Beatnik 2 #1 January 13, 2008 Yesterday, I did my first jump of the year. What better way to bring in the new year than with a Para-Plane. After a long restoration process, I finally completed this project at the beginning of the second week in December. I would like to thank all of the those that helped me with the restoration. If it wasn't for the information that I got from all of you this would still be on the project list. There wasn't anything too exciting about the jump other than a brisk deceleration and some line twists. Other than that, the canopy flew fine and was quick different from the usually canopies I jump. Next jump on it, the pictures will be better. Good help is hard to find. I still have a few more parachutes to get photos of and should have quite a few updates throughout the year. Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billabx 1 #2 January 13, 2008 Well done! I think the photos are fine. It's good to see someone preserving these pieces of skydiving history in jumpable condition! Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #3 January 13, 2008 Quite the hot canopy -- no stabilizers -- just like the JVX. :-) And the removable slider too. Well, I don't think there ever was one to remove. (So what does the Para Plane use for reefing?) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beatnik 2 #4 January 13, 2008 Quote (So what does the Para Plane use for reefing?) Good old rings 'n' ropes or is it ropes 'n' ringsWhen I received the canopy, someone made a slider for it. I just couldn't use it and what an awful fate for the parachute it was made from. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zing 2 #5 January 14, 2008 No worries, its merely the recycled data panel from a Mark I ParaCommander. If you cut the data panel out of a Mark II or a Mark I, it made the center drive hole in the back about the same size as the Competition ParaCommander's blowhole. Lots of PCs had that mod done to them. The problem with sliders on early ParaPlanes was finding rings large enough to slide cleanly past the knots and heat-shrink on the cascades of the 750 lb lines.Zing Lurks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratoflyer 0 #6 January 14, 2008 QuoteYesterday, I did my first jump of the year. What better way to bring in the new year than with a Para-Plane. After a long restoration process, I finally completed this project at the beginning of the second week in December. I would like to thank all of the those that helped me with the restoration. If it wasn't for the information that I got from all of you this would still be on the project list. There wasn't anything too exciting about the jump other than a brisk deceleration and some line twists. Other than that, the canopy flew fine and was quick different from the usually canopies I jump. Next jump on it, the pictures will be better. Good help is hard to find. I still have a few more parachutes to get photos of and should have quite a few updates throughout the year. Cheers! The word I heard on these was no turns under 500ft. Was that an exageration or a basic survival tip? The person I know who pushed that to the point of great pain never said how low he turned in. How much does it loose in a 90? dzp Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
upndownshop 0 #7 January 14, 2008 Nice job, fun to jump. You went to a bit more work than I did. I just slapped a slider and repacked the piggyback and went. Well, other than replacing the 8"x8" ripstop tape covering the large hole that came off when i dug it out of the closet. LOL Never could get that slider to stay down on that jump.. Does yours still have the red shrink wrap and duct tape at the line attachments at the risers? Glad you had a nice ride. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beatnik 2 #8 January 14, 2008 It is not that bad in turns. Nothing like today's canopies in turns. The blue canopy in the photo is a Sabre 170 and our decent rate was about the same. The forward speed was noticeably different. I did a normal landing pattern and didn't think anything of it. Compared to a PC, well it can't. But if you are used to that type of parachute doing turns under this would give you some trouble. I think when it came out in the late 60's, early 70's it was no exaggeration with today's canopy flying it is nothing to worry about. I have only jumped the Para-Plane this one time, but doing low turns under my Paradactyl would scare me more than this parachute. My Para-Sled doesn't compare to this parachute at all. This was actually a pleasure to jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beatnik 2 #9 January 14, 2008 QuoteDoes yours still have the red shrink wrap and duct tape at the line attachments at the risers? Mine had the red heat shrink but I relined it and replaced it with black. I was having a hard time finding red heat shrink in a size big enough to fit over the lines. When I got the canopy, there was more work than was originally mentioned. The canopy was shortlined by 8 ft., The reefing system was gone, the nose was pleated, the deployment bag was butchered, the rear risers were about an 1 inch shorter than the front and the list goes on. However, the canopy was like new. There wasn't even a flake of black off the Para-Plane logo. The canopy I was told had about 40 jumps and then the owner didn't like the openings or the parachute anymore so it sat for thirty some years. With the help of several dz.com'ers, I got my hands on a manual which revealed a lot about the parachute I didn't know. Then the work began. I removed all the mods and put the reefing system back on. It actually has the Para-Plane Cloud reefing system and not the original