skypuppy

Some day I'll dig out that paper I wrote on skydiving culture for anthropology 101 back in '81 for you. The one I didn't realize would lose 5% a day for being late because I always cut the last hour and a half of class to meet my girlfriend (and parachute student) at the Elbow Room downstairs in the UCC. The prof eventually said it was a really good paper and the mark I would end up with after the late penalties would drag down my whole average, so he compromised and gave me a 60 or 65, don't remember which. 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

Before jumping at a farmer's field outside of Coldwater, Ontario (which shut down a few years ago), the Huronia Skydivers jumped at Midland Airport, onto the ice of Penetang Bay in the winter, then moved to Port McNicoll for a while before ending up jumping at a small airfield outside of Honey Harbor. I believe they may have been one of the few parachute clubs that actually operated out of a strip club. One of the owners was operator of the Port McNicoll Inn, a local peeler bar, and they had equipment and training rooms in the back of the club. Lots of good stories from those times. Rob 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

Something like "I shouldn't have had that Nth beer and THEN driven over to the beer store.", you mean? But I don't really remember that anyway. Someone just told me it happened.... 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

a great number of advances in anything we can name come about through the insights of the gifted, the execution of the skilled, the willingness of the insane and the mistakes of the unprepared. Great quote man. Almost better than hold my beer and watch 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

Been in several planes that blew jugs and had to land because I was with students who couldn't get out at that altitude, but the most memorable one was a blown jug at 400 ft. We;d been sitting around drinking the night before and I'd argued that 400 was the lowest I'd get out in an emergency -- the next morning I thought they were trying to play with my mind, but it was for real. The pilot did a wingover and cut power -- dead-sticked in, puddles of water on the runway stopped us from overshooting the end of the pavement. The other memorable one was when the landing gear gave way as we turned onto the runway from the taxiway. 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

Just tell them you're with Red Bull and you really know what you're doing. And your mom can make a new suit for you to wear doing tandems.... 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

My fave is a 303, but I do know guys who prefer a good old-fashioned scatter gun. How about youse? 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

Bottles are definately no-nos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plastic bottles work fine under canopy. _________________________________________________ ewww! Beer in a plastic bottle???!!! 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

I always take cans, myself. Bottles are definately no-nos, but as long as the can's empty before you toss it, no worries. Personally, I like Busch. 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

i don't get parachutist, being from canada (I did get it once or twice when I won free subscriptions for a year at paraski), but when I submitted an article about Bill Cole to Parachutist I was told they wouldn't print an article about someone who'd been kicked out of his association. Skydiving magazine printed the article in its entirety. Also, parachutist wouldnt even mention BASE jumping, which in my mind is just another discipline of parachuting. So in my mind, Skydiving magazine is the only way to go. They donèt have to kowtow to anyone. 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

such strange unrealisitic storylines as you say Hmmmm.... not quite as strange and unrealistic as you might think. We've got Roger Nelson who owned the only skydiving Herc in North America, and was convicted of running drugs to finance it..... We've got a well-known pilot/dzo who was suspected and tried for killing his ex-wife.... We've got a former DEA agent who bounced in someone's driveway in Virginia with 3 duffle-bags full of coke, a couple of guns, some knives, and night-vision goggles..... A plane crashes with contaminated fuel, killing all skydivers aboard, amid allegations of a drug-deal gone bad..... Several high profile skydivers that I know (and you will have probably heard of) have spent time in jail for various money-making schemes..... And of course a guy who held up a passenger plane demanding a large ransom and jumping out the plane later over unknown terrain at night..... I mean, what can be stranger than reality??? 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

There are many dropzones in Canada that accept jumpers under 18 with parental consent. I might even think that it is evenly split or higher percentage accepting. Depending on who it is, a few even take jumpers under 16. I've taken a few 14 year-olds myself. I found them easier to teach and faster to learn than many older students. 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

Another fascinating theme is his ongoing admiration for Jacques Istel Howard == are you being fascetious -- I thought I heard they didn't get along.... 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

Students are taught NOT to begin pull sequence above 3500 feet, that way they would have to be REAL fast to miss their first try at the main, try once more and still pull the reserve before the main had come out. It is realized that 8 or 9 times out of 10 the main aad will activate, even though the student has already pulled the ripcord, because the main aad is set relatively high. The only problem is when students take it upon themselves (or instructors misguidedly tell them) that it is ok to deploy high, thinking it safer or makes them feel better. Then, if they have a problem and initiate reserve procedures high, you can have a two out situation. 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

