skypuppy

I seem to remember a Brit (Royal Marine, I think) named Apple wearing a concealed rig in a parka type jacket down at z[hills - I think it might have been for Dead Men's Tales. 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'd suggest writing a letter to the editor of skydiving magazine. That way she could have Nancy Lariviere write a response about the training and all the people that initially read the article have a chance to read the response. 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

Not to take anything away from her, but in her day I don't think she was that well-known or special. Some of her contemporaries, now, might qualify. Leslie Irving, for one, who created an industry out of parachuting that has lasted till now. Or Rodman Law, who jumped from the Statue of Liberty, New york's Banker's Trust building, and the George Washington Bridge, all in 1912, with one of Leo Steven's chutes. Also tried to ride a rocket up high enuf to parachute down, but it blew up on the ground. Also was the second person to jump from airplane (ever) and the 1st from a hydroplane. 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

Two very experienced crw jumpers died on a demo out west when they couldnt' release their strap. 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

In large part, doesn't this describe 'Skydiving Magazine"? 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

Nick, the official publication for the sport isn't in a good position to be bad mouthing its members, even if warranted. Slam container maker X and their response may be to stop talking to the USPA, rather than to take the criticism, esp if the end result is it costs them a lot of revenue. USPA's purpose is to promote the sport and those involved within, so the end result is a mantra - if you have nothing good to say about X, say nothing at all. But you can still praise the best. ________________________________________________ A few years back I submitted a 3500 word article on Bill Cole along with numerous vintage photos from the '60's and '70's. The reply was that Parachutist publishes profiles on very few skydivers, and therefore it would send a wrong message to publish one about someone who has been kicked out of their association. My response was to not renew my USPA membership. Skydiving Magazine later published the article in it's entirety. For my money, I'll take Skydiving magazine anyday. 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 hate to admit it, but you were also the inspiration for the Great Jumpmaster in this story I wrote way back when.... http://www.parachutehistory.com/humor/dzsky.html Some recreational chemicals may have gone into the creation of this epic tale of climbing up from the bowels of corruption to final redemption. 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

HUh! The only other guy I know that opened that low (and lived!) - broke both his feet on line-stretch. But that's a story for another day. 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

Mitch must have got a bit of a razzing, too, didn't he? 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 recall a (south african?) 4-way bounce sometime in the 80's, and many close calls. __________________________________________________ What was that we used to say? The difference between a good four-way and a bad one.... ????? 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 have also heard stories that Patrick DeGayren (sp) did some post-exit hook ups with someone that was the chuteless-dummy. They supposedly did a handful of them, until on the last attempt, Patrick could not hook up with the guy. The chuteless one went in. I think these took place in France. __________________________________________________ It's not true that they couldn't get together. My understanding is that the hook-ups all went ok. The canopy they used was similar to some sort of freebagged reserve chute. On the last one, the fellow (I seem to recall his name was Alain something) had a lineover, or some sort of mal, that was not surviveable without a reserve. This was at an airshow. 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

Yea a great tune. The more I think about it the more certain I am he must have been on it. Al always liked being on the bottom, and I remember he had a black/rainbow strato-star, which could be what is on the bottom of your picture. If you had a picture from below, he would be in bare feet. Other possibles are Shady (Larry Schroeder), Tank (Roger Kotanko), Kevin Lindsay (I think he still jumps). Don't know who else. 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

Why a questionmark behind my name??? Watch http://www.spymac.com/details/?1849503 My chuteless jump is the only one with a video on the net at the moment. Andi Dachtler www.cirocom.de www.xx-stunts.de _______________________________________________ Andi Not trying to question if you had done the jump, the question mark was because I wasn't sure if you had done more than 1 chuteless jump. Thought it possible you might have done 2 or even three, but wasn't sure. I was talking to Bill the same time you were before you did the stunt. Skypuppy 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

Do you remember if one of those jumpers was Al Miller (Hawkeye) from Simcoe dropzone? I remember him complaining one time that an ad for the Winchester dropzone had a picture of a stack they made in Z-hills, implying it had been done at Winchester. Hawkeye was almost my 'CReW mentor' back in the day. He gave the first seminar I heard about it. Later we were grounded together for thirty days for our star, stack, (cutaway), two-way in freefall jump. 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

