patworks

SKR, Thanks! Formatting is a pain but looks cool. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

When Sequential RW aka *Formation skydiving* was just getting started in the mid-1970s in ST, AZ, CA, TX, KS, and IL … the western USA, most skydivers wore jump boots. Belly reserves and ripcords were the norm. Helmets weren’t Of course, good intelligent, cool skydivers never got caught dead. We believed that until Jim Heydorn bounced with a double total. Poof, the myth of the Right Stuff vanished. If Heydorn could bounce, ANYBODY can bounce! Thus, the brighter pioneer sequential types began to notice that the quality/quantity of people getting killed by impact appeared random... good skydivers and bad skydivers both bounced about as high. We noticed that it was not that He screwed up but rather that fate is the hunter and there is a real element of chance in skydiving. We learned that the bright blue friendly sky was balanced, yin/yang style, by a dark foreboding ground. Since the ground snuffed the life it was/is death. Unsafe practices, as a group were termed Black Death. The exit count used by my 8-way teams and several others was *Blue sky / Black Death*. Sport parachuting became *Sport Death*. While the Black Death thing was an insider thing which translated to Hey yall, lets avoid danger up there! It later got adopted and/or banned by folks who did not and do not understand what it means. So just as *Goodbye* means *God be with you!* Blue sky/Black Death is a salute to the sky/earth that means something like Lovely up there/ Watch out Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

SKR, Yep. you are correct. It woulda looked a LOT gooder if i had used spaces... the original had em and it helped. br br pre bigI'll go back and poke at it. Interesting I can Edit this... ] pre but not my post. /big /pre> (Yez, my brain died recently) Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

two other big names in communication of parachuting i negelcted to mention: 1> J. Scott Hamilton from the mid '70s. 2> Howard White. Howard has been a prolific skydiving author and Parachuting journalist since about 1965. Howard White, (C-3896) was Orange DZ's chief instructor. He was involved in Poynter's early Newsletter SPOTTER and has made MANY contributions to PCA/USPA over the years. He's an active writer and I believehe is a mainstay of this forum. Keep it up Howard! Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

How to pass a watermelon in freefall: J-Mac’s question, Pat’s answer, Well yes/No - - - - Nope. But around 1964 I watched Fritz Jackson and Joe Kuhn & Bill Nicholson do a watermelon dive. Meby Bob Authur was camera... or Ed Burran (I forget). Wonderful thing, the mind. Anyhow, some time back in the dim dark past, around the time Ed Fitch opened his TASCO Parachute Center in Houston, things got weird out. Standard picture. Jumpers sitting around talking with the aroma of BS in the air... *Say, wouldn’t it be wonderful if..... * *… lets pass a watermelon!* *Wonderful!* *. . . a BIG fugger...* *Yea, if it is BIG Enough -- we are certain to get famous!* [ for those not blessed by being Texan, In Texas, a big watermelon is, well a BIG watermelon] Not being retards, they get this BIG watermelon and push 550 cord (suspension line) thru and around it so that on each end there is a handy Handle! Woo-boy! The Official Plan: Joe and Fritz leave the Plane (C-195) with BIG Watermelon in-hand; one on each end. Bill swoops from above and sort of gloms onto it. Whilst, Ed shoots the Nobel Peace Prize Photos Simple, effective and *easy* {ah fame!} So, altitude exit action camera. Beautiful shot -- Bill and Ed alone in the flat Texas sky. Meanwhile below, far, far below is the watermelon. With Fritz and Joe Holdin' ON. The watermelon precedes them as it burns a hole in the blue. Flag-like, they flap together above the monster green cannon ball. Unaccustomed to pain, Joe lets go. *Hey, you hurt me up there!* (Spriong! Up he goes!) Whilst Fritz and the watermelon reach Mach 7.2. Fritz lets go. (It was hurtin my hand, it waz pulling so hard!) Watermelon thunders in to a yellow-green Texas field. We regroup. Clearly, watermelons are not an automatic entry into the SAG. We need a sure thing. A Mattress! Lovely Idea! Genius! Oh, hold me back.... YO! A freakin Beauty Rest Mattress in free fall! *. . . . a skydiver lightly lands to lay and snooze on air. . .* Screaming we are gonna be famous… we are gonna be RICH! We set off to plot and scheme. But that is another story. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

