Static lining students from a helicopter

[pchapman 279]

Just an odd photo - Static line students being taken up in a helicopter. This can't be common, especially in civilian skydiving.

This was from early spring, in about 1987, at the Parachute School of Toronto, in its old incarnation at Arthur. The Arthur DZ was the biggest in Ontario at the time. They continued putting students out on round canopies until the owner retired in about 2001.

For some reason when the grass runway was soft in spring that year, they brought in a turbine helicopter, although I doubt the economics worked out well.

There appear to be 3 static lines hooked up. Who knows if they were first jump students, but the one at the door sure looks confident for a newbie sitting half out of a helicopter...

[Guru312 0]

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Just an odd photo - Static line students being taken up in a helicopter. This can't be common...

I made my first five sport jumps static line from a helicopter in 1960 on Sicily DZ at Ft. Bragg, NC while a member of the XVIII Airborne SPC.

What a total thrill to have no prop blast, no apparent forward airspeed and to make a small step sideways out into space.

I can't take time to look for my logbook but I think the aircraft was a H-21. Banana shaped with two huge blades. Noisy as hell but very fun to jump.

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[ripcord4 0]

Made my five static line sport jumps from a big Sikorski UH-34D helo at Quantico, VA in 1962. It was great - plenty of room inside, a huge door and easy to spot from. The students could do poised exits by climbing out onto the steps and then pushing off the landing gear strut. It was a great old bird to jump.

[skypuppy 1]

I'm trying to decide who the jumpmaster is. It might be Ed Matchett or Larry Hrabbits, but they all wore the same uniforms back then. So it could be anyone. Maybe Billy knows.

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

[pchapman 279]

It was Fast Eddie. I think you can see his well known helmet cover -- furry with animal ears.

[Gadget 0]

Or you could read the text under the photo

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes???
My logbook

[skyh2omedic 0]

Lot's of static line jumps from rotary wing in the military.
UH1, UH60, CH 53, HH3, Chinooks, Skycranes CH64's-out of the box-very cool.
Made sport student jump with GBSPC at Bragg on Sicily out of a Huey all between 81-85.
Did Leapfest at Bragg 82/84-all Huey's
Miss those days.
Have seen some civilian as well.

"You can't teach what you don't know and you can't lead where you won't go"

[zoobrothertom 5]

Yep. For civilians, a helicopter is almost never a money making aircraft. From the replies made, you can see us ex-military guys had it sweet! I did my all my static lines and first freefall out of a CH47 Chinook. In my military time, that I can remember, I jumped Hueys, Blackhawks, Chinooks and Skycranes (from the Box

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[Glitch 0]

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When I was down with a broken ankle, I lent my new Fury 220 to a friend who put the first jump on it out of a Cobra AH-1S.

I remember that... and as I recall the 'authorities' were none too happy about it and some pretty hefty "penalties" insued for those involved. I remember thinking that they got royally hosed when the shit hit the fan and wound up paying a very, very heavy price for that log book entry. But man... I'd love to have that one in MY log book.

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[riggerrob 643]

I got a few freefall jumps from a Chinook.
It sure was weird for an old Sikorsky wrench bender to watch the way the Chinook fuselage flexed every time the rotors turned!

My last military static-line jumps were from a HEER single Huey at the Bundeswehr Luftelande Lufttransporte Schule in Altenstad, Bayern.

[skypuppy 1]

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Or you could read the text under the photo

Too easy, then I would have to scroll it. Funny, I didn;t even realize the scroll bar was there till you mentioned it.

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

[Amazon 7]

I did at least 60 static line jumps from a UH1N at Homestead AFB.. C-9... into the water of Biscayne Bay.. Sea Survival School. Usually had a stick of three of us with the third person being the jumpmaster.

I have also static lined out of a CH-47 Shithook and a CH-3 Jolly and an HH-53 Super Jolly.

[jimp 1]

The Bell 206L Long Ranger is not a bad jump craft for students (as far as civvy helicopters go). Five seats in the back - one for the jumpmaster and four for students, and you can put a paying passenger in the front for c of g balance.

In the summer of '82 we had a small "club" at the remote mining town of Kitsault on the north coast of British Columbia. No airstrip there, and only charter flights coming in and landing on Alice Arm, we used what was available - the Long Ranger. Drop zone was on the tidal flats at the head of Alice Arm, but only at low tide. Always had a boat waiting off shore, just in case.

Some of my students wanted to continue, and did do a few jumps out in civilization, but jumping out of a real airplane was not as pleasant and the unfriendly attitudes at the bigger dropzones turned them off.

I can't imagine any helicopter company these days doing this what with aviation being ruled by bureaucrats, bean counters and insurance companies.