sfullerman

As usual I have to apologize if I've told this before on here...ole dewd-itce has set in. Jumping in Magee Ms early 80's. I think their student rigs were Russian Paps. Anywho....I'm in a gentle descent one day right over the peas, around 40-50 ft I just -stopped - coming down. My brother was sitting up against the FBO building. He got up outta the chair, walked over to the edge of the peas looked up an asked "are 'ya gonna come down?" I told him "believe me, I'm trying"...couple seconds later the elevator cranked back up and set me softly down. I was one of those 230-240 lb fellers...so that whole "soft landing" thing was a miracle

You have received all the advice you need, jez wanted to share this pic. Pulled into a parking lot one day right next to this "scoot". Took a pic...when I came out of the store the lady who owned the scooter was taking a pic of my bike and said "when she grows up, she wants to be just like that!"

Me too...eight years ago got a call at work that the house was on fire. Sucked wholesale losing 20 years worth of pic's...sucked worse losing our cat Garcia. Had a bunch of the pic's scanned and backed up on a disc...the disc in a drawer right under the PC ...that burned to the ground. Learned that lesson the hard way.

Zac & Jude

You can put lipstick on a Concrete Rebound Hammer, but its still just a Concrete Rebound Hammer.

AMEN Jim! Never hear stories anymore of people waking up on the floor of the manifest shack with Chet P sweeping around their head. Thanks Chet, made the early bird load that day!

How did the return trip work out Jim? (or are'ya still out there ride'n?)

Jump 285, canopy collision. Other dewds kite wraped around my lines jez above my head. Thought I was clear of all his stuff when I cut away. Felt myself falling sideways, still hung up in his lines...had to do some flappin to get free and deploy reserve. No rigger in the area at the time (had to put my rig on a bus to McElfish in Dallas to have Mike McGowen repack and put it back on the bus...took a week or so) So...back out to the DZ the day after the collision, and borrowed a friends rig to "get back on the horse". His kite flew completely different from mine, very sharp and choppy. Scared the piss outta me. TWO jumps in a row I got skeered. Waited till my rig came back on the bus a couple weeks later. A month after that - jump 300, total on the main, streamer to explosion on reserve...broken back and assorted other stuff....THAT one I retired from.

From a Freak Brothers Boogie in the mid 80's... "Heavy Steve and The Electric Buttplugs" When ever they would announce us, everyone on the load started yelling "I'm STEVE I'm STEVE!!"

QuoteWhen I bounced I remember think "shit this is going to hurt like hell!" And it did and still does to this day everyday! What Bry said....50' off the deck with a streamering reserve over head. "yep, this is gonna leave a mark"

Hey big man! Good to see you're checkin' in! -------------------------------------------------------------------- I come out of lurking every couple years to let my smartazz flag fly

[Because of the earths rotation parachutes fly faster & farther when facing west, newer jumper usually are encouraged to face east only when they land...it takes some practice & experience to land safely without flying directly north in the northern hemisphere or south in the southern ] Although skydivers represent a fairly small % of the total world population, they account for over 1/3 of the sunglasses sales, due to the afore mentioned phenomenon by Twardo. I remember one late afternoon dive as a new jumper, making my final approach due west with no shades. I had to do a "mergency" divert landing to the North east and dang near did myself in. Still scares me to this day thinking about it. I'm sittin here at my desk shaking like a squirrel tryin to crap a peach seed.

I was on that load too Mike. While waiting to exit, a jumper (who was also a DC-3 pilot) told me to look out the window at the feathered prop. Said "you won't get many opportunities to see THAT while in flight!"

Yep, sunsets rock...nice shots all! Here's one from South Louisiana.

Chuck, Curly jumped Spaceland in the 80's when it was in League City? Heck of a nice guy, always took the time with us new guys to pass along hs knowledge.

I'm prolly not the only one wondering what kind'a hell you caught for missing dinner

Because I'm a big fellow, I was called "Reverend Fallgood" And during the period of time I had 4 malfs in 40 jumps on an old POS rig, I was known as one of the "Malfunction Junction" Bros.