My post should also mention and praise Mr. Howard Gregory whose works still do much to facilitate communication. Thank you Howard! (Gregory and Hunnel are members of a group of scribves that include "little David," L. Cameron, M. Truffer, D. Poynter, S. Garrison, C. Shea-simonds, W. Ottley, and several others ... (my brain fades, still...) We all benefit from their shared thoughts. Thanks! Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

I was an instructor in 1962-63 -- Front-mount reserve parachute procedures -- included: placing your left hand over the belly-mounted reserve container before pull, pull and throw away the reserve ripcord, grab the reserve canopy in both hands and throw it into the direction of spin. The FAA exempted sport parachutists’ from the rule requiring a reserve pilot chute because a frount-mount’s standard-issue ‘spider’ pilot chute was considered unsafe. We said, "Look, Pull, Grab, and Throw" -- If you threw the un-bagged round reserve canopy well, it might catch air and open. Shaking out the lines helped some. If you had a total or a streamer, the reserve would open. Capewell-cut-aways were dangerous and were banned at some Clubs and DZs. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Thanks Gene, DZ USA did a lot for the early sport. The sport should remember and thank the early writers who communicated to us about our fledging sport of parachuting. So, all Hail “Gene” C.E. Hunnel. Communicator! When I was editor of the Texas Parachute Council Newsletter, he published a nice newsletter, “DZ USA” back when skydiving wasn’t a legal word, he portrayed that yesteryear succinctly. Hail! Gene’s words provided us with a snapshot of back then, the ‘was’ of a very ‘is’ sport. He tersely tells of pre-history unthinkable today. He was there. He communicated that. As Mr. Hunnel says, “We were learning … what we should not do.” He relates that USPA, (PCA), emerged at a time while many jumpers were “Outlaw-Skydivers.” Recall that PCA’s founders included ‘outlaws.’ For instance, Dr. Ed Fitch, one of my instructors, had some outlaw tendencies. Ed helped enable USPA. I think that Gene Hunnel merits our highest praise. He is a skydiver. He communicates skydiving. My not subtle theme: Hail to Gene and to all communicators. Hail sharing knowledge! Pat Works DS-USA, Pull-It-Sir- Prize 1966 Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Clyde Jacks, D42, Remembering a Great Skydiver I started jumping in 1961. My instructor, Clyde Jacks, D42, accomplished fantastic feats of RW Skydiving skill years before the words "relative work, RW, skydiving, or formation" entered our vocabulary. Back then, pre-baton pass, we called it "contact." In those silk parachute and flat canopy days, Clyde was considered to be one of the best "spot-jumpers" in the USA. He could consistently land within 20 feet of the 3-foot square “Dead Center” of the cloth “X” target. After he left the Houston Parachute Club’s DA at Beeline Airport in Houston, Clyde flew his a small 1-seater yellow stunt "Skeeter-Hawk" experimental bi-plane. He flew it out of George Sage's small field North of Houston. I'd spend weekends helping clean underbrush in return for free jumps from 3,000 feet from a Luscomb. A 2-seater, the pilot would hand you your reserve after you wriggled out the door. Clyde would punctuate the heat with low passes and snap rolls. After several weeks in the hospital, Clyde died on November 26, 1962. This is from 1 of only 2 clippings in my log book. Skydiver Magazine, February 1963, by Herschel Lee (president of the 130+ member Houston Parachute Club). "One Thousand, one hundred and seventy-two parachute jumps without a serious injury - then loses life in an airplane crash... That is the story of Clyde Jacks of the Houston Parachute Club whose brilliant career came to a tragic end on November 26 when he succumbed to multiple injuries received in an airplane crash on November 17 at Skeeter-Hawk Ranch near Crosby Texas. "With his body badly mutilated and suffering from dozens of broken bones, Clyde hung to a small thread of life for nine days, only to loose the fight when complications set in. "The Houston Parachute Club had planned a day of parachuting and Clyde had flown over in the little plane from its hangar in Baytown. The weather was not good on that fateful morning and the activities were called off when dark clouds folded in and the air became gusty. Clyde climbed back into the tiny plane, buckled his shoulder harness and swept off into the murky sky. As he circled back over the field at 1,200 feet AGL, he gave an aerial salute by performing a snap-roll to the left followed by another to the right. That was the fatal moment..." Pat Works Student and friend of Clyde Jacks, D42 Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

