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Ever since you where born, people have been telling you "be careful or you'll fall" so now your doing exactly what you've been told not to do, and you wonder why you feel this way? So don't worry, practice your emergency procedures in your head, then when or if the time comes and you have a problem every thing will come naturally. Blue Skies D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

Thanks for the help, Joe L who jumps at The Cleveland Sport Parachute Club (near me) told me they had stamps there, so this weekend I'll go there and get one, and maybe do a freefly with Joe. Thanks again John PS I started jumping in 1968, quit in 1978 started back in 2007 D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

I was 21, just out of the Army and was on my way to see my folks at a camp site. I was driving past a small airport with a sign saying "Red Eagle Skydiving" Instruction and Demonstrations, I pulled in and didn't leave till 10 years later!! that was in Aug 1968. D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

Maybe I'm just an old f### but I would be embarrassed to say a packer packed my rig. It's a basic skill that should be practiced (no excuses) by every one that calls him or her self a skydiver. I packed my first jump parachute and every jump after that and I always knew who to blame when it didn't open. I have the money to pay someone to pack for me whatever the cost, but the cost to my pride would be unbearable. D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

I think that to reverse the loss of new people in skydiving is that all skydivers should become ambassadors for the sport. Looking back to when I was a sky god(in the early seventy's) I and the other sky gods at our field chased many (hundreds)of would be skydivers away because of our attitudes. Rather than fostering inclusiveness we had exclusiveness. We took their static line money and if they weren't cool we ignored them till they went away, Wuffo's were completely ignored. Needless to say after a few years we had a core group of people that weren't enough to support our operation and it folded. Now looking at it hindsight I'm ashamed of how we (I) treated these people, those that wanted to join our sport, to help it grow. In reading some posts in this forum I see some of my old attitudes still exist. So maybe next time you see that student or wuffo standing there take the time to engage that person by saying "Hi you going up on the next lift" "Wanna try a tandem jump?" "Nice rig (even if to you its a POS)" Make your self approachable, humble yourself a little and remember that person was you once upon a time. And he may someday be the person to fill that load, be the base or be the next sky god. Be an ambassador ! D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

Back in the mid 70's we had a guy show up at our field in Grafton Ohio who wanted to start jumping. I can't recall all the details but he and I did some jumps, went skiing, climbing, repelling and some spelunking together. Then he went into the Army and became a Ranger, was stationed in Hawaii for a while. Me, I got married, quit jumping and lost track of this new guy. Well now 30 years later I'm getting back into jumping and I hear this new guy is world renown skydiver George Jicha! George are you out there??????? D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

[did many people die from these drugged up jumps? ive heard there were a lot more drugs in the sport back then, did that stop relatively quickly with a notable incident or did it just sort of die out? ] We got to the field about noon or so and since it was a crappy day, we started drinking. Well lo and behold it cleared up at about 6 o'clock, so we started getting ready for a lift. Three of us were suited up and we were harassing our fourth to hurry up. Because he seemed to be looking for something we asked what he was looking for?? He started cursing us saying "where did you put my rig" well this put us in stitches and we were roaring just howling with laughter, and he just got more pissed off, returning our laughs with curses. Finally we couldn't take it any more we told him to look on his back!!! he had his rig on all this time. Our pilot said " if you f---ers are to drunk to gear up, your to drunk to jump" So we went to the bar to finish what we had started! D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

I had hay fever for many years while jumping, my ears would be OK going up but upon opening I would have tremendous pressure and would have to clear by holding my nose (val salving) and holding great pressure for upwards of 30 seconds to clear one or "please" both ears. I would get that hissing noise and then the welcome pop. This would start in Aug and last till first frost 1 Oct. I averaged about 20 jumps a week and never had any problems other than the discomfort. D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

Well I bought a rig, got a PD210 main and a Swift 175 reserve, my USPA membership also arrived today and I've been watching skydiving video's (over and over)for the last week. I feel like a small child waiting for Christmas morning. Hoping for some early spring like weather here in NE Ohio and if it dosent come soon I may have to go south. One of the vedeo's I've been watching was from the WFFC at Rantoul Il. have you been there??? I look forward to seeing you all there! Blue Skies John D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

When I started in 1968 the closest rigger was 70 miles away and since either a rigger or the jumper has to pack the main I packed my first (yes Static Line)jump parachute. It worked!! Just jump it!! it will work, believe in your self, your better than you give yourself credit for! D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

I can only add after making about 200 jumps on a para-plane was how extremely hard the opening were. I could only make 5 or 6 terminal openings before switching back to my PC so my legs could heal where the leg snaps had scraped the skin off even though they were well padded. Upon pulling I would bring my arms and chin to my chest and then BLAM!!!! many time's my helmet would be twisted on my head. I knew that in order to continue jumping the Para-Plane I would have to make the openings softer, so I attached a small piece (1"X2") of Velcro to the nose lines hoping it would slow the opening. My next jump I went from 5500' got to terminal then pulled, waiting for what I thought would be just another hard opening when to my surprise it was as soft as my PC. Then I looked up and I saw that small piece of Velcro still holding my nose lines together, O Shit. After riding it down to 2000' trying everything to clear it to no avail, I cut it away and went to my 24' unstearable reserve. So ended my attempt to make that POS to open nice. D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!

Chet was a great guy always willing to talk, I purchased a skydiver earring from him at Zhills from the back of his VW van in 1971, pierced my ear right there. RIP D-2626, SCR1999, SCS641, NSCR2350, GW6909 Blue Skies!!!!!!