Some of these posts have stirred up some very happy memories. I started in '69, when the 'de rigeur' skygod outfit was a black skintight Pioneer jumpsuit, Bell helmet,French paraboots, a military surplus B10 backpack containing a Mk 1 Para Commander and a military chest reserve (with curved stiffeners) and of course a large aluminium instrument panel with razor-sharp edges, carrying an aircraft altimeter and stopwatch. Goggles were considered a bit cissy. . .There were some awful canopies around, the last gasp of the British parachute industry giving us the GQ Dominator, which was designed for heavily loaded army HALO jumpers and tended to stream for ages with a lighter civvy underneath..the Irvin Delta 2 Parawing was another horror, with its six-foot reefing strap round the lines that either unwound, or didn't, depending on its mood. The Stratostar was a revelation, but I bet nobody would risk using one now, very frisky and too many broken backs from mishandling near the ground.
Was lucky to do some jumps as a student at Blackbushe with the Red Devils, Ted Lewington and Bob Harman in charge. I was still on C9's,and when told to pick up a rig and put it on, asked what what was in it. The reply was 'If your're lucky, a parachute' and hence I found myself under my first high-performance canopy.
I did my instructor's rating with John Meacock at Peterborough which had just started up, many characters around in those days such as Jim Crocker, Ronnie O'Brien, etc. Later I ran a weekend club for many happy years, and took a display team around the UK. To get bookings against increasing competition we featured Sidney, the freefalling gorilla, involving a sweaty nylon fur suit and a rubber mask through which little of the DZ could be seen and led to some embarrassing arrivals in the wrong place under the round canopies of the day. When I got a PPL I flew jumpers, and remember how lonely it suddenly got when everybody piled out at 10 grand.
There is still a mouldering rig hanging in the garage which I can't bear to chuck out, I suppose because it symbolises a lost youth. <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">