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Does anyone know when and where the last Lodestar jumps were made? I saw one working one weekend at Pope Valley CA in the mid 1970s. Never saw one hauling jumpers after that. They got a bad reputation after one stalled on jump run and spun in with jumpers in Washington. It was a Bill Lear modified go-fast Lodestar called a Learstar. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

AWESOME!!! This picture is showing up everywhere and will make CRW a household word. I bet this will set the placement record for a skydive photo shown in non skydive media. It is comparable to the late Jay Moriarity's famous surf wipeout photo shot at Mavericks. It made the NY Times and many other mainstream press outlets. Great job CREW DOGS. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I have jumped a pro and a standard model. I don't see much usefulness in the 10 ft readout increment in the pro compared to 100 ft in the standard model. Both are fine altimeters, simple, easy to use, very readable even in bright sunlight. The mfr really supports the products and offers reasonably priced upgrades. Battery life is excellent if you shut it off btwn jumps. Don't rely on the LCD batery strength indicator. When you see even a tiny drop in battery strength indication, relace the AA cell now. If you are on a tight budget buy the standard model. Canopy swoopers might find the 10 ft readout in the pro model useful, but thats just a guess. I land like a Boeing 747 so I wouldnt know. Even in the day of the Neptune and other fancy expensive digital altimeters the Digitude is still a good buy. They seem to take a beating and keep on working much better than their complex and more fragile competitors.

Endless Fall is my choice. Very entertaining and also informative about skydiving's early days. I have lots of skydiving books but Mike Swain's book is probably my favorite. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Perry Stevens, a rigger/instructor who ran Stevens paraloft in Oakland and ran the DZ at Antioch for a while. He really pushed safety during training. He had a setup in his training facility where slides of various canopy malfunctions (and some good canopy shots thrown in to confuse you) were projected on a screen on the ceiling. You were hung in a suspended harness while the instructors screamed at you, spun you, shook you etc. You learned to make a quick assessment and then actually cutaway from the risers and fall onto a foam mat if the canopy was no good. Lord help you if you waited too long, the tongue lashing was severe. The training came in real handy when I had my first malfunction on a surplus round. It all went just like the training, it seemed familiar and you knew exactly what to do and knew you had to do it RIGHT NOW. I wish they trained that way today. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Lockheed YO 3? ULTRA QUIET plane used in Viet Nam. See: http://www.yo-3a.com/pages/2/index.htm 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The Fury is built like a tank. Just look at how the lines attach to the canopy. Waaay better line attach structure than most modern canopies. It flies quite a bit like a Triathlon, stable, good controllable sink in deep brakes, decent flare for an F 111. It is available really cheap used and is a great beginner canopy, no vices. It is bulky and has a lot of drag from fat lines, canopy attach structures, etc, but it still flys just fine. You can get good used Furys for well under $300 and they are good values if not worn out (check porosity before buying). I have never had a bad opening or landing in a Fury. I now fly a Triathlon which is a better all around canopy, but it cost a LOT more. If you are new jumper on a tight budget the Fury offers great value. It would also be great for water jumps or a beater canopy to jump in muddy conditions etc.

Great article on WFFC 2005 jumphips with some good photos of DC 3 Southern Cross. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Always wondered what the Navy 26 ft Conical would do as a main, now I know. My one reserve ride on that canopy was great and the ldg was waaay softer than my USAF C9 28 ft round ever gave me. Shoulda bought a second Navy conical and used it as my main. I NEVER was able to do a standup on my C9. It landed hard hard hard every time. Guess it was very porous. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

At WFFC 2005 we got 15,000 ft for $21 in DC 3 Southern Cross. It was stripped out and had Wright 1820-76 engines. This particular plane was a very spirited climber. I didnt think any DC 3 could climb like that with a load of jumpers. I remember some really slow climbs in Bill Dause's DC 3 and also in that beat up looking one that used to fly at Elsinore in the mid 70's. Jump a DC 3 while you still can. They won't be around forever. Same goes for the Twin Beech. Remember the once plentiful Lockheed Lodestar? Not even one Lodestar jumpship remains active today. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

My landing under the 26 ft Navy conical reserve was way softer than my 28 Ft USAF C9 main canopy. Both had single T vent mods. Why werent the Navy conicals used as mains in the old days? Perry Stevens, my rigger in the late 60s, was a big fan of Navy conicals as reserve canopies. He talked me out of going with a 24 ft ripstop surplus canopy for my reserve. Glad he did. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

