Guru312

Howard, you seem to have a skill set for tweaking nostalgia in me. I attended most Herd Boogies over the years. What a place and what a time! The last one I attended I took my two year old daughter to get her acclimated early to the insanity and joy of the social side of jumping out of airplanes. I taught about a dozen Herd members to jump and I have great love of their antics. They sure pissed off lots of people over the years... and maimed a few. The craziest thing I ever saw being done on a DZ was the Herd Electric Star. What a crazy-assed and stupid thing to do. Electric stars are one of the very few things I never tried on a DZ. The Herd sure knew how to have fun breaking all the rules with my favorite Herd member and good friend, Harvey Soss, often leading the pack. Harv, who died in a motorcycle accident, was one of the finest people I ever knew. United Parachute Club and The Herd: RIP. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

When I open up The Bonfire forum I always look for a post from you. This post I didn't really like seeing all that much. And I seriously thought about making the trip to see you on Long Island. Glad to know you walked away...well, probably hobbled a little bit. And you got the flag out...that's the second best part of the story. Maybe I'll make the next time... Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

An old friend of mine, who started jumping in 1969, and I, who started jumping in 1960, were talking about what we see as considerable differences of perspective on jumping between “the old days” and what seems to be the case today. In the simplest of terms, we both see jumping out of airplanes as a metaphor for “taking responsibility for one’s life” in ways which younger jumpers seem to not do. Paying people to pack a personal rig is the best example. Having someone pack my rig isn’t anything I would ever do. [I exclude tandem masters and JMs who have to make many jumps in a day and hardly have the time to pack; after all, business is business.] When I began sport jumping with the XVIII Airborne Corps SPC, it was a requirement that all jumpers had to learn to pack and were required to pack their own main for every jump--even the first. Where my friend learned, the “learn to pack” requirement was similar but only after a certain number of jumps. Learning to pack a parachute is not very difficult as everyone reading here knows. And, as everyone here knows, jumping out of an airplane isn’t particularly physically demanding. I first jumped with the 82nd Airborne at Ft. Bragg where jump school was structured to weed out those guys who didn’t have that “something”; it was quite physically challenging and totally structured to make us think we could conquer anything or anyone…single-handedly. “Lean, mean, bad-assed paratroopers!” Today, with AFF and particularly tandem rides at almost every DZ, students don’t have to learn packing before jumping. And, having been a DZO for a number of years, I realize that it’s totally impractical to require students to learn packing at even small DZs and totally impossible at a large DZ. My friend is a current AFF Instructor (my I/JM ratings aren’t current) is of the opinion that tandem jumping is actually decreasing the retention/continuation rate. He thinks most people do a tandem like they’d ride a roller coaster: a transient thrill with no life lesson involved and therefore have no reason to continue. Do you think this is true? After jumping for a few years I decided to get a rigger’s ticket for chest and back because I wanted to be responsible completely for “taking my life into my own hands.” A newspaper reporter once wrote an article about my DZ with the tile “Jumping out of airplanes: An existential errand.” So…my poll questions address the overall idea of “Skydiving as a metaphor for life.” What do you think? Do you see any larger, philosophical implications in your life for taking charge of your life by jumping…and packing? How has jumping changed your life in regard to accepting responsibilities? Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Ooops! After posting this I searched on "Blackwater" and realize that there a number of threads where the company is mentioned. Never the less, if you have interest in the wars check out the book. I found it captivating and scary as hell. I just finished a book called "Blackwater" which deals with mercenary army units in general but Blackwater USA specifically. If correct, the book shows a *very* close correlation between the war and evangelical Christian fanatics. Anyone who has read or posted here in Speakers Corner about the Afghan or Iraq war needs to read the book. The connections between Christian fundamentalism in the US and the wars are quite evident. Check it out: "Blackwater" sub title 'The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army' by Jeremy Scahill Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

I just had this URL sent to me. It's very entertaining. I searched the Forums and didn't find previous mention of the alexisparkinn.com URL so here they are: Skydiving: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/skydiving_videos.htm Aviation: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/aviation_videos.htm Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

You talking about me? I hadn't even gotten around to sending Poynter an email yet.

