Krip 2 #1 December 2, 2009 Hi guy's and gals, jumpers , skydivers. I'm thinking that the term back in the day is losing it's meaning if it ever had one due to the maturing of the skydiving industry. I know due to my youth we started way to late to even come close to the following terms (The following definitions are mine only with the purpose as a starting point for discussion) "back in the day" 1940's "close to back in the day" 1950's Closer to back in the day 1960's "Not even close to back in the day" yesterday or tomorrow. Opinons are like A-holes everyone has one includeing me.Of course if your to busy to take another silly poll thats Ok toOne Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #2 December 2, 2009 ... always thought that "sport parachuting' began in the 60's..... though i Know that people were 'skydiving' with military surplus gear...before then.. But DZ's... sport clubs, recreational jumping?? '60's..... back in the day.... would seem to me, to be defined by the Time before B Booth introduced the Wonderhog, the 3 ring release and the hand deployed Pilot chute...ALL 3 , significant milestones...That was in the early to mid 70's.. i enjoyed 1,000 jumps on "gutter gear".... chest mounted reserve High performance Rounds,, ( now there's an oxymoron for ya' ) and spring loaded M A 1 pilot chutes.. between '72 and '79..... at that point. quite a few folks had switched to "piggyback rigs", though they were large and bulky and heavy.. I was always comfortable with a reserve that was located where I could SEE it,, AND where i could put my HANDS on it....so i was veeery slow to transition to either a pig... OR a square main... ( saw LOTS of my pals, get hurt with 'rings & ropes' squares, before the lines got shorter, and sliders came around....)once gear improvements caught up with the sport, and everything moved to our backs, and TRAINING techniques, bean to change AWAY from static line to Tandem and AFF ... i would say, THAT marks the time frame,,, from "back in the day".. to the gradual growth to our current "state of the art" my $.02 jmy A 3914 D 12122 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jpw2o05 0 #3 December 2, 2009 Back in the day was actually a Tuesday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #4 December 2, 2009 QuoteBack in the day was actually a Tuesday. You sure it wasn't a Saturday? One friend started jumping with the 82nd. He says "back in the day" all the time and for him it's very meaningful. He's 27 years old with 6 years in sport. Another friend has 44 years in the sport, and for him, "back in the day" means rounds. IMO, "Back in the Day" is relative to each person's experiences and time in the experience. I don't think it's a fixed period of time. Another example; I think "back in the day" of RW is different than "back in the day" of lace-up wingsuits. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 1 #5 December 2, 2009 Yours is the correct definition. Lock the thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #6 December 2, 2009 Pretty much everything that represents modern skydiving evolved in the 70's. Sequential RW, freeflying, crw, piggybacks, ram air mains and reserves, audibles, BASE ... I think the 70's were the absolute best time to start skydiving (other than the fact it means you are now old). You got to sample the old, and ride the wave into the new. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 615 #7 December 2, 2009 The problem with starting skydiving in the 1970s was that students started with military-surplus "gutter gear." I made 50 jumps on "gutter gear" then bought a slide-equipped Strato-Star as soon as I graduated (1979). "The good old days" for sport jumpers ended in the late 1970s, but continued into the mid-1980s for students. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #8 December 2, 2009 Quote Pretty much everything that represents modern skydiving evolved in the 70's. Sequential RW, freeflying, crw, piggybacks, ram air mains and reserves, audibles, BASE ... I think the 70's were the absolute best time to start skydiving (other than the fact it means you are now old). You got to sample the old, and ride the wave into the new. Agree...especially about the being OLD now part! Also to add~ wasn't just about the gear & RW transitions etc. The people I remember from 'back in the day' were cut from a different cloth than the "jumpin' yuppies" that we see today. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #9 December 2, 2009 QuoteThe people I remember from 'back in the day' were cut from a different cloth than the "jumpin' yuppies" that we see today. You can say that again! I voted 60's & 70's, that was "back in the day". But I also agree into the early 80's for pups.you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 1 #10 December 2, 2009 Back in the Day was when - - you could keep yourself in the air with a couple hundred bucks worth of mil-surp. - jumpers pulled low enough that, from the ground, they looked like people and not dots. - 500 jumps and a C license was approaching skygodhood at the local DZ - packing required a girl in a tube top to hold tension. - said Girl In Tube Top was a true pioneer of AFF, and got her SCR 100 jumps sooner than any of the guys. - Seven-five was high - hop & pops were 1,500 - line twists were barber poles. - Seat belts? A door? What are those? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #11 December 2, 2009 I remember from 'back in the day' were cut from a different cloth than. ....................................................................... I agree. There were some real characters who jumped back then. There still are jumpers like that today, but they are fewer and further between. The term normal, seems to fit most jumpers today. Sometimes it's more fun to jump with people who are a little on the crazy side. Many of the jumpers I remember were very much like that. One of the wildest, grossest, craziest guys, I ever met jumped at Kalispell back in the 70's. He was fun to be with, just for entertainment purposes. Then he got religion. The first thing I noticed was that he didn't cuss any more. Then he started to wear a cross on his jump suit. This kind of scared some of us. He just wasn't the same guy, nor was he much fun to be around after that. Next thing you know he married this religious gal, and he quit jumping. Kind of a sad ending, but we hoped this might be a good thing. A couple years back, he showed up at a jump meet. He had divorced that gal....and my old friend was back...wilder and grosser than ever. Most all of the younger jumpers wondered who this gross old fart was. He hadn't changed a bit, in all those years. I'm not sure if he's back jumping again. I hope so! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bones 0 #12 December 2, 2009 I think "back in the day" refers more to when it was still possible to make brand new mistakes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,822 #13 December 2, 2009 >I think "back in the day" refers more to when it was still possible to >make brand new mistakes. Oh, heck, we're inventing new ways all the time. Wingsuits, for example, have brought with them whole new ways to kill yourself, including inadvertently just falling out of your gear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,351 #14 December 2, 2009 Quote I think "back in the day" refers more to when it was still possible to make brand new mistakes. They're always brand new to us. For me, "back in the day" (also the 70's) was before the first sport transition that I was a part of. So if you started jumping in the 80's, then "back in teh day" was before Cypres and freeflying; in the 70's, before everyone had piggyback rigs and 3-ring; 60's, before squares; and the 90's -- that's just not back in the day Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
