SANDY1000

Funny you should say that, as a result of discovering this forum it has dawned on me that I should make another jump. After all I shoot my mouth off about being fearless due to old age (63) and general fatalism, (except where that bloody maniacal pit bull terrior up the street is concerned, one day it will get out as I walk past and if nothing else I will then be the fastest 63 year old on the planet) so perhaps this is a real option. As to what we flew in, the planes were Cessna 172s and once a Cessna 185 Skywagon. I had never flown before and so had taken off a few times but never landed. One day I flew back to Moorabbin airfield and sitting there noticed as we came into land that the wheel was not rotating in the slipstream so thought that the brakes were still locked on. Being only 19 or so I hesitated to speak out so reconciled myself to flipping over as we touched down, which of course didn't happen. Then I flew in the 185. After we had taken off the pilot suddenly went into a dive towards where the divers were assembled on the ground. We went down like a Stuka and I glanced at the pilot to see his face frozen in a rictus of hysteria, teeth bared and eyes bulging. The people on the ground flung themselves down and we just pulled out in time to skim across the car roofs, me finally starting to realise that it was time to start to devote my energies to making the acquaintance of girls rather than be involved with these lunatics. The following weekend however was when the close shaves happened.

It goes like this. In 1962 I made 10 jumps. Six static and then my first freefall. It was pretty primitive in those days, I wore a pair of army boots, my brother's grocery overalls and the parachutes were all old military issue. Whoever packed my chute (can I call it that?) jammed a metric ripcord into a USA chute. It was really wedged in. In the statics I pulled out dummy ripcords and they came out easily. I made my first freefall and if I had known that the ripcord was just a bit tight I would probably have really yanked it out but as I was falling all I knew was that the ripcord appeared stuck. So I pulled the reserve which wasn't happy about opening either. I decided to jump again so a few minutes later I made my second freefall. This time, being a trifle apprehensive I really jerked on the ripcord which caused the stitching that held the flexible tube (through which ran the ripcord) to the harness to snap allowing the ripcord to be outstretched in my hand but there was no leverage and the ripcord did not pull free. If I had realised what had happened I could have pulled it back in, held the tube, pulled the ripcord out, but all I could see was the ripcord in my outstretched hand and yet no canopy - so back to the reserve again. In both of these first two freefalls I jumped from 2500 feet and what with the general finaglin around it was all in the last couple of seconds that the reserve did its job. A few weeks later I made another static jump and then finally a successful freefall. Tell me, was this pretty close or what? Did I have cause to be somewhat uneasy when I made my third freefall or was I over reacting? One thing is for sure. If there is a lesson to be learnt from this then I suggest that anyone who has a near miss jumps again as soon as possible - the longer the delay in jumping again the more traumatic it becomes. My mate Ron who started when I did has gone on to make a trillion jumps and to this day laughs himself sick when mention of my venture into skydiving comes up. As I say, was I entitled to be a little tense on that 3rd freefall?

It is OK I just got it and will respond as you suggest.

Bigun, I cannot open your email, if you wish just send it clear.

It was a bit much wasn't it - just delete it. It is an early summer morning here and our garden beckons, work to do, no need to delve into the past.

Let me hurriedly point out that I am long over this business and only wrote down the details out of casual interest. Re-reading what I wrote I can see that it comes across as being pretty intense but it is only when I came across the forum that I re-called the incident. I'm cool over it all! If it is an embarassment or misplaced just delete everything. Otherwise, what do you think - wouldn't this scare the you-know-what out of you?

I stumbled across dropzone by accident and when reading it, it has re-opened an old matter on which I would appreciate some advice. I will keep this as short as possible. In the early 60's I was persuaded by Bill Molloy the Australian sky diving champion to take up skydiving. I did 6 static line jumps, the last 2 on the one day. Bill was in the USA jumping at Orange at the time. I was told that it was best to make my first freefall shortly after my last static. On my first freefall I could not pull out the ripcord. The chute was US military and the packer had jammed in a french metric ripcord. Thre reserve did not want to deploy as it had never been repacked for a long time. Obviously it came good in the last couple of seconds. They then said jump again and this time the flexible tube (in which was located the ripcord), on my shoulder tore away, which I did not realise, I saw the ripcord in my outstretched hand, no canopy, let the ripcord go, it fluttered above my head out of reach, still in the tube - I pulled the reserve again - just made it. I would not jump again until Bill returned (I trusted Bill, but not these other clowns) which was a 5 or 6 weeks wait. I could think of nothing else over that 6 week period but the coming jump. Finally Bill returned and I made another static, then finally a successful freefall. I went back the next weekend, saw a chute being packed on the grass, twisted and tangled and gave skydiving away. Several years later in the Australian Army in Vietnam I had a panic attack in a chopper and wanted to throw myself out. Fear of heights ever since and subsequently a fear of flying. I got over fears as I got older. My queries are: Is it likely that the 6 week wait had a permanent effect on me? Is it likely that the parachute malfunctions caused the panic attack in the chopper, I was sitting on the end of the seat, legs dangling ouside.? Was it to my credit that I did jump again - or would everyone have done the same thing? Would it be possible that the sheer danger I was exposed to on the day had a permanent effect on me - instantly - on the day? Does anyone have an opinion on the likely effect of such an experience on any person generally? And finally, can it be imagined as to the effort of willpower it took to climb out onto the wheel of the plane to make my third freefall jump. Or is it that I am simply timid and the average person couldn't care less about such a thing. (Incidentally, I write of this affair in detail in my book Weekend Warrior at War, available through Abebooks - I don't say this to sell my book but as an aside). I would appreciate opinions on this matter. Thanks, Geoff Green