Thirtieth Sky Birthday

February 4, 1990.  I was sitting in a Cessna 182 and this guy told me to get out.  So I did.  Then he told me to let go. So I did.  And there it began.

There have been so many changes and advancements in skydiving since my first jump.  There were pretty much four disciplines back then (five if you count instructing) - RW, CRW, freestyle, and style and accuracy.  We all flew big slow F111 mains.  Some of us still had round reserves. A 180 to final was okay. So were big S turns on final. AAD's were for sissies.  Audible altimeters had one beep.  If we wore a helmet, it was a leather "frap hat" because only students wore hard helmets.  Swooping was what you did in freefall to get to the formation (don't you ever swoop my slot again!).  A case of beer was a case of beer, not a 12 pack.  Very few dz's flew turbines.  Most students did their first jumps on a static line out of a Cessna. USPA D license numbers were in the low 10,000's.  

And look at the sport now.  Tunnels and coaches and turbines and modern gear and canopy education and GoPros and so many different things to do in the air.  Jumpers today have more skills at 200 jumps than lots of us dinosaurs had at 500, 600,1000 jumps. Makes me wonder what skydiving will look like in 2050  (not that I expect to be around to see it).  Just like I couldn't have imagined what skydiving would be today, I can't even imagine what it will look like by then.

It's been an awesome thirty years for me.  Thanks to everyone that has been a part of it.  

pics or it didn't happen.

  congrats!

Can't find my first jump pic, but here's a favorite from a dz.com boogie. 

2 hours ago, SethInMI said:

pics or it didn't happen.

 

 

 

  congrats!

Bytch and I are so old, the Deugrotypes havent survived

(PS: had my 30th in Oct 19.. In style, over the pyramids!)