I had been on my first solo and was coming in to land when the tower told me to go around and wait until the parachutists had landed.That really got my attention and so I decided to give that a whirl as well
Joined Bernie Greens Thruxton Skydiving Club in 64/65. Too young to join the muffdivers club, they had a patch that looked like a freefaller unless you looked real close, I wasn't told until a bit later why I couldn't join.
Jumped T10's 1.6's LO-PO's PC's GQ's. My treasured bit of kit was a Golden Knight Jumpsuit from a guy called Tisdale.
P*** -ups in the "George" at Thruxton when the weather was too bad for jumping, happened quite a lot.Tad and Lynn behind the bar, a 'competition' I would rather forget that involved an afternoon and evening drinking in the pub followed by a bottle of JW red label in the clubhouse and finaly a race round the perimeter track of the airfield to detirmin who was going to pay for all the booze. Black Bob Howel, Ray Etchell and John Clark I couldn't have chosen more able competitors, to my everlasting amazement I didn't pay. JC lost by a whisker and I had an aversion to Scotch that lasted about twenty years. I wonder if he ever forgave me for the collanderisation of his Austin Ruby with my 'Man from Uncle' gun. A P38 and some help from a few friends and a lot of 9mm ammo. He may not have remembered ( he was pissed at the time) but he fired the first shot, then went back to bed.
Made Cardinal in Werl in Germany with some 7th US Army guys and some Vandoo's, Princess Paticia's 22e. My first jums from a chopper
Jumped with some great guys from the Para's, some lovely ladies, Helen Flambert and Dianne Knipe. Took a turn at being a double for Raquell Welsh as 'Fathom Harville' along with some other equaly "curvy" men,in a blonde wig and silver Jumpsuit for 20th Century over in Spain. We kept the PC's we used in the film, still got mine.
Went to France and jumped at Challon-sur-Saone at a great jump school while practicing for the nationals and Army championships at Netherhavon. The chef du centre had over 3000 jumps and was a very quiet and thoughtfull fellow. My Instructor was from the French Airforce and I had a lovely young lady as an interpreter who taught me in another subject after jumping. Met one of my roommates years later, he told me that I really hadn't been as quiet as I thought.
Had two malfunctions and used my cutaway crossbow rig right after buying it. In short a period of my life that was done with the accelerator flat to the floor.
Haven't done it in a while and the foot gets a bit stiff in the cold now but I do think back, and wonder where the people are. It was life in the fast lane, a lot of adrenalin, rising ammount of testesterone and the road ahead stretched on for ever. Good people I will never ever forget as companions at that time.
Am I a turtle? You better bet your sweet f***ing ass I am!!! just don't ask me what a turtle is, or was. I was never in a fit state to remember what it was exactly that made a turtle a turtle, I just knew that we were a pretty tight bunch of really good company.
Sometimes wonder if I should do one for old times sake but then I would probably smash the other foot to even things up. Ahh well those were the days my friend, just as the song says and if I had the chance I would keep it just the way it was and do it all over again.
And I still can't spell.
[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: Paterbrat ]</p>