cutaway1

No thanks. Over the years, I've gotten fond of my ankles and knees. I'm tired of hearing all the bum raps about those round parachutes. My second rig was a round 28' 7TU, I logged over 500 jumps on that beautiful blue dyed canopy, the majority were standups in mocasins. It was all in the technique, just like today, except I only wayed 150 lbs back then. They were state of the art then, and we really loved them. They were very reliable. In the 60's I saw alot of intentional low pulls and openings below a 1,000 ft without a single mishap. The most common injury wasn't necessarily the ankel or knee, but people would break their rist when they had to much forward speed, and instead of rolling, they would stick their arm out. They were very simple and geometric canopies, and packed up very neat. When I first started packing a square into a bag, I was scared to death to stuff all this sloppy fabric into a tight bag. Anyway they were great parachutes and we loved them. Oh, and they had very positive openings, you could tell you had had a good weekend by the black and blue marks on your thighs. And oh ya, nobody killed themselves under an open canopy unless they hit something, like a train or power lines. We once made a bandit night jump over Marina Del Rey in L.A. out of a cessna with the door on it, we exited at 10,500 with flares on. We had to pull low because we didn't want to get picked up by the radar at LAX. We dodged hundreds of boat mast, the freeways, and the water, we did stand up landings on a small narrow patch of sand in front of Chuck's Steak House, and went in and had dinner. The next day the L.A. Times cited numerous reports of strange lights moving in the sky. It was easy and fun, and we thought we were safe. I know I run on, but we really loved those round parachutes. But, I'm not going to trade in my sabre 150 either. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

I had the pleasure and previledge of meeting Adrian a few years ago in Hawaii, he was a stunning man and a gifted skydiver, and a bold explorer of all things relating to flight and poetry of motion in the air. This is a tremendous loss for the skydiving world. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed and remembered as a unique talent, and one of the very best of the best. Tim SCR-21

I was also told that the 10 way was transitioned from a flat belly round after I posted the picture on our club bulletin board in an attempt to inspire people to perfect their upright flying-that doesn't count. It is so much easier to dock head down than upright, for sure. SCR-21

I believed in the gear in the early 60's when I started, but I did't know if I believed in me, I hadn't been tested and didn't really know how I would perform when it counted, I called it anxiety then, but it was more like cold fear, but I gained confidence as I went along. When you lose that confidence, you will know. And may you find many more years of sheer fun. Tim SCR-21

A brand new orange and white double L. My instructor, Don Molitor D-95, after my first 5 second delay, said, "Hey kid, try this on", and then after seeing my delight with trying on a new rig for the first time, said "it's yours", I couldn't believe it, he just gave it to me, it was mine, I sleap with it at the foot of my bed for months. Ya! SCR-21

One of the biggest differences I see from the old days (the 60S) is that today we have a vast population of jumpers who do this everyday, there must be 30 at our small dz. When I began, skydiving was only a weekend thing. A friend of mine started at 50, lives across the street from the dz and made 1,000 jumps last year, he's retired. Could of never happened before. The enthusiasm and love of the sport is just as strong today, in many I've met lately, as it was 40 years ago. And today it's possible to become experienced in a much shorter time. I would of loved to jump everyday when I was a kid, but it just wasn't possible, and today kids start packing, then go on to video or tandem, this wasn't possible until only lately. Tim SCR-21

I've really enjoyed reading all of the preceding threads. The repetition over the years of Funerals, ambulances, and medivac helicopters do get to be old and hurtful. But, I knew after making my first jump at 16 that I would be doing this for the rest of my life, because the experience is simply magical, out of this world, unlike anything else. Even solo jumps are a gass, much more tranquil and serene. I believe I have just as much fun now as I did at 16, I was fortunate when I began because I was surrounded by all kinds of really good, colorful, and helpful friends. It amazes me now, instead of being the young guy at the dz, I'm now one of the old guys, and while jumping I still feel that youthful exuberance. Where else can a person almost 60 go out and play hard with 20 years olds and still be competitive. At our dz we have several people that didn't even begin jumping until they were in their 50's, we all get along well, have good comraderie, and great times. One of my best friends who had also been jumping for decades with thousands of jumps, simply hung it up about 5 years ago, I think he got spooked by a close call. It's really to bad. He drinks now more than ever. Sometimes if you consider jumping from a certain perspective, it is just plain nuts. But I suppose that is where part of the magic comes from, defying logic, taking risk with your life for the pure fun of it. Despite the politics, it is still really a big fun awesome beautiful adventure for me. I feel very fortunate to still be able to jump. And I won't stop until I have to. Aloha to you all, Tim SCR-21

Hey Doc, Great music, great video! Way to go. SCR-21

Yes you could go back, but because of commercial centers we have turbine aircraft that are nicer than that old twin beeach I first jumped out of. Skydiving used to be more of a total shared experience amonst a small group of closely knit people. But it has evolved into a very competitive sport where some people try to compete and really put alot of money and time into becoming better. Freeflying is so much like the early days of RW, no real rules, and the opportunity to do things for the first time they have ever been done, just like the years it took to make the first 8 way star. I remember those days, and when the group, the Arvin good guys were attempting the first big stars, not everone got to go on the load simply because they wanted to, they had to be at a certain skill and experience level to get on the load. Just like today. It's not uncommon for a new jumper to make several hunder 2 way sit dives before getting on a big load, for safety and the ability to fly at a certain level. To me one of the things that keeps me coming back to the DZ each weekend is the challenge to get more proficient, for me freeflying is very difficult, even to master the basic moves. If it was so easy, I don't thing it would have the same challenge. I probably missing something, but that's my 2 cents worth. Jack jefferies said it best, "every skydive is just play", some like to play really hard. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Thank you for posting the results, that must have been one hot competition if Olav's team took fifth. I would love to obtain/buy a video of the event. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Congratulations to all the competitors. Will someone please post who the participants were on the top teams. Does anyone know of how to obtain or purchase a video of the competition. Thanks, Tim SCR-21

