simonsonjh

The simplicity of Bob Chaffin’s mentoring is what I admire now. I learned much those first couple of years, yet I remember only the barest of instructional advice. Before my first jump, and the second shown in the photo above, Bob only told me to face in the direction of the paddles at the circumference of the pea gravel pit. This method got me onto the target nearly every time. I can imagine other instructors, especially today, spending hours lecturing about all the intricacies of canopy piloting and procedures for handling unusual events. Square patterns were not discussed (nor very useful with a slow round canopy). A few jumps later, he allowed me to jump a square parachute rig with a pull-out pilot chute; quite a change form the military gear I had been used. I remember only two pieces of advice from Bob, 1) be sure you are stable when you pull out the pilot chute, and 2) flare slowly in such a way you get to the stall point when your feet touch the ground. Any more information would have overloaded me to a point where I might have lost confidence and not made the jump. Bob gave students confidence by making the particular jump look easy. He took care of the jump’s complexities beyond the student’s capabilities, and let the student master the next learnable skill. He must have realized too many unnecessary details would confuse the students enough so they could not even remember what was really important. At the time I had no appreciation for such simplistic, or any other, teaching methods. Giving students enough information to get started, letting them struggle with subsequent problems, then giving help when they are blocked, is my favorite way to both learn and teach. Bob mentored me before I had done much other learning. Now after spending many years in academia being both student and teacher, I see how good an experience I had learning to skydive. I see Bob’s teaching style whenever I instructed my own students. It’s nice to think he started such thinking in me on that summer day in 1978 when he gently guided me out of the airplane and into a new lifestyle.

The photo is actually my second jump, but on the same gear as the first. Bob Chaffin may have also put me out on the second, but I am not sure. Apparently, on my first jump, my knees were not bent enough to make a good PLF, so on the second I was moving my knees just before landing in order to find the correct angle, even though I could not see them under the belly reserve container. Steve Erikson, to the left in the photo, said I looked like a jumpin' frog. Looks like I got it just about right.

Hi J. I would very much like to be there tomorrow, but there just isn't enough time. I only got the message from Russell a few hours ago. Say goodbye for me to one of my first and greatest mentors. Jeff

Bob was also my original mentor. He trained me for my first jump at his house in 1978. I practiced cutaways on the floor of his living room with two guys pulling on the risers. When my old round parachute opened the next morning, Bob flew around me in his square and shouted steering directions to me. The reserve he packed for me worked perfectly when I used it a few months later at about jump 30. I would never have gotten past being a student without him.

1 parachute jump. (Once I jumped FROM a parachute.)

For my pilot solo, by instructor jumped out, so I had a solo landing before a solo take-off. After I got tired of jumping, I flew loads to fill in the time. I was flying jumpers before I took the checkride.

I've heard allusions to Buddy's conflict with Forest, but what actually happened?

Here's a photo of that wrap-cutaway rig. http://www.simonsonjh.net/original/skylinestretch.jpg Is it your photo Russell? Now I see the others are Jerry and Jon. Hi fellas. ---------------------------- http://www.simonsonjh.net/

Sure, I survived the low cutaway, but it was on a newer rig. Not the black one with the wraps. I never cutaway that one. I jumped that Piglet once too. Can't remember why I didn't like it other than it was awful slow. I recognize Russel Webb, but who else is out there telling stories about me? ---------------------------------------- simonsonjh@hotmail.com