skypuppy

What life experience prepares a person to make their first skydive? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I did not say to make their first skydive, but to understand the consequences of what could happen. I really dont see how a 14 year old (I know I couldnt at that age) can decide whether or not their life is worth putting at risk. And skydiving is going to put your life at risk, no qualms. __________________________________________________ Frankly I know a lot of 30-year olds who don't seem to 'understand the consequences of what they do', or even older. We could keep them in their rooms until they're forty.... Personally I think kids learn much better then adults, and as far as I'm concerned they should be allowed to start as young as 12 or 13 if they can demonstrate the ability and attitudes. It is certainly no more dangerous than moto-cross, or even some other sports such as mountain=biking, etc. As far as ability to learn and physical ability, I believe it's much easier at 15 than 50, and there are a lot of eastern bloc countries where you'll meet 17-18 year olds with thousands of jumps. Any fifteen year-old that's been around a dropzone knows all about death, everyone feels invincible until they grow old. You can keep them in a bubble or let them free. 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 wonder if CSPA has ever gotten applications for an A-license from somebody with over 192 jumps. \ __________________________________________________ CSP---WHAT? I know several (well, more than one) who had around a thousand jumps before they ever bothered to get a licence (if they ever did) My favorite response was Chris Cecil out of Silver Eagle. 'Hey ?Chris, what if you want to do a demo and they won't let you on it?" Chris's reply "I'll buy a plane and do it myself." (Chris owned and flew a number of twin beeches) 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

He did his first jump at 10 and never stoped. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He was taught all his life that pushing the envelope is OK. Its to late now to change what you taught him at 10. Sparky __________________________________________________ There's actually a story about that, having to do with marital breakdown and custody and separable d-rings and bandit tandems on unmodified gear (after all, at 10 years old he's only what, 80 lbs.). But we all grew up after that. Rudy, pm me. Get my email off the profile if you don't have 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

Nice pics, Dave. Makes me wish I was a few years younger.... 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

Funny. That's what my wife keeps saying. 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 in a sleeve, eh? 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

Perhaps this indicates a difference in BASE jumping in the early days compared to now -- maybe Robin or Nick could comment on this. Most of my BASE jumps were a long time ago, and on a lot of them I was scared shitless, but back then i made a pact with myself, if I was geared and started a count-down I went, because alone, I figured if I could back down once, there's nothing stopping me from backing down again and again and again. So if I geared up and climbed it, I went. On my first building jump, in my feverish mind at the time, I was figuring I had between a 33-50% chance of dying (we all know that's a crazy stat, but that;'s what I was thinking), but I went anyway. Physics told me it should be possible, and I knew it had been done once, so I went for it. On that one, tho', I gave a buddy my girlfriend's phone number in case I wasn't able to get down to her house after the jump that night. As for towers, this isn't to say I didn't drive out and sit in the car looking at the tower for half an hour before deciding to just go to the local adult nightclub instead, I did that a few times, too, but I tried to keep that to a minimum as well, simply because if I let myself get defeated mentally once, there was no saying I'd ever convince myself to do it again. And I got to admit that probably a good part of what I was trying to avoid was not so much the jump, as the 750' climb. Even in my youth they were never easy. Hey, that could be a good signature line.... Skypuppy BASE 92 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 used to strut like John Travolta, but now I waddle like Elmer Fudd, but at least I can still walk . . . __________________________________________________ In my case, it's only one leg that's shorter. I figure if I ever get lost in the woods, eventually I'll do a complete circle and end up back where I started. 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

BASE 80, 81 and 82 all qualified on the same cliff after A

You mean under canopy, or in freefall? 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

Take it down to the local peeler bar and get the girls to sign it. Always like the licence 42DDD myself, but even a 38 FF can be all right. Maybe you can give them something in return....? 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

sine pennis volare hau facilest __________________________________________________ What's that about your penis? __________________________________________________ pain and discomfort were not an issue __________________________________________________ Oh, I get it. Don't forget to wear a helmet....

