blue skies, black death

hi @ll,

i searched the web and this forum for a detailed explanation where the phrase "blue skies, black death" originally comes from. unfortunately with no satisfying outcome.

too many people these days use this phrase without really knowing where it comes from and what its origin is.

curious about the replies here.

RHYTHM AND BLUES[kies]
fonzi

I think it referred to the learning curve in the bad old days...if you were lucky enough to get past the first
20-30 jumps you were in! Fatalities for low time jumpers were higher back then. Now-a-days students
are looked after and the fatality rate for them is very low.
So in the bad old days once you knew you shit it was
blue skies all the way!

....mike

... any links on the www for detailed historia, like who invented it ... a.s.o.?

fonzi

Try a search for "black death" on this forum, you'll probably find what you want.

For example, this from Quade
"We learned that the bright blue friendly sky was balanced, yin/yang style, by a dark forboding ground. Since the ground snuffed the life it was/is death. Unsafe practices, as a group were termed black death. The exit count used by my 8-way teams and several others was Blue sky/ Black Death. Sport parachuting became Sport Death. While the Black Death thing was an insider thing which translated to Hey yall, lets avoid danger up there it later got adopted and/or banned by folks who did not and do not understand what it means.

So just as goodby means God be with you

Blue sky/black death is a salute to the sky/earth that means something like lovely up there/watch out. "

THere's loads of threads about it.

Cant remember, but I did read it somewhere...which
does not make it factual in any way.
...mike

Blue Skies = may your days be bright and sunny so you can go skydiving.

Black death = if you have to go in I hope you are unconscious and don't see it coming.

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For example, this from Quade
"We learned that the bright blue friendly sky was balanced, yin/yang style, by a dark forboding ground. Since the ground snuffed the life it was/is death. Unsafe practices, as a group were termed black death. The exit count used by my 8-way teams and several others was Blue sky/ Black Death. Sport parachuting became Sport Death. While the Black Death thing was an insider thing which translated to Hey yall, lets avoid danger up there it later got adopted and/or banned by folks who did not and do not understand what it means.

So just as goodby means God be with you

Blue sky/black death is a salute to the sky/earth that means something like lovely up there/watch out. "

THere's loads of threads about it.

Pat Works says something very similar (okay, the exact same thing) in The Way of Freefly (probably somewhere else, too). You might have read it there, Mike.

---

Chris
I like that it's good!
P.S.
That has always been one of my arguments when people ask why I don't get an AAD.

" But you may be unconscious...unable to pull!"

me..." Sorry life has never been that kind to me...I'll
be wide awake, fully aware of my screw up and it's
consequence"
...mike

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Pat Works, who I saw this weekend at Perris, has been in the sport for over 40 years. If anybody knows anything about the good ol' days and the origins of the phrase, it's him.

meeeedeeeep.......GODFROG........meeedeeep

I have a few t-shirts by Dave Rickerby. Death is always pictured as the grim reaper in black robes, thus black death. In one of my fav pics, skydivers are falling through an hourglass. At the bottom, they come out as sand. The hourglass is held by the grim reaper. Another shirt has a bunch of skeletons with rigs on the outside holding onto the floater bar.

thx for the links quade!

Was that Carlos C Godfrog? Damn! I read that book in 1985 and it was dated... maybe I should read it again!

t

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Carlos Gene Godfrog -- usually shortened to C.G. Godfrog.

Named for one of Pat Work's early mentors in the sport.

And a cool trophy that any 10-way team would be honored to get. (cuz it's an honor to get it.)

The C.G. Godfrog Good Vibes Trophy.

Is that the one with the bean bag frogs? If so, its not the trophy that counts, its the honour, and the fact that your team is without a doubt the coolest, vibeyest (?), downright nicest group of people in the comp. Which in my mind is what skydiving competitions are all about.Or am I mistaken again?

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Is that the one with the bean bag frogs? If so, its not the trophy that counts, its the honour, and the fact that your team is without a doubt the coolest, vibeyest (?), downright nicest group of people in the comp. Which in my mind is what skydiving competitions are all about.Or am I mistaken again?

Dat b d 1.

i thought it came from the movie dropzone right?!?!?!?

In one of the earlier threads that was mentioned by Airtwardo, I recall it being the "Ghoulidge crowd" headed by Ma Death. I don't remember her being one of the Snoots team. But I do remember her sitting in Mr. Douglas and starting the whole airplane to chant, "Death, Death, Death". As I recall she is the one with her son strapped to her in the Skies Call book. I think he was 7 in the picture.

It came out of a DZ in Casa Grande, AZ (The Gulch) before it was closed by the FAA in the mid 70's for bouncing too many people. Apparently, the FAA has a bounce quota and the Gulch exceeded it. Those people moved mostly to Coolidge, but we picked up a few in So. CA.

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i thought it came from the movie dropzone right?!?!?!?

As far as I can tell nothing came from that movie.

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Actually, that's me quoting directly from Pat Works.

Pat Works, who I saw this weekend at Perris, has been in the sport for over 40 years. If anybody knows anything about the good ol' days and the origins of the phrase, it's him.

If you don't know Pat Works , get a copy of "The Art of Freefall Relative Work" by Pat Works, then you will also understand the Godfrog!

His artworks are incrediable too!

Ooops, I see Quade already linked to them...

I have had the honor of jumping with Pat and sharing a few beers....Living History!