Skydive Toronto also uses this program for freefall students. The main aad is set for 3000 with the idea that the student will probably have pulled but the aad may very well fire anyway before the main has slowed the jumper down. The idea is to avoid situations of no-pull or low-pull on the main.... If the student has a problem deploying the main, he is taught to make one more attempt, then go for reserve. The idea is that the main will deploy by itself if he has a problem instead of him trying to deploy the main until the reserve aad fires and possibly having two out. 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

So which would say has the greater spectator appeal; swooping is very cool to watch, but terminal freefall below 500' AGL is completely awe inspiring, especially when there is low background noise on the ground. I've made freefalls from planes, helicopters and BASE at 1000 feet but to freefall below a thousand feet while at terminal takes a different breed. All the oldtimer low pull artists I've known seemed to use Piglet (round) canopies... __________________________________________________ Well, I wasn't an artist, but I used a Strong lopo. The rye field was impressive. 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

wrote that in another post, if that ever happens, there will probably be a rig for free in the classifieds.. falling into your cypres, thats a reason to re-evaluate your choices. and maybe ground yourself for life. ______________________________________________ If I'd grounded myself after the first time I opened low, I'D'A MISSED OUT ON A LOTTA FUN, MAN! 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

Lotta blowhards, too. REally, for someone with the experience level you have listed on your profile, I find it amazing you want to keep pushing the point. 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

I think the difference is in the angle of attack. Paragliders are trimmed much more lightly than parachutes. That is why, for one reason, they don't open very well in freefall. They're designed to be inflated and then 'glide' off a launch point. Therefore, the chief danger of doing crw is the liklihood of the paragliders collapsing and the difficulty of getting them opened up again. Just my opinion. 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

If the 4-ways going that great I might point at my altimeter while going for another point, so we all delta away as we pull. 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

About the juxtaposition of Balloon suits and belly warts on the same jump/ Balloon suits were, I think, sort of in vogue when I started in 1979. I recall at least one person buying a balloon-type suit in 79/80. Then or shortly thereafter came the two-piece Silly suits, shoobi suits and Jerry Bird Suits. However, although I think virtually all dz's in Canada were using Belly warts with their student gear in 1979, (SWOOP changed over to tandem-type Innovator containers, still using round canopies in spring of 1980, Gananoque I think went to tandem containers after that, not sure about when Claresholm or the Quebec dz's converted). While I did run into a couple of experienced jumpers with rounds in their tandem containers, I think the only people I encountered using belly warts beyond the student phase were hard-core style and accuracy people. For instance, Brock or Lindsey Gorrell, Craig Winning, Brenda Blue, Kathy Kangas, Victoria Borghese. Seems to me I remember most of them would have two rigs, a tandem-type for accuracy, so they wouldn't have to sling the reserve, and a second belly rig for style, because some believed that it was advantageous to have a belly=wart rig to keep the centre of gravity lower. Others felt you could bring your knees up higher into your fast fall position without the bellywart, and I believe that by 1984 no one was using the front/back style any more other than for student programs. I could have that backwards, though because some maybe thought the smaller tandem rigs were less cumbersome for turning style while the bigger, old style foils with ropes and rings fit better into their single canopy containers. So maybe I don't know exactly what it is I'm talking about, and I'll shut up and see if someone else can make any sense out of 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

I based my words on a friend who weight 125 lbs and had done the samething, hooked his own main closed. When he pulled his reserve, it split fromthe topto the bottom. The only thing that saved the man's life was the upper and lower lateral bands that held together. The weight of the deceased man was another 35 pounds heavier, and I feel the lateral bands would have torn apart on the 28 ft reserve if it had opened. __________________________________________________ Bill -- I think the confusion here is coming from the the above quote -- You talk about the guy being obese, but then say he weighed 35 lbs. heavier than your friend, who you say was 125 lbs. That's 160 lbs, not really obese, unless he was really short. Maybe you meant 225 lbs? 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

The Official Canadian High Alt record was set in 1973, and it was accepted by the BOD of CSPA. Since the fools that run CSPA in the year 2008, have decided not to recognize the record anymore, I have decided to claim not only 1 record,..... but 3 official Canadian records. _________________________________________________ Hi Bill I have put together an updated webpage with the records you claim and some new pics, and the article about you from 2001 in Canpara. http://hometown.aol.com/pricesmoneypit/canadianhighaltitudeskydiving.html 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

Wasn't there a story about a night demo jump at Z-hills where they started shooting fireworks up past the canopies as they came in? Anyone? 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

I think the originals were the safety-flyer, about 160 sq ft 5-cell, and the safety-star, a 180 sq ft 5 cell. They were comparable to the strato-star and strato-flyer mains./ 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