sportparachu tis t - BPA Archive Project

SPORT
P A R A C H U TIS T
GEELAn & HUGHS
SKYDIVERS .
ltd
11 WESTLAKE PLACE, SUTTON BENGER, CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
Telephone: SEAGRY (0249) 720602
OPEN ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, PHONE, WRITE OR CALL IN
2 MILES FROM JUNCTION 17 ON M4
FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE THAT YOU DESERVE
f
WHY NOT JUMP THE BEST RIG?
WONDERHOG II
BY THE RELATIVE WORKSHOP
WHY NOT JUMP THE BEST CANOPIES WITH IT?
LIGHTWEIGHT CLOUD OR CRUISAIR
Both from Para-Flite— the proven parachute manufacturers
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TO COMPLETE PARACHUTING’S PERFECT PACKAGE
GET THE BEST RESERVE — NATIONAL 26 ft LO-PO
EXTRAS You w ill need to become the Best Dressed S kydiver:
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G H DIAMOND acrylic R. W. jumpsuit
ONLY £42
Gold, white or blue in medium or large, or ask for custom colour and size.
Large wing area with elasticated swoops. Fully cuffed arms and now
cuffed legs also.
IF Y O U NEED e x tra flo a ta b ility and lift try a KRUEGER B ALLO O N SUIT
£59
T his R am -A ir fu lly in fla ta b le R. W. ju m p s u it w ill never let yo u dow n. Four c a re fu lly p o sitio ne d vents give you
the u ltim ate in c o n tro l.
ADIDAS MASTER AND A DIDAS SUPERLITE. T hey feel as c o m fo rta b le and lig h t as tra in e rs but were designed
sp e cifica lly fo r pa ra ch u tin g w ith the necessary p ro te c tio n
£25.50 and £22.50
£45.50
A LT IM A S T E R II — Swiss m ovem ent, re lia b ility
£55
ALTIM ASTER lll- -S m all and neat
LEATHER SKYDIVERS GLO VES— F ully lined, elasticated cuffs
£6.50
Wonderhog II
Lightweight Cloud
Cruisair
National Reserve
NEW improved, wider, flatter
shape. Permits tigh ter exits and
better fit.
NEW adjustable back diagonals
with lightw eight fittings. Low
adjustment allows full ‘w ing’
inflation and a snug fit.
NEW locking pin closure. Main
container is closed w ith curved
pin and nylon loop. 8 lb only
required to pull pin. Allows
tighter packing. Standard
features include hand deploy
pilot chute and the famous 3 ring
release.
Instock
£215
From Para-Flite
Already
proving
a
w orthy
successor to the Stratocloud.
Available in 5 custom colours and
solid colours.
Apollo m ainly w hite/red, blue
Poseidon mainly w hite/blue, gold
Helios m ainly w hite/gold, orange
and red
Vulcan w hite top/red, orange,
gold, black bottom
Zeus white top /dou ble spectrum
bottom
Send fo r a colou r pattern leaflet.
£409
230sq.ft. Instock
From Para-Flite
This brand new 200 sq. ft. canopy
is designed for the relative
worker.
Lig h tw e ig h t— 101b
Low bulk — (Flyer volume).
Soft landings — 2.5f.p.s.
Same 5 colou r patterns and solids
as L/W cloud.
Proven 1.3oz nylon Lo-Po.
Proven 750 lb lines.
Proven durability.
Instock
£398
26 ft Lo-Po
This
reserve
is
deservedly
the best.
'B ia s construction fo r extra
strength.
*4 line release fo r steering and
soft landings.
'D ia p e r fo r sm ooth sure deploy­
ment. (May be removed w ithou t
affecting T.S.O.)
'L o w volum e and 7% lb weight.
Instock
£199
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H
CRUISAIR • CRUISAIR • CRUISAIR • CRUISAIR • CRUISAIR • CRUISAIR
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NEW from PARA-FLITE INC.
Leaders in Ram Air Technology
||[
gr
S
g
5
THE CRUISAIR. The highest efficiency gliding parachute ever,
Designed as a 200sq.ft., 7 cell, R.W. canopy to fit Flyer sized
container systems. Flies as fast as a Strato Flyer with a slower
descent rate than a Strato Cloud. Gives you reliability, soft landings
and easy to learn handling qualities together with DURABILITY.
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NOW IN S TO C K — Standard and PARAQUIP ‘Sunset’ colo ur schemes
(Demo canopy available)
£398
g
CLOUD LITES. The lightweight Strato Cloud manufactured from
specially developed fabrics to give durability, yet packs into most
k Flyer sized containers. Features new brake system and larger
gr stabilisers for even softer landings.
W
NOW IN S TO C K —Standard and PARAQUIP ‘Sunset’ colourschem es
£409
fl STRATO FLYER. The ultimate in lightweight ram air canopies,
g Latest specification.
NOW IN S TO C K — Standard colours only
%
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£310
SAFETY FLYERS. The ultra reliable square reserve with the
performance no round canopy can match.
NOW IN S TO C K — Special ‘D’ bag and pilot chute
£318
AVAILABLE SOON
PARAQUIP MINI TANDEMS — With 3 ring single point release,
pull out or throw away pilot chutes at an unbeatable price of
around £100 complete.
F o r o r d e r in g in fo r m a tio n c o n ta c t :
STEVE TALBOT
(B.P.A. C h ie f R igger)
PARAQUIP, 42 Tennyson Road, Headless Cross, Redditch, Worcestershire B97 5BJ
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T elephone R edditch 43869 o r 42348
Also available th ro u g h : JOHN MEACOCK, Peterborough Parachute Centre,
Sibson A irfield, Peterborough
DEALER ENQUIRIES W ELCOMED
(P A R A Q U IP are P A R A -FLITE m ain agents — In fo rm a tio n c o rre c t at tim e o f g o in g to press)
BPA CLUBS AND CENTRES
BPA APPROVED CLUBS
BPA Club Approval is granted to BPA Affiliated Clubs who have attained a high m inimum standard of staff, facilities and equipment
as laid down by BPA. They are subject to inspection by BPA every 2 years.
FULL TIME
British Skysports
_ . .
. _
. . _ .
Peterborough Parachute Centre
Sibson A irfield, W ansford,
Peterborough
.
W. J. M eacock
(at club address), Sibson A irfie ld
Tel: Elton 490
B rid lin gto n Aerodrom e, B rid lin gto n,
Yorkshire
Hereford Parachute C lub Ltd
Shobdon Aerodrom e,
Leominster, Hereford
Tel: Kingsland 551
Chief Instructor
(at clu b address)
M idland Parachute Centre
The A irfield,
Bickmarsh, Worcs.
Tel: Bidford on Avon 8391
C h ief Instructor
(at clu b address)
T e l- 0262-77367
WEEKEND
Dave Deakin,
T itton Cottage,
S tourport-on-Severn, W orcs.
Tel: S tourport on Severn 5954
BPA AFFILIATED CLUBS
BPA Club A ffiliation is granted to those clubs who have a minimum amount of equipm ent as laid down by BPA. All operations are
strictly in accordance with BPA Regulations.
Parachutists Over Phorty Society
J. Cooke,
(POPS U.K.)
Broughton House,
Field Broughton,
Nr. Grange over Sands,
Cumbria.
Tel: Cartm el 545
FULL TIME
Eagle Sport Parachute Centre
Ashford A irport, Lympne, Kent
(Hythe 60816)
A. Black
(at club address)
East Coast Parachute Centre
Ipswich A irp ort
Ipswich, Suffolk
W. P. Slattery
(at club address)
Tel: 0473 70111, Ext. 10
Scottish Parachute Club
Strathalan Castle, Auchterarder,
Perthshire
Tel: A uchterarder 2572
The Secretary
(at clu b address)
R.S.A. Parachute Club
Thruxton Aerodrom e, Andover, Hants.
Tel: W eyhill 2124
R. A. Acram an
(at club address)
Scottish S port Parachute A ssociation
Mrs. Jean Christie,
99 West Torbain, Kirkcaldy, Fife
Tel: K irkca ldy 200042
Dunkeswell International Skydiving
Centre
Dunkeswell Airfield, Nr. H oniton,
Devon
(Tel: Luppitt 350)
I. Loutitt
(at clu b address)
The School o f Free Fall Parachuting
Tel: (0742) 653962
J. H itchin,
46 Newlands Drive,
Sheffield S12 2FS
South Cotsw old Parachute Club
Badm inton, Avon
Tel: Bristol 568173
J. French,
11 Homestead Gardens,
Frenchay, Bristol.
