steve1

I was just wondering if anyone has seen him lately. Someone said that he was driving a cab somewhere in Florida, following his heart attack. I heard his wife has health problems too, and he is working for the health insurance. Another friend said he doesn't even want to talk about jumping anymore. I don't know of anyone in the sport that I respect more. It's kind of a sad ending for a great jumper and a colorful career. I always thought of him as the king of skydiving, even back in the 70's....Steve1

Lake Elsinore was where all the major Sky Gods jumped in the early 70's. Being called a Sky God then was the ultimate compliment. It was the place we all wanted to visit. Then about the mid 70's everyone seemed to be heading to Casa Grande (or the "Gulch" as it was called). I've only made a couple jumps at Elsinore, but I'm definitely going back to that place someday to make some more.....Steve1

Sorry for your loss Dave. Life just isn't fair sometimes. 28 was way too young....Steve1

I've definitely got to lose some pounds also. I've never been this fat. A lot of gyms get way too crowded. I know some gyms even limit their membership because of this, but most are probably just after the bucks and the more members the better for them. Some times of the day are busier than others. It seems like about 5:oo p.m. to 8:00 p.m. is the busiest time of all. You might want to check things out at those times of day. If they're too crowded, pick a different gym. Find one that has a good atmosphere as well as well equipped. I like free weights over machines, myself. Also pick a gym that has the right kind of clientel. I hate it when a few muscleheads try to take over the place by hollering, throwing weights, and generally showing off for everyone. I personally do a lot better working out at a gym than at home. I just feel a lot more motivated. I need to get out of my old and lazy mind set that I've developed lately. I hate to admit that every year I start a new diet that doesn't last long. I'm thinking about getting into running, but I've never liked it much, and I like lifting weights a lot more. Right now I'm trying to do both. There's not a lot of aerobic benefit to weight training, but it does keep you fairly fit. I just got off the treadmill an hour ago, down in the basement. I've got to get down there more often. I'm starting to look a lot like Haystack Calhoon, and I don't like the beer belly I'm developing. I've got a friend who used to be a world champion jumper, but he is unable to jump much in the winter due to work obligations. It's often kind of depressing here, in Montana, during the winter months when no jumping is going on. He says instead of jumping all winter he eats instead. Although he is now too heavy, he can still fly like a bird, but this is probably the exception to the rule. There is a huge mental aspect to dieting or even eating healthy if you crave the wrong foods like I do. I need to develop some healthier habits and then stick with it....Steve1

I knew a couple guys back in the 70's who cut away, too low, and both died. I suspect neither of them realized how low they were when they chopped their para-commanders. I wonder how many people check their altimeters before cutting away. I've only had a couple cut aways, so I'm no expert, but in both scenarios I briefly glanced at the ground and then cut away without looking at my altimeter. Seconds count and I wonder how many people really take the time to even look at an altimeter when dealing with a malfunction at a lower altitude. In many cases there is time available, but they don't want to waste any, when the adrenaline is pumping, and they immediately cut away. Both of the fatalities I mentioned above involved taking a relative work load down too low, and then ending up under a malfunction. I've often wondered if I would be smart enough not to cut away in such a situation. Canopy transfers are a subject I don't have any experience with, but I'd imagine it would be hard to do under a spinning canopy, and I really hope I don't end up in such a pickle some day. I'd appreciate your ideas on this....Steve1

Welcome back! I took 25 years off before I came back. There's nothing like getting pumped up for those first jumps in a long while. Enjoy.....Steve1

Skydive Jack, Call Paul Juel in Scobey, Mt. I'll bet this is the same Frenchy I know. If anyone knows where he's at Paul should. Paul used to spend every winter jumping in Florida and I think that's how he came to know Frenchy.....Steve1

There may be several different Frenchies out there. I jumped with one a few years ago who was over 70 and still in great shape. He almost always jumped alone. He was in the French paratroopers during World War II, believe it or not. He has well over a 1,000 jumps. I can't recall his real name. He used to travel all over jumping, including down to Florida. He even tried farming here in Montana for a while. I don't know what happened to him. He used to spend part of every winter with Paul Juel in Scobey, Mt.....Steve1

