steve1

I think a many jumpers, with a lot of jumps, forget how truly scary your early jumps were. There may have been many rituals you did back then just to try to stay calm. Like checking your gear over and over. Or saying prayers. Or not eating breakfast because you might puke. Although I don't have all that many jumps I can still recall those pre-jump butterflies. Man those were scary times! But the day will come when things are no longer very scary, just really really fun. And then the day when this is fun, but not scary at all. I can now actually fall asleep on the climb to altitude. Maybe I shouldn't let that happen, but it has at times. The summer before last, I had been working out in the hot sun all day, and then went to the airport to jump. I was really tired. We were on jump run with the door open, and I just about fell back asleep. I didn't think that could ever happen, but it did on that jump. So, get a few more jumps under your belt, and you may find yourself doing far fewer pre-jump rituals....Steve1

I had a friend who upon gearing up, and walking toward the plane, would look at the sky and let loose with this really loud, crazy, yell that would scare the crap out of you if you weren't ready for it. Then after the door openned he would cut loose again with this really loud YEEEHAAW! At that point we all knew that he really was nuts! All seemed to go well after that.....Steve1

................................................................... There's a heck of a lot I don't know when it comes to pistol ammo. It's interesting to read of tests and studies with different ammo. I always assumed that a 45 ACP and 40 S.W. would have not only greater knock down power but that they would also out penetrate a 9 m.m. I guess I was wrong on that assumption. I remember a big shootout, the cops had years back, where they decided they were outgunned and needed a bigger pistol. Most were going to 45's or 40 S.W. I thought one of the arguments for that switch was that a 9mm. wouldn't even penetrate a windshield at times....So maybe my old 9mm isn't so puny after all....Steve1

......................................................... Your wife needs to understand that you occaisionally need to do something for yourself. If you are only making 30 jumps a year, that isn't too much to ask. Money is a big issue. I found another way to make some extra cash, and I use this for my skydiving fund. I quit skydiving for about twenty years after I got married and started having kids. I did have other hobbies though to keep myself sane. You should be able to something that brings you happiness. There's more to life than just work and family....Steve1

[reply If she continues to bitch, tell her that she has 2 children that she can mother all she wants. In the meantime, grow a set of balls and don’t get pushed around by someone who’s taken a vow to respect and obey your wishes. .................................................................. This might have worked pretty well back in the cave man days....Steve1

Pulling out a gun can prevent a violent act, in the right scenario, but it can also turn into a nightmare in another. My brother had a friend who worked law enforcement. He retired, and planned to live the good life. He was camping one evening, when three rowdies decided to camp right next to him. Things escalated into a confrontation. He pulled out his gun, because he felt threatened. He ended up getting 30 years. Ten years for each rowdy he pointed his gun at. This was in Oregon. This poor guy is now living in the Pen, fearing that the other cons will find out he was a former parole officer. This is one good reason for not pulling out a gun unless it is a last resort. I know of another guy who is also serving time for pulling a gun when he shouldn't have....Steve1

That's just to confuse anyone from after back in the day. Anyone from back in the day or before back in the day .......................................................... Hell, I remember when that happened back in the day, and even before that day, and even a little bit after that day, and I think today is Friday. Does anyone know what day I'm thinking of now?.....It's not easy being an old fart. There's just too much to remember.

Hell, I've never been pied. Maybe that shows how many friends I have. On my 100th jump another jumper messed the lines up on my para-commander after doing a demo into a University Oval, but there was no pie throwing....Even greenhorns did demos back in the day. I don't recall seeing anyone getting pied though. Sometimes other practical jokes were played....Steve1

Quote But the real treat was actually being the JM or safety on a night jump, standing in that door at 800 feet... I dont know what is more pleasing this or doing a skydive... reply] .................................................... One thing about memories is that nobody can take them away from you. I think some of my fondest times were jumpmastering a load of jumpers out of a C-130 or 141. And to think that you got paid for doing a job like that, (and the jumps were free). I kind of wish I had stayed in. I could have retired almost 20 years ago....Steve1

And THAT post / reply 'Ladies & Germs' ~ decribes skydiving "Back In The Day" ................................................................. Well said!....

