steve1

Katiebear, Tell us more about being towed behind the C-130. I think that is every para-troopers worst night-mare. Did they cut you loose? I remember hearing stories of, "if you're unconscious we may have to foam down the runway and land with you." Scary! Steve1

Holy Crap! I started jumping in 1970 and I've only made about 500. Are you trying to give me an inferiority complex? Steve1

That's a funny one! I really get into sick redneck jokes. Steve1

AggieDave, I've got a friend, I used to Rodeo with, who's a cowboy poet. He's supposed to be one of the best free verse cowboy poets around. He has read some of his poems at the National Finals Rodeo and other cool places, and has even had his picture in People magazine. He goes to a lot of Readings with Baxter Black. Anyway his name is Paul Zarzinski. He lives in Great Falls Montana. Give him a call if you can't find any of his stuff. He'd enjoy talking to you. Steve1

Auryn, It's really easy to loose track of altitude, when you're busy trying to do your stuff when jumping with others. I almost went in back in the olden days when I was jumping with a group who weren't checking altimeters, or anything else because we were all so focussed on what we were doing. Audibles hadn't been invented yet and no one had an automatic opener. My sense of time told me we must be getting low, but I was depending on the others to signal break off. Since I was the last one into the formation I didn't want to take the time to check my altimeter on my chest, and was busy focussing on my slot. As a result we could have all died. I still remember the story of two jumpers who held a two way all the way into the ground. Today audibles and automatic openers help, but I learned the hard way not to depend too much on others to keep track of altitude. Steve1

Lizard, I went through jumpmaster school way back when. I'll bet things have changed a lot. I'm curious about the new reserves. When I first started jumping, military reserves had no pilot chutes. If you had a May-West type of malfunction you were taught to throw it out in the direction you were spinning. Do they still use two shot capewells? Even on 141's we were taught to exit straight out and away. I think most of us learned by trial and error that 45 degrees worked a lot better. Steve1

I make a fair living. But my wife doesn't and I now have two kids in college. So in other words I shouldn't be jumping, but there's no way I'm going to quit. I guess it all boils down to setting priorities. I'd rather do without some things that aren't needed than give up jumping. Steve1

Jim Ledbettor was one of the most experienced jumpers in our club back in the later 60's and early 70's. One day they went up to jump out of a cessna. He was sitting next to the door. A plane with a low wing came out of the sky above them and slammed into their jump plane. Jim and another girl were thrown free and ended up with open canopies. He didn't know if he had pulled or if the impact opened his chute for him. The girl had most of her head missing so the impact must have opened hers. Everyone was killed except Jim. He landed over the middle of Missoula in Loyola football field. Jim ended up in the hospital for several days, but was mostly unhurt. He was suffering from a lot of guilt though. Being the senior jumper he blamed himself somehow for what happened. He again started jumping and things were going well until one day he had a hard pull and couldn't open his main. He opened his belly reserve going terminal and had a severely hard opening. He looked up to see his reserve full of holes. He rode this in and hurt his back. He ended up in the hospital again. His wife finally talked him into giving up jumping, so he started flying his airplane a lot more than he had in the past. One snowy morning I remember waking up to a story on the news of a plane crash where all on board were killed. Jim was that pilot. He finally ran out of luck. Steve1

Clay, That's a good point about exiting at a 45 degree angle. I know we were trained to do a brisk exit straight out on the side doors, but it just seemed to work a lot better for me to turn my body about 45 degrees to the prop blast. I was never able to tailgate a military aircraft. I'll bet that would be cool. I've heard that it is easy to get flipped up when your legs hit the prop blast first when stepping off the tail gait. Steve1

It's been about 25 years since I've made an army jump. I'd love to make another one. I jumped a PAE bag once that had way over a 100 lbs. in it once. The exit went okay, but it was hard shuffling to the door with it. We were trained to keep elbows in tight on exit, but I can't see any problems having them out, as long as you have a good exit and de-arch properly. I remember one jump when I had a really light rucksack, exiting out of the side doors of a C-130. Somehow I did a back loop on exit and my feet and ruck went through my risers. This put quite a twist in both risers and landed it that way without pulling my reserve. After that I was much more careful about having a good body position presented to the prop blast. Steve1

I think you would like psycho-packing it. It would go in the bag a log easier. I've had nothing but good openings with it. Steve1

We had a jump pilot back in the 70's who was an all around good guy. One winter Craig (the pilot) was shooting coyotes out of a farmers cessna. He asked me one day if I wanted to go along and shoot a 12 gauge out of the door, while he flew. I couldn't make it that day, but wished him the best. A few days later I heard that he had crashed. Apparently he and another guy spotted two coyotes. They flew over the one and got him. They circled back and were just about to shoot the other one when they hit the side of the mountain. The plane was totaled and they both ended up in the hospital. Then the Fish & Game gave them a ticket for illegal shooting from an aircraft. The next time I saw him was at a jump party. He was standing there with a cane and had two black eyes. The first thing he said was, "You still want to go coyote hunting?" But that's not the end of the story. I kind of lost track of Craig over the years. Then one day I read his obituary in the paper. All it said was that he was killed down in Texas. Come to find out he had been flying guns down into Mexico. Someone murdered him on a gun deal gone sour, and threw his body down an out house. Too bad, he was a great guy. I never would have thought he'd get tangled up in something like that. Steve1

