pms07

I managed to make a couple of jumps years ago with military clubs at Camp Casey, Camp Humphreys, Helemano on Oahu, Okinawa with the USMC and Ft Carson. Had a good time at each but none were very serious drop zones at the time due to limited "blade time" (read helicoptor availability)...and getting lots of jumps was a challenge. Great time never the less... I have not seen a military club in my travels for many years however.

245lbs under a 23 tri-con had to be exciting (read scary...). My only tri-con ride was when I weighed about 170ish and I thought the landing was kind of sporty. Anyway, I have about 400 round jumps and a dozen actual round reserve rides, plus maybe another 50 jumps either using a round reserve as a main or test jumps. Favorite round reserve by far was the 24' Phantom. Packed very small and I stood it up the only time I used it...at a 6500' MSL DZ.

[reply There was a Brit who ran a small operation at Tahlequah for awhile in the early '70s, then moved to another airport in Oklahoma. For the life of me, can't remember his name or the second soon-to-be-defunct DZ. hoop Hoop, Ken Hills(?) (Aussie) ran Skydance out of Muskogee but that was later, 80-82 maybe? pms

Strasburg Co. Front range skydivers? Fredricks Co. The orginal Longmont. Also next door to Longmont was a place a crazy guy ran a school out of his house (can't remember his name) he did time in the Fed pen for flying without a airmans cert. Strasburg; been there back when the 402 then Slocum's Beech was around. FRS was actually at Ellicott first, then moved to Calhan, CO. Both are closed. Pete Terry had the Beech (and a 180?) IIRC at Longmont but I think Ed Herson is probably who you are thinking of. I can remember driving home from Sky's West (also closed) mid-day more than once because it was too windy for experienced jumpers and seeing students under canopy on cheapos/T-10s at Frederick..

Well, that's true and I've seen it as well. But in the real world DZ hopping by a student can potentially involve a lot of time retraining as gear and procedures can vary significantly from one DZ to the next. That likely costs additional $ also, maybe lots of $...

There are a few familiar faces in the pics. Sammy Ramos for sure in the pic of the manifest/office building.

Looks like that in spite of an apparently flawed approach he could have at least partially salvaged it had he realized it earlier. Difficult to decipher without seeing the entire approach but look at the late and partial flare. When you are deep in the corner and approaching the ground at high-speed, pull down on the damn toggles, quickly and to the full range. No excuse for being there but it happens...doing everything you can to save yourself seems like a good idea at that point... I'm going to agree with "predictable"...but I can live with "neither surprising" if that is prefered...

There were a number of Racer clones, without TSO AFAIK, made in the 70s and early 80s. IIRC, this might be a Sod Farm rig, maybe made by Steve Anderson or Ric Haglund I think? Similar rig called the PPD was made up in Minnesota in the mid-70s.

A few others from that region were; New Richmond, WI. Robbie Murray operated his Twin Beech out of there for awhile in the early(?) 80s. Kimball, MN had Gary Hannah's Beech in the 75 or 76 timeframe. U of M Skydivers over in Howard Lake, MN. 7-Hills Skydivers near Madison. Clear Lake, MN, and Trout Air, MN also I think but I never made a jump at either.

Quote...everyone deserves a piece of the pie, dont misunderstand. but everyone should be held and have to start from the same point... You are kidding, correct? Are you talking about a business/commercial DZ?

I’m pretty new to wing suits but FWIW, I don’t think a USPA wing suit instructor rating is necessary at this point either. Advanced skills "coaching" might be more appropriate. Still, I would support the idea if I thought it could noticeably improve wing suit training or safety. I’m not convinced that would happen if the idea were to be implemented in the near future however. What we probably need first is consensus among the major wing suit manufacturers, present manufacturer instructor rating holders and other experienced flyers interested, on a course of action and the standards, and then following those standards. We already have USPA recommendations though there’s apparently not consensus on even those minimal standards…at least from what I can see...

Yeah, I agree. Unfortunately there's been plenty of pain sometimes as we work toward development of those standards...

PM sent...

I live in SW Illinois and the nearest DZ is Archway Skydiving Center. Do a little traveling also and was at Eloy for weekend in December, West Tennessee Skydiving for weekend in November. The weather is fairly grim around here this time of year...

