jump. We still have frap hats, they are a debatable, by many, for safety reasons,... common feature on the majority of tandem students. And it certainly is debatable, for society that is, that the internet is a good thing???? But considering many live and die on the internet it's nice that you take the time to point this out????? I mean the reference in the old section, or perhaps the inference that not having the internet was a negative thing??? We got along just fine without the internet in the 70's and the 90's, thank you very much. Gee wiz, " you had to drive to the DZ,..." It wasn't a problem. C IMO But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #4 February 20, 2014 That ain't old. That was "transition". OLD: Rounds Really HOT rounds like a French Pap French paraboots Hockey helmet, preferably CCM Ropes & rings on a 5-cell Cool is a cross-pull ripcord. Really cool is blast handles on BOTH ripcords. Paradactyl. Oh, and knee braces if you jump one. Holding tension. Girl in high tiny cutoffs and tube top holding tension. Hey, turkey - unstable? So go back and try it again. Oh, and relax. Pattern? What's that? Sashay is the norm; spiral til you puke. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonstark 8 #5 February 20, 2014 No real diff... You're still dead unless you do something about the predicament you've put yourself into. jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,545 #6 February 20, 2014 Quotespiral til you puke I will admit I miss spiraling Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #7 February 20, 2014 wmw999Quotespiral til you puke I will admit I miss spiraling Wendy P. Ohh, you have NO idea.... Sigh.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #8 February 20, 2014 Andy9o8 Girl in high tiny cutoffs and tube top holding tension. That is a serious loss. It was such a great ice-breaker for hitting on the hot whuffos."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 60 #9 February 20, 2014 wmw999 Quote spiral til you puke I will admit I miss spiraling Wendy P. +1 We could party and do stupid stuff, and the only ones who would see it were those present. We didn't have to worry that the world would be able to view it by morning. lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #10 February 20, 2014 OLD: Newbie asks experienced jumper to come and jump with him. Experienced jumper says, "Sure. I'm hanging around the DZ, making a moderate number of fun jumps a day, waiting around for available Cessna loads, occasionally dispatching a student for a free jump and a couple bucks. There's no real money in this anyway -- so yeah, I have time to jump with you, and I'll just pay my own slot." NEW: Newbie asks experienced jumper to come and jump with him. Experienced jumper says: "Look buddy, I can do 10+ tandems or video today. Plus I've just spent a shit load of money on tunnel and good coaching to improve my skills. So whether or not I am any good at all as a coach, my time is valuable. So you'd better come up with some decent cash if I'm going to jump with you. Now get outta my way, I'm on this load!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #11 February 20, 2014 Old ~ Use to have to bring the longhaired pilot with no shoes a beer before crawling in the Cessna New ~ Have to bring the long haired pilot with no shoes a Turkey Sammich before crawling in the Otter. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 60 #12 February 20, 2014 That, IMO, is the saddest thing to happen to this sport. Inevitable? I don't know (considering it seems on par with the rest of society), but still sad. lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #13 February 20, 2014 ryoder *** Girl in high tiny cutoffs and tube top holding tension. That is a serious loss. It was such a great ice-breaker for hitting on the hot whuffos.WORTHLESS without PICTURES! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guru312 0 #14 February 20, 2014 potatomanCan you remember what it was like in the olden days? Actually, I can remember some of the olden days better than where I put my glasses. From my early days: ==First parachute jump, March 1960 while in Basic Airborne School, 82nd Airborne, from a C-119. Made as many as possible after that first jump. Every time my unit had a jump scheduled I'd volunteer to fill an empty seat. ==First sport jump, June, 1960 after learning to pack for myself. I was in the XVIII Airborne Corps SPC which required all jumpers to jump their own packing. ==First sport jump on a T-slot canopy. Next 25 or so on 5 gore LL. The Army Team, not called Golden Knights at that time, exclusively jumped 7 gore TU because that canopy was WAY to hot for anyone but Team members. ==I bought a unmodified C9 canopy from a rigger in the club and totally modified it myself on the sewing machine of my landlady where my wife and I were living. I was not a rigger and really had NO CLUE what I was doing. I guess the workmanship was OK because the Corps rigger said I could keep jumping the canopy. ==All my jumps were static line until first hop and pop. No such thing as AFF. Certainly nothing like tandem jumping. ==Around jump 25 I actually saw someone in freefall. Over the next 25 jumps we attempted to pass a short broomstick to another jumper. On most of those attempts we seldom got within 50 feet of each other. Relative work was a dream and didn't even exist as phrase we used. ==I opened a drop zone in 1969 and taught many of my students to jump using that hot, hot Army Team canopy the 7-gore TU. ==At some point in the 60s the ParaCommander became available. Whew, that was a hot canopy. Those were the days. Almost no supervision, over sight or regulations enforced. Matter of fact, FAR 105 didn't exist but I can't remember when that regulation went into effect. Anyone remember when we had FAR 105 regulation?Guru312 I am not DB Cooper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #15 February 20, 2014 Quote ==Around jump 25 I actually saw someone in freefall. Over the next 25 jumps we attempted to pass a short broomstick to another jumper. On most of those attempts we seldom got within 50 feet of each other. Relative work was a dream and didn't even exist as phrase we used. I thought seeing someone else in free fall WAS relative work! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #16 February 20, 2014 camouflage... I see a lot of purpose-made camo pattern jumpsuits, rigs, etc now... used to be the only time you'd see camo was on surplus gear, BDUs, etc. Back in the day there was more tie-dye and Hawaiian style patterns courtesy of Da Kine and Tony Suits. In fact, there was more color period. Diving on a 30ish way recently I found myself looking at a sea of shades of blue and grey/black. I blame competitive RW for the dark jumpsuits. I've only been around for a decade or so but there is definitely a different feel around DZs now. Less fun and games to be had for sure.NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #17 February 20, 2014 potatoman And what happened to skysurfing. Haven't seen that lately. I've only been around since the early "00s", so I don't pretend to know about the "old days" other than what I've heard. But skysurfing died because it was a dead end. The learning process was interesting. Learning how to get on top and stay there and make it go where and how you wanted was a challenge. But once you got that down, there really wasn't much to do. The only real moves were spins (upright and inverted) and zooming past the camera flyer. So people got bored with it and moved on to bigger and better things. Freeflying and wingsuits both have a lot more potential for growth, innovation and development. So they became popular and boards went away. It looked a lot cooler than it really was. As usual, the resident "Expert In Everything" has no clue."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisD 0 #18 February 21, 2014 airtwardo ****** Girl in high tiny cutoffs and tube top holding tension. That is a serious loss. It was such a great ice-breaker for hitting on the hot whuffos.WORTHLESS without PICTURES! Nice. How many line sepeerators did you buy, over the years??? Should I open the container to look for it??? CBut what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisD 0 #19 February 21, 2014 wolfriverjoe*** And what happened to skysurfing. Haven't seen that lately. I've only been around since the early "00s", so I don't pretend to know about the "old days" other than what I've heard. But skysurfing died because it was a dead end. The learning process was interesting. Learning how to get on top and stay there and make it go where and how you wanted was a challenge. But once you got that down, there really wasn't much to do. The only real moves were spins (upright and inverted) and zooming past the camera flyer. So people got bored with it and moved on to bigger and better things. Freeflying and wingsuits both have a lot more potential for growth, innovation and development. So they became popular and boards went away. It looked a lot cooler than it really was. As usual, the resident "Expert In Everything" has no clue. Skysurfing,???? So you can take the time to post which tunnels allow boards??? Right????? C I think we are speaking about two sides of the same coin here? It is a very popular question, still, I mean I heard some student's speaking and asking about it just the other day. Kind of the chicken or the egg demise? Did a search here and not a lot of recent discussion about the why other than as you point out. But still a very popular clip in the media. I mean you still see a fair amount in commercials and such???But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #20 February 21, 2014 ChrisD Skysurfing,???? So you can take the time to post which tunnels allow boards??? Right????? C No clue. I have no desire to try and fly a board, either in the sky or in a tunnel. I had never heard of lack of access to tunnels being any sort of factor in their demise. But then again, they were mostly dead well before tunnels became readily available."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ufk22 33 #21 February 21, 2014 I'm pretty sure you can still use a board in the Denver tunnel. That's where I learned sky surfing.This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #22 February 21, 2014 ChrisD ********* Girl in high tiny cutoffs and tube top holding tension. That is a serious loss. It was such a great ice-breaker for hitting on the hot whuffos.WORTHLESS without PICTURES! Nice. How many line sepeerators did you buy, over the years??? Should I open the container to look for it??? C Line separators? ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisD 0 #23 February 21, 2014 Those aluminum angle things with two slots in them. Used them on the packing table. Along with small sand bags. For the longest time, I used them, scared to not use them. Then I discovered, the why bother,... but that's another subject. I was scared to actually pack on the ground, for the longest time. Lost more than a few of the "line separator's" or whatever there real name was. Line Holders. Many people had them. Why did we even use tension ? I remember some packing tables had long webbing and buckles that you could really get a lot of pull on. After a time I remember the flipping method V the figure 8, and just let the trapped air run all the way to the apex, to make the fold. I used to like seeing the trapped air make that fold C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #24 February 21, 2014 Oh THOSE things...used 'em on reserves, for a main just ran a 4 line and packed her up in the dirt ! http://youtu.be/UqWTXeNKiyw ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 60 #25 February 21, 2014 airtwardo Oh THOSE things...used 'em on reserves, for a main just ran a 4 line and packed her up in the dirt ! Are we talking girls or canopies? lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
