Jim_Hooper

Before my 'Super 26' was stolen, I reduced the pack volume on my ParaCommander by taking six feet off the suspension lines and removing the stabilizer panels, immediately discovering why they were called stabilizers. Gave it away, did the 26', then had a Thunderbow on which I did about 300 jumps, then a Paradactyl, a Starlight, and finally, when I had about 1200 jumps, accepted a gratis Strato-flyer from Dick Morgan when the company was pushing it hard. Compared to the others, openings on the Flyer were as gentle as a spring rain. And reliable, inasmuch as I'd chopped away 25 malfunctions up to that point. (Only one in the next 2300.) It really wasn't until the mid- to late-'70s that market forces were enough for manufacturers to invest in R&D. Until then, a canopy served the primary function of getting you safely on the ground so you could go back up for more freefall. Posers of the 'Look-at-me-I've-got-the-latest-matching-gear' variety were as rare as rocking horse shit back then. Reputation depended on how fast, smooth and consistent one was in the air, with no marks at all for how stylish one's ensemble was. (Uh-oh, did I just hear a hint of grumpy old fart there? I think I did.) Hoop

All the orange parts came from a C-9 and were slightly larger than what they replaced. The split I thing you're asking about (on the left side - and matched to the right) was open to the rear. Forward speed was about the same as a PC, though rate of descent was roughly 10% higher. Not bone-crushing, but certainly firm.

Howard -Rather than play the ‘what’s this canopy’ quiz when no one could possibly know the answer, I submit the photo of my own modest effort. For relative workers of the early- to mid-‘70s, the catchwords were weight and low profile. In pursuit of these, I replaced parts of a 26’ Navy conical with panels from a C-9 to create a semblance of Lemoigne slots, installed ParaCommander-style steering lines, pulled down the apex, added crown lines and tried calendering it with starch. It was packed it in a bag to fit the NB-6 Navy container, which I mounted upside-down (the bottom being marginally narrower than the top) on a Stylemaster harness, the stock ripcord handle replaced with a blast handle. Mated to my poptop belly reserve, it was indeed low profile by the standards of the day. Openings were something of a lottery, and brisk when they happened, while landings – though stand-upable with a good breeze – were not kind on the knees. With the confidence (or arrogance) of youthful immortality, I actually did a couple of demos into Tampa and St Pete with it. Never crossed my mind that I was being outrageously foolish. After about 50 jumps, it was stolen from the Z’hills loft, leaving me utterly bereft. Hoop SCR242 Z’hills Ten-man #9

HW - the photo triggered a cob-webby synapse. I do remember it appearing in Parachutist. It was called X-something. X-wing? X-canopy? Hoop

Amazon - Got mine second hand in Germany the same year for $600, brought it back to Florida, only put up the side curtains when the rain was REALLY hard. Trunk (boot) was just the right size for one set of gutter gear.

Do you think it was subliminal advertising that saw me buying a TR-3 as my first car? Hoop

I'll bet my signature is on the packing card

The patch was the result of long hours with a compass, ruler, and map of Florida on my kitchen table in late 1970 or early '71 and coincided with naming the team Ten High Bunch (triggered in part by the film The Wild Bunch - with the rest a fairly transparent double entendre - it was the '70s, after all). The first attachment, which I just posted on another thread, shows the first seven of us at the '73 Nationals in Tahlequah. (From the top: Tony "Ferret" Patterson, Hooper, Phil "Foul" Smith, Don "Fog" Fournier, Dennis Glaves, Steve Noonan, and Ron Brissey. The three behind Tony were "T-Bow" Smith, Billy "Yossarian" Revis, and Jeff "Ferndock" Searles.) The second attachment shows an original Z'hills 10-man patch and one designed by Tony. Hoop

Some smart ass just asked if that contraption on my chest had "THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY" stencilled on it. Hoop

Uhhh...well, that's me, Howard, with my sage green poptop emblazoned with the Z'hills 10-man patch. Hoop

I think the design on the Z'hills T-shirt was based loosely on the attached photo, which hung in the old, old Z'hills loft for years. It shows the Ten High Bunch over Tahlequah at the '73 Nationals. Hoop

Don't forget that Bob Favreau took his son on his 9th birthday on the same jump as Mike for Kirk's 11th. There are pix of them outside the 10 man star that Slots built around Kirk. jon Jon, I'd forgotten about Favreau (one of the all time good guys) doing a jump with his boy, just as I had forgotten Kirk's name. Thanks for reminding me. Hoop

