From: bleck@theta.ai.mit.edu (Olaf Bleck)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: More news from Quincy
Date: 18 Aug 92 19:51:18 GMT
Reply-To: bleck@ai.mit.edu
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
To: skydive@athena.mit.edu




I just got back yesterday (22hour drive) from Quincy, and I have to say it
was well worth it to have gone again (2nd time).  

The News:

The 727 was probably the top story this year, though it's appearance was
plagued with problems--somehow all big planes have problems, but these were
political more than anything.

The plane (an "Express One" backup cargo hauler from Texas) flew in Monday
afternoon, and they managed to put the first load of 150 people on it that
evening.  They manifested for 200, but it turned out that they came with a
full fuel load, so the cut 50.  Apparantly they got the signals confused for
the first pass, and the pilot was giving a "stand-up" command which looked
like the "get out" command, and the organizer (South African Steve, or maybe
Jerry Bird on that load) started the exit.  205 knots--a good jolt according
to sources.  It was Steve who popped something on the exit and managed to
keep it from inflating.  I'm not sure what happened, but maybe he had a
partial horseshoe.  Three naked jumpers, and someone else with DB Cooper
formalwear and money sticking out jumped.

Anyway, the pass dumped people over about 2 miles, which of course thrilled
the locals who were standing by in all sorts of trucks to pick jumpers out of
the corn fields.  In fact, even the worst spots all week were hardly as bad
as the ones at the local DZ, because invariably some local would find you
before you know where you were, and you might as well have done accuracy into
the back of his pickup.

The next morning they put up two loads right away, this time with 200 each--a
group from Jerry Bird's camp put together a 9 way jungle rules star, which is
probably the record.

By this time, I still hadn't bought my ticket, but enough poeple twisted my
arm and I manifested ($55) and got on the 3rd load for the day.  It was
pretty much another plane ride, but REALLY FAST, but we only got 10 grand
with the afternoon clouds rolling in.  I got a bit nervous on the first step
out the back, but it was one of the cleanest exits I ever had.  155 knots. 
Basically a brief lull, and a thwooosh, but really clean.  Nothing like the
C-130, which by the way was great too!  I did a dive float exit and watched
the plane fly away briefly, turned around and dove after the star I was
trying to get to.  The other exit that worked well was just to hop out in a
sort of freestyle sitting position.  One whuffo was later heard quoting a
jumper: "It sucked me stable!"

Anyway, I got pretty close to what I think was my group (at least soemthing
had built to about 3 or 4), but I didn't have the altitude left, so I dumped.
Landed about three miles from the airport according to a local, and in fact
the jump run was now simply along the main road that went into town.

Right after that, the FAA showed up to wield it's muscle.  Rumor has
it that some desk flyer was pissed that he didn't get asked if it was
okay, so he decided to shut it down (apparantly some waiver that Don
Kirlin had applied for dealing with removing the screws that hold on
the door hadn't shown up in the mail yet).  So they managed to shut
the plane down, perhaps for the seatbelt reason, maybe for other stuff
too.  At least 154 people didn't get to jump it, because my DB Cooper
Number is 804, and only 650 jumps were made, and some people made
several.

The plane took off that afternoon, made a traditional low pass as it left, in
the face of about 100 skydivers' asses and a whole other crowd, and headed
southwest.

I don't know if it made money, but at $11,000 a load, it couldn't have
lost too much.
--------


Other planes: 4 twin otters, a caravan, a caribou, mister douglas, a
huey which was down a bunch, two balloons, Mike's king air

I heard Mullins talking about putting even bigger engines on this
winter--say's he's going to get 3000fpm. Also, the Otter from Skydive Arizona
has the same engines Mike's got now, and it gets about 1500fpm.  

All the bigger dives were done out of the Caribou or from formation
Otter loads, using the Fantasy Flyer and another Otter from Gardiner,
NY.  I didn't jump the huey or a balloon since I wasn't particularly
there for all these novelty jumps.

Prices were fair at $16/jump to 12,5, about what I pay at home from an
Otter, but they consistently took you to 13,5 or 14.  Novelty jumps
were $29 I think (huey, high altitude), 55 for the jet, and $59 for
the baloon.  They had bungee jumping for $30, but I bagged on that
too.  Looks boring somehow.

---------

Injuries:

A lot less injuries this year than what I recall from last year and
years before.  No fatalities to my knowledge up until I left Sunday
afternoon.  There was one major hook turn crash involving a cameraman
from Z-hills, who hit a dumpster on a Scotty Carbone lengerie load and
basically trashed his leg (no pun intended).  Multiple compound
fractures, etc.  Fortunately he did it right in from of the medical
tent and helicopter landing area, so they hauled him away with it
pretty quickly, and he was reported stable, but out of the sport for a
while.

One other person allegedly creamed a car the morning before I showed
up, and was dragged away.  And oddly enough, the girl that hook-turned
a demo saber 120 into ground last year and busted up her whole body
was back this year with a good limp and a big scar across her
forehead.

Even the Wisconsin contingent made out well this year, after taking a
beating last year!

Nevertheless, I did demo the Saber line, and I want one!!!

I saw about half a dozen reserve rides, which was about par I guess. A
few per day with that many jumpers seems reasonable.

-----------

Dives:

A lot less big stuff than last year with the Herc.  Jerry Bird's camp,
and Ponce/Cooper/etc.'s Jammin' Jumps were back this year, but it
didn't seem as intense.

I jumped the whole week with Jerry Bird, and Mark Hewitt and Craig
Buxton from Deland Gang, who were all great organizers again this
year.  We didn't get many completions again this year, since thier axe
is pretty dull, but we all had fun and we did a lot of 24to36-ways
which all essentially built except for a few people who consistently
screwed up.  Beth Luman from Michigan/Deland did a great job on video,
and brought her two beautiful Cockatoos (Anthony and Cleopatra) for
added ammusement.

Kirk Smith was around, but other than that I didn't run into any net
people.

I got in 28 jumps in 5 days and 2 half days, about 5 per day, which is
about my limit.  I can't do more than that and expect to get too much
out of them anyway.  The weather was acceptable, but we did a lot of
cloud punching and it was a bit cool for shorts/t-shirt much of the
time.  A bit of rain, but not enough to affect anything.

-------

Entertainment: They had the usual beer truck again this year, but with
the added bonus of a soda fountain for non-alcaholics.

Scotty Carbone put together a wet t-shirt contest which was won by
"Iowa" from the couch freaks, who, though she seemed like an unlikely
winner, was coaxed into bearing all by the insistent croud, and
immediately became the favorite to win the $200.  Not bad for 10
seconds of tits...  But before that, they showed segments from the
Lost Prairie boogie, and let me tell you, they've got some X-rated
stuff going on up there!

They had some great bands again this year, but unfortunately the sound
men were all a bit deaf, and I didn't feel much like standing in a
tent with 110 dB's pof great tunes all night, when I just got done
fishing myu earplugs out of my ears after a long day of jumping.  Too
bad really, because they were great sounding bands from a distance.

The auction was a bit tamed down this year, particularly because
Carbone had lost his voice a few nights earlier at the T-shirt
contest.  He also kept saying that he wasn't allowed to use the word
"F--k", which seems to me like someone complained about last year's
obscenities enough that he got scolded.  They had a jumper/auctioneer
up there who did a great job.

-----

All in all, a great boogie!  Lots of great people, great jumping, and corn!

-Olaf  B15057, DBC# 804


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