I'm not sure where I read it, but I did read someone suggest that having boots that prevent ankle injury might just increase the risk of other leg injuries. It seems logical to me, if there is force to be absorbed, and your ankles don't absorb it... what will? (maybe your tib/fib higher up, or worse, your knees??) I've had three sprained ankles due to jumping. Another time I had two bruised heels. All of these injuries were on old round canopies. The first was on my very first jump, in the army, under a t-10. I had good boots that were laced tight enough. The problem was that my feet were together, but my knees weren't. Ended up with a very badly sprained ankle. The second injury, I loaned my frenchies to a friend who was making his first few jumps. French jump boots have great ankle support and lot's of cushion on the bottums. I figured I could stand up my Para-commander almost every time, even with tennis shoes. At any rate I ended up under a wildly oscillating 24 foot reserve and landed in the middle of a rock pile. Sprained both ankles bad. Man I wish I had my French Jump boots then, instead of those damn tennis shoes. I'd bet I'd have walked away from that one without the trip to the hospital. French jump boots might be considered to have too much ankle support, but I don't think this ever led to other leg injuries. In the army we always had to wear leather boots. They wouldn't let us wear our jungle boots, because they didn't have enough ankle support. Jungle boots have canvas sides. In hiking I would twist my ankle more often in them also. They just didn't have enough ankle support. When I go hiking now I almost always wear a good leather boot that is laced fairly tight to prevent twisting my ankle. What a difference that makes on uneven terrain. I also pick a boot with a lower, wider heel. I know smoke-jumpers use White boots with high heels, and I'll bet this contributes to more ankle injuries. I low wide heel seems to prevent a lot of ankle injuries. I know some hunters in Alaska who back pack heavy loads of meat. They often wrap their ankles under their leather boots for the extra ankle support. Now if you were jumping in a boot that resembled a ski boot I'd agree....that would be too much ankle support. Just some food for thought on ankle support and jumping.....Steve1 -A

I was having one hard opening after another on my new hornet. I started psycho-packing and really rolling the nose. Now it opens almost too slow. You might want to get another canopy that opens slower also. As far as chiropractors go, I had to go to one because of neck injuries due to some of these hard openings. It seemed to help. And then it would happen all over again. I am a little leery though of chiropractors. Another friend went to one a few years ago and ended up with a fractured neck due to the chiropractor's negligence.....Steve1

There's nothing wrong with wanting some extra ankle support when you are learning. Boots may be a smart way to go as long as you duck tape any hooks etc. that might be a snag point. Learning to do a decent PLF is really important in my mind. A lot of people stick an arm or elbow out on a hard landing and end up fracturing an arm or wrist. A good PLF would prevent this.....Steve1

The PC I had back in the 70's was made out of rip stop material (if I remember right). I bought it new. After about 300 jumps it had a lot of burn holes in it. Most of these burns happened in one hard opening jump. Not sure what caused this. I covered the burns with rip stop tape. I've heard of people even using duck tape. The para-commander I jumped a few months ago was made of a different newer material and it wasn't rip stop. I'll bet someone out there knows a whole lot more about this than me. I quit jumping, about 76, for a very long time.......Steve1

I've got an old Falcon for a backup rig. I don't jump it much, but it can slam you at times. When flat packing it I always rolled the nose a lot. I've been psycho-packing it lately for soft openings. Psycho-packing may not be recommended for F-111 canopies, but it seems to work fine.....Steve1