That two needle sensitive altimeter is somewhat unusual. I jumped in the 60s with an aircraft altimeter, but it was the single needle "non sensitive" type as was everyone elses that I can recall. That second needle registering 1000 ft per per rev must have really been moving in freefall. I was always afraid of snagging my reserve on that big instrument panel. I melted plastic over all the protruding stopwatch and altimeter mounting bolts and nuts (already cut as flush as possible) hoping that the smoothed plastic surface would shed lines rather than snagging them. I never did figure out how to keep that huge altimeter from causing trouble. In my one capewell and belly mount reserve cutaway everything went fine. I still have that 26 ft Navy conical reserve. Cant bear to trash it. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

a crude but effective test for basic functionaity is to get a zip lock freezer bag, put the altimeter in, blow some air into the bag, seal it, squeeze it. The pressurization should make the altimeter go below zero. Better yet put two in and compare readings. If the alimeter is totally busted (aneroid puntured) pressurizing it will not make the needle move. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Sellick's book is a classic. Old time jumpers (including me) tend to romanticize the good old days. I started jumping in 68 and have made plenty of jumps on the worst rounds (worn out old porous surplus C 9s) and a few jumps on the best (Paracommanders and their various imitations). The surplus rounds sucked in every way except price. The PCs were fine canopies but expensive. The only things I really miss about surplus rounds is the silence (from lack of significant fwd speed) and the beauty of looking up at your canopy illuminated by the sun above it (ram airs with zero P and two surfaces just dont light up that way). If you want to experience a round canopy get trained on a PC. Don't let someone talk you into jumping the trash I cut my teeth on. I did like one surplus canopy, the Navy 26 ft conical reserve that saved my butt on a capewell cutaway. I have nothing but praise for that particular canopy and it only cost me $25. Ram airs rock, and you'll never truly know just how much unless you compacted some dirt and cartilage landing surplus rounds.

As a elementary school kid in the 50s I loved big prop airliners. I desperately wanted to fly in one and dreamed of eventually piloting one. Jets came in the 60s and I saw my window of opportunity fading fast. In 1967 I was hanging out at the old Oakland Airport North Field gazing at derilect Connies, Douglas DC 6s and 7s, a Trans Ocean Stratocruiser etc. all put out to pasture as the Boeing 707 took over. I saw a sign at Steven's Paraloft advertising a first jump course complete for $75. I asked if I could ride in any big prop planes as a jumper and they said sure, DC 3s, Lockheed Lodestars, Beech 18s, and even some larger ones at special events. That sealed the deal and I plunked down my money. It was small planes for my first 20 jumps but I soon did get to ride in some big radial engined transports. Amazingly, even in 2005, skydiving remains the best way to sample flight in rare old propliners. Jumping Fat Annie the Carvair at WFFC 2005 is a great example. DC 3 jumps from 15K for a mere $21? You bet, all at WFFC. Propliner paradise for me. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Assume a malfunction, a reserve ride and a bad spot... THEN ask yourself: is it too windy? 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I wonder if there is some objective test you could take to decide when its time to hang it up? Not just a reaction time test, but something more comprehensive. I made over a hundred round jumps in the old days (60s and 70s) then quit. The DZ scene was much different then than it is today, but it tends to be idealized by us old guys. There were plenty of big egos under round chutes. Its not a new thing. I started up again five years ago and love it. I loved the good old days, but the gear (especially surplus stuff) SUCKED. Capewells were never designed for in the air cutaways, the reserves were too small, etc etc. The new gear is better in every way except price. I am now in my 50s and intend to jump for a long time. I recently had a malfunction and cutaway fast with no problems. My question is how do you really know when you no longer have what it takes to be a safe jumper? You cannot judge it yourself and your friends may be reluctant to tell you that its time to quit. Any thoughts? 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Good one Billy! Ever "hear" the one about the tall, good looking redhead jumper in Skip Evan's DC 3 at WFFC 2003? She came up front and asked Skip" "If I take my top off will you give us some extra altitude?" Skip said "sure" and off it came. She put em right up against his face. Skip was flying IFR for a few seconds. I think we got over 15, 000 feet on that load. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Southern Cross came to Rantoul WFFC 2005 and flew quite a few loads. It is an amazingly strong climber for a DC 3. We were typically getting out above 15K and it did NOT take forever to get there. The plane could use a paint job, there are a few empty holes in the instr. panel, but she runs sweet and STRONG. The pilot was an old hand, having flown C 46s in SE Asia for Air America during the Nam war. He retired on jets as number one seniority on America West Airlines. For some reason the spots were WAY off if there was any cloud cover. On one jump most of the laod landed many miles from the DZ. After they got some coaching from Dean, the air boss, and repleced their GPS, things got much better. I sure hope Southern Cross returns to WFFC. It is really LOUD inside, so bring earplugs. It also has a HUGE step below the door for floaters, more like a porch than a step. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