Jump #32 SCR 10816 Feb 1982 Mardi Gras Boogie Covington, La. Outta Mr Douglas DC-3. (Blues Bro's tunes playin on the way up

Jude & Zac....chillin

At SpaceLand in the early 80's, while the Otter was boarding - my brother and I were goofin around taking our time, jez generally bein cool...(so we thought) We were the last two to board the plane. He got to sit with his back against the wall just behind the door. I had to sit along the edge in the middle of the door opening. Nothing to lean on or put a death grip on. I looked at my brother with some big ole scared eyes...he bent his knees and I shoved my feet under and let him drop his legs back on top. I realize that wouldn't have held me in the plane....but I was grabbin at straws After reaching a couple grand it became the best seat in the house, but until then my butt was puckered up like a buggy hub! Have had friends laugh at me for standing back from the door in a DC-3 while they were spotting. One guy said "dewd you're about to jump anyway.." told him "I'll jump....just dont wanna fall out!"

Me too....in 3rd grade

Agreed! Common sense would tell me that Rod couldn't have written the article if the jump went south on him.....but I was still on the edge of my seat!

[reply Two things... What altitude did you exit at? I remember being one of the last out, and I remember everyone being very calm. The pilot did a great job of communicating instructions, etc. I remember exiting very low and I remember the plane landed in the grass just short of the runway. Being in the middle of the pack, I probably exited around 2000 - 2500ft...and I remember as you said , everyone being calm...instead of jez hollering over his shoulder, the pilot got up and stood in the doorway of the cockpit to give his instructions. It was all high adventure for me ...with 200 jumps I was the lowjump rookie on the load. I remember being in awe that the guy in front of me had 12-1300 jumps and the guy behind me had 2500. This was in the days that at our local DZ, 4-500 jumps qualified you for skygod

I think I've told this in another thread somewhere...but the quick version is....I was probably sittin about half way down the plane. A fella in the row closest to the window whipped his head around, looked out the window, and started strappin on his helmet. I tapped him on the shoulder and asked "wuz up?"...he said "we're about to lose an engine" I asked "how do you know that?" He comes back with "cause I'm a DC-3 pilot!" Me...and everyone within ear shot of him started strappin on those helmets! A few seconds later, a shudder - and smoke blows past the window. While we were waiting to exit, the pilot fella told me to ease over to the window and check it out...he said "never can tell the next time you'll have the chance to see an engine feathered in flight" Several months later, at our home DZ (NW Louisiana)...a visitor comes through. Later , after the beer light came on , we're swappin lie....uhhh true stories, and I start telling the Sugar Alpha story. When I get to the part where I ask "how do you know that?"...the visiting skydiver leans across the fire and says "cause I'm a DC_3 pilot!" DaaaannngIT! For such a big place, sometimes the sky can be a small world! (not sure of the final fate of Sugar Alpha, surely one of our historians on here has the scoop?)

I was aboard Sugar Alpha at FB in '85...16 miles from the DZ at 8000 ft...blew a jug. Prolly one of the few loads in history to be embarrassed because the plane broke. We were taking up a "2 ton 20 way" all fellers weighing over 200lbs. As we stood packed up toward the front, someone said "Crap , you KNOW they're gonna blame our fat asses for breaking the plane!" They made it back to within a mile or so of the DZ and started puttin us out. Single file, running down the left side of the aircraft and out the door. Look over one shoulder and see canopies in various stages of opening, turn to the other side and see people still poppin out the door. Cool visual. Landed about 50 yards from the edge of a corn field. Had an unusually soft stand up landing, and wouldn't move my feet as I gathered the kite up to walk out. My feets were pointed toward the edge of the field and i wanted them to stay that way....Had heard too many stories of folks "lost in the corn" for days (skyjumpinfool, could this have been the load you were on? Maybe the memory is a bit hazy through 3 decades of saftey meetings and such?)