It had been well over twenty years since my last PC jump. I made one this summer and loved it. Even stood it up. Once you learn to fly one you never forget. I'm surprised noone told you to flare the canopy. It's really pretty easy and makes for a better landing. Just reach as high up as you can on your back risers and do a chin up at flare time. As Artwardo mentioned, you can hook it into the wind for a really soft landing, but this is kind of an advanced trick to learn. With the long lines on a conventional para-commander, they oscillate a lot, when you make a turn. I used to use this trick once in a while on windy days. It sure beat backing up and doing a rear PLF. Even if you mis-time it, you probably won't get hurt too bad. I recall one wind jump when I hooked it about 90 degrees into the wind too late. I hit like a ton of bricks, but walked away from it just fine. At least I didn't hit feet, ass, and head as I usually did backing up. I knew a few guys who used to use toggles to flare a P.C. B.J. Worth was one of them. Most people I knew used the rear risers to flare though. I guess I'll never get used to hearing the Para-commander called just another round canopy. They were considered really hot in the early 70's. (A big step up from a 28 ft. round or t-10.) I think the forward speed was supposed to be around 15 miles per hour, but that seems about 5 miles too fast. Hod Sanders said he didn't trust Para-Commanders. When he first started jumping on Mirror Image he was still jumping a 28 foot round. He said it openned good every time and knew a PC malfunctioned a lot more. He made over a thousand jumps on that same 28 foot round. It was covered with duck tape which patched all the burns and holes. The only trouble was that when their team landed Hod was usually a long ways off the D.Z. and it was wasting the teams time to wait for him to walk back in out of the desert each time. Finally B.J. gave Hod an ultimatum. "You either get some new gear or you're off the team." So Hod bought some new gear. I doubt if B.J. would have really kicked him off though because I know they're old pals, but that was how the story went. As far as capewell's I never experienced any trouble with them. They released just fine for me, on the two cut aways I had. None of the folks I knew had trouble with them on their cut aways, but I'm sure they could hang up on occasion. On windy days, we often cut one side loose rather than get drug. We used to practice cut-aways in the suspended harness a lot. As long as you chop both at the same time, they seemed to work fine. I had a few friends who had one-shot capewells. On those you just jerked the covers down and it cut you away. The thought of that scared me. I liked the idea of taking the cover off first, even if it took more time. The new gear is a tremendous step forward though. I like to jump old gear once in a while, but I'd hate to go back to it permanently. This past summer it took three of us old farts, over an hour, to pack up an old para-commander. None of us could remember all the steps. We put our heads together and figured it out though. A young jumper walked up to us, and said, "What are you doing messing with all that gutter gear for?" One of my friends said, "I guess we're just trying to feel young again." And I guess that was about it......Steve1

Uncle Steve will give you a hug! But just don't tell anybody......Steve1

Congratulations to both of you! Getting married, touring Florida, riding motorcycles across the country. Man you two have all the fun. It's colder than hell here in Montana. No jumping going on. My dog bit me the other day. I think I'll go get drunk......So I guess everything's about the same here....Steve1

A couple years ago I was having the same problem. In the back of my mind was the fear of coming in too hot. I know you are supposed to stop and then take a grip, but I was stopping a little too far out, and then didn't have momentum to come all the way in. Again and again I would stop just a little too far out. I finally learned to come in very close, (closer than before) stop, and then take a short reach to get a grip. The important thing is not to reach too much. This causes all kinds of problems. This is what helped me......Steve1

Susie, I don't know any of the people you mentioned personally. Walt Mercer owned a twin beech at Taft during the 60's. He also flew the first 10-way load with Jerry Bird and others during that time period. He's still alive and well at Stevensville, Montana. If you want to contact him, I'm sure he knows where most of these other old-timers are located. I don't know if you still receive Parachutist Magazine or not. You should read this month's issue and article (The Rise and Demise of the Arvin Good Guys). I'm sure it would be nostalgic for you.....Steve1

My only two cut-aways were back in the olden days with a belly reserve, capewells, and a big D-handle for a main. On the first mally I kept both handles. On the 2nd malfunction I cut away and had a hard pull on my belly reserve. I ended up throwing my main rip cord before the reserve started stringing out. It took almost three weeks to find another main handle that would fit my B-12 container....Steve1

I had my Cypress fire last summer at Lost Prairie on one of Mad John's loads. On the jump previous to this, there was a close opening, so Mad John warned everyone about clearing their air space before pulling. Wouldn't you know it, this was the same load that went a little too low. It didn't help when I went in to pin John for one last hook up after everyone left. Then I tracked a little too long, spent too much time looking before pulling, and then had a snively opening. Did I mention I was also over a hill? Anyhow the trees were getting really big before my canopy finally opened. Or should I say canopies. One was in front of the other so I released the brakes on my main canopy (In front). I was between a couple of trees, a fence, and brush pile on landing, so I ended up down winding it with both canopies out. Did a real nice rough and tumble PLF. I had to put on a fresh pair of underwear before my next jump. This was one of three Cypress fires I saw at Lost Prairie.....Steve1

