first ever AFF... who, where, when?

[shunkka 0]

if it`s a repost pls delete it
who made the first official AFF course, where and when?
and the first unofficial AFF?
thanks
just for my curiosity

-------------------------
"jump, have fun, pull"

[skypuppy 1]

The late Johnny Carson did a 'buddy jump' in July '68 with Bob Sinclair as his jumpmaster. The film was shown on the Tonight Show. Sinclair had been working on a freefall training system to use with the military, so it was, I believe, an actual approved progression method as far as the military was concerned, if not uspa.

Sinclair is still jumping, maybe he will correct me if I'm wrong....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[jonstark 8]

There were many many "harness hold" jumps made before AFF's inception. But you want to know the history of AFF, Right?

I went to Deland one wknd and saw Ron Coleman working with a guy in a wheelchair. He was going to take him on a jump. I think Rocky Evans was his partner.

I will say that Ron and Rocky's work with this student was the start of what we know as AFF today.

Sadly Ron was killed in a balloon accident. BUT like any really important and good idea it was just the right one for the times and people ran with it and made it what it is today.

[steve1 5]

Quote

The late Johnny Carson did a 'buddy jump' in July '68 with Bob Sinclair as his jumpmaster. The film was shown on the Tonight Show. Sinclair had been working on a freefall training system to use with the military, so it was, I believe, an actual approved progression method as far as the military was concerned, if not uspa.

Sinclair is still jumping, maybe he will correct me if I'm wrong....

Bob Sinclair is my hero! I hope to still be jumping when I'm his age....Steve1

[skypuppy 1]

While it wasn't the USPA AFF, Jim Hall and Dave Burt formed Para Ventures Incorporated in 1959 doing displays, adverts, stunts, film, supply drop, geological surveys by chute, and development work for gov't.

In attempts to reduce fatalities/injuries by bale-out, the US Air Force wanted a parachute training program with max benefit in minimum time. Para Ventures came up with a 12 hour training program on freefall, conopy control and landings using a 'buddy system' using an instructor with a harness hold who could operate the ripcord if the student didn't, and which also used an AADas a back-up.

It seemed to consist of two jumps, one from 8,000 and a second from 12,000 ft. Bob Sinclair and Bud Kiesow were two other instructors involved, and some if not most jumps were done at Elsinore.

After the first two jumps several trainees actually made a 3rd jump from 12,000 'solo' with the instructor flying beside them in case of problems, and deployed on time themselves with no stability problems.

So it was an established program with a curriculum and progression sequence in active use - to me it qualifies as the first accelerated freefall program.

It is the program that Johnny Carson used when he jumped.

Coleman, along with others refined the program for civilians using two jumpmasters, among other things, and adding different levels to get skydivers to the level they wanted (ie, turns, moving forward, tracking and waving off, etc), but Para Ventures was only concerned with allowing people to fall stable and deploy, I'm sure if the client wanted they could have added other levels themselves....

Several other civilian attempts at harness hold systems didn't work because civilians didn't use aad's for backups like the military did -- Mike Steele and a student died in California in the early 80's on one, and another very experienced Canadian jumper (Cdn RW Team Member, I believe) died out west on one when he opened his student's chute around 400' but couldn't get his own out in time....

Rob Laidlaw, Mike Zahar and some others were I believe working on a Canadian P(ogressive) FF program around the same time as Coleman, and so was Bob Wright, who still does his own system at the Grand Bend Sport Parachute Centre.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[jonstark 8]

Good stuff that I was unaware of.

thanks.

[councilman24 37]

Ken Coleman, not Ron. From my local DZ. Ken and Rocky put together the program presented to USPA. As stated, Ken died not to long after in a balloon accident in the Chicago area. Ken and Rocky were in a large balloon with others, no rigs. The balloon hit wires and caught fire. Ken stayed in and died with everyone else but Rocky. Rocky jumped rather than burn and survived. Stories differ on how high but as I understand it he assumed he was dying by jumping instead of burning.

Ken, Rocky, Sam Brown and Don Carpenter made up the Rainbow Flyers four way team in the mid 70's. Three time national and two time world champions (world champ. and world cup) Sam and Don still live near here, Kalamazoo Mi area and still jump.

Some of this is from an aging memory and DZ discussions. I've met Rocky a few times and been to his home in Florida near Palatka. Sam and Don are friends. Don usually is borrowing one of my rigs lately.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[shunkka 0]

thanks guys

-------------------------
"jump, have fun, pull"