Spread Eagles Parachute Club
Nr. M elcom be Bingham, Dorset
Sally C orr
24 S outhlea Avenue,
Tuckton, B ournem outh
Tel: 0202 421108
Staffordshire Sport Skydivers
c /o Stoke-on-Trent Youth and A dult
Centre, Pump Street, Stoke-on-Trent,
ST4 1 NO
The Secretary
(at clu b address)
Tyne & Wear Parachute Club
Sunderland A irp ort
Sunderland
Tyne & Wear
P. Rice
(at clu b address)
Tel: 07833-4954
Wales & West of England Para Club
L. M elhuish
Copper Beeches, 7 C a rdiff Road
Dinas Powis, S. Glamorgan
Tel: 0222514100
WEEK-END
Border Venture Parachute Club
Brunton, Nr. Alnwick,
Northum berland
K. Noble
W indy Gyle, West Street, Belford
Northum berland, NE70 7QE
Tel: 06683-289
British Parachute Club
Headcorn Airfield, Headcorn, Kent
Mrs. A. Ward
13 Stainer Road, Tonbridge,
Kent
Cam bridge U niversity Free Fall Club
Waterbeach, Cambs.
Miss F. J. Nock
30 Green End Road,
Cambridge.
Cheshire Parachute C lub
Tel: 061-941 1270
P. H. Evans,
3 Dunham G range, Delam er Road,
Altrincham , Cheshire.
Chesterfield Skydiving Club
Netherthorpe, Nr. W orksop,
Notts. (Tem porary)
Miss J. Wallhead
8 Tavistock Court,
Racecourse Road, Newbold,
C hesterfield
Cornw all Parachute Club
Camperdown Farm,
St. Brewid,
Bodm in, Cornwall.
Tel: St. Tudy 543
J. Fisher,
Trethow ay Hotel,
Port Isaac,
Cornw all.
Tel: Port Isaac 214
Halfpenny Green S kydiving Club
Halfpenny Green Aerodrom e,
Bobbington, Worcs.
Tel: Bobbington 293
The Secretary,
(at club address)
Langar Free Fall Parachute C lub
Langar Airfield,
Langar, Notts.
Tel: Bingham 388886
N. J. Everett
2 Beech Lodge,
Oak Avenue,
Bingham, Notts.
Leeds/B radford Free Fall C lub
Elvington A irfie ld, York.
A. Sw allow
1 Riverside, Otley,
Yorkshire
M anchester Free Fall Club
Tilstock D.Z., Tw enlow s Hall Farm,
W hitchurch Shropshire
N. Law
9 St. Andrews Road,
Stretford, M anchester M 329JE
M anchester Skydivers
(See B ritish Skysports)
T. Bailey
157 Kenyon Lane, M oston, M anchester 10
Tel: 061-681 1740
Arm y Parachute Association
Chief Instructor
J.S.P.C. A irfie ld Camp, Netheravon,
W iltshire
Martlesham Heath Para. C lub
Mrs. L. Bennett
76 G rundsburgh Road
W oodbridge, Suffolk
Rhine Arm y Parachute Association
The Com m andant,
R.A.P.A. Centre, S.T.C. Sennelager,
B.F.P.O. 16
N orthern C ounties Parachute Centre
Tilstock A irfield, W hitchurch,
Shropshire
A. G. Knight
66 Chapel Lane, C oppul, C horley,
Lancs., PR74PQ
Tel: 0257-791881
R.A.F. Sport Parachute Association
Hon. Sec., R.A.F.S.P.A.,
R.A.F. Brize N orton,
Oxon.
North West Para Centre
Cark Airfield, Flookburgh,
Nr. Grange over Sands, Lancs.
Tel: 044853672
J. D. Prince
21 The C oppice, Ingol, Preston, Lancs.
P R 230L
Tel: Preston 720848
Royal Navy and Royal Marines
Sport Parachute Association
Old Warden Flying and Parachute
Group
Duck End Farm, W ilstead, Beds.
D. I. Waugh
1 Kings Cottages, Stane Street,
Ockley, Surrey
The Secretary, RN & RMSPA,
C om m ando T rain ing C entre RM,
Lym pstone, Exm outh, Devon,
EX8 5AR
Tel: Topsham 3781, ext. 491 or
at Club, L up pit 697
Cyprus Joint Service Adventurous
Training Centre (CJSATC)
C hief Ins tru c to r (CCSPC)
CJS ATC Pergamos Camp, BFPO 58
Paraclan Parachute Club
Glenrothes, Fife
D. C. Payne
37 C rom w ell Road, Burntisland, Fife
Hong Kong Parachute Club
CCI, JSPC (HK),
B orneo Lines, Sek Kong, B.F.P.O. 1
COLLEGIATE CLUBS
British C ollegiate Parachute
Association
The Secretary
The Spread Eagle
Broad Lane, Wednesfield,
W olverham pton
National Collegiate Parachute Centre
H ardw ick Hall Farm,
Aston,
Nr. Sheffield
D. Turner
The Spread Eagle,
Broad Lane,
wednesfield,
W olverham ption WV11 3SD
Tel: W olverham pton 66890
Kingston Polytechnic
University o f Leicester
Brunei University
E dinburgh University
Leeds University
Newcastle University
Abingdon College
Birm ingham University
Exeter U niversity
H u ll University
York U niversity
Welbeck College
Keele U niversity
Bath U niversity
M anchester University
C am bridge U niversity
C a rdiff U niversity
North Wales U niversity
Queen M ary College
W olverham pton P o lytechnic
H a tfield P o lytechnic
U niversity o f Sussex
SERVICE ASSOCIATIONS AND CLUBS
4
THE JOURNAL OF THE
BRITISH PARACHUTE
ASSOCIATION
(A com pany lim ite d by guarantee)
Vol. 15 No. 6
BRITISH P AR A C H U TE A S S O C IA T IO N LTD.,
KIMBERLEY HOUSE,
47 VAU G H A N WAY, LEICESTER, LE1 4SG
Phone 0533-59778/59635
DECEMBER 1978
BPA COUNCIL
W. J. Meacock Chairman
D. I. Waugh Vice-Chairman
(£tutorial
J. T. Crocker Chairman Safety and Training Committee
P. Mitchell Treasurer
Congratulations to Robin Mills, G eoff Sanders and Rob Colpus
who were all members of the Team that won the 20-Man Event at
the recent Zephyrhills Turkey Meet. They also took 3rd place in
the 16-Man Event— Well done lads.
Other Members:
D. Prince
D. Orton
G. Lilley
P. Slaughter
L. Thomas
G .L on g
So the square reserve, Para-Flite’s “ Safety Flyer” , is on the
market in this country. I hope that dealers are careful to point out
its lim itations as well as its advantages. For instance it can only go
in a specially designed reserve container and it must be packed by
an FAA Rigger who has qualified on a Rigger C ertification Course
to pack Safety Flyers.
It’s voting time. W ith this issue you w ill find your BPA Council
Voting Paper— please use your votes wisely and remember that
those for whom you vote could be running the Association which
promotes the sport you’re crazy about. O nly vote for those you
know w ill do a good jo b — YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE ALL YOUR
VOTES.
If you’ve enjoyed Sport Parachutist over the last 12 months you
can be grateful to all those writers, photographers and cartoonists
who contributed so regularly and w illingly. W ithout them there
would be no magazine. Also Fishers, who prints it to a consist­
ently high quality every time, deserve much credit. On behalf of
the readership my thanks to you all.
Finally I look forward to seeing you all at the AGM on the 6th
January in Leicester. Also why not give the girls a night by taking
them to the dance the previous evening? Tickets are available
from the BPA Office.
P. Howell
J. Laing
E. Lewington
J. Sharpies
R. Swainson
J. Norris
Co-opted Members
I. W right
A. Geraghty
Chairmen of APA and RAFSPA
D. Turner (BCPA)
C. Shea-Simonds
BPA JOURNAL
Charles Shea-Simonds Editor
BPA STAFF
Sq. Ldr. W. Paul, BEM, RAF (Ret’d) Secretary General
Doug Peacock National Coach and Safety O fficer
Mrs. Dorothy Paul Assistant Secretary
Susan Bates and Sue Sambhi
Very best wishes for Christmas,
and for Blue skies and soft
landings in 1979
Editor’s Note
The views o f con trib u to rs to “ S p ort Parachutist” are not necessarily those o f the
Editor, or o f the B ritish Parachute Association, and no lia b ility is accepted fo r same.