timmyfitz 0 #15 December 3, 2009 Quote Pretty much everything that represents modern skydiving evolved in the 70's. Sequential RW, freeflying, crw, piggybacks, ram air mains and reserves, audibles, BASE ... They had audibles in the 70's? I'd like to see the size of that thing since micro electronics were still a long ways away. It must have been the size of a boom box. Also, they may have had free flying in the 70's but it was called flailing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #16 December 3, 2009 Quote Quote Pretty much everything that represents modern skydiving evolved in the 70's. Sequential RW, freeflying, crw, piggybacks, ram air mains and reserves, audibles, BASE ... They had audibles in the 70's? I'd like to see the size of that thing since micro electronics were still a long ways away. It must have been the size of a boom box. Also, they may have had free flying in the 70's but it was called flailing. The were about the size of an Altimeter ll...and carried with 'em about the same 'handicap ostracized prejudice' that AOD's of the day did. ...if you were so inept that you need fancy gadgets to get ya through a skydive, jump alone and/or reconsider your options regard weekend hobbies. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #17 December 3, 2009 Quote Quote Quote Pretty much everything that represents modern skydiving evolved in the 70's. Sequential RW, freeflying, crw, piggybacks, ram air mains and reserves, audibles, BASE ... They had audibles in the 70's? I'd like to see the size of that thing since micro electronics were still a long ways away. It must have been the size of a boom box. Also, they may have had free flying in the 70's but it was called flailing. The were about the size of an Altimeter ll...and carried with 'em about the same 'handicap ostracized prejudice' that AOD's of the day did. ...if you were so inept that you need fancy gadgets to get ya through a skydive, jump alone and/or reconsider your options regard weekend hobbies. Hi T I remember there was that one "state of the art" audible about the size of the alti 2 but twice as thick. Are you sure it wasn't in the early 80's That was some funny shit, dude walks by with audible bolted to outside rear of their skid lid. Must have been a Xmas presentSomeone help us out here we need a pic from a Para gear catalog, or Ad in Parachutist mag. The sse alti was the hot ticket. No way was I going to jump with a acft altimeter on my belly wart. One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #18 December 3, 2009 Quote Also, they may have had free flying in the 70's but it was called flailing. The new kids today like to think that they've invented something totally new. They haven't. All the "new" events in skydiving are just things that have already been done in the past. Free flying used to be "freak flying", invented by Roger Nelson and the Freak Brothers. Wing suits are the new bat wings. And so on. Nothing really new here - just evolution. As for the meaning of "back in the day", I propose that this varies depending upon someone's age and/or time in sport. If you've been jumping 10 years, then "back in the day" was 20 years ago. If you've been jumping 20 years, then "back in the day" was 30 years ago. So take your years in the sport, add 10 to that, then subtract that number from the current year, and that's "back in the day". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,890 #19 December 3, 2009 Quote Also, they may have had free flying in the 70's but it was called flailing. Nope, it was called "freak flying". Edited to add - JR beat me to it. www.freak-brother.com... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,351 #20 December 3, 2009 I googled it (I also don't remember them from before the 80's). But there was a reference to the Paralert in a 1979 issue of Skydiving, so I guess it existed then. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #21 December 3, 2009 Quote They had audibles in the 70's? I'd like to see the size of that thing since micro electronics were still a long ways away. It must have been the size of a boom box. Welcome to "Paralert", from an old ParaGear catalog: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/Paralert.jpg (532k jpg image) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #22 December 3, 2009 Quote Quote They had audibles in the 70's? I'd like to see the size of that thing since micro electronics were still a long ways away. It must have been the size of a boom box. Welcome to "Paralert", from an old ParaGear catalog: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/Paralert.jpg (532k jpg image) Hi JR You the manOne Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bones 0 #23 December 4, 2009 My point exactly. Wingsuiting is a relatively new discipline, evolving and developing in many directions. "Back in the day" is currently here, or more likely just recently passed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #24 December 4, 2009 The good old days was when you could take a formation out the door at 4000 or less, turn points to 2500 (or less), dump at 15, and MAYBE slap a quick 2-stack together before breaking and doing an accuracy approach on the bowl.... Without worrying your aad or some other jumper was going to kill you....If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,351 #25 December 4, 2009 QuoteThe good old days was when you could take a formation out the door at 4000 or less, turn points to 2500 (or less), dump at 15, and MAYBE slap a quick 2-stack together before breaking and doing an accuracy approach on the bowl.... Without worrying your aad or some other jumper was going to kill you.... THAT is the definitive answer. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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