...................................................................... I remember seeing S.F. soldiers with foreign jump wings (back in the early 70's). If I remember right there was also a jump school in Vietnam for Vietnamese troops....Steve1

.................................................................... I wish more parents had that attitude. Being a parent puts a whole new spin on things. When my kids were young, I was sometimes was occaisionally selfish with my time. I probably should have spent more time with my wife and kids. This can really affect a kid and your marriage in a negative way. Probably the greatest gift you can give a kid is your time. So many parents are so busy working and then doing their own things for fun, that there isn't time left for family. Finding a balance in such a crazy world isn't easy....Steve1

I meant to say Special Forces Jump Master school in my last post. There was no such thing as Special Forces Jump school. I know of an old guy who lives as a hermit in the mountains of Montana. He's over 80 years old and he still is more than a little bit shell shock. Every morning he pins on his jump wings. He was a para-trooper in WWII. He jumped on Normandy, and he may have made other combat jumps. I'd be willing to bet he had less than ten jumps in his jump career. Ten jumps doesn't sound like much, but think of those ten jumps he made. In those days you jumped a static line chute that just about broke you in half every jump. Think of the guts it must have taken to make a combat jump knowing that very likely you would die. Think of the fellow paratroopers he lost in that war. I'm sure he thinks of that every morning he pins on his wings. A lot of people may not have much respect for an airborne patch or set of jump wings. But I know this guy does....Steve1

I've done a lot of things over the years, but one of my proudest moments was when I left Benning with Jump Wings on my chest. I always dreamed of jumping from an airplane and eventually becoming a paratrooper. I jumped out of the 34 foot tower so many times that I had blood behind both ears from riser slap. The steel pots we wore didn't offer much protection. My very first jump, out of a C-141 jet I sprained my ankle bad, and could barely walk on it. On the runs that week I got in the middle of the formation so the black hats couldn't see me limp. I didn't want to be recycled. I was scared shitless every jump, but I still jumped. I didn't want anyone to know I was a wimp. I made four more jumps on that ankle, that week, to earn my jump wings. Later we started making night jumps with heavy ruck sacks and weapons. I recall two night jumps when I never did see the ground, and wasn't able to drop my ruck. Just crashed and burned into the ground. One night an entire stick went into the trees on Clyde D.Z. at Bragg. A good friend broke his leg bad on that jump. It was blacker than black that night. I'll bet they never did see the trees, until they went through them. Then their was Special Forces Jump school. Man, I thought I'd never get through that. My jump pardner was a smoke jumper (squad leader) and he washed out. I remember jumping a PAE bag that I could barely stand up with, and waddle to the door. It was filled with over a 100 lbs. of gravel inside a wooden ammo box. Then there were lot's of other jumps from all kinds of aircraft usually with a pile of gear and weapons tied on, in all kinds of weather. Several friends were medivacked off some of those drop zones. I have a ton of respect for anyone with Master Jump Wings. 65 static line jumps may not seem like a lot, but this is a different ball game than sport jumping. But you know, I'm still not going to sling mud at any Marine. I almost signed up for that branch myself....Steve1

............................................................. Oh no, that's totally untrue. When I was in the army I took a crap many times in the woods and never even got a merit badge for it. One time I took a poo poo next to a sleeping E-8's head in the woods. It took a lot of stealth and guts to pull that off, and this guy deserved it. I never even got a letter of commendation for it. It did earn me a lot of respect from the other members of my team though. I had senior wings back then. Didn't quite have enough jumps for master jump wings....Steve1

There may be another skydiver or two in Great Falls. I think they all travel to Lost Prairie near Kalispell to jump. Call Fred Sands at Marion, Mt. or at Lost Prairie. Possibly you could commute with them. There is also jumping at Ronan, and Hamilton. They too are in the weastern part of the state. There may also be a little jumping going on in the Bozeman area....Cal Jeff Schlabs or possibly Robby Buckles in Bozeman. I don't know why there is no jumping in Great Falls. There has never been a jump club there that I know of. Hope this helps....Steve

Trying to strike a balance is the key. I know you love the sport, but your family should take priority over that. At the same time, you need to do something for yourself. If skydiving brings you joy, you should be able to skydive at least part of the time. Kids grow up fast. Perhaps you will be able to skydive more when they are on their own. Involve your family in skydiving if you can. There are some drop zones and some jumpers who you might not want your kids around though....Steve1

Remember when skydivers would take one of those big ole altimeter dials and mount it on top of their belly reserve. Not only were they snag points, but they hurt when your face hit them on a hard opening....