Copy date for the next issue — Monday 22nd January
C over p h o to — Sunset
Printed by G. H. Fisher & Sons (Printers) Ltd., Peterborough, PE1 3AU
5
b y A la n Jam es
the : d r o p
aww
Calendar of Events
5 Jan '79
6 Jan '79
BPA D inner Dance
BPA Instructors Convention and AGM
(both at the Grand Hotel, Leicester)
12-16 Feb ’79
BPA Instructors Course 1/79, Netheravon
23-27 A pril '79
BPA Progression Course 1/79, Sibson
7-11 May '79
BPA instruction Course 2/79, Sunderland
19-20 May '79
Open RW C om petition, Netheravon
29 May-7 June '79
APA Cham pionships, Netheravon
14-24 J u n e '79
National
16-20 J uly '79
28 July-3 Aug '79
Cham pionshops,
(Classic
and RW),
Netheravon
BPA Progression Course 2/79, Shobdon
RAPA C ham pionships, Bad Lippspringe
20-24 Aug '79
BPA Instructors Course, 3/79, Sibson
1-2 Sep '79
Open Classic C om petition, Netheravon
5-9 Nov '79
BPA Instructor Course, 4/79, Aldershot
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"I th in k y o u r frie n d has had enough. He ju s t p e rfo rm e d a
back lo o p o ff the s to o l and m ade a rig h t c o c k up o f it!"
After a break the Leeds/Bradford club are alive and well
back at Elvington as evidenced in this group photo by
H o w a rd R o w lander
Two GQ ‘Units’ flying in a ‘Bi-plane’ over Aldershot
P hoto b y G e o ff Pullen
PCEPGP
B L£S £,
£ f P O S t 3 > P D M fiH N jU T
THEN SUPER FLAkE IN
ACHWST7vt^5>7ARi
“
'
6
Pat Works (S C S 1), Author of the Art of Free Fall Relative
Work, and his wife Jan recently visited the U.K. They are
seen here at Netheravon with Geordie Laing and Bob
Harman.
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Brian Laithw aite, th o u g h still ro und and chubby,
His an o ra k’s no lo n g e r g ru b b y,
It’s taken on a d iffe re n t hue,
From g ru b b y grey, to p ristin e blue.
"Steady m ate! W e’re d a n cing A u ld Lang Syne,
s m o kin g it lo w fo r a 20-m a n !”.
not
A nd th a t’s n o t all on th is c h a n g in g scene,
His face is w ashed, his teeth are cleaned.
N ot w eekly, as in dayfe o f yore
B ut m orn ing, n ig h t and w hat is more,
He now eats his fo o d w ith a knife and fork,
He no longer m um bles, b u t trie s to talk
Like th a t o th e r w ell know n, polished charm er,
That hairy, strong-arm ed, Preston farm er.
He’ll s o o n b e g iv in g up th is ju m p in g lark,
For gentle stro lls round W igan park,
No m ore nights o u t w ith the boys,
But slippers, pipe and c u d d ly toys,
No m ore to choose tw ix t ro und o r square,
When y o u ’re buying k it fro m M othercare.
'Cos I reckon by C hristm as, p o o r old Ja n ’,
M ight look ju st like th e M ich e lin man.
It’s plain to see, it’s hard to miss,
He’s entered in to w edded bliss,
I’ll now conclude , fo r c o n c lu d e I must,
A nother ace has h it th e dust.
CO O KEY
Valuable prizes for identifying these members of the Red
Devils, Circa 1910.1st prize — a night out with the Team
Commander; 2nd prize — 2 nights out with the Team
Sergeant-Major! The photograph was actually taken at
the 1978 Motor Show after the Team had given one of their
daily displays there.
J
The European Canopy Club has been founded to promote
Canopy RW. Anyone who has flown in a 5 Man canopy
RW stack or larger is eligible. Contact European Canopy
Club, Reinaertstraat 6, 1720, Dilbeek, B ELG IU M . What
about it you Royal Marines — you’re the only ones
eligible in U.K.?
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The aftermath of Canopy RW having been attempted
below 1000 ft and then gone wrong. Paul Tyminski took
these remarkable photos of the two Australians
concerned at Netheravon. The top photo shows one flying
a reserve having cutaway and the other just before he
cutaway from his malfunctioned main.
The bottom photograph was taken at the moment the
lower reserve fully inflated. Canopy time was estimated at
about 3-4 seconds. The lessons are obvious but above all
don’t attempt canopy RW below 1000 ft AGL.
. . . . and whilst on the subject of Royal Marines,
congratulations to Gary Lawrie who recently married
Jeannie (B2519). They’re seen here with all the guests
which included two Guests!
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My w ooden leg and w a lk in g stick
My glass eye and my truss
A ll these spare parts are w earing o u t
But w herefore all th is fuss?
Y o u rfa ith in POPS q u ite moves me now
In fa ct inspires m y muse
Elect me num ber th irty eig h t
Before m y b u rn in g fuse.
Is bu rn t rig h t o u t— oh w oe is me
My fast ap p ro a ch in g doteage
Forgets my name and n u m b e r to o
But n o t— I h o p e — the postage
8
N.W.S.Y.
Q uestion by in s tru c to r to course w a tc h in g W .D.I. run.
" A tw h a tra te d id w e s a y the W.D.I. fa lls th e s a m e a s ? "
. . . and yet more on Pops!
POPS +2
A nsw er by student w ho had overheard in s tru c to rs freshly
back from recent R.W. sem inar.
"A G ra p e fru it!!"
W hat’s all th is fuss, 'b o u t 40 plus,
T aking Phyllosan and like,
I know I’ve grey hair, w rinkles, lines,
And a beard th a t’s tin g e d w ith w hite.
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But I reckon I can s till perform ,
Better now than ever,
I hear a cry from y o u n g e r men,
It sounds to me like ‘NEVER’!
The secret o f my fitness is,
Play squash, P.T. and jo g g in g ,
N ot to o m uch booze it makes one w ooze,
Just the occasional noggin.
Age means a b so lute ly nil,
When it com es to pleasing gals,
I d o n ’t need dru g s th a t’s ju s t fo r mugs,
I score each tim e, no mals.
So band to g e th e r 40 plus,
D on’t heed w hat yo u th d oth say,
Just d rop a line to C o o ke y John,
Enlist w ith POPS, UK.
C.S.M.
A load of Krueger Balloon Suits — the latest inflatable
jumpsuit from the U.S.A. Don’t be fooled into believing
they’ll make you into an instant ace Relative Worker, ’cos
they won’t!
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W e’ve heard th a t R o n n ie O ’Brien has a valuable back issue
of S port P arachutist. On being asked ab o u t it he said
recently — “ It’s g o t to be b lo o d y u n iq ue — it’s the one
issue that hasn’t g o t a pho to o f C h arlie Shea in it!” E d ito r’s
com m ent: “ Perks o f the job, R on!”
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A lso overheard at Sibson:
In stru cto r to basic course stu d e n ts fo llo w in g d o cum e nt
check:
“ O.K. then. Let’s go and do som e w o rk .”
C oncerned S tudent: “ Oh . . . e r . . . w e’re not all here, there
is an o th e r stu d e n t som ew here. Q u ie t so rt o f chap, had
glasses and a C hairm an Mao jacket. Looked a nervous
type. He m ig h t have had second th o u g h ts and boned o ff."
In stru cto r: “ Ah yes! W ell we w o n 't hang about fo r him .
He’s the C lu b C h ie f In stru cto r. R um our has it he has made
a ju m p o r tw o him se lf!”
Bren Jones bows low to HRH Princess Margaret on a
recent Pegasus Team display in Leeds.
Tex Banwell (on S/L left) and John Buck (on F/F right)
seen together recently at Headcorn. The last time they had
jumped together was at Arnhem in 1944!
A seasonal rendering from John Parker
9
CORRESPONDENCE
B ro u g h to n House,
Field B ro u g h to n ,
Nr. G range over Sands.
C um bria.
Hi there you POPS,
F o llo w in g m y last w h in g in g le tte r to th e m ag’, I am
happy to repo rt th a t o u r m em bership is up to 85, but I
know th a t there are s till a lot o f s h rin k in g violets around.
Unless I hear from yo u all soon, I shall start nam ing a few
names!!!!. M aybe these guys th in k th a t th is is all a ‘flash in
the pan’ th in g . No way. Ask anyone w ho cam e to C ark th is
last weekend.