It's because the stunt has been done so few times that makes it worth doing again. (piece of irrelevant trivia - I recently wrote a short story about a chuteless jump - a murder mystery - that won second place in a mystery writing competition up here. the story was called 'The Greatest Stunt Ever') As Bill Cole told me several times he tried hard to have CSPA create a 'second' set of bsr's (or essentially a clause saying regulations could be waived in the case of professional 'stunts') so that he wouldn't have to break them during his work. They weren't interested, but for what it's worth, these stunts are usually done so rarely and are so choreographed by professionals, that things rarely go wrong. It's the dropzone yo-yo's doing it only to impress themselves and their friends (or the girls lining the runway) who tend to kill themselves, not the professionals earning a living. Sounds like with the rodeo entry and the climbing harness, Travis found a way to make an old stunt new. 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 probably at least 100 chuteless jumps over the past 3 decades Rod Pack - 1 Jimmy Tyler - 2 Bill Cole - 2 French guy - 3 or 4, from what I heard definately less then 10 Andi (Germanguy) - 1? Travis - 1 Greg Gasson - 0 (he wore a wire) Total - between 10 and 17 A far cry from 100 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

Strange. It seems to me you're more upset about this successful stunt then about someone not even close to the minimums, with no aad or audible, and not close to current, going in on a wingsuit jump. There are way more people going in pushing the limits on having fun, then professional stuntmen doing it to make a buck. 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

After what happened during one of the sponsored events a few years ago at the Royal Gorge, I don't think all companies really care what happens to their performers. (My opinion). More reputable companies, as Joe Jennings mentioned on his plane-to-plane jumps in a long article in Skydiving Magazine a few years ago, required him to film the stunt 'on spec' at his own risk, paying for his own insurance, and then bought the footage from him after a successful completion. So no, I don't think a lot of companies really care about what happens on their stunts. Ask Dar Robinson's family how much the client cares - they may be legally in the clear, but not ethically. Bill Cole fought for years to get a different class of bsr's approved by CSPA for stuntmen specifically. They never did, and to this day they hate his guts. Rob Price 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 ubiquitous Niagara Parachutes Cobra 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

And the fact that whoever was running the boogie didn't interfere, seems to have led to the FAA questioning and disallowing oxygen systems in use in skydiving aircraft all over the continent. Seems to me to be a good reason for dzo's and organizers to adhere to minimums even if they believe the guy is just going to go 'down the road' to the next dz and do it there. I wouldn't want him bouncing on my turf! 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 know if this is a lap pack -- It is a photo of John Tranum, a test jumper with Irvin Parachutes in the 30's ready to go on a high altitude jump. The thing on his chest is his oxygen system. He is standing with Capt. Charles Barnard, probably in the UK. Taken from his book "Nine Lives- the Story of the Parachutist John Tranum as written by Himself". I apologize for the photo it is a scan of a photocopy. 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

Incorrect. You have to satisfy your instructor before moving on a level in AFF. You have to demonstrate certain skills before getting the various licenses. _________________________________________________ Seems to me that someone disregarding minimum experience levels is often the type of person who wouldn't be bothered with licences. Did this person have a licence? If not, or if only a basic (a-licence) then he really hasn't demonstrated those certain skills you talk of before going on to do his wingsuit jumps. Seems to me, unless he had 'a lot' of wind tunnel time and unlimited 'coach' jumps with an appropriate mentor, < 120 jumps (and 18ish in the last few week) is not enuf to demonstrate much consistency at anything. 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

Maybe Daryl Henry would recognize 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

My patch has a rainbow 'Z' with the ten stars around it. Got it on a 10-way round with 'Taff' Jones? who worked in the rigging loft 82/83. After the star we dumped and built a 9-stack which was my ccs. Fun jump. Pink Floyd heard we were doing a stack and ran out to get pics without having a suit on. He couldn't stay with the freefall part of the jump, but got pics of the stack. 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 have been many posts by men in similar situations. As the man of the house, you must exert yourself by informing your spouse that she will not dictate your choice of lifestyle. List all the things that make you an adult. 1) You pay the bills 2) Work a job 3) Raise your kids 4) Own a house If she continues to bitch, tell her that she has 2 children that she can mother all she wants. In the meantime, grow a set of balls and don’t get pushed around by someone who’s taken a vow to respect and obey your wishes. ____________________________________________ Then try supporting your skydiving habit while paying two households, child support and alimony.... 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