Para-Plane system. After looking through the Poynter Manual it seemed to be a little simpler and recommended it for use with a swivel. Then I relined it to the original specs that I got and the canopy sat there for a long time. The canopy retaining strap in the deployment bag really held me up for a long time and I was searching for such a long time and then in late November I got the last piece I needed. I started out with just a canopy and went searching for almost a year before I had all information to restore it. It seems now I don't do rigging for anyone else. I have a very limited client base now because restoring and keeping the history alive is much more of my passion. Plus my reserves keep me current enough. If anyone has some old gear that they would like a good home for, PM me. I can pretty much guarantee that it will see the sky again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMT 0 #10 January 18, 2008 What container are you jumping it in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
upndownshop 0 #11 January 18, 2008 QuoteWhat container are you jumping it in? Oh gosh it was his old piggy back I used to pack when I was a kid. Yellow reserve tray and the rest was black. It was a popular rig then. Will have to look at it sometime. I believe it is a security, he cut the side flaps down when he pulled the PC out and installed the square Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
upndownshop 0 #12 January 18, 2008 BTW the photo was taken under a 120 Stiletto, it had no problem staying with me. We were shocked at first. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beatnik 2 #13 January 18, 2008 Isn't that something that this parachute that is getting close to the 40 year mark is comparable to some of today's. I think that is pretty amazing. I was pretty shocked with the flight. Nothing like my Para-Sled. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dumstuntzz 0 #14 January 19, 2008 Good for you. preserving our history is important. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1Chalfant 0 #15 January 21, 2008 I think this was the first Competition Jump on a Para Plane. Nashville Parachute Meet 1970 or 71. Steve brought 2 down and jumped them in the meet He had some guy from the Knights jumping one of them, I can't remember his name. Anybody jump this meet in 1970. It was in downtown Nashville.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,363 #16 January 21, 2008 Hi S1, Wasn't Shapansky the first person to jump one at the Nationals? I do not remember what year, though. If I 'remember' correctly, he had been jumping an original Para-Plane ( later to be known as the Baby-Plane ) and went to Snyder and told him that it was too small. Thus, Snyder built the Para-Plane Silver Cloud that Shapansky jumped at the Nationals. Your photo looks like a Silver Cloud; later to be known as the Delta Cloud. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1Chalfant 0 #17 January 21, 2008 Thanks for the reply.. What year was that? Here's another picture from the same meet. This was the first time I ever saw a Para Plane. I jumped a Sled 3 years later without a reefing system. It open so hard it bent my belt buckle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,363 #18 January 21, 2008 Hi S1, Sorry, I just do not know the year ( as I said in my earlier post ). Good luck with finding out, JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 22 #19 January 22, 2008 Beatnik's resurrection of these ancient canopies is fantastic, as long as he is the pilot and not me. I absolutely love skydiving history and read as much as I can find. I'd love to go back in a time machine to the DZs of the 60s, but just to party, perhaps ride in a few Fairchilds, Howards, Twin Beeches, DC 3s and Lodestars, but not to jump. I had my share of excitement with old gear fighting a sticky Capewell during a cutaway from a cheapo. I finally got loose from the 100% military surplus mess and watched my $25 Navy conical reserve deploy safely. The people were great, the attitudes were great, but the gear? Well... we were making history and blazing new trails so that the jumpers of the future could have the wonderful gear they jump today. I have no desire to relive the canopy part of skydiving history. I'll just watch Beatnik from the sidelines as I comfortably flare my Triathlon and watch him do a white knuckle landing in his Dactyl.2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #20 January 28, 2008 Here's a Para-Flite ad following the '72 Nationals. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,363 #21 January 28, 2008 Hi howard, A little trivia for you: That year ( '72 ) Jim Lowe did terrible ( he was still jumping a Comp PC ) after having been the Nat'l Champ in '69 & on the '69-'70'-'71 US Teams. He then went out and bought a Cloud. That thing would malfunction about 10% of the time. In fact, on the dz it was "Lowe's going up for a jump. Who want's to watch a function?" A little later he went to work at Para-Gear and that is where he & Gary Lewis got involved with Para-Foils. Jim made the US Team again in '74 ( on a home-made Para-Foil that he built ) and was the first person to ever jump a ram-arm/square in world meet competition. On his first practice jump the Eastern-bloc folks all came out with their cameras and started taking pictures like crazy. It was the last year a round was ever jumped at a World Meet. Just for those who might want to know, JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #22 February 4, 2008 QuoteWasn't Shapansky the first person to jump one at the Nationals? I do not remember what year, though Does this help? HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