There, we decided that POPS was here to stay, th e re fo re
decisions were m ade to set the th in g up p roperly. Yours
tru ly to c o n tin u e as S ecretary, Alan M o rris as C hairm an,
R ichard A therton as Treasurer, this situ a tio n to apply
un til w e h o ld o u rfir s t o ffic ia l m eeting, at the B.P.A. A.G.M.
in January.
C om m en cing Ja n u a ry 1979, s u b s c rip tio n s are to be
£2.00, O.A.P.s £1.00. Letterheads are to be ordered, so
th a t an in itia l ap p roach can be m ade to B eecham ’s
Pharm aceutical Ltd., m akers o f P hyllosan, (w hich, as we
all know , P hortifies the over P horties) w ith perhaps a view
to som e kind o f sponsorship.
We intend to en te r POPS team /s in th e N a tionals and all
oth e r co m p e titio n s. A lre a d y we have had o u r firs t
success, J o h n n y S peight, Pat Keeley and Jo h n C o u g h lin
beat eleven oth e r team s to w in the S hobdon Round
C anopy Meet, great stu ff lads.!!!!.
Steps are now being taken to a ffilia te POPS to the B.P.A.
as a registered club, this should enable us to p a rticip a te
in any S ports C o u n c il grants. (This has now been done —
Ed.)
I now have the POPS sw eatshirts, th ic k and fle ecy lined,
pale blue w ith a re d /b lu e m otif, £5.00 plus 35p. p&p. Sizes
S.M.L. & XL., also ca r sticke rs at 20p each. We intend to
o rd e r c lo th badges, s im ila r in style to the A m erican ones,
as soon as cash is available. A ll these item s re q u ire that
the cash is sent w ith the order. T o enable us to get the
sw eatshirts etc, Don S id e b o tto m has had to lay o u t over
£300.00. We sold over £130.00 w o rth at the w eekend, so
get y o u r orders in now, so that we can repay Don as
q u ic k ly as possible.
A lrea dy we are lo o kin g fo rw a rd to o u r next POPS w eek­
end, in e a rly ’79, pro b a b ly th is w ill be dow n S outh, I believe
that Pat K eeley is m aking s u ita b ly p la in tive noises at
W eston. W ill it be w o rth attending????. A sk anyone w ho
came to C ark, we had a ball!!!!.
T h a t’s ab o u t it fo r now folks, see you all at the A.G .M . in
January.
Stay happy.
C ookey. POPS No. 13.
Dear C harlie,
I am w ritin g to in fo rm you o f the latest safety devices
now being tested at M artlesham Heath Parachute C lub,
the use o f w hich is intended fo r in c o n tin e n t g e ria trics e.g.
POPS Mem bers, e a rly b edw etting students and a lc o h o lic
in stru cto rs. The system is b asically a rip c o rd operated
fly. W hen the rip c o rd is activated, fly o p e n in g bands pull
the fly open, an MA1 attached to y o u r e q u ip m e n t by a
s h o rt piece o f b rid le c o rd (excuse the pun) deploys, th us
saving rum m aging a b o u t in the Y -fro n ts and the in­
evitable soiled underw ear. The system w orked very w ell
on all but the e lky in s tru c to rs , M ike Purves having a s tiff
pull, Don B arker a stream er and Steve Russell a to ta l m al­
fu n c tio n , all three boasting o f la rger and b u lk ie r e q u ip ­
m ent, also being fre q u e n tly pissed in the B uck tended to
make them unstable and in c o n tin e n t. N ylo n loops, leaded
fre n ch para boots, and a 24 inch h o t dog seems to have
solved the problem . T h is system how ever m ust n o t be
used from a m oving vehicle as it tends to cause dam age to
the eq u ipm e n t m a in ly holes, tears and stream ers.
The m a lfu n ctio n s th a t have o c c u rre d makes one tread
ca re fu lly but these are in hand. A fte r a safety c o u n t capew e llin g the braces seems to do the tric k , blast handles now
being illegal.
Y ours fa ith fu lly ,
B2750
N ational Truss and
M othercare approved rigger.
P.S. A d ia p er may be used w ith th is system .
20 H a llfie ld Gate Lane
S hirland
D erbyshire
10.11.78
Dear Charlie,
Just a few lines to tell you abo u t o u r trip to “ Z ” H ILLS.
I organised the trip last February and a fte r num erous
obstacles we to o k o ff on O cto b e r 12th o n ly to land at
Miam i in the m id d le o f a tro p ic a l storm — w hat a start!
A nyw ay very exhausted, bedraggled and amazed, we
arrived at “ Z ” H ILLS o n ly to meet the locals, R ick the
Rigger, Frank and V ick, w ho stay at the centre. It was the
next day when we w ere w elcom ed by Jim H o o p er the CCI
and Si Fraser the ow ner; a m ore generous w e lco m e I have
not experienced. A fte r d o cu m e n t and e q u ip m e n t checks
we were allow ed to com m ence ju m p in g , 7 5 0 0 ft at $5,
10500 ft at $ 7 o r1 2 5 0 0 ft at $8. A s o u r g r o u p o f 14 was from
5 sec delay stu d e n t to D c e rtific a te ho ld e r we w ere amazed
th a t everyone was put in to a 40 place C47 (a m ilita ry DC3).
The students did 5 and 10 sec delays in a c lim b in g pass
A nyw ay having never seen a large meet, the T urkey
Meet blew everyone's m inds. The e ffic ie n c y , the am ount
of canopies in the sky and the DC3s q u e u in g fo r the next
loads were an u n fo rg e tta b le sight. U n fo rtu n a te ly the meet
was m arred by tw o deaths, n e ith e r o f w h ic h cou ld be
a ttrib u te d to “ Z ” H ILLS n o r to anyone w ho is e m ployed by
them .
W hilst over there we met Dave Prince fro m C ark w ho
obtained his SCS, John and S ally W illiam s, w ho stayed 3
o r 4 days, and som e o f th e S ym biosis team . A n yw a y o u r
stay was over and all I can say is thanks to Al S lindee and
Peter G abriel, o u r RW In stru cto rs, and to Jim H o oper w h o
must be the m ost liked C CI in the w o rld : he is cheerful,
in te llig e n t and fu ll o f u n d e rsta n d in g and patience.
anyw here between 4-7000ft. The re m aining eig h t people
were sp lit in to tw o g ro u p s o f 4 and each given its own
RW In stru cto r w ith no extra ch a rg e if the a ircra ft had m ore
than 20 paying people.
Anyw ay fo r tw o weeks we were all learning and pro g re s­
sing; the 5 sec stu d e n t was on 15 sec, the 15 on tra c k in g
etc. In m y ow n g ro u p 2 SCR aw ards w ere given and I
earned my SCR, SCS and “ Z ” H ILLS 10 man patch by
closing 11 on a 13 man star; proving th is was no flu k e I
closed 8th on an 8 man round tw o ju m p s later. The th ird
week was the in cre d ib le T u rke y Meet. The average
num ber o f ju m ps made over the 31/2 weeks was 45 all from
12500 and one from 15000.
The aw ards given were 9 SCR, 1 ‘D ’ C e rtifica te , 3 C at 10,
1 Cat 8, 2 SCS (Dave Prince from C ark g o t the second as
a 4 day visito r) 210 man Patch (Ian Head from C o rn w a ll on
hisS C R J u m p ja n d m e . T his do e sn ’t in clu d e the u n lim ite d
am ount o f student and RW In s tru c tio n th a t was absorbed
by us.
N aturally I w ill be o rg a n isin g a return trip next year fo r
the T u rke y Meet w ith e ith e r 2 weeks before o r a fte r as the
masses dictate. A nyone w a n tin g to go should c o n ta ct me
at the address given.
M IC K HARRIS
THE FOURTH WORLD CUP IN RELATIVE WORK
an info rm a l glim pse from Dave Waterman
It was held in Reims, France in Septem ber and, th ro u g h a co m bination o f bad organisation and appalling
weather, the 4th W orld C up ended w ith o u t a result.
GB were officially represented by the Army Team, seen
here dirt diving — Wally Wallace, Pete Hough, Tim
Andrews and Mike Smith.
Ray Willis, the Keery brothers and Craig Fronk made up a
scratch team.
Competitors walk out to one of the Pilatus Porters . . . .
___while Wally records it all in his log book.
11
COLLEGIATE NEWS
course, w hich we operate with a lo cal jum p centre. We hope that they w ill
in the very near future.
