roman candle

[skypuppy 1]

One of the threads on the incidents forum contained this quote.

A "Roman Candle" is where the jumper is wrapped inside the canopy making it look like a fiery ball from a roman candle plumeting toward the earth. Those were more common during the round parachute days and are mostly unheard of now.
__________________________________________________

I've never heard that before. I've always understood a roman candle was simply a classic streamer usually under a round canopy. Anyone else ever heard this?

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

[howardwhite 6]

I'm inclined to go with this old explanation rather than the more dramatic one you cite.

HW

[JSBIRD 1]

I'm with HW. As far as I'm concerned, a roman candle is a streamer on a round canopy.

BASE359

"Now I've settled down,
in a quiet little town,
and forgot about everything"

[jonstark 8]

Don't forget the dreaded "cigarette roll". It was described as less than black death but still bad juju.

jon

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Quote

I've always understood a roman candle was simply a classic streamer

It has been that description for me since early '64 when I made my first jump. And I have seen at least one ParaCommander do it. Streamered to about a grand then opened; he had his thumbs in the shot'n'halfs when she took air.

JerryBaumchen

[RogerRamjet 0]

Quote

One of the threads on the incidents forum contained this quote.

A "Roman Candle" is where the jumper is wrapped inside the canopy making it look like a fiery ball from a roman candle plumeting toward the earth. Those were more common during the round parachute days and are mostly unheard of now.
__________________________________________________

I've never heard that before. I've always understood a roman candle was simply a classic streamer usually under a round canopy. Anyone else ever heard this?

Yeah, that quote bugged me too. It is a streamer on a round for me. I had one, but it was because I tied the skirt closed on an intentional cutaway

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[lekstrom10k 0]

As far as I remember A roman candle was at Streamer caused by the locking stows on the flap of the short or long sleeve not coming un-stowed, There was also canopy dump when the packing{crown} lines let the canopy slide to the bottom of the sleeve. This sort of things were rare as I never had them happen on 1500 Para-commander and 150 rag jumps. It was one of those things for worriers to come up with like having an old and new tube-stow on your closing flap. Am I going to open in a spinning line twist or at all.

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi Roger,

Quote

I had one, but it was because I tied the skirt closed on an intentional cutaway

And Booth's SkyHook licensing agreement requires five jumps with an intention bag-lock.

JerryBaumchen

[NickDG 23]

Definitely a streamer.

The sad part is when all us old hands are gone some knob will state Safety Meetings were small gatherings of jumpers where safety tips were passed around . . .

NickD

[bozo 0]

Quote

Definitely a streamer.

The sad part is when all us old hands are gone some knob will state Safety Meetings were small gatherings of jumpers where safety tips were passed around . . .

NickD

Is that what those things we passed around were ?
Scotty you never told me that.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.

[skypuppy 1]

I don't know about that.... I seem to remember descriptions of 'roman candle' malfunctions which pre-dated sleeves....

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's safety in numbers Nick.

Pass that number...

jon

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi skypuppy,

Quote

I don't know about that.... I seem to remember descriptions of 'roman candle' malfunctions which pre-dated sleeves....

Very true. And a 'roman candle' means that the canopy is out of the sleeve, if one is used. It is/was not a sleeve-lock.

JerryBaumchen

[upndownshop 0]

Quote

Definitely a streamer.

The sad part is when all us old hands are gone some knob will state Safety Meetings were small gatherings of jumpers where safety tips were passed around . . .

NickD

Yup streamer!
oh and: my original

If your not safe. your dangerous!

[chuteless 1]

I have to agree with HW. A roman candle was often talked about back in the early 1960s, and it was just a classic streamer, sleeve or no sleeve.

[DavidB 0]

Quote

Quote

Definitely a streamer.

The sad part is when all us old hands are gone some knob will state Safety Meetings were small gatherings of jumpers where safety tips were passed around . . .

NickD

Yup streamer!
oh and: my original

If your not safe. your dangerous!

Nick, I LOVE that...!

And my favorite: "There's safety in numbers, & numbers don't lie."

Oh, Roman Candles were before my time, but I always understood them to be streamers.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[WGore 0]

Streamer! But I remember my old man talking about them from WWII, way before Skydiving was recognized as a sport. Pre 58.

GUNFIRE, The sound of Freedom!

[ripcord4 0]

Streamer for certain, sleeved or not. I had one on my first freefall in 1962 at Frontier Skydivers in Orchard Park, NY. A 28' round never came out of the sleeve - only 1/2 the lines deployed from the sleeve stows. Deployed my pilot-chuteless 24' T7A as trained and landed safely - in a tree. Got to practice two emergency procedures that day.

[fallfast69 3]

Yep, streamer. I, too, found it odd when that guy gave the "wrapped up in the canopy" description. I think what he was describing was the ole "dead guy fallin' in a wad of shit" malfunction Man, did we used to hate those

Jon

[Gerrie 2]

The name  Ronan Candle was given to a pure sik canopy used for the first chutes and when due to dry weather the Canopy would not open properly, due to static electricity produce sparks within the "streamer" lighting it up, which obviously could be seen in the dark. Modern Canopies are nylon and does nog produce static electricity, so it will not light up. Factually we haven't seen Roman Candles for many years gone past. 

[dpreguy 14]

Silk fiber canopy produces static electricity sparks when streamering?  Never heard of that one.

[timski 80]

Slightly off topic, but I'll forget seeing the static "build up" on a helicopter's rotors at night. Pretty cool.  Willy P indirect impacting will leave a lasting memory as well!  

[sfzombie13 324]

the one i will always remember one night in the desert way back and i turned my head up to the sky with night vision goggles on and there were no blank spaces between the stars you normally see when you look up.