QED. QED indeed!!! Thank you so very much. Amazing what this internet thing can do. Two hours and 40 minutes from the time I asked the question to the answer to both parts: speaker and the full quotation. Very cool. Thanks to you too, Jerry! Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Well this is a no brainer. Simply slip a check made out to me into an envelope and mail it to me. I'll give him the money when I see him. Easy. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

A very good, very old, jumper buddy of mine who is terrified of computers called last night to ask another favor of me. He's an AFF I and DZSO and wishes to remain nameless so people won't pick on him for his computer ignorance. Anyway...he called to ask if I would ask here in this forum about one of his favorite quotes which he's having difficulty remembering exactly as well as remembering the person who said it. Here is what he dictated to me last night: "To have some one seriously injured or killed because of some new or insecure circumstance is a tragedy; to have it happen twice is unforgivable." The question he asks is who said it or wrote it. Any information you older jumpers may have would be appreciated. He thinks it is from the early 1970s and he thinks Dan Poynter or Ted Strong made the statement after the second occurrence of some fatality. Any ideas? THANKS from a computer illiterate. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

I know, I can't figure out why... I can. I just looked at the file size which is not even 90Kb in size. That's tiny. I bet the original from the camera is at least 2 MB or more. That's your problem: resizing caused detail loss. Simple as that. Solution: Post on a site which doesn't require or force a size limit. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

I'm no digital photo expert but the picture I see on-line appears severely pixelated. Meaning the elements of the picture are visible. The resolution of pictures online doesn't approach what you can get directly from a camera off-line. Plus, DZ.com may reduce file size which can cause loss of detail. Making the picture bigger to see detail will increase the file size considerably. I think it's an intriguing picture which lacks some canopies or boobs. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Thanks for the nostalgia! It's been 47 years since I floated down over Sicily DZ at Bragg so my memory of it could be wrong but it sure does look like Sicily DZ. First jump there: March 1960. I have a 14 year old daughter and I've been telling her about how her dad was a 82nd Airborne paratrooper since she was maybe 3 months old. Thanks for giving me a video that surpasses all the pics I've shown her! A big thrill for us both. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

The passion began because of the adrenaline rush. The passion grew because of the people. In four more years I'll be sharing that rush with my 14 year old daughter. She already shares my love of the people. I love this sport but the attitude of the people is what I love most about it. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

As they write on Slashdot.org, "You must be new around here." I spent the best 25 years of my life trying to make a living in parachuting and I loved every second. Do not forget what most DZOs know all too well: "The best way to make a small fortune in parachuting is to start out with a large one." Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

What do ya THINK happened??? I Fucking Died!! NO WAY! You can't get away with *that* for an answer! Tell us what happened!! Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Great idea!!! Do it on purpose. Take a couple of gerbs with you. Set 'em off just after opening. Point them into the canopy. I bet you could incinerate a canopy in under a minute and the effect from the ground would be awesome. Gobs of hot, melted nylon falling on the crowd would add a 'reality show' sense of participation for the spectators. The thrill for you while hanging under the canopy even more so. Give it a try; get back to us with a full report. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

If you look very closely you can see the Pelicanland peas in front of the jumper's reserve as well as the DC-3. Picture taken 1972-3. I had the great pleasure of flying jumpers in my C-182, N69BS, over two or three years. I took the below picture using my strut-mounted camera and yolk-mounted pneumatic release. Pelicanland Jumper Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Here is a link to an essay I wrote about Jim's death which is located on my blog site: http://aicommand.com/Obrien121704.htm Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

That's correct, Bob, it came in a packet with seven cartridges in a bandaleer and was tied to the bandaleer with a nylon cord. Pilots usually kept them in their upper arm pockets. I've had some pretty fascinating comments regarding uses via PMs which I'm going compile [without names] in a future post. I posted here hoping to get comments from people who were in-country during 'Nam. I was lucky during and stayed state-side. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

I started a subject thread in the Bonfire about signals flares called "Have you ever fired a flare gun for survival?" It just occurred to me that maybe this forum would have been the better place to put my question...so I'm asking the question again. The specific device I mention is a hand-held signal flare device known in the military as: Illumination Signal Kit, Mk 79 Mod 0. We developed the first units in 1963-64 so I'm wondering if any of you older jumpers, such as myself, used the 'pencil flare' or 'pen gun' flare for survival or signaling of any kind during combat in 'Nam. During WW II and Korea the only device doing what we created was a very cumbersome gun, called a Very pistol. Our unit made the Very pistol almost obsolete. Any of you olde farts ever use anything like that for survival? Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