Salford University Para Club,
c/o Students Union,
Salford University,
The Crescent,
Salford,
LANCS.
Two week-ends ago, O ct 28/9, the first tra ining course o f the year all
went up to Cark airfield to finish their tra ining and make their first jump.
However, they were un lu cky w ith the weather, as the w ind was too high for
them to jump. Hence they sat around all week-end, ho ping that the w ind
w ould drop (and in some cases hoping that it w ould increase!), while
watching their chairman jum p ing his high perform ance S trato-C loud
parachute.
Dear Dave,
I am w riting to you in m y position as secretary o f S alford University S port
Parachute Club. My com m ittee is discussing a ffiliatio n to the B.C.P.A. and
if you could please send details o f this, we w ill deal w ith it at the earliest
opportunity.
Most o f this first course went back to the airfie ld along w ith the second
training course last week-end. This time they were all able to jum p, several
o f them m aking two jum ps on Sunday. There were no injuries, w hich was
only to be expected after the high quality training that each course
receives. However, we d id manage to land one young lady in a manure
heap, (now she wonders why she used a n ice white jum p suit!).
A sa club we have come across a problem w ith ou r athletic division. This
amounts to the fact that because ‘S port P arachuting’ is not a Universities
A thletics Union ( U.A.U.) recognised sport we are having difficulties
obtaining a fair allocation o f budget from the Students Union.
Our training courses this year are training w ith the N orth West Parachute
Centre, and we jum p at Cark airfield. This is a disused airfield situated at
the northern end o f M orecom be Bay, ju st south o f the Lake D istrict. The
airfield is now used as a farm, and there is no shortage o f space for
beginners to land, as long as they avoid the fie ld w ith the b u ll! The
parachutes used for making ones first few descents are autom atically
deployed on leaving the aircraft. They have a forw ard drive o f about
5 m.p.h. and are steerable. A fte r a few jum ps it is possible to progress onto
free-fall and eventually to high-perform ance parachutes.
It is their view that a club is n o t an "A thletic C lub” if it is n o t recognised by
the U.A.U. and so ou r budget suffered. Last term we were allocated a p ro ­
visional budget and now this has been cut by 50%. We should on ly have had
a cut o f 15%, if we had been a U.A.U. sport. We should like to know if other
universities are suffering from this problem , and also w hat are they doing
about it!
The opinion o f our own A thletics U nion is that we should attem pt to get
recognition from the U.A.U. by, with twelve other universities as one body,
m aking an application for sport parachuting to be placed on the list of
U.A.U. recognised sports at their next meeting. Thus the problem w ill be
overcome, not only for future years, b u t w ill assist us this year in our fight
for reallocation o f our budget. Will the B.C.P.A. be in agreem ent with
a ffiliation to the U.A.U. ? It can on ly be to the benefit o f m em ber clubs, and if
so, I am w illin g to do the necessary work, from S alford University.
Many people think that parachuting is purely a non-com petitive sport.
While it is true to say that parachuting is done m ostly for enjoyment, there
are many com petitions held in the U. K. each year. It is often d iffic u lt to have
beginners com peting in com petitions as this is against the rules o f the
British Parachuting Association, the governing body o f parachuting in this
country. However, since the form ation o f the B ritish C ollegiate Parachute
Association about 2 years ago, several student com petitions have taken
place with special perm ission from the Safety and Training C om m ittee o f
the B ritish Parachute Association. This year S alford intends to ho ld com ­
petitions against Lancaster, Exeter, Leeds and M anchester Universities.
I hope to hear from you in the near future,
Yours sincerely
PHIL GIBBS. Sec. S.U.S.P.C.
I don't see how the B.C. P. A. could not agree to a ffiliation w ith the U.A.U.,
and I personally think that this w ould be an excellent move, w hich could
help us considerably in the fig h t fo r money. It w ill be necessary of course
to make this a form al proposal to the B.C.P.A. com mittee, and this can be
done at meeting 1/79 w hich is being held at the B.P.A. A.G.M. at the Grand
Hotel, Leicester. Saturday January 6th at 2pm. I suggest that we accept
Phil’s offer to organise the approach to the U.A.U., and clubs w ho are in
favour of affiliation should send him a letter of intent as soon as possible,
though, I doubt if we w ill be in tim e to help w ith this year’s budget awards.
O f the more experienced members o f the club, (i.e. those who had
jum ped before the beginning o f this year), D oug Frith, this years chairman,
jum ped in the B ritish N ational Parachute C ham pionships for the North
West Parachute Centre team 'Ditritus', w hich m anaged to come eighth (o u t
o f eight!). However, he did a bit better in the individual accuracy event with
an average score o f 4.85 metres from a beer mat sized target.
It appears this year that money is tigh ter than ever, w ith very few clubs
getting large amounts of financial assistance, though there is one success
story, that of Nottingham University. In the ir first term in existence have
been allocated a grant o f £1060, split into £500 training, £500 in jum p fee's,
£50 in travel, and £10 affiliation fee to B.C. P. A. Though, Ed W ilding of Notts
University club was heard to say that he d id n ’t expect to get q uite as much
fo r the next tw o terms!!!
Dave Duckworth, a new member o f the club this year who had already
done some parachuting, is making progress towards free fall; as are Martin
Jones, Julian Quinn, and ou r hard w orking secretary and static line expert,
Phil Gibbs. Graham Porter w ould have made his first free fall this past
weekend, however, po or lig h t at the end o f the day prevented this big event,
w hilst Chris Langstaff is approaching dum m y rip co rd pulls.
M artin C otterill d id some great PR w ork for the sport in general by
arranging a sponsored jum p for m uscular dystrophy by friends o f his from
his 'local' at hom e— which was a great success, raising over£600.
So, if you are not overweight, and are spritely, agile and y o u r adrenalin
needs moving come and JUMP!
Here is an extract from the University of Salford Journal ‘SSPORT’. Phil
G ibbs enclosed it w ith his letter, and to my mind it should ty p ify the type of
P R. and prom otional coverage every collegiate club should be giving
itself via internal cam pus media.
Remember:- Sky divers have more fun then people!
C2769 and A2312
To conclude I would like to remind every club to send along a representa­
tive to the first B.C.P.A. meeting of 1979, w hich as I have already mentioned
is to be held during the B.P.A. A.G.M. on January 6th in Leicester.
PARACHUTING
This academic year has started w ith a lo t m ore enthusiasm than did last
year. We have signed on over 100 members so far, about 90 o f whom have
never jum ped before. N ot a ll o f these have as yet signed on for a training
Safe Jum ping
DAVE TURNER, CRW 193
12
W HITBREAD ACCURACY MEET - CARK
We w ent s tra ig h t in to Round T w o w ith th reatening
clo u d and w ind, cle a r leaders at this stage being Peter­
borough U nited w ith 1 metre, D uck End w ith 1.07 and
N.W.P.C. w ith 2.78. A ll team s ju m p e d again in the same
order, th is tim e w ith s tro n g e r w in d s and clo u d creeping
in w h ich fo rce d som e team s to get o u t on tw o passes. We
g o t tw o -th ird s o f the way th ro u g h R ound T w o and the
rem aining team s were fo rce d to stand dow n, due to the
s tre n g th e n in g w ind, w ith A lm o st S co tla n d s Own having
em planed three tim es w ith o u t ju m p in g , and C lose En­
c ounters having left the a irc ra ft earning tw o o f th e ir
m em bers a re-jum p.
A fte r a break and an e n e rg e tic gam e o f rounders the
w ind dropped a llo w in g the W .D.I. lift w ith tw o re-jum pers
to em plane about18.00 hours. T hey w ere fo llo w e d by The
B utte rflie s on th e ir R ound O ne re-jum p. A fte r th is we
carried on w ith R ound T w o w hich was com pleted w ith o u t
mishap, everyone co n scio u s o f the fa d in g lig h t. A fte r a
q u ic k re-pack the B u tte rflie s co m p le te d th e ir R ound T w o
jum p.
A fte r c o m p le tio n o f th is round the o rd e r o f the first
three teams rem ained unchanged and discs w ere scored
by B ernie D ieker, A n d y M eysner, Steve Eversfield and
Brian Shaw. Steve E versfield was also lyin g firs t in d iv id ­
ually w ith a total o f 0.02. Ray M cG u ire scored 0.03 giving
him a total o f 0.07 and D enis G arner scored 0.01 to add to
his 0.08 w h ich put him in th ird p o sitio n at th is stage.
