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skybill 22
Yes that is a true crater!! Annie Helliwell and I left Perris for Ghoulidge a couple of daze after Christmas one afternoon and this joker went in right after we left. It was Christmas of 83. I have several photos ot this crater too. He went in just north of where the new hanger is now. As the story goes, he was jumping (his second) wih his daughters who he had given first jump courses for Christmas. He went in and his family sued. Of course the lawyers got ahold of the coroners report and it seems that he had a little blood in his alcohol system!!! (Get it??) From what I heard, he made a lousy exit and had a lousy mal which he did nothing about. (at that time Perris had the SOS red pig rigs so all he had to do is "Pull the red handle!!!) Any way, it had rained so the ground was relatively soft and the way he dented the earth, it did kill the grass. unfortunately I don't have a scanner so I can't post my photo's right now but if you bug me enough, I'm sur I can find one.
PS I don't have a photo of it but the crater that Rick Nelson (not of Ozy and Harriet) made south of the canal was even better. That's the one that Doc johnson made the plaster of paris bird bath out of and that's another story!!!!!!!!!!!!
III%,
Deli-out
skybill 22
Yes it happened, read my other post.
III%,
Deli-out
jbrasher 1
He thought otherwise and used the shot and a halfs and landed my reserve.
I was a little pissed but thankful he was OK.
He said the cutaway went fine but that the reserve took a little while to open.
The reason was the the MA-1 pilot chute still had the temp pin keeping it compressed so nothing left the container until he rolled unto his side.
The temp pin alos put a hole in the apex of my reserve.
Well, we showed this to Gary Douris who was the manager at the time and he got that devilish grin of his (if you;ve seen it you know what I mean) and called the guy who'd packed the reserve and told him to get his ass over to the airport because the FAA wanted to talked to him about the bounce caused by his pack job.
Well, when he got there he found out the mistake he'd made and that the call had been a lesson for hm to learn.
He did; I'd let him pack my reserve again.
Red, White and Blue Skies,
John T. Brasher D-5166
bch7773 0
MB 3528, RB 1182
QuoteWhen I get a chance, I'll add my 2nd scariest riggers story.
While working at Z-Hills in 1975, I got saddled with the safety check of rigs for the annual Turkey meet. This guy shows up to have his rig inspected and when I take a look at the harness, I just about fall over. Have you been jumping this? I asked to which he replied, "yeah, I have about a dozen jumps on it. Well, if you inspect your harness, you will see that critical junctions are sewn with a particular pattern. We used to call it a double diamond, though it is more of a quad diamond. His harness was sewn with a pattern resembling an "N" instead. I could not believe he had not dropped right out of the thing on the first jump. I have attached (I think) a crude example I drew in paint to illistrate.
The first pattern is what should be, the 2nd is what he had....
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Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519
wartload 0
QuoteCare to share who the manufacturer of that rig was?
To be quite honest, I don't remember, but I think the guy worked for the maker of the rig and did the sewing himself. At that time, nearly all the custom gear being jumped was NOT TSO'd, Wonderhog, SST, Eagle, etc., no TSO's on any of them. It was something of a lax time FAA wise....
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Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519
Looks like someone did a little excavating
skybill 22
Yes it is real. Read my above post. I saw it too.
III%,
Deli-out
murrays 0
QuotePS I don't have a photo of it but the crater that Rick Nelson (not of Ozy and Harriet) made south of the canal was even better. That's the one that Doc johnson made the plaster of paris bird bath out of and that's another story!!!!!!!!!!!!
hehehe...So, the story I was told in 1985 (by a Perris jumper who now lives in Sweden) about the bird bath crater is true! Until now I was never completely sure that I wasn't being had.
Murray
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey
skybill 22
The only "Excavating" done in the crater was done by the guy diong it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really. To all who have doubts, I can only say,"You shouldda' bin' there!!!!!!" (except for in the crater that is. Unfortunately I have been witness to many a crater site over the years. Most were not too spectacular in that there was a slight divot, some skidmarks and besides some body fluid, not much else. This one and Ric Nelsons though were "epic!!"
