steve1

Did you know that I was once world famous!....Yes it's true....Back in 73' B.J. Worth put together a ten- way team that built the 1st and 2nd all collegiant eight-way stars ever....That was in Star, Idaho at an all collegiant meet. Your next probable thought might be, that I must have been really really good to be on B.J.'s team. I wish I could answer yes, to that one. Actually I only had 85 jumps at the time. I was undoubtedly the most unskilled guy on the team, and B.J. must have been really hard up for collegiant jumpers to pick me. If you look closely in this picture you'll see SCR's, SCS's, and even night SCR's on most everyone. (Everyone was into patches back then, and you were considered really hot to have any of these.) The only patch I had, at the time, said skydiver on it. I was so embarassed I had to hide behind B.J.'s sister in the picture. Can you pick out B.J.. I'm the least hairy person in the picture. Have you ever seen so many handles in your life? The photo was taken by Ray Cottingham. I hope this picture comes up. This is the first picture I've scanned and tried to put on here without help. (Yes, I'm almost computer illiterate)....So if the picture isn't there I'll get someone to help me tomorrow, get it on. P.S. if any of you all would like my autograph, I'm running a special on them this week for 25 cents each.

I need to find a rigger somewhere to supervise my packing twenty reserves. I have a riggers license (chest pack rating) from a long time ago. I'm just wondering how much I should expect to pay someone, or what I should offer them. I don't want to impose on friends, and I want to pay someone fairly. Any ideas on how to approach this situation. I've asked a few people and they keep referring me to someone else. I don't really plan to do much rigging for others, but I would really like to be able to pack my own reserve again....Steve1

In my mind it is a great accomplishment to have anything published in a national magazine. It's something most of us have never done or ever will. Keep up the good work....Steve1

Great Job! I recongized your name when I saw one of them. I didn't know you had two. How does it feel to be famous? I've heard it is a lonely feeling at the top. I wouldn't know myself. I've always clung pretty close to the other end of the spectrum....Steve1

Great story Robbie! Sorry for your loss of a good friend....Steve1

Check your messages. I'm not sure if it went thru...Steve1

When they pry my cold dead fingers off my rig!....Steve1

It's interesting to note that there are several other mental conditions that have very similiar symptoms to ADHD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one. As a result it is often miss-diagnosed. I work at a very tough school, with lot's of kids coming out of terrible environments. Many should probably have a PTSD label, but usually they end up with medication for ADHD and little or no therapy to go along with it. Just something to think about.....Steve1

Maybe posting all this in public would be a big motivator to actually do it. So, I need to play! I no longer want to be a fat old geezer. I'd rather be a fit and virile old fart. I started dieting a little after the first of the year. I'm down to about 176 (down four lbs.) from the 180 I was. I haven't done a body fat % for years. I'll have to do that. I suspect it is up around 20 per cent. I could lose 20 lbs. real easy. That reminds me, It's quitting time, and I'm off to the gym.....Steve1

PhillyKev, Sorry to hear of all the grief this has caused you. Whoever did it has to be the ultimate back-stabber. Hope you find an even better job soon....Steve1

Many folks who are sport jumpers, and who have never made a military jump, tend to develop an arrogant attitude toward military jumping. Sure sport jumping is different, but many things I learned in my Army jumps, have helped me skydiving. Reguards for safety would be a big factor that carried right over to Sport Jumping. Ever make a jump into the dark of night with 80 lbs of gear, a rifle strapped to your side, and 50 other jumpers in the air at the same time. Military static line jumpers do this all the time and survive. During the 70's PLF's saved my bacon lot's of times. I even used one last summer when I had two canopies out on a down wind landing. In the army you spend almost a week learning how to land safely. Overcoming your fear of jumping is also a lot easier for a new skydiver with a history of military jumping. It's very similiar in that respect. It takes guts to jump from any plane while in fright. I don't care where. Canopies may be different when comparing military to sport, but there are still some things that would carry over. I have nothing but respect for HALO jumpers. Never been there or done that. I would imagine much of this school would carry right over to sport jumping. There's probably other factors that would carry over to sport jumping. (Many may have escaped my limited intelligence). Anyhow, it kind of get's my hackles up when someone down plays military jumping. I recall one of my sport jumper instructors back in the 70's, who tried to tell me there was nothing to Army jumping. (This was back when your instructor might have had a 100 jumps if you were lucky.) All he said you had to do in a military jump, was run out the door and land like a sack of you know what. I'm still sort of riled up about that statement.....Steve1

Thank God for cross connectors on the old chest type reserves. I put together a reserve for a friend back in the old days. I was fresh out of riggers school, and figured I knew it all. I got it all packed up and about a day later I realized that I forgot to put a cross connnector between the two butterfly snaps. Luckily the guy never jumped it and I repacked it correctly without anyone being aware of what a dipstick rigger I was. If one butterfly snap had came loose he would have been history. This really was a wake up call for me, and I started to rethink whether I wanted to be a rigger or not. It also made me aware of the need to double check everything. Bill, you're the first person I ever heard of that had a butterfly snap come loose on a reserve opening. So I guess there really is a need for that cross connector....Steve1

In terms of safety, I often wonder if it wouldn't be safer to have a b-12 snap or quick ejector snap on the chest strap. I hear all kinds of stories of people either forgetting to fasten their chest strap or threading it through wrong. I've never heard of anyone forgetting to fasten their chest strap with a b-12 snap or quick ejector snap. But then again this has undoubtedly happened. Twice, when I first started jumping the thread through chest straps, I forgot to thread it thru correctly. Once it was spotted by another jumper on the plane. The other time I caught it myself as we were climbing to altitude. I had some pieces of velcro on my chest strap. I cut these off and haven't had any trouble since. I miss the old snaps here.....Steve1