Also I remember Tiny Broadwick talking about doing multiple cutaways, and had the impression that the cutaway canopy static lined the next one, kind of like some of today's base rigs do. I don't remember her specifically saying that, it wasn't part of the jump story, but at the time I thought that was what she was saying. __________________________________________________ Tiny was using parachutes from balloons, mostly, and probably without a reserve, as such. Most balloon jumps of the day (make that ALL) were static-line - although Leo Stevens had a ripcord on his early rigs, they were attached to the aircraft by a staticline, so they were not for freefall. So if Tiny was doing multiple jumps, they were all mains. Since they were static-lined to the balloon, usually they would have the parachutes in separate bags above them, cutting away (most) of the first chute would cause it to deploy a second, and cutting away it would deploy the third. Lindbergh did a cutaway on his first jump - as a barnstormer he decided to do a parachute jump and as I said he used cutaway rig. Many of the parachutes in use until the early thirties probably wouldn't have taken freefall openings. Most were 'balloon' chutes designed to s/l from a balloon at 0 mph. Jumping one out of a plane at 40 miles an hour, let alone freefall, could cause it to disintegrate. 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

Frustrating it is. 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 DZO's are simply trying to stay alive. It's nothing personal against "up jumpers". Maybe we should ask Bill Booth and Ted Strong why they invented this method in the first place? I think it was Bill Booth, and he wanted to take his secretary for a skydive, the way I heard it. And Ted wanted to take Robin Heid for a BASE 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

Yes, The first baton pass at Abbotsford BC was done in '58 by two americans (Lyle Hoffman and Jim Pearson) at a joint us/canadian national competition, so Floyd and Darryl were the first Canadians to achieve the feat. 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

Floyd started jumping in 1954 while in the Cdn Armed Forces, I believe. As the cspa website says he was the first Cdn to compete in an international competition for Canada back in '58, jumping out of AN-2's in Czechoslovakia. In '62, as Joe Ablitt recounted in the Oct-Nov 2004 Canpara, Floyd was a member of the Cdn team which won a gold medal in 1500 m. Accuracy in Orange, Massaschusetts (26 countries competing), and set a new world record. Other members of the team seem to have been Jim Noble, Simon Wyckham-Martin and Darryl Henry. Henry wrote an article about this meet for Canpara in 2002. Then, In 1964, in Leutkirch, West Germany, with 29 countries competing, Floyd place 4th in 1500 m accuracy. Floyd was not only an active competitor, he was also on some cutting edge rw jumps, back when 'passing the baton' was a real challenge. He and Darryl Henry completed the FIRST CANADIAN BATON PASS at Welland, Ontario. From the May-June '94 Canpara article by Darryl Henry, 'Wood Work' (Hope he doesn't mind me reprinting parts of it here, severely edited for brevity). "It was the summer of 1959.... In fact, no one outside of Russia, France or the US had ever done it as far as we knew.... (at that time) A controlled 360 degree turn was a legendary accomplishment.... Next weekend Floyd and I tried again. Holder of Canada's D-2, he was the best skydiver in the country..... He had even done figure-eights. On the second jump on Sunday, we succeeded. Floyd and I swooped together toward the end of our 45-second freefall, long enough for him to slam the stick into my eager left hand.... In lunging for the baton I lurched to the left, Floyd to the right. I went low, he stayed high....I dipped toward Lake Erie, and presumed Floyd was doing the same toward Lake Ontario. It wasn't so. I looked above my head to see a perfect canopy develop. Then it exploded inward and started coming at me. I thought it had simply disintegrated.... The suspension lines went limp, wrapping around both hands.... The only recourse was to pull the reserve and hope it didn't entangle.... I landed briskly but safe, then looked around for Floyd. He was still descending, both his main and reserve open. His head hung limply over his chest, his arms dangled uselessly at his sides. I got to him at the same time as Glen's bus. He was a mess. His face was purple., both eyes swollen shut, line burns across his neck, his football helmet shattered. There was blood oozing from his nose and mouth. I was stunned. Glen had to explain what had happened. Floyd had collided with my canopy. The impact had apparently dislodged both his ripcords. Floyd opened one eye, blood red. Through puffed lips he mumbled a question. We all bent forward to hear better. He squinted in my direction. "Did you...did you get it?" he asked, barely audible. I held up the piece of wood. I'd never let loose of it, not when riding my reserve, not when climbing out of my harness, not when running over. He focused blearily on it, grinned contentedly, and passed out for the better part of two days." This description of the first CDN BATON PASS shows a bit of what it took to jump in the early days. I have two magazines, one from Nov, 1971, showing Floyd being presented his gold wings, and the other from Oct-Nov '76 showing Floyd doing his 2,000 jump with John Simis (John's 1000th), and being presented his diamond wings from his wife Betty (John had to settle for getting his from John Smythe, pres of cspa). Floyd is not only in the Cdn. magazines, I've found references to him in Frank Ellis' book, Canada's Flying Heritage, 'Skydiving, the Art and Science of Sport Parachuting' by Bud Sellick, and Howard Gregory's 'Parachuting's Unforgettable Jumps'. I was fortunate enough to do lots jumps with Floyd out of the Cdn Warplane Heritage DC-3 'Canucks Unlimited' back in the 90's(and the 50th anniversary of d-day at the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa in '94), and accompanied him and others on some trips up to Moose Factory to do exhibition jumps on the island near James Bay. It was always a lot of fun. Right up into the '90's Floyd was regularly winning at the SkydiveToronto Snofall winter accuracy meets, and was a regular test jumper for Irvin Parachutes before they closed up their plant in Fort Erie, near Niagara Falls. Floyd has continued jumping. Although his jumping has been limited in the last couple of years, I understand he was out recently doing some. Hopefully he'll be out more this summer. I would love to talk to him again about some of his past experiences. 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