III%,
Deli-out
skybill 22
hehehehe, you have to be talking aout Guy McLaughlin formerly of So, Cal and now of Sweden!, Yes that's true. Sorry I didn't get a photo of the crater but I got to lurk it just the same. As the story goes, this guy seemed a bit "off" and was given by a couple of people (Bad Bob Appleton for one) the,"Bowling speech!" He pressed on in the stratic line progression program and made it to his gradution dive. This was his "first" from 12500', first RW, first kisspass (with Black Death Anna, "the kiss of Death!!") and last but not least, his first bounce!! Ric and BDA leave the plane and she hooks up with him and gives him a "kiss." They check alt., split , do a 360" and hook back up and repeat till about 4 or 5 grand where BDA "waves him off as to say dive over, go open chute now (get it?)" Well, dumdum does the 360" but is staring "UP!!!" in space looking for the love of the rest of his miserable life for another "Kiss!!" At the last second he sees the ground and attemps to go fetal. from the impact it appears that his knees and elbows hit first and the rest of him follows, face down. Good impact, not nothing out or even attempted. The ground was freshly plowed and it rained the previous 3 or so daze so all was ready. His indent was so clear you could even make out the 3-rings and the weave of the cloth from his clothes. He was wearing some kind of button front shirt. The buttons were the typical 4-holed type with 2 bartacs. When he hit, the compression fractured the top exposed button on the bartacs, and when they pulled him out, the outside parts of the button were left in the crater. I lurked them!!!!!!! One nigh when we were out drinking, I gave one of the pieces to my buddy "Red Beard" for safe keeping. The other part of the story is Doc Johnson and the plaster of paris. "A properly functioning mind (never mind the AAD) could have prevented this fatality.
III%,
Deli-out
jonstark 8
Jumper committing suicide tracked toward the pit and overshot. He then turned around and tried again but hit about 10 feet shy and bounced over the pit.
He left a perfect delta crater. We would go out to it from time to time and have a safety meeting dontcha know. The crater was often refurbished by foot skuffing and some rock salt.
The DZ dawg got the tasty treat of the deceased's brain matter.
circa 1980-ish?
murrays 0
It was Guy that told me the story...thanks for giving me the story of the jump itself....I shouldn't laugh...but I am really hard.
Murray
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey
Quote
This was his "first" from 12500', first RW, first kisspass (with Black Death Anna, "the kiss of Death!!") and last but not least, his first bounce!!
Quote
So Bill...tell us!
What became of the four case of BEER!?
~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~
"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."
"Your statement answered your question."
murrays 0
QuoteThe ground was freshly plowed and it rained the previous 3 or so daze so all was ready. His indent was so clear you could even make out the 3-rings and the weave of the cloth from his clothes.
Did the plaster of paris pick up the detail? Does the cast or bird bath still exist? I think every dropzone should have a copy as a first jump course aid
Murray
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey
skybill 22
The plaster bird bath was in the Perris Ghetto for a long time and eventually "disappeared from view." Perhaps it may still be under someone's trailer or?? Al Frisby or one of the oher old farts may know what happened to it?? The detail was pretty good in the crater when I saw it!!!! Trying to find the bird bath today may be like trying to find the "Queen Anne's Revenge" here in NC at the coast!! The ledgend lives on!! I think that some of the detail was lost but the basic shape was intact. (perfect cookie cutter imprint!!!!!!!!!!!!)
III%,
Deli-out
skybill 22
Asshole went in and never bought his beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
III%,
Deli-out
I recall committing a major error when I first started out rigging back in the 70's. It probably would not have been fatal, but could have been, and it scared the hell out of me.
I assembled and packed a round reserve in a chest pack. Everything was fine, but I forgot the cross connector. If someone had cut away, the butterfly snap could have come unhooked causing the risers to be hooked only on one side. A small chance, but a big error none the less.
I realized my mistake the next day after a long thinking process, and repacked it immediately. It made me think hard whether I wanted to be a rigger after that. It also made me a lot more careful whenever I did rigging work.
This sort of thing probably happens more than you realize, because noone wants to admit such a major screw up....Steve1
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