I've seen this happen many times. Often enough though, the more experienced jumpers are the ones sitting things out, because they know better. They know what can happen....But not always. Sometimes some experienced jumpers like living on the edge and they may pull someone with less experience into something that you know you aren't ready for. It's important to listen to your instincts, and listen to the right people for advice. I'd find someone with a lot more jumps, that you can really trust, and ask them what they think. Ask them if what you are about to do is safe enough. I've often trusted, more experienced jumpers for their advice, but I don't trust just anyone, just because they have more jumps. Sometimes people feel safety in numbers. Just because your Pals are going up to jump, doesn't mean it's smart to go with them. I respect someone who is strong enough to say no when something doesn't feel right. I remember a formation night jump (back in the 70's). We had the twin beech gased up and ready to go. The only problem was that there was no moon, or stars, and it was darker than the inside of a well. All my instincts were saying..."This isn't a good idea!" But you know, I would have gone ahead and jumped with my pals if they had said, "Let's do it." Luckily one of the more experienced jumpers called it off. What a relief! I guess I'm too much of a follower at times. Nobody wants others to think they are chicken. But the thing is, listening to your instincts and being cautious isn't being chicken. Caution is something that will keep you alive, and uninjured. How does that saying go about old bold pilots? I think it also applies to skydiving....Steve1

I even stood up my 24 ft. reserve, once, back in the day. I was about 140 lbs. back then. I sure couldn't do that now. (Now that I'm old and fat) I did stand up a para-commander a couple years back at a boogie though. I figured I had to show all the young "Whipper Snappers" how it was done, even if I broke both legs doing it. Some of us are even having trouble with that cat thing, now. Not me, of course.....Steve1

.................................................................. I was 19 on our first day of jump school, back in 70. That day we watched a couple of skydivers freefall in, with smoke, open their para-commanders, and then stand them up right in front of us. Talk about cool shit! I figured someday I'd like to try that, if only I had more guts. I think they may have been Golden Knights, but I can't remember for sure....Steve1

I had a Harris bipod for years on a 243. It didn't swivel like some of the newer models, and it was hard on uneven ground to get your verticle crosshairs straight up and down. I didn't really like the springs either, but all in all it wasn't a bad bipod. I like the shorter bipod. I don't like the bigger models. I just don't like attaching something that big onto my hunting rifles. I often carry two sticks, fastened together with elastic for that type of shot. It's a pain to carry around. Often times I shove these sticks in a back pocket, or someplace else handy. I lose them from time to time, but they really do help, when it comes time for a steady shot. So then I bought a square 1 bipod that swivels on uneven ground. It swiveled left and right too. I did some work on it to fix it so it wouldn't swivel left and right. I didn't like that. It works okay, but it's a little too big in my opinion. Then I bought one of the new Harris bipods that swivel on uneven ground. I love it. I wish I would have bought one to start with, and skipped the Square 1 model. You can pick these up on e-bay (new). Hopefully they will ship to South Africa. Another idea, that I often use for still hunting (white tails) is to take a longer stick or dowel, about four and a half feet long. Rip it down the middle on a table saw. Put a bolt about four inches from the top with a nut. I tie a string so it won't open too wide. If I hunch over I have a steady shot above the tall grass or brush. If I kneel I can rest on the side of it. This is bench rest steady. This is a pain to pack around. I use it kind of like a walking stick. With a flick of the wrist I can have it set up to make a shot. I does take a while to get used to though. I don't use one for most types of hunting. Good luck!.....Steve1

[reply Forget any notion of him finding a target while in flight, timing the jumprun, bailing and then landing at that target or even anywhere near it. This could almost certainly have never happened. Could -A- jump take place? Certainly. THAT part is trivial. Leave the aircraft and hope for the best. Could an ACCURATE jump take place to a predetermined landing area? No flippin' way. Not even close. Almost certainly not even within a theoretical 5 mile radius based on any form of navigation available to him or a ground spotter or whatever else you'd like to fantasize about.[/reply ................................................................ I agree with this. (With a round chute, at night, and then spotting from the rear of a jet where you can't see what's coming, and then not knowing exactly where you were at to start with), I think it would be all but impossible to land at a predetermined point. I think he jumped, hoping for the best, and then landed in the river....Steve1

The gear looks like what most people jumped around 1970, possibly late 60's. That's about all I can contribute on this....Steve1

........................................................... Thanks for the kind words Chuck. I am wondering about that wormer also. It was heavy duty stuff. It said it was for Swine on the bucket it came in. The Vet assured me it was also for horses and would kill even the tougher parasites that other wormers wouldn't affect. Maybe it could have been too harsh for a horse in that weakened of a state. I also told this Vet that I planned to breed this mare, last Spring. I wish he would have said that wasn't a good idea. I've learned a lot from this, and I'll know better next time. I guess only another horse owner would understand the bond you can have with your favorite horse and understand that loss when they die. Thanks everyone for your input on this....Steve1