bravoniner

Jerry: That was the "Directory Issue" for 1964. I need info on a couple of the listings for some historical research I'm trying to do on a long-gone DZ and the folks who jumped there. B9

Thanks, Lisa. Did that first. B9

Looking for a copy of the July 1964 issue of PARACHUTIST (Vol. 4, No. 7). If you have a copy you'd be willing to sell (or scan), please PM me. Thanks, B9 P.S. Also looking generally for copies of PARACHUTIST and SKY DIVER 1964 and earlier. Let me know if you have anything you're willing to part with. Thanks!

Thanks, but I really need the July issue. B9

Looking for a copy of the July 1964 issue of PARACHUTIST (Vol. 4, No. 7). If you have a copy you'd be willing to sell (or scan), please PM me. Thanks, B9 P.S. Also looking generally for copies of PARACHUTIST and SKY DIVER 1964 and earlier. Let me know if you have anything you're willing to part with. Thanks!

I have some old (ca. 1963) catalog sheets from Midwest Parachute Sales & Service, but nothing on Dan, personally. I could scan/send them to you, if you're interested. B9

And, finally, does anybody have any info on the DZ that operated at Air City airport in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, in the early '60s? The primary jump ship was a tri-gear Howard DGA-15P flown (I think) by the late Steve Hay, Sr. [SEE photo]. Lowell Bachman, Jim Stoyas [SEE photo], and other early-day midwest luminaries jumped there. I'm trying to collect whatever information, names, photos, paper, etc. I can regarding operations at this DZ before it's too late. I fear it already is, but ... B9

And, while I'm at it, here are a couple of other things from defunct DZs: A late-'60s brochure from Parachuting Incorporated at Rainbow Airport, Franklin, Wisconsin. A Pine River Valley Skydivers patch -- this club jumped at the Richland County Airport, Sextonville, Wisconsin, in the early '70s. B9

Anybody remember a DZ in (or near) Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in the mid-1960s? Take a look at the attachments. It would have to have been after 1963, because there's a zip code in the address. I'm quite sure there was nothing active there after about 1966, or so, so this was a very short-lived operation. B9

Have you played with the adjustment tab on the cord that runs through the cuff on the back of the helmet? You might be able to get a better fit with some minor changes.

RIP, Smiling Paul.

Made my first two jumps out of '78V at Rainbow in 1969, and then a few more in 1973 when Steve Schimming had it at Waunakee, WI, in bright new yellow paint. Quite a ship, and a real shame it got rolled up in a ball by a later operator.

I stand corrected. Thanks. Wonder what happened to N74696, then. It's not in the FAA registry (at least under that N number) anymore. B9

No disagreement there. I think there were two tri-gear mod DGA-15s in jump service about the same time (the other one on the west coast somewhere). B9

I'm pretty sure this is the Howard in question. It carried jumpers at the short-lived and now long-defunct Air City DZ in Sturtevant, WI, for a couple of years before heading to PA. These photos are probably circa 1964 or '65, taken at Air City. B9

Try this: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm B9

Two solo dives in the log since my last post. Generally, things went well, although I had a couple more heading wobbles on the second jump. It seems my FF skills have eroded more over the long layoff than I had hoped (guess I shouldn't be surprised). Interestingly enough, these problems closely resemble those I had for a short while when I first started making terminal-velocity dives back in the day. I suspect leg issues, so I'm taking a coach along next time to see if we can sort it out. Huge fun, nonetheless, and -- even with all the changes in gear and protocols -- remarkably familiar. B9

Hey, thanks! Next step was today (with gorgeous late summer weather). Looked over the old logs, did a day's worth of retraining and proficiency drills, and then did the rough equivalent of a AFF level 4 jump (release dive with one AFF Instructor) from 12,500'. Other than some undisciplined knees that occasionally gave me a slight "uncommanded" turn, things went great! Good exit, no stabilty problems, good altitude awareness and pull. Nice standup on target. I'm cleared for a solo dive next. Has it really been almost 29 years? BravoNiner

Looks like some European paraglider designers are having success with ultralight, single-surface wings, and they appear very quick to recover from collapses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YsdvrIRRE&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug44-NcT9Ro&feature=channel&list=UL I wonder if any canopy manufacturers are experimenting with similar light, ultra-low-volume, single-surface canopies. B9

My used PC (just the canopy) set me back $135 in 1970. A ticket to 7200' was $3.50, $5.00 to 9600' and a whopping $7.50 to 12.5. But, compare those dollars with 2012 dollars, and I'll bet things aren't a whole lot different today. B9

Seems to me a separate forum for POPS and older-jumper-related issues would be useful and popular. Any chance? B9

Still looking for info on this old DZ. Anybody got any pix or other stuff from this short-lived operation? Thanks, B9

]/reply] Real estate is much cheaper south of the city, and I-80, I-55 and I-57 serve IN, IA, MI as well as Chicago metro area. Gurnee just suits the cheeseheads. Wisconsin Dells makes sense. Big tourist trade year round (indoor water parks), and about equidistant from Chicagoland and Twin Cities markets (plus WI metros and DZs). Dells real estate isn't cheap, but not out of reach, either. B9

Hi B9 Do it as often as you like exept when you have to start wearing eye glass you need to give it a rest before you go blind or Broke. Hey, I was broke and wore glasses back in the day. No different now! BTW do you still have your round gear? . No, the rigs are long gone. I think I still have my frenchies somewhere, though. B9

Well, I went out and made a tandem jump yesterday. It has been almost 29 years since my last previous jump, and almost 39 since my last Cessna jump. Needless to say, some contrasts were very apparent. 1) Dang, was the 182 always this uncomfortable and hard to move around in? Yes and no, I guess. I'm sure a big part of it is my being heavier and less flexible than I was many moons ago. 2) Hmmm ... I'm the only one on this load not wearing a parachute. One of these guys is going to "adopt me" at about five grand but, until then, I feel kinda nekkid. Not sure I like that. 3) Hey, who's spotting this load?? Not much looking out the door and making frantic corrections. Oh, I see -- the spot's been entered into the GPS and we're flying right to it. (That, in combination with the performance of today's canopies sure seems to make spotting a lot less stressful than it used to be.) 4) No helmets on anybody (not even a frap hat). I guess there are good reasons for that, but I sure hoped I didn't have to try to fly the "stack" from the bottom if the TI took a whack on the head during the exit. 5) Probably because of the lack of a helmet, the noise in freefall was a whole lot louder than I remembered it. WAY louder (my ears are still ringing). 6) Man oh man, these new squares sure snivel for a long ways! That makes for a nice, soft opening, but I was almost beginning to wonder when we were going to chop the thing. My old PC could have opened three separate times in the same distance. 7) The toggles sure felt heavy but, then again, the big old tandem main was 375 squares. Guess I shouldn't have been surprised that it drove like a truck. But it did have one almighty powerful flare, and set us down like a feather. Nice! Yes, then and now are different in a lot of ways, but one thing is very much the same. While there may be a thing or two that is AS fun as skydiving, there is absolutely nothing that is MORE fun. I'm very glad I came out of a long retirement and got back in the air -- so glad, in fact, that I'm going to go do it again. B9