C h ie f Judge, R oger Flynn decided to ca rry on w ith
R ound T hree as fa r as the lig h t w o u ld a llo w and D uck End
jum ped first, A n n ie H ia tt having the o n ly m a lfu n ctio n o f
the meet. T h e y w ere fo llo w e d by D e tritu s and then d a rk­
ness forced a stand dow n u n til Sunday. S unday m orn ing
was very w in d y and c lo u d y and it was to stay that way all
day fo rc in g R oger to call a meet on tw o rounds at 16.30
hours. A presentation was held in the p a cking shed w ith
the local bard, C o o ke y presenting the W hitbread T ro p h y
to Steve Eversfield as w in n e r o f the In d ivid ua l A ccuracy.
In c o n clu sio n o u r thanks m ust go to C h ie f Judge, Roger
Flynn w ho was assisted in the pit by M ike Sum m ers, M arie
Reid and scorer, Lynn M ilsom . Thank you also to the p ilots
C hris B enyon and C o lin Dawson, and a special thanks to
Joyce and Doreen w ho not o n ly p rovided fo o d all day but
also put on an e xce lle n t buffe t to g e th e r w ith the d isco
on S aturday night. It was a very g ood tu rn -o u t o f team s
and le t’s hope fo r the same if not better next year.
The 2nd and 3rd S eptem ber saw the start of the 2nd
Annual W hitbread A ccu ra cy Meet at Cark. A to ta l of
eleven fo ur-m a n team s entered ranging from as far north
as Strathallan and south to D uck End. There were tw o a ir­
craft in use, C a rk’s 182 and the Reims Rocket, and the
meet kicked o ff at 10.00 hours w ith the draw.
Duck End w e re th e fir s tte a m to ju m p ta k in g a to ta l score
of 1.07 w ith R ichard Peakin sco rin g the firs t d isc o f the
meet. C o n d itio n s at th is stage were ideal fo r squares and
rounds, but n o t at the same tim e, as the next team
‘D e tritu s’ soon fo u n d o u t w hen three ro u n d s converged
on the pit alm ost sim u lta n e o u sly. T h e C arlisle Lads’
jum ped n e x t— dashing th e ir chances w ith a 10 m etre zap
and the y were fo llo w e d by N.W.P.C. w hose arrival in the
pit was w atched closely by P e te rb o ro u g h U nited. Dave
W addington and Alan M o rris both to o k discs on this one.
Round One contin u e d w ith ‘P ete rb o ro u g h 2nd Fifteen'
follow ed by 'W hite R ose’ — a n o th e r team o f three rounds
and one square w ho were d o in g personal battle w ith
D etritus. ‘A lm ost S co tla n d s O w n' to o k tw o 10 m etres
w hich placed them o u t o f the ru n n in g and then Peter­
borough U nited scored a to ta l o f 1 m etre w hich placed
them in the lead at th a t stage, Jo h n C a rte r g e ttin g a disc.
C ark’s second team , ‘C lose E ncounters o f A n o th e r K in d ’
were next to jum p, the low est score being D enis G a rn e r’s
0.08 and they w ere fo llo w e d by T h e B u tte rflie s ’ — an all
girl te a m — w ho earned a team rejum p. T h e Four M uske­
teers', a scratch team, co m p le te d R ound O ne ta kin g tw o
10 metres.
Team
Peterborough Carter
United
B ruce
Eversfield
M cG uire
OFFICAL RESULTS
Individual
1.15
1st— Steve Eversfield
0.31
2 nd— Ray M cGuire
0.00
0.00
0.94
0.02
0.04
0.03
1st £60
Total Score: 2.49
Duck End
D ieker
Peakin
Leader
Hiatt A
0.62
0.00
0.32
0.13
1st L ad y— Annie Hiatt
Best Round— M artin Simpson
0.00
1.32
0.99
0.05
2nd £40
Total Score: 3.43
N.W.P.C.
Prince
M orris
Shaw
W addington
0.51
0.00
2.27
0.00
3 rd — Denis G arner
2.29
0.80
0.00
1.38
W ords by
Am anda Redfern
w ith the p h o to by
Alan D erbyshire
3rd £20
Total Score: 7.25
SUPPORT THE BPA DINNER/DANCE
ON FRIDAY 5th JANUARY 1979
at The Grand Hotel, Leicester.
3 ‘Rounds' make a fight of it.
13
a n n v a i
CV A ^ LES
^ C tJ B A C Y
S aturday began before daw n fo r the fa ith fu l co o kh o u se
sta ff w h o had a d iffic u lt jo b th is year as we were unable to
have the main m arquee at th e p it because o f the fa rm in g
a ctivities, and th e y did a sta lw a rt jo b fe rry in g tea and eats
to the pit th ro u g h o u t the day. The W ind D rift In d ica to r,
fo llo w e d by the ju d g es gave us all an idea th a t c o n d itio n s
w ere not to be easy, but ce rta in ly ju m p a b le and th e
co m p e titio n began in earnest. We w ere soon to see th a t
the w in d was not being c o -o p e rative and th e va riou s dog
legs ca u g h t o u t the firs t team , the D uck End Toads, w h o all
zapped on th e ir c irc u la r canopies. A the ro und c o n tin ­
ued, several o th e r ju m p e rs were s im ila rly c a u g h t out.
M any others, however, were sh o w in g e x c e lle n t fo rm ,
and it soon becam e clear th a t P eterborough U nited and
the 1st D utch Team w ith 0.08 and 0.35 respectively, h o tly
fo llo w e d by the N orth West Parachute C entre and Peter­
b o ro u g h 2nd Fifteen w ith 0.59 and 1.37 w ere n o t to be
upset by the c o n d itio n s. N e ith e r w ere th o se g o in g fo r the
in d ivid u a l prizes, w ith 14 clean discs fro m the square
jum pers, and I. A b d u lla h (M agic R ou n da b o u ts) and John
Swain (D uck End) leading th e ro und ca n o p ie s w ith 2.21
and 3.24. C lub Pilot, Bob Styles, s h o w in g a latent urge to
be a tra ffic Policem an, and Bob K ing, m a n ife sting at the
pit, kept a co n tin u o u s flo w g o in g and w e w ere th ro u g h the
firs t tw o rounds in no tim e. C h ris M cG uire, C o lin B ruce
(P eterborough) and H erm an B oerm an (1st D utch) all had
tw o D .C .’s, w ith Steve Eversfield (P e terborough) having
p icked up a s lig h tly d isp u te d 1 ce n t on his second jum p,
in the c irc u la r ca te g o ry goo d ju m p s by M artin S im pson
(D etritus) sco rin g 0.27 and Pete H e w itt (M agic R o u n d ­
abouts) w ith 1.25 c u t back on th e ir firs t ro und scores to
ch a lle n g e the leaders.
In the team contest, P eterborough U nited c o n tin u e d in
good fo rm to score 0.65 w ith N.W.P.C. and 1st D utch both
to ta llin g 1.22 a fte r th e second round. T he U nited A rab
Em irates had a good 1.25 in th e second ro u n d , b u t a firs t
round disaster o f 30.28 had already p u t them o u t o f the
ru n n in g . In the ‘C ’ Licence g ro u p , C o lly e r (D e tritu s) was
leading w ith a total o f 5.25, fo llo w e d by M c D e rm o tt (S uper
Hews) w ith 11.65 and Je stro o te (2nd D utch) w ith 12.09.
T his ye a r’s D uck End Meet, on the w eek end o f S eptem ber
21st and 22nd, saw th e in tro d u c tio n o f tw o new features.
For the firs t tim e we had fo u r person team s and a class­
ifica tio n system fo r prizes. We had long fe lt th a t it was tim e
to give every c o m p e tito r a chance o f a prize, so in a d d itio n
to the norm al o u trig h t in d ivid u a l and team w inners, the
clu b decided to aw ard tro p h ie s fo r th e best p erform ances
by round cano py ju m p e rs, ‘C ’ Licence holders, ju m p e rs
w ith less than 500 ju m p s and a fu rth e r prize fo r those w ith
500-1000 jum ps. A m ong the 25 team s entered w ere
group s from France, H olland and th e U nited A rab
Emirates, so it was fu rth e r de cid ed to in tro d u c e a prize fo r
the best perform a n ce by an overseas visitor.
The Friday practice day daw ned clear. W hile c o m ­
p e tito rs lined up fo r pra ctice ju m p s fro m th e c lu b ’s ow n 180
and the tw o 206s b ro u g h t in fo r th e Meet, the c lu b ’s ow n
m em bers did the usual last m in u te te a r-ro u n d fix in g and
fin a lisin g the sco rin g , stats and m anifest system s, the
radio lin k-u p s, main m arquee tables and chairs, latrine
tents, p a rking signs and all the h undred and one th in g s
needed to cate r fo r and acco m m o d ate 130 people.