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Who was/is the communicators of our sport? Huh? Gotta know. Got a babble a-brewing. Top of mind preliminary list of communicators: Bill Newell, Bill Ottley, J; Lyle Cameron; Little David; Jan Meyer; Carl/Roger Nelson; Dan Poynter; Pat Works; J. Scott Hamilton; Skratch; Gene Hunnel..... What think ye? Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

I land on my ass. Slide in. Sometimes roll. Sometimes hurt. Sometimes break tail bone. OUCH! Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

BIG parachute. Wraps and braces. Be in GOOD shape. Only jump when wind is 'right' Pay attention. Don't FU Have fun. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Hrumph! Personal trip. I won a freefly Nationals trial event in the midst of a 'heart-attack" Atrial Fib (BS) and HIGH BP. So, pull back, now. Or, mayhap: Get in shape. Stay in shape. Take Rx. See Dr. Fuck everything else. Very much. (professional dolt. Do not try this). Thank you, Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Yo, Officially disabled from 7K jumps, car wrecks, yadda yadda, ... I share good news besides being not-dead: a) Your tolerance for pain is very high. This is handy. b) Doctors sometimes get it wrong. I CAN step off a high curb and not be paralyzed for life sez 4k jumps; I can land with 'no-ankles’ sez 1k jumps.... c) Getting back to 'normal' is possible: Yoga and Tai Chi cure all your warts, mostly. Booze and drugs are helpful for some. Braces and supports are handy. d) Sometimes not having a limb or joint is better than putting up with the hassles. Mostly true. e) Think about it, many-most of your 'normal' friends have emotional/ social/ mental/ moral handicaps. f) Parking places are easier to find. g) The attention you may attract is a given h) Being ambulatory is good. Very. i) You'll always feel blessed by Dr.-waiting-room trips where some in the assembly are Way more FU than you. It could be worse. j) Not waking up with a toe-tag means its going to be a GOOD day. Check your toes each morning. Have a good day. 2-cats Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Skydive has a Podcast: Bj Worth, Kate Cooper, Bill Booth, Wendy F. ,Missy Nelson, Ted Strong et al. Interesting perspectives. Some real good. But, Tribe -- Beware: They done a Podcast on Pat Works. --- Apple iTunes Podcast: -- Skydive Radio Show #24, Jan. 17th, 2006...Converaation with Pat Works Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Dude, Because you are a skydiver, renew. Quitting the air but love the sport? Renew. Support our team? Renew Low I.Q. and 'me first!' ? Renew Dying tomorrow of disease? Cancel Infant bitch-master? Renew (join us). love, 44 year member, previous outlaw skydiver, 4-term BOD Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Skydive Blog? Wondering about existence. Any clues? Our pond is small. Do Bloggers fall? Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

SWOOP-Landing ROUNDS: Rear risers, PC 'flare', hook turns, and PLF. If time is a continuum all of the above are on the scale. And you think swooping is hard? Here is dinosaur swoop Rx perfected by relics (your mentors). Risers --- if you are jumping a round canopy 'flat' (meaning pre-PC): do this--- as the earth approaches, grab all risers, put your feet and knees together, and pre-tension the risers (pull down, sort of), so that on contact your upper body weight stays supported by the canopy longer than your poor feets. Rear Risers -- Jumping a modified round 'flat' pre PC 28' with an aggressive gore removed mod like TUE, TU, double-L, U, et al. --- Do above, but just w/ rear risers. With modified flat canopies, pulling down on the front risers makes you a lawn dart. Rear risers kill some of the down thrust of the gone gores. Para commander "Flare" --- on touchdown with a PC (actually 1-pubic-hair AGL), bury both toggles. Hook Turn (Done with 28' flat rounds -modified). Accuracy approach in winds above 0 MPH: Head directly at the target center. When god tells you that you are nearly as close as Newton allows, bury the opposite toggle. Result: the canopy swings your frail body out and you pick up 3-5 feet towards dead center. SOP. Pea gravel or not. [Jumping in winds above 15 MPH can knock you out, no shit] Hook Turn (done w/ PC-like rounds) -- A "High" wind survival landing in winds above 12-20 MPH when only the fools and James Gang jumped. Head directly at the ordained impact point. About 55' above where god tells you that you are gonna die, bury a toggle. With skill, the canopy does a nice 180 turn into the howling wind. Suddenly, your certain damage changes to a soft enough landing. Skill is mandatory. Luck is better. Plan 'B' is to land close behind a large building. Bury both Toggles and pray. When landing in a down-rotor you are fucked. Round, square, or whatever. Thump. Bury both toggles just before the bottom drops out. (Alternate plan is to avoid the invisible down rotors, Ha!) NOTE: under a square canopy, most all of the above cause death. Know fear. Have a nice day, avoid rounds. EFS, 1,500 round jump cripple (mental) Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