In the olden days everyone had b-12 snaps on their rigs. I never heard of one failing, but I suppose it is possible. None of us took any special care with them either, and they seemed to work just fine. When I ordered a knew super-pro harness and container, in about 74, it came with quick ejector hardware. I loved that set up. When I started jumping again, after about 25 years off, most everyone had the new step through harnesses. With these I had a devil of a time getting my rig on without looking like a complete spastic. One time I went hopping half way across the packing area at Perris with my leg caught. I'm sure everyone was wondering about the new old hick that had just rolled into town. Now that I'm used to the step through harness, I like them. I have the step through leg straps on both my rigs. I asked someone one day what happened to the old quick ejector hardware. One old timer said, "Good riddance to old junk!" I ended up with the impression that maybe they aren't all that safe. I never had a bit of trouble with mine though.....Steve1

Great story Airtwardo! Tell us another one.....Steve1

I have a J-2 with a tempo 170 reserve, and pack my Hornet 170 in it. The Hornet packs up a little smaller than most zero P canopies. I psycho pack and this helps a lot. I had I devil of a time until I learned to psycho pack. Rolling the canopy makes it easy to get the air out, and it opens fine....Steve1

All my army jumps were static line, and a kept them in a separate log book apart from my sport jumps. I'd love to make a military jump again. It was way back when, when I made my last one......Steve1

I agree totally. Some wars we had no choice, but other military conflicts, I wonder why. Even when we win a war there are huge numbers of great people being slaughtered on both sides. Most of them are young men with everything to live for. And then there are the innocent civilians who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish there was a better way. I've jumped at Perris and Elsinore a little. There you meet people from all over the world. I've jumped with English, French, Germans, Japanese, and jumpers from many other places. All were great people, yet at one time many of these countries were considered the enemy of America. It kind of gets you thinking. Too bad more politicians (on both sides) don't do more thinking before getting us into another war....Steve1

Move to Montana. I've been fencing the past couple days. The ground hasn't even froze yet.....Actually I'd much rather be jumping in Texas, than freezing my rear off here. (Even though the weather has been good lately)....Steve1

The fact that Jerry Bird is there for his kids, when they need a father, is further insight into Jerry's character. Just another reason to think of him as being great. Maybe he'll return to jumping when his boys are raised and his health improves.....Steve1

Darkwing, Sorry to hear the loss of your friend Eddie. I still have relatives in the Boise area. I haven't been there since the meet in 74. I'd like to attend the boogie at Star in June. I planned to be there this year, but something came up at the last minute. I also heard that Greg Nardi is bringing up his King Air from Florida a few times each summer, so I should be there at least once this summer. I'll look you up....Steve1

I was just wondering if anyone remembers Wally Benton. He once owned the drop-zone at Star, Idaho back in the 70's. One of his exploits involved jumping a para-plane into a stadium and breaking his back at a football game. Wally had cancer back then and the word going around was that if it got too bad he would make one last jump, with a large group of friends, and then forget to pull. I don't think that ever happened though, because he lived for a number of years before passing on. I talked to Greg Nardi last summer. He said that Wally was a tought old bird, and he just wouldn't die. I was just a young pup way back then, and I didn't know him very well. He seemed like the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Most of our ten-way team stayed at his house during a meet back in about 74. The word boogie hadn't been invented yet. I was just wondering if anyone else had a good story to tell about him....Steve1

Thanks for the great story Bill! This story reminds me of another one told by Mac Bledsoe. Mack's son is Drew Bledsoe who is a professional football player. Mack lives in Montana and spends his time working as an inspirational speaker for educators. He travels all over the country and many call him a master story teller. When I heard this story I about started bawlling. It supposedly is a true story. Mack's Dad enlisted during WW-II with his best friend. They went thru training together and they both became fighter pilots in the same squadron. They ended up flying missions together over Germany. One day they ended up in a dog fight with a large group of German fighters. Mack's Dad was about to be shot down, with a fighter on his tail. His buddy came in to save him and get the plane off his tail. Then suddenly his friends plane took on fire and burst into flames. He had no choice but to bail out. He cleared the plane okay, but he had a streamer on his emergency parachute. This brought him upright, but there was no way to clear it. Mack's Dad dove his plane down and he passed very close to his friend as he was falling to his death. As he passed close he saw his buddy's face, and he noticed his friend was pointing at the American flag on his chest. He spiraled down and watched his buddy impact with the ground and die. When Mack was teaching school he said he often told this story to his students to encourage them to have respect for those who served their country during a time of war. If you ever get a chance to hear Mack Bledsoe speak, I'd sure recommend it.....Steve1

Actually it's been very warm here in Montana. I don't think there's much jumping happening anywhere though, and that sucks. Bring your skiis. Maybe I'll see you on the Mountain....Steve1

Don't rub it in Dave! I hate winters in Montana, mainly cause I can't jump. Every Spring my stomach fills with butterflies making that first one because it's been about a half a year since my last one. I hope to do a little snow skiing this weekend. It's not near as good as jumping, but it helps pass the time. Four more years, and I'm looking for a warm place to retire, or should I say find another job (for insurance purposes). I was thinking of hiring out to Walmart as a greeter. I always liked Texas, maybe I'll head that direction.....Steve1