The b rie fin g on F riday n ig h t was opened by an event
w hich pleased all w h o have ever been associated w ith the
Farm. D uck End, fo r those w h o d o n ’t know , is qu ite
lite ra lly a farm , and a very active one at that. G ordon
M askell, th e ow ner, a llo w s us to in tru d e upon his peace
(and som etim es his crops) every w eekend, and it was a
d e lig h t fo r us all to see G ordon presented w ith a B.P.A.
c e rtific a te o f a ppre cia tio n fo r his c o n trib u tio n to para­
ch u tin g . W ith so m any farm ers re lu cta n t to a llo w para­
ch u tists w ith in sh o u tin g distance, we at th e Farm are lu cky
indeed w ith a la nd lo rd like G ordon.
The b rie fin g c o n tin u e d s lig h tly lo n g e r than norm al due
to the very pleasing fa c t th a t we had m any jum pers
involved in th e ir firs t co m p e titio n in c lu d in g tw o team s of
new D uck Enders. The draw ju s t beat th e stam pede to the
pub, leaving D uck E nd’s ow n M ethusala, T e rry C rawley,
to act as tra n sla to r and fin a n c ia l adviser to the French w ho
w ere possessed o f a lo t o f Francs and little E nglish.
14
The w ind was c o n s ta n tly th re a te n in g to go over lim its so
it was in to round three w ith o u t a pause. As it tu rn e d o u t
th is was to be th e last sc o rin g round as a standow n
because o f high w in d s b ro u g h t the m eet to a close s h o rtly
after round fo u r had been started.
. . . Colin Bruce reaches for i t . . .
Steve Eversfield attacks i t . . .
. . . while Roger Flinn’s shadow on it doesn’t deter Ray
McGuire.
In the In d ivid ua l contest, B oerm an c o lle cte d an un ­
c h a ra c te ris tic 0.67 cents, and C o lin B ruce 0.35. Rein
Voskam p (1 st D utch) w h o had a second ro und to ta l o f 0.09
cam e th ro u g h in to th ird place w ith a d isc. C hris M cG uire
. . . John Carter puts a foot on i t . . .
15
colle cted 0.05 fo r second place overall, and Steve Eversfield buried the d isc to be a w o rth y in d ivid u a l w inner. The
team prize w ent to P eterborough U nited w ith a total of
1.22, w ith N.W.P.C. o n ly 16 cents behind, and the 1st
Dutch in th ird place. In the c irc u la r co n te st Pete H ew itt
had anoth er good ju m p sco rin g 1.58 but c o u ld n ’t qu ite
catch M artin S im pson w hose th ird round 1.87 was enough
to w in by 69 cents. In the ‘C ’ Licence contest, C ollyer, w ho
had previously show n good form w e n t o u t o f the ru n n in g ,
as did M cD erm ott, leaving Jan Je stro o te to take the prize
w ith a neat th ird round disc. The ‘U nder 500’ prize w ent to
C olin Bruce, and Steve Eversfield to o k his th ird tro p h y
of the day in the 500-1000 G roup. A lth o u g h ju s t o u t o f the
prizes, we saw a very cre d ita b le p e rfo rm a n ce by Howard
B ecker (D uck End) w ith a to ta l o f 0.35 cents on his hom e
designed and m ade S tra to -B e cke r-C lou d !!
. . . while Peter Fisher sinks onto it.
enjoyed yourselves, if you d id n ’t then we fa ile d in o u r
prim a ry o b je ct in h o ld in g the Meet. And d o n ’t w a it u n til
next year before yo u visit again. D uck End has becom e
a victim o f its past re p u ta tio n in th a t m any ju m p ers d o n ’t
know , o r have lost sig h t o f the fa ct that we are a s tra ig h t­
fo rw a rd pa ra ch u tin g club, fo r jum pers o f Cat VI onw ards.
O ur fo u r place 180 has an in -flig h t door, prices are £2 fo r
a low, £3 fo r up to 7000, and £4 fo r up to 10,000.
W e’re there every w eekend. See you soon.
1st Team
2nd Team
3rd Team
Peterborough
N.W.P.C.
1st Dutch
1.22
1.38
4.90
1st Individual
2nd Individual
3rd Individual
Steve Eversfield
C hris M cG uire
Rein Voskamp
0.01
0.05
0.09
% M artin Simpson
Jan Jestroote
C olin Bruce
Steve Eversfield
12.14
12.09
0.35
0.01
C ircular Canopy
C' Licence
Under 500 jum ps
500-1000 jum ps
A heel job by Rein Voskamp . . .
G ordon M a s k e llfu rth e rs u p p o rte d us in the very positive
way o f p ro vid in g cash prizes fo r the to p three w om en, and
having beaten all but one o f the men as w ell, C hris
M cG uire was a very cre d ita b le w in n e r. S econd prize w ent
to Penny W ilson w ith 98 cents and Louise S ide b o tto m was
th ird w ith 2.42.
The evening meal was a n o th e r tw o course m arquee
m asterpiece fo llo w e d by beer, film s and m ore beer.
S unday stayed w in d y so the prize g ivin g was called fo r
12 noon and John W ells, from the local C harles W ells
Brewery, w ho had once again ge n e ro u sly su p p o rte d the
Meet, attended fo r th e presentation.
A rticle s o f this so rt usually end w ith a list o f thankyous,
but a Meet like D uck End is a clu b o p e ra tio n and the very
large attendance is thanks enough fo r all the c lu b
mem bers w ho w orked so hard to get it all together. The
‘thank y o u ’ in p rin t goes to all the c o m p e tito rs and
sup porters w ho were there, som e old and fa m ilia r faces
and m any m ore new ones. We at the Farm hope you all
1st W oman
2nd Woman
3rd W oman
Chris M cG uire
Penny W ilson
Louise S idebottom
John Wells with 2nd place N.W .P.C.
16
0.05
0.98
2.42
Chris McGuire won the Ladies Gold and also beat
A stylish one by Jane Pogue
. . . Penny Wilson at the kissing game!
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17
BUZZ’S CANADIAN COLUMN
The 1978 C anadian N ational C h a m p io n sh ip s were held
the week o f J u ly 29 — A u g u st 5th, at W in ch e ste r A ir Park
about 35 m iles south o f O ttaw a. The c o m p e titio n was
notable fo r tw o reasons i) the in tro d u c tio n o f ju n io r events
in style, a ccuracy and relative w o rk and ii) the presence
of a team from the P eople’s R epublic o f China.
The ju n io r events w ere designed to a ttra c t ju m p e rs w ith
relatively little experience to the N ational C h a m p io n sh ip s
to com pete against each o th e r rather than against the
“ heavies” , w hich tends to be d isco u ra g in g . S tyle and
accu racy were lim ite d to those w ith less than 250 jum ps,
w hile fo r fo u r man relative three ju n io rs w ith less than
500 jum ps in aggregate were allow ed to team up w ith a
sky god. W ith tw elve entered in style and a ccu ra cy and five
relative w o rk team s, the e xp e rim e n t seems to have been a
success and w ill ce rta in ly be co n tin u e d in the future.
G u n te r Stefan in second place. The la tte r to o k a ccu ra cy
w ith a seven cm to ta l, w ith Pierre in second place w ith
nine cm. We used an e le c tro n ic pad, purchased from Para
Gear, fo r the firs t tim e, and all w o u ld agree th a t dead
centres do not com e q u ite so easily. The fo u r man
sequential was w on by fo u r o f last year’s relative w o rk
team, w ith an average o f ju s t over 5 p o in ts per round. T hey
also w on eig h t man, te a m in g up w ith the second place
fo u rm a n team.
The results o f the N ationals d e te rm in ed the co m p o si­
tio n o f the 1978 Team to represent C anada in Zagreb.
*
*
*
T he 1978 C anadian Parachute Team re tu rn e d hom e
from Zagreb w ith a sense o f d is a p p o in tm e n t and
unrealised hopes. Pierre Forand repeated as a medal
w in n e r w ith a silve r in style, but his firs t a c c u ra c y ju m p was
a d isastrous 1.19 cm, w h ic h put him o u t o f c o n te n tio n fo r
an overall placing. G u n te r Stefan was a possible medal
w in n e r in Accuracy, as he is qu ite capable o f d is cin g o u t
any meet that he enters. T w o five centim etres h its and a
6.6 cm b u tt strike on his te n th ju m p left him w ay dow n the
list. N onetheless 11 dead centres of 14 in d ivid u a l and team
ju m p s puts him am ong the best there is. We had tw o o th e r
p o tential medal w in n e rs in Brenda Blue and K athy Cox.