What I'm seeing alot of is new freeflyers zooming around out of control narrowly missing a bad collision, I try to point out to them that going Z=out of control has no place when jumping with a group of people. They listen for about one day. It's hard telling a new enthusiastic jumper that you don't want to jump with them in a group of say 5 people until they become predictable, but I'm becoming convinced that it is necessary to sometimes just say no, or if others don't like it, to go solo myself. Blueskys SCR-21

A friend of mine was recently told at a particular dropzone that he was not allowed to jump there anymore, apparently because the owner vehemently dislikes a friend that he hangs out with. Does anyone know if a public business, a dropezone, can arbitrarily refuse service to anyone. This was not connected to any infraction of rules. The owner doesn't let people jump there he personally dislikes, or people who frantenize with people he doesn't like. Is this legal. He also will fire any employees that jump at other competing skydive operations in their free time. This doesn't seem right. Thank you, SCR-21

I'v jumped for quite awhile, and I believe the sport is just as safe or as dangerous as you make it. Really, Tim SCR-21

I was 16 when I made my first static line jump. SCR-21

Thanks for the kind words buddy, we miss you alot around here, at least come back and visit. Aloha, Tim scr-21 SCR-21

I'm the second most seasoned freeflyer at our dz at 58, the oldest is Dr. Bill at, around 73. I've been flying on my head for around 5 years. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Thanks alot Dave, I will take your advice and purchase roxio at costco this week so I can try it out. I will keep on the look out for Jackie. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

My new computer came with Win Dvd Creator, its a video editing program, has anyone else tried using it. So far it seems to do want I want to do, it's not as complex as premirere, but still seems to work ok. The only thing is that there is no way I can see to lable your video clips, which is a bummer, because once you have a bunch of clips, you can only distiguish theme by the thump pic, which doesn't help much. Any suggestions. Thanks much, Tim SCR-21

If you think of a God as a creator, then I would have to say that the late Bob Buquor was a real authetic Sky God. Because, as far as I know, practically everything we do in freefall these days evolved from relative work or formation flat skydiving, and that all came from the first organized relative work, and that all came from the long, dramatic effort to achieve the first eight way round star, and when I was a young kid at Arvin, CA in the early 60,s and had the luck just to be there, the good guys were all attempting to make this eight way star, and, as far as I know, that eight way star goal was fostered, coached, insisted on, and filmed by Bob Buquor. He had this vision, very strange at the time, to get 8 people together in a circle, and he would be there to film it. It took years to achieve that, and another year to do it the second time, and he's the guy who stood up and said we should do this. Now I don't mean to leave out all the other great pioneers that were responsible for advancing the sport to the point that an 8 way was feasable, but in my mind, Mr. humble, likeable, generous Buquor was really a SkyGod in the best sence of the word, and he never even knew it. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Great shot, we miss you man. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

We started a new dive last weekend for intermediate freeflyers. We had 5 people exit no contact flat and formed a round star, then when everybody was there, on the key, we transitioned into a sit campfire. It was a total gass, everybody made it in, and for a few, this was the largest star they had been in, since they had bypassed flat relative work. The beauty of this dive is, that if people cork on the transition, they are out of the dive, and not a problem. With extra caution on breakoff, it went great, and the experienced relative workers go out last and get to dive, what fun. Out goal is to work our way up to 10 people, and take docks on the sit portion, then transition to head down, and redock, that's probably a few years into the future. Try it! Aloha, Tim SCR-21

I started freeflying over 5 years ago and love it because of the visuals and because it's so challenging. I did flat flying for decades before that. It's hard to get four people together consistently to do flat sequential dives, in free flying you can learn a lot on solos, and benefit most by doing 2 ways, so at a small dz its easier to get together to do fun,productive, and exciting things. With that being said, I'm beginning to feel that people should master the basics of flat flying first. Why? Because it will give you a basic orientation about RELATIVE WORK with other flyers, and yes, because, for most, it's easier to develop primary skills quicker than freeflying, skills every jumper should have. You also learn a concept of orientation for relative work, such as maintaining a heading, levels, and most importantly proximity. It's better to perfect basic skills than to be able to do a lot of different moves in a very sloppy manner, and believe you are doing great. In my experience, so many beginning free flyers do not know how to fly upright with precision and are attempting head down attitudes with the same sloppiness. Flying no contact flat is flying fingertip to fingertip, or within at least inches, freeflying no contact upright is touching toes, or within inches, not 10 feet apart orbiting, or zooming each other, this is not acceptable in flat flying, and shouldn't be in freeflying. There are many good articles around about body position in upright flying, but so many people, some with thousands of jumps, fly with there knees together. In flat flying we went through the box man, now the mantis, there is a lot of emphasis on the most productive body position, the same emphasis would be productive for free flyers also. If you watch the pros, they do the basics extremely well, we all should strive for that same degree of proximity, levels, and relativity in freeflying, and we will have more fun and be safer. Mostly what I miss the most about flat flying is the camaraderie of big ways. For most of us weekend free fly jumpers we can only do big ways tracking, which is really a blast. Remember, if you can fly upright, straight down, with a constant speed, you can free fly with just about anybody, my advice, is to learn to do that before attempting to do the SAME thing on your head. I'm still trying to perfect the basics, and it's a long hard road, but great fun. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Thank you all for your help. I just ordered a .3 from way cool. Aloha, Tim SCR-21

Does anyone have advice where to purchase the best quality, low profile, .3 lens for the lowest price. Thanks, Tim SCR-21