I’m fairly new at wing suit flying and wanted to introduce myself to those here I haven't met or talked with. I made a couple of wing suit jumps when I lived in Europe a few years back but only recently decided to buy a wing suit and get semi-serious about it. Anyway, I'm getting a few wing suit jumps...when the midest winter weather doesn't suck... Pat

Yeah I remember butt bungees but have never used one. Apparently that works for some though. I always thought maybe that goes back to "if fit and worn correctly" however... I had an early Flexon and loved it. Never wore it tighter than a standard harness but then I tend to wear my harness fairly tight compared to many people I see. Anyway, it always amazes me to see people wear a rig that appears way too loose (IMO) or jump a rig that clearly does not otherwise fit well...

No need to be sorry man...your opinion is as good as mine or any other Like I said, get what you like, can afford or whatever. Still, if you are going to assert that an articulated harness is going to contribute to, or make it more likely, that you will fall out of your harness, you ought to be able to provide some explanation of how or why. I say bullshit...if fit and worn correctly. Lots of jumps on thousands of rigs in the past 15-17 years (not sure of the date of 1st articulated harness on the market but believe it was the Flexon by R.I.) would seem to indicate articulated harnesses aren't the cause of skydivers falling to their death. Just saying... I know Rick and have heard his story. Not sure what looking up the interview would add. I don't have an IPod phone so probably don't understand how it's like leather seats in car. You sit on your phone while driving your car in a bonfire? What?

Remind me how many experienced jumpers have fallen out of an articulated harness since it was designed many years ago? And how many of those are attributable to the harness design? Comfort and performance, versus what people are willing to pay for, will always be debated. For my money an articulated harness, in particular the R.I. design on the VooDoo or Talon FS/FX, is much more comfortable than a "standard" harness. Your experience may differ of course but I am happy to pay for the added performance. Designs differ by manufacturer as well and some, IMO, are no different than a "standard" harness. And in some cases less comfortable. Try before you buy. And how does the articulated harness get attribution for the Rick Horne incident? Just curious and I know it was a few years back. But I worked AFF courses with RicK and don't remember it being a "articulated harnesses are death" story. I could be wrong however and maybe Rick is around to answer to answer... I'm not sure what any of this has to do with IPOD phones but it might just be me... pms

And the purpose would be what? And why would past employees be a significant voice? And what is it you hope to accomplish with this idea and whom is it you wish to influence? Sounds like a pointless idea to me but maybe it's just me... pms

You probably need some exposure to the real Air Force as far as bottle to throttle and all that. Just saying...but you might be living in a fantasy world... And some of those AFA instructors tip the occasional adult beverage, or at least did when I was around there... Anyway, as far as AM-490 versus skydiving, they are not the same activity, thus training is much different, as are EPs, procedures, gear, etc. The instructors are different as well...though many of the AFA instructors are very experienced civilian skydivers. One is not better than the other, rather they are very dissimiliar activities despite both involve jumping from an airplane. Get out and skydive, learn from the instructors and experienced jumpers but still make good common sense judgements as far as drinking and all that. If something feels so wrong that you are concerned about safety...go somewhere else. You'll be okay... pms

When it crashes.

It does look like, as I remember, a Viking or Viking Superlite. I had a Viking Superlite and remember it as a fine canopy.

Well, replace "silly" with "stupid" and you might have the correct impression after all.

Anyway, I bought a new GS Express in early 1976. Nice rig...other than that reserve riser deal. I always understood that removing the stiching of the shoulder padding was what caused the problem...but meanwhile I had a rig that couldn't be jumped or sold. As I recall, we burned the rig in the Great Falls SPC (Montana) fire pit one evening...after I had already replaced it with a new Wonderhog...

Yeah, AF rig likely based on the configuration and the CCT model...plus what looks like a local control number, "PJ-20", on the canopy. I thought the 5 cell 270 sq ft reserve in the MT-1X or S was not being much as a reserve (or main) by the early 90s in the AF...as most units went to the 7 cell 370 sq ft canopy for the main and reserve by then (MT-1XX). I could be wrong...