This is an old (at least 40 years old) design and it has stood the test of time. It is VERY easy to read and generally works well. Older Alti IIs sometimes suffer from movement sticking. Alti IIs, when they get sticky, usually just stick in climb and under open canopy, the vibration of freefall keeps it from sticking when you need it. Another problem which shows up less often is binding zero adjust gears. The lenses inevitably become scratched, and the adjustment stem "O ring" gets old and crack, but both are very easy to replace. Most old Alti IIs work great with zero problems. Alti 2 offers full service and support. I have jumped just about every altimeter made for skydiving including the popular Alti III, the horrible Alti V, the Northstar, Saphire, FT 50, Digitude, Irvin military, and SSE military. My favorite is the Alti II because it is light, thin, and VERY easy to read. Alti 2 has made a few internal design changes to improve mfg economics, but they are still great altimeters. One design change I would make is to recess the lens or make a protruding guard around the circumference so the lens doesn't scratch so easily. Customer support is excellent and that makes the Alti II a good choice. If you break it, Alti 2 can fix it fast. Repair charges range from free to reasonable. If you are considering the purchase of a used SSE altimeter BE SURE it is NOT an Alti V (five). They are dogs and should be scrapped. It was never designed for long life and it when failure occurs it is often a dangerous mode in which the dial spins freely. This can be way more dangerous than a stuck needle as you see needle movement, assume its OK, but it could be thousands of feet off. Don't blame Alti-2, they didnt make these, SSE did. They did serve a function, providing cheap student altimeters, but they were never made for the long haul...

How can you say anything bad about a reserve that worked perfectly and gave you a standup landing after a cutaway? Well, you can't. My PD reserve sure isn't pretty, all dull gray. Now its my favorite color That PD reserve canopy is just gorgeous to me now. I loaded it about 1.2 pounds per sq ft. Opened smooth and straight, handled just fine, and had a decent flare for a stand up landing. What more can you ask for in a reserve canopy? I have Raven IIs in other rigs but have never had to use them. Hope they do as well as my PD if I ever have to use em.

Southern Cross is at WFFC (www.freefall.com). This old girl looks like it could use a paint job, and there are a few holes in the cabin where there ought to be rivets, but she runs strong and CLIMBS!!!! Love this plane!!! Pilot is an old hand, lots of C 46 time and was chief pilot for America West b4 retirement. Co pilot is owners's kid and very much in love with DC 3s. So glad its here. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I was exactly in the same situation about 5 yrs ago in 1999. Hadnt jumped since the 80s. Got the bug again, found a sympathetic DZ that gave me free ground school and two single jumpmaster AFF jumps at a discounted price. I was stable after a couple of jumps, trained in the new emergency procedures and learned the basics of flying a landing a ram air. Don't waste bucks on a tandem, at least thats my opinion. If you stay with it, buy a lightly loaded conservative canopy (I recomend the Triathlon highly) and don't do high performance landings, EVER. Leave those to the hotshots. That formula has worked well for me. Buy Brian Germains book about flying the canopy. It is a bit wordy in places but has info you may never have learned from your jumpmasters that can help you understand the dynamics of flying a ram air chute and how to stay out of trouble. The new gear is waaaay better than the old round stuff and early squares. If you fly conservatively and stay on the ground when it gets real windy, you can count on soft standup landings almost every time. I never had a standup until I had about 100 round surplus (old and porous as hell) canopy jumps. Someone took pity on me and lent me a PC. Stood it up every time. I am having way more fun jumping now than I did in the old days. Those bone crunching round canopy landings are fun to reminisce about about, but in reality they were risky and painful. Welcome back and hope it works out well. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Don't know. What was FA's claim to fame? 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

That would be great. You think you can always tell wind direction until you land far away from your DZ and all the familiar wind visual cues are gone(streamers, pond ripples, etc). That happened to me on an evening balloon jump. Nothing but soybean fields below and no obvious visual clues as to wind direction or speed. I made a lucky guess and fortunately was right.