Master_Yoda

OK. Thanks guys. It looks like it's up to interpretation as to what getting current again would require. I figured a ground school refresher then a clear & pull to make the S&TA and DZ manager happy would be enough and that looks to be about right. I was kinda concerned someone would tell me to do the S/L progression again which seemed pretty damned silly. (just a money maker for the I's & jm's) It's amazing all the progress the sport has made while I've been away. Freeflying and wingsuits are of particular interest!

I was on Fort Bragg in late winter/early spring of '87 I started my S/L progression. Must've done at least 10 S/L jumps until I had 3 DRCPs done correctly. Then I had to do another 10 more clear & pulls until the day we finally got a CH-47 which has a tailgate. I got up to the edge of the ramp, got in a hard arch, and hopped off so I would be facing the relative wind. It really was the first time experienced true stability. From there on out I progressed right thru all the levels with no problem. I believe it was Gene Paul Thacker who signed me off student status after jumping out of his Twin-Bo at Raeford.

I'm a D license holder with 525 jumps. I learned using the S/L progression. I last jumped regularly in the spring of '90 with only a few jumps since, the last being around '97 I think. I'm very confident I can quickly get back up to speed. And I know the basics such as a stable exit, simple maneuvers and pulling at the proper altitude would be no problem at all. My canopy control should be fairly good as I was a demo jumper and spent almost a month in GK tryouts being trained by the best. Just curious as to what kind of recurrency jumps to expect when I can finally come back to the sport. What would you recommend as an instructor or s&ta? Is there a new USPA standard? Or do you guys make it up on a case by case basis? I did notice the changes in license requirements for D license applicants. 500 jumps now! It was only 200 when I got mine in '88.

I was 21 when I started jumping and 23 when I stopped. What kills me is the fact that it's been 21 years since I jumped regularly. It was almost half my lifetime ago! And it's gonna be at least 3 more years until I can buy gear and start again. (I'm going back to school)

I went through this entire thread and expected to see many lovely arses all snuggled up in tight spandex jumpsuits. BUT NOOooooo. I guess no one has their cameras on when they're climbing into the plane. `sigh`

I've got a couple I could talk about as being "the worst" I've ever jumped. The first rig I ever owned was a RTS container with a Stratacloud main and 24" round reserve with a 4 line release. I can't remember the make the reserve was. But the container no longer had a TSO tag on it so I was only able to jump it on Ft. Bragg and at Raeford. I probably put 100 jumps on it before I bought a new rig. I even deployed the reserve once! The guy who sold it to me couldn't believe I chopped the main and went to the reserve with it. But no issues, it set me down fairly soft even if I was off the DZ. The other nomination I have was a club loaner rig. It was an old Racer container which was OK and a main which was once used by the Golden Knights. They sent a bunch of their used gear to the 82d Parachute Club for use as loaners to students who had recently graduated from student status. I don't recall the make of the main but it had been used in GK demos and was covered with tiny holes which were burned into the canopy from the slag coming off the smoke grenades. For a 7 cell over 200 sq ft it had the squirlliest openings I had ever experienced. My first reserve ride was on one those canopies... a low speed spinning malfunction. So there ya are, my two nominations and the only two mains I ever cutaway. By the way, as I recall the club rigger grounded all those old GK canopies after another young jumper also chopped one.

I was there at Sicily DZ for that Mil. Nationals. It was a lot of fun. I miss those days. I'm so sorry to hear about Danny. We didn't socialize together much at all but I remember what many have said about him in this thread. He always had a smile on his face. R.I.P. Danny Chris

OK, so ummm... Going from a DC5->StrataCloud Delta->Laser 7 220->(20+ year break)->PD Pulse 170??? Just asking. I was considering buying the Pulse.

Interesting thread to read. I've got the itch BAD to come back to the sport but I'm going to school again and will be for another 2 or 3 years. I last jumped regularly in 1990 and have been looking at a lot of manufacturers websites, youtube videos and whatever I can find to re-educate myself in the sport. Canopies have certainly gotten smaller! And wingsuits look like a blast!! Anyway, I'll be lurking for the most part. All I can do for now is jump vicariously. Blue Skies, Chris Youlden