LANDING ROUNDS: Rear risers, PC 'flare', hookturns, and PLF If time is a continum all of the above are on the scale. And you think swooping is hard? Risers --- if you are jumping a round canopy 'flat' (meaning pre-PC): do this--- as the earth approaches, grab all risers, put your feet and knees together, and pre-tension therisers (pull down, sorta), so that on contact your upper body weight stays supported by the canopy longer than your poor feets. Rear Risers -- Jumping a modified round 'flat' pre PC 28' with an aggressive gore removed mod like TUE, TU, double-L, U, et al. --- Do above, but just w/ rear risers. With modified flat canopies, pulling down on the front risers makes you a lawn dart. Rear risers kill some of the down thrust of the gone gores. Paracommander "Flare" --- on touchdown with a PC (actually 1-pubic-hair AGL), bury both toggles. Hook Turn (Done with 28' flat rounds -modified). Accuracy approach in winds above 0 MPH: Head directly at the target center. When god tells you that you are nearly as close as Newton allows, bury the oppisite toggle. Result: the canopy swings your frail body out and you pick up 3-5 feet towards dead center. SOP. Pea gravel or not. [Jumping in winds above 15 MPH can knock you out, no shit] Hook Turn (done w/ PC-like rounds) -- A "High" wind survival landing in winds above 12-20 MPH when only the fools and James Gang jumped. Head directly at the ordained impact point. About 55' above where god tells you that you are gonna die, bury a togglet. With skill, the canopy does a nice 180 turn into the howling wind. Suddenly, your certain damage changes to a soft enough landing. Skill is mandatory. Luck is better. Plan 'B' is to land close behind a large building. Bury both Toggles and pray. When landing in a down-rotor you are fucked. Round, square, or whatever. Thump. Bury both toggles just before the bottom drops out. (Alternate plan is to avoid the invisible down rotors, Ha!) NOTE: under a square canopy, most all of the above cause death. Have a nice day. Rear risers- Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Hey Bill, Like you, all I heard was something like, "a bad apple was taken out in the mountains..." DZ rumor was he was gangland kill meat. Dunno. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

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HOWEVER... If you are going for distance, pull in a track. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Ok. Jumping B4 harnesses (very different from whatever you've seen). I'd jump w/ no chest strap and a adjsusable harness self-ajusted to EEXXX Huge due to attitude. But comfortable. GIVEN: One does not want to leave their parachute harness on opening. (as this is against both the FARs and anti-litter laws) Therefore, one in serious case of space-mind should (could): 1. Open with arms Above head. Do NOT let risers slip off the arms. If they slither, grab em w/ the elbows. Cross your arms above your heart. Remember, stupidity can hurt. 2. Flex at the waist a tad and PUT the feets on the butt. The knee joints will usually catch the harness. Ouch! 3. If you'd like to ever touch your toggles again, remember #1. 2-cats [WARNING: Projessional idolt -- Do not try this at home!... or anywhere.... unless Murphy lurks... ] Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,

Da Starlight was a SMALL round canopy that opened at about 11Gs. The team song was, "Starlights for sale." Followed the Piglet. Handled better. Landed better. Killer openings. CasaGrande Death Days. Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,