When I started jumping again, about four years ago, an old timer sold me his rig. For the first two stows he used tandem rubber bands. I asked him about it and he said it would help prevent line dump. So for the next few hundred jumps I did the same. Last summer this same guy had a bag lock, cut away, and lost his main canopy. Actually he found it after it was all chewed up by a combine in a wheat field, several days later. I'd bet the bag lock was caused by these rubber bands. I no longer use them on my sport rig......Steve1

Quote i cant get down fast enough it takes me to long to close the vertical ddistance. i can acheive a 45 deggree down and sometimes a 60 degree. so i leave the plane and dive at a 45 degree ankle aiming for a point next to the group. so i fly down and turn and turn and turn then i am there. it takes me 20 seconds to 40 seconds if i exit last. eply] I've been at this quite a while, and I still have problems with a long steep swoop. I may not have many answers, but I have a game plan. I've been going out on some tracking dives and practicing diving steeper down to the rabbit safely. Or just going out by yourself and do nothing but practice diving steeply. I know jumpers who have well over a thousand jumps who can't track safely down to a formation quickly. I've asked this same question more than once on the forums, and I appreciate everyone's input. But, I still can't swoop down steeply very well. I plan to keep on practicing. I've read most of Pat Work's stuff and even jumped with him a few times....Steve1

My memory is about shot, but I have lot's of great memories of the 70's. I quit in the mid 70's, then made 5 or 6 jumps in the mid 80's. There was no refresher training at all. I just asked to go up, showed them my old red jump logs (which showed less than 300. The last one was dated ten years earlier. The Pilot "Crazy Jay" was flying jumpers when I first started jumping, so he put in a good word for me, and everything was cool. Everyone started to laugh when I dawned my baggy jump suit, b-12 container with cape wells, portia goggles, frenchies, belly reserve, and motorcycle helmet. I'm sure these jumpers had reservations about jumping with me. Jay just laughed and told us all to get on board. We went up and did some RW. I fell as stable as ever, and everything was safe. I hadn't packed a reserve in years, and I hoped I did it right. On one of these jumps I had a malfunction and cut my para-commander away with shot and a halfs. I sprained both ankles in a rock pile under an oscillating 24 foot reserve, but uncurrency didn't affect anything. I made one more jump (a demo into a school) and then quit for another 15 years. At a reunion boogie at our old DZ I went to renew old friendships. The next thing you know several of us were thinking of jumping again. After 20 minutes of refresher training we went up and I fell base for four old friends. Everything went well, noone was endangered (Including myself). We built a nice five way and I pulled out of it while the others watched. Our club safety officer thought things would turn out okay or I wouldn't have been allowed in the air. I felt confident that I could do things safely and I was allowed to go up on a load. This was probably not smart on my part or our safety officer, but I'm glad he let me do it. I doubt if I'd be jumping today if I had to spend hundreds of dollars to completely retrain. The owner of this DZ was another old friend. He was taking a big chance by letting this happen. I'm sure liability issues were dancing in his head. All I can say is that I'm happy to be back. Maybe this story helps explain why so many people bounced back in the old days. The rules USPA have today serve a purpose and probably keep a lot of us foolhardy jumpers alive. I still think that just because an old jumper is uncurrent doesn't mean he has to start at the same level as a first time jumper though. I don't think you ever forget how to fall stable. RW skills return quickly...Steve1

One of the funnest jumps that I made this summer was a horny guerrilla. We did a quick four way and then went to the horny guerrilla. This tumbled for about a 1,000 feet until we stabilized it out. It was flying great until we all decided it was time to give each other the bird. It then started tumbling again. At pull time I realized that one of my slow sleeves had completely inverted covering up my hand and was flopping in the wind. I had to yank it off before throwing out my pilot chute. So I guess the moral of the story is that slow sleeves aren't free fly friendly either.....Steve1

I got my ticket in 73'. (M0Z)....One of the guys in my class received MOM for their symbol. Everyone felt lucky when Mom packed their reserve.....Steve1