You are right on...The original device was a tear gas unit which sold with two cartridges. The 'gun' , more correctly launcher portion, was used for tear gas, flares and smoke generators. When we adapted the tear gas unit to flares we kept the same system with a shot gun primer, as you correctly point out. With tear gas cartridges the tear gas--not really a gas, in the literal chemical sense-- was put into the cartridges over top of the primer. The gaseous force generated from the primer was sufficient to expel the 'gas' into the face of a mugger or attacking dog. The flares were slightly different. An aluminum cup, actually an extruded cylinder with one end close, was filled with a composition of 4 chemicals in a 3-4 step fill/compress under very great pressure. A pyrotechnic mix referred to a 'first-fire' was then pressed onto the flare mix. The cup was pushed into the cartridge--very close fit!--with the first-fire, open end toward the primer. When the primer fired the first-fire composition was ignited and the gaseous discharge from the primer created enough internal pressure to push the cup and chemical mix to 200-250 feet. It took a second or two for the major portion of the aluminum cup and the mix to be burning completely and to reach maximum height. Aluminum, particularly powered aluminum, burns VERY hot which is why the students in the survival class described by Amazon in her reply started a lot of fires. And why I set so many fires during our testing. The red color of the flares is caused by the burning of strontium nitrate in the flare mix. Other chemicals, like in standard fireworks, create different colors with blue being the most difficult to reproduce. One thing we played around with was shooting the flares into water. Because of the chemical composition of the mix the flares would burn under water. Very cool to see at night...surreal, sci-fi look. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Wow! Thank you!. That story gave me chills. It really is wonderful knowing we helped with things like that. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

March 7th marked my 66th birthday. Having that birthday made me reflect on stuff and think about some things I've designed or co-designed over the years. What I describe here is a favorite. Many years ago I was co-designer, along with Barry and Allan Rothman, of a hand-held signal flare device known in the military as: Illumination Signal Kit, Mk 79 Mod 0. The device sold commercially as the Survival 7. We went on to form a company, PyroDynamics, Inc. which was finally sold and became a division of Colt Fireams known as Colt-PyroDynamics. You can see a picture taken from a U.S. Navy equipment manual: http://www.aicommand.com/SURVIV_7.jpg The unit was a pen-sized, hand-held, launching device with a thumb activated trigger and seven flare cartridges. The user held the launcher over their head and flicked the trigger. A brilliant red flare was shot 250 feet into the air. The incredibly bright light burned for about 5 seconds and could seen for a hundred miles. It made for great fireworks at parties. During our deveopment and testing I shot many thousands of flares into the air while we tested for maximum brilliance, maximum height and burn longevity. I set many fires. One of the coolest things was to see our signal flare device save the life of James Bond in the movie ThunderBall. 007 saved himself by shooting one of our flares through a hole in a cave ceiling and being wenched into a hovering helicopter. We designed the system during the Viet-Nam war. I served with the 82nd Airborne Division and, because of that, felt a real sense of purpose during design and testing for the guys who would carry the flares on a mission. Bond was cool but it was really wonderful knowing how many downed pilots were saved and how many Special Ops team members where rescued by our devices. At the time I left the company we were working an AR-15 caliber, smoke, flare and sound-producing shell. An ex-SEAL skydiver friend of mine told of how team members would shoot the flares when drunk for any reason when not on a mission...but obviously never on a mission unless really needed. I was told that legislation exists in many states to prohibit the firing of the flares unless there is a real emergency What stories can you tell about the Mk 79 Mod 0 and how you used it? Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

Hmmm. I just Googled for the title and author receiving this hit: http://www.marconews.com/news/2007/jan/11/shelf_blind_boy_sees_world_his_11th_summer/ The link indicates the book is from Nelson in 2007. My assumption is that the book you reference is from an earlier printing. It seems like Sullivan's jumps may have pre-dated my student Harry Charlesworth's. Sadly, both Sullivan and Charlesworth were premature babies who lost their eyesight because of too much oxygen. Thanks for this reference; I'm going to see if I can get the original book or the reprint and determine his jump date. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper

I asked the question about first blind jumper because I taught a totally blind man in September, 1974. I have an article from the February 1975 "Parachutist", page 15, written by Don Wright who was the pilot for the jump. Someone from USPA called me--they were still in California then, if my old memory serves me correctly--and said a very persistent blind guy kept calling about finding someone to teach him. PI at Lakewood and Steve Snyder at Ripcord said "no way". I finally talked to the man and decided to meet him and discuss the many training and very many safety issues. He had memories of 'watching' Ripcord on TV and always wanted to do it. He most definitely had his act together so I decided to do it. He lost his eyesight because of something called retrolentilfibroplasia [sp?] which was a condition related to his premature birth and too much oxygen as an infant. Teaching Harry Charlesworth, who was 24 at the time and totally blind, was one of the most emotionally draining experiences of my life. A few weeks ago, I got in touch with him and the woman who jumped with him. I'm tracking down the guy who talked him down via the radio. An amazing experience for everyone involved. I can't imagine that I was the first to teach a blind person...but maybe. Guru312 I am not DB Cooper