In the olden days we lost track of altitude while building a four way. I started tracking and saw this huge number on the end of a runway coming up to get me. I pulled my rip cord and luckily my para-commander opened fast. I was in the saddle at about 500 ft. Yes, I did have to get some new underwear. Steve1

Back in the 70's our DZ was about a 1/2 mile from our hanger, at the airport where we packed and took off from. When a load exited we would often watch from a distance. One day a girl left the plane and kept falling and falling and no one saw a canopy open. Everyone knew she had just burned in. Everyone jumped into vehicles and went racing over there. Apparently she had opened in a dip in the field and no one could see her canopy. Her only reply was, "I guess I was kinda low, huh." I don't think she realized how close she had come to death's door. This is how the story was told to me. Hopefully it's true. Steve1

I wish I had some really profound sayings that would really impress everyone with how learned I am, but I was raised by redneck father who drank too much. What can I say. Anyway these are some that stick in my mind. I know many of them are sick! 1. It's colder than a well digger's ass in January. 2. It's slicker than snot on a hot tin roof. 3. He's dumber than a box of rocks. 4. If you play with the bull you're gonna get the horn. 5. Weaker than a cat. 6. If you wish in one hand and spit in the other, which one will get full first? 7. That's about as funny as a truck load of dead babies. 8. Don't get mad, get even. 9. A fool and his money are soon parted. 10. He's crookeder than a dog's hind leg. 11. He wouldn't be able to whip his way out of a wet paper bag. (These are some I like:) l. Don't throw stones if your own house is made of glass. 2. Treat others the way you want to be treated. 3. The early bird gets the worm. 4. He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. 5. He's as full of it as a Christmas Goose. (I've got more, but my memory is going on me.) Steve1

Back in the olden days a really experienced jumper might have three or four hundred jumps. In fact I didn't know anyone in our club who had more than about 500. In the early 70's we were able to order up twin beach or DC-3 from the smoke-jumper center at a low price. All we had to do was give them a call when we had enough jumpers. I remember lots of big way attempts with a DC-3 load of people, where a lot of the jumpers had less than a 100 jumps. None of us had automatic openers. Remember now, a big-way back then was anything over about 12 people. The world record formation then was about 30 people. The exits were often so strung out that at times you had to really strain your eyes to see where the star was building. It wasn't uncommon to have someone slam into you as you tracked toward the star. But you know no one ever bounced in the twenty five years our club was in Missoula. There were plenty of close calls and one mid-air plane collision that killed several people, but it was a miracle more didn't die back then. Hot gear back then was a B-12 container with a para-commander, Some people had pig rigs, everyone wore motorcycle helmets, and french jump boots. (hows that for a scary story). Steve1

Quatorze, I remember a friend who used to race his morocycle to the DZ with a rig on his back. I often wondered what would happen if it opened. I think one of the stupider things I have ever done is try to kick a dead cat in the road going about 40 on motorcycle. I never claimed to be too bright. Steve1

I was just wondering if anyone had a scary jump story from way back when? Steve1

I'm almost afraid to start reading this base stuff, for fear that I'll get sucked into it, just like I did with skydiving. The more I read, the more fascinating it appears. Someday I've got to try it though. About all I know about base is that it is dangerous and that it must surely produce a great pucker factor. Someday when I begin to get really bored with skydiving I think base jumping may be what I'd need to get the adrenaline pumping again. Right now I don't feel like I need or want another all consuming hobby, and I think for me, base jumping would be just that. I'm an old fart now and by the time I do decide to base jump, I may be a truly old fart. Does anyone know if it is possible to base jump with a heart and lung machine? Steve1

I have to go over the dive plan a lot. Maybe it's because I'm so slow. In the old days all you had to remember was to look for something round and get in. I also go over emergency procedures and what if scenarios. I try to get mentally pumped up as well, in other words thinking as positive as I can. And then I just try to enjoy the jump, the sights, sounds, smells (until someone cuts one). I sometimes dwell on the comraderie of jumping with friends. A lot of jumps I have a feeling of pride, in being a skydiver and pride in the people I jump with. I hope I never lose this. I suppose these are things only another jumper will ever understand. Steve1

C-141 C-130 C-119 (Yes I'm an old fart) H-34 Hellicopter UH-1D Hellicopter cessna 172 cessna 180 cessna 182 cessna 195 cessna 206 travel air King Air caravan otter skyvan twin beech DC-3

Freebird, I will if you'll buy my plane tickets. Steve1

Clay, I remember JFK Center well. There were people from all over the world learning special warfare tactics there. Then at night we would have to go clean the son of a bitch. I think they have civilians for that part now. A friend of mine used to fill Colonel so and so's coffee pot at JFK Center. He used water out of the toilet bowel. As you can tell I was definitely not officer material. Steve1

Chuck, I think this may be a perfect time to retire. Best of luck. Steve1

I haven't heard from Chuck for some time. I was just wondering if he might be preparing to go to war. There is a big demand for anyone who is a senior NCO and in S.F. right now. Much of what they do is secret or top secret. Let's hope he's just busy doing something else right now. Steve1