1) Effect of sponsorship and high profile jumps, and specifically the influence of Red Bull on BASE. 2) Preparation of non-skydivers (specifically paragliders) for BASE 3) Overall effect on BASE of an influx of non-skydivers into the sport, as a result of a commercial operation aimed at this end __________________________________________________ Anbd as I said, there are a bunch of skydivers in Calgary who think: 4 effect on skydiving (via on-going inquiry) of an influx of non-skydiving BASE-jumpers into the newspapers. __________________________________________________ I won't speculate on whether or not he was adequately prepared for this jump, but will say that I expect his level of canopy skill would have been higher than that of most BASE jumpers at his relative level of BASE experience (due to his extensive paragliding experience). __________________________________________________ Do para-gliders exhibit any of the same characteristics of parachutes. Parachutes are trimmed and sized differently simply to do their job - open quickly and get you down to the ground, while paragliders are designed to float turn quickly to keep you up in the air. Characteristics to me seem very different, even in landing. What is the correlation? 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 is one other facet about this BASE jump which is causing concern among the local skydiving population. Calgary has been the site of two recent inquiries into skydiving deaths over the last couple of years, in fact the last one (which took about a year to work its way through the court) just finished up its testimony on the day of this jump, and sent the judge back to his chambers to mull it over.... The skydivers in the area, and indeed in Canada, since this is the third inquiry in that many years or so, are concerned that this is another bad example that will possibly lead to increased government intervention. And the papers seem to play it up that way. Perhaps if this person had been a skydiver he may not have jumped a building in this particular city at this particular time? Considering he was not a local anyway? (He is apparently from BC) Not necessarily my opinion, I'm just throwing it out for comment. 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

Takes more than a 20 to buy a case of beer in Canada -- or are you talking US money? 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

Someone else said they tracked so far away from the cliff they couldn't get that sensation of speed anymore, so they turned around and tracked back at 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

Are there any issues with zoning or clearing the land? Is this not a protected area? 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

Well, I think he should be on the list somewhere, but then I;ve always thought Overacker should be on it somewhere, too. 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

Interesting stuff... Anybody ever been grounded for political (non-safety related) reasons? __________________________________________________ I would say yes, the people that grounded me would probably say no. Specifically I was grounded for doing two-ways with a buddy who had (I'm guessing, it was a long time ago) between 30 and 100 jumps but no B-licence (Canada). We were grounded at our regular dz for 30-days, which led us to go to another dz not too far away and have a hell of a good time. 2 weeks into the suspension we called an emergency club meeting (had to follow the club constitution) and had the grounding overturned, which, I believe, led to the resignation of one or two of the board members who had grounded us to begin with.... (That was grounding number 1. Someone else has dealt with grounding number 3 elsewhere. Maybe sometime I'll talk about grounding number 2) Of course, if we're talking about groundings, where's SCOTTY CARBONE? 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

What do you want to know? Contact Claire Chow at Skydive Toronto. They're contact numbers are in CANPARA.... Do about 1000 first jump s/l a year, and tandems, too. 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