I believe the jumper you're thinking of is Mike 'Beanpole' Barber who built a single dual harness to take his girlfriend's severely disabled (and underaged) son on a few jumps. Some folks were scandalized, others thought it was pretty cool. There is a photo of them in freefall in one of the Skies Call books. Check with the folks at DeLand. Hoop

Sportster K-1 or B-1 with a five cylinder Kinner. Hoop

Sorry, earlier. HW 1963-64 Ft Bragg (That's known as a wild stab in the dark.) Hoop

I couldn't agree more on the subject of Soss. Those who knew him will never forget. I, too, had a girlfriend who earned her Herd T-shirt and, blushes notwithstanding, was pleased as hell with her audacity. As far as things going missing at one of their boogies, who had the cojones to face the likes of Walt and Soss if they were caught?!

Damn! And I was so hoping to get the co-geek award. Life just isn't fair sometimes. Hoop

Jack is, as usual, correct, though any aviator worth his salt would recognize a B-25, Mr White. Hoop

I did about 30 jumps from Broussards at Chalon-sur-Saone in the summer of 1967, when most French DZs used them. Powered by a P&W R-985, the Broussard had a performance similar to a U-6 Beaver. Hoop

Howard - the demise of The Herd is a great loss to skydiving. Stories of their antics at Z'hills were legion. I don't think any group had more fun than those guys. Remember the Whale lying on a polar bear rug at the '73 Nationals, sucking on a baby's bottle and wearing only a frilly bonnet? Hoop

Someone got hold of my picture and put it in this site. There are other interesting old shots. The attached photo came whizzing through the ether the other day from Z'hills, along with a query on who it is. I think it's the Valley Mills team after the '71 Turkey Meet, with Ron Cox standing 2nd from left and Phil Mayfield in the cowboy hat. Can any Texas skydiving historians identify the others? Hoop

Hey Hoop, Howard may or may not know what it is, but I'm guessing a Belgian Stampe (Pronounced 'Stomp") Absolutely right, JS. Hoop 359

Nope. This is a Tiger Moth. I jumped out of it in England a bunch of years ago. The bike is also a collector's item but I don't remember what it is. Do I need to run a separate "What is this motorcycle?" thread? HW Howard - do you know what airplane my (former) Morgan is parked in front of? Hoop

I believe the fee is just a few Krugerrands. Jack - that was quick and subtle. A troll through the names revealed my own, which I was totally unaware of - and not a farthing, much less a krugerrand, paid. An award far more decorous, not to mention unnumbered, was the T-shirt given to confident, free-spirited ladies by The Herd, surely the most imaginative and fun-loving bunch in the history of skydiving. Anyone out there who still has one tucked away somewhere? Ah, the days of simple pleasures. Hoop

I am always grimly amused by those who see a DZO’s emphasis on safety as somehow limiting their fun. A moment’s intelligent reflection just might throw up the possibility that the person in charge genuinely hates people dying on his/her dropzone. It’s the owner/operator, not the writer of the above, who has to deal with the aftermath. “I hate getting talked to like crazy at a lot of DZs. Sure I only have 400 sumpin jumps, but that doesn't mean I need an AFF course every damn time I visit a DZ.” If it impacted face down – not that that’s the way you’ll find it because bodies almost always bounce – it will be unrecognizable as the laughing, enthusiastic man or woman you were talking to half an hour earlier. “I hate getting talked to like crazy at a lot of DZs. Sure I only have 400 sumpin jumps, but that doesn't mean I need an AFF course every damn time I visit a DZ.” “Jesus, what’s that?” “I think it’s his/her liver” - or spleen, or brains, or intestine, or bone. (You didn’t think it was a hygienic Hollywood version of a bullet through the heart, did you?) “I hate getting talked to like crazy at a lot of DZs. Sure I only have 400 sumpin jumps, but that doesn't mean I need an AFF course every damn time I visit a DZ.” Before you make another breathtakingly immature “I’m-too-shit-hot-to-listen” comment about a DZO’s concern for your well-being, let me make a suggestion. If it should happen one day where you are, take that long sad walk with him, have a good look and try not to toss your cookies. You are, however, allowed to cry later, in private, if it's someone you knew well. And you know what? – it never, ever, gets easier. Jim Hooper SCR242 D4019