Brenda d ro p p e d a bad last a c cu ra cy ju m p , w h ich cost her
a good overall standing, w h ile had she been able to m a in­
tain the same average as her firs t three ju m p s on her last
style ju m p , she co u ld have had a medal. K athy had three
bad a ccu ra cy jum ps, but was in th e ru n n in g fo r a style
m edal. She received a 1.0 second de via tion p e n a lty on the
last loop o f her th ird ju m p , w h ic h e ffe c tiv e ly cost her
second place, Every m em ber o f the team seemed to suffer
at som e stage o r other, b u t none m ore so than G u n te r
Stefan in style.
The source o f his s u ffe rin g was the ‘d e v ia tio n ’ penalty,
w h ich applies w here a m anouevre is executed w ith the
body tilte d o r banked (p itc h o r roll) in excess o f 45
degrees. The p enalty value is 1.0 second. In Canada we
d iffe re n tia te betw een p itch and roll, re q u irin g the ju dge
to evaluate the m anouevre precisely. At the W orld
C ham pionships, th is is not so, so if the m anouevre does
not look ‘square’ o r ‘c o rre c t’ the ju d g e c o u ld sim p ly
penalise ‘D ’. In p u lsa tion style, the ju m p e r uses a d iffe re n t
te ch n iq u e than the tig h t body p o sitio n. U n fo rtu n a te ly as
o n ly a few N orth A m e rica n stylists use it, m ost o f the
judges sim p ly did not understand the te ch n iq ue. The
problem lies in the fa c t th a t as the arm s and legs m ore
spread o u t (pulsate) it appears at firs t s ig h t th a t the ju m p e r
does p itch in excess o f 45°. T his is an illu s io n as close
a tte n tio n to to rs o and backpack show s th a t there is no
pitch.
As C IP delegate and th e re fo re a m em ber o f th e Ju ry, I
w a s a b le to w atch the m a jo rity o fs ty le ju m p s in the French
video van, w hich was used a s th e ju d g in g backup. I f t w o o r
m ore judges requested video, th e y co u ld review the ju m p,
once at norm al speed, one in slow m o tio n , to evaluate
penalties. G enerally speaking the style ju d g in g was good,
but the pulsation stylists w ere h it by, w h a t I co n sid er, was,
the in a b ility o f certain ju d g es (m a in ly eastern bloc) to
recognise and evaluate w h a t th e y w ere seeing even after
view ing it tw ice on the video. I d o not m ake the charge
th a tth e ju d g in g was p o litic a l, but as a J u ry m em ber, I was
able to exam ine all the scoresheets and I co n c lu d e th a t
certain judges de m o n stra te d th e ir inco m p e te nce by
penalising certain ju m p e rs fo r th e ir te c h n iq u e and not
th e ir perform ance.
The presence o f a team from C hina started at the 1976
W orld m eet in Rome, w here tw o C hinese observers
became frie n d ly w ith o u r delegation. S ubsequent to that
I w ro te to the A ll C hina S ports F ederation in Peking,
suggesting som e exchange o f in fo rm a tio n and the po s­
s ib ility of a team vis itin g o u r N ational C h a m p io n sh ip s. No
reply was received and n o th in g m ore tra n sp ire d u n til late
June of th is year, when a C hinese Em basy o ffic ia l
contacted o u r o ffic e in O ttaw a and inform ed us that o u r
in vitation had been accepted and th a t a team of five men
and five w om en w o u ld be c o m p e tin g at the C h a m p io n ­
ships. I can not de scribe all the o rg a n isa tio n and prepara­
tions th a t were necessary, but can o n ly say th a t once the
meet started e veryth in g seemed easy by co m parison. The
C hinese them selves ‘persuaded’ S port Canada, o u r g rant
fu n d in g body, to cover the co st o f th e ir stay, tra in in g ju m p s
and c o m p e titio n e n try fees.
T h e ir experience ranged from 800 to 2500 jum ps, and
they show ed them selves to be able c o m p e tito rs and very
w illin g to learn. T his trip marked the firs t tim e in tw elve
years that a team had travelled o u t o f C h in a and it
appeared also th a t fo r several years no ju m p in g had taken
place in China. The disappearance o f certain p o litic a l
problem s allow ed ju m p in g to start again tw o o r three
years ago. The e q u ip m e n t was all m a n u fa ctu re d in C hina
and in no w ay measured up to that c u rre n tly available in
N. A m erica and W estern Europe. T h e ir ra m -a ir canopies
were also C hinese b u ilt and were as goo d as if not better
than those others generally available.
T h e irju m p in g s h o w e d th a tth e y have learned the basics
very well and w ith som e co a ch ing , I believe them to be
capable of perform ances as goo d as those o f o th e r
countries. The m ost experienced man was tu rn in g
basically clean style in the m id 8 ’s w ith an a ccu ra cy
average w ell under half a metre. An in te re stin g discovery
was the fact th a t th e y had never ju m p e d o u t o f Cessnas
and never done th a t m uch s p o ttin g . T h e y w ere used to
large aircraft, w here one can run o u t the d o o r sta n d in g up.
In a d d ition to in stru c tio n fo r e xitin g Cessnas 182 and 206,
we had to insist th a t th e y install rip c o rd p ro te c to r flaps,
as 3 or 4 inches o f exposed cable m ay have resulted in an
un fo rtu nate situatio n .
G ifts w ere exchanged and speeches made, w ith the firm
prom ise of a return v is it to C hina in the near fu tu re . I th in k
that no-one can say the visit was not a success, and it
certa inly was an inte re stin g c u ltu ra l experience fo r them
and fo r us. A fte r leaving C anada, the C hinese travelled to
Sweden fo r a s im ila r visit.
As he has fo r the past tw o years, Pierre Forand again
won style, w ith an average o f a p p ro x im a te ly 6.6, w ith
18
back o f beyond to fu ll status as a resident s p o rt in the
N ational S p o rt and R ecreation C entre. This progress is
due in no sm all part to J o h n ’s d e d icatio n and hard w ork,
often w ith little thanks from a m em bership, w h o o n ly w ant
to know ‘w hat have you done fo r me lately'. We owe him a
great debt, and wish him well.
T here w ere over th irty a p p lic a tio n s fo r the postiion
(three fro m active ju m p e rs), fro m w h ich three were
selected fo r interview in O ttaw a, at the b e ginning of
O ctober. C SPA’s new Exec. Dir. is B rig a d ie r G eneral
(R etired) Don Holm es. He is C o lo n e l o f the C anadian
A irb o rn e R egim ent and has som e 500 ju m p s in c lu d in g tw o
ope ra tio n a l ju m p s — N orm andy in 1944, and the R hine
crossing in 1945. W ith the adm in stra tive background
acquired in m ilita ry service, he prom ises to bean e xce lle nt
replacem ent.
BU ZZ
In sum m ary, I w o u ld say th a t C anada has a small
num ber o f jum pers, w h o at a given tim e are as good
as any in the w o rld . O ne m ust also realise th a t to w in
medals at a w o rld p a ra ch u tin g cha m p io n sh ip s, one needs
a little bit o f luck, but m ost im p o rta n t one m ust possess
the a b ility to pe rfo rm at w o rld standard on each jum p.
The sm allest slip, e sp e cially in accuracy, is the end. In the
meet at Z agreb a 1cm hit m eant no medal, and given the
state of the art, I see no reason fo r 1980 to be any d iffe re n t.
W hether C anada can p ro d u ce ju m p e rs o f the necessary
calibre is open to question.
John S m yth, th e E xecutive D ire c to r o f C SPA fo r the
past 6 V2 years has resigned, effe ctive N ovem ber 30th. He
w ill be ta kin g a s im ila r p o sitio n w ith the Canadian W heel­
ch air S ports A sso cia tio n (som ething w h ich lends itse lf to
several o p p o rtu n itie s fo r jokes). In the tim e he has been
o u re xe cu tiv e , we have gone fro m a basem ent o ffic e in the
WELL IT SURE WAS ONE HELL OF A WEEKEND
As you all know , I have a d ire c t line to J.C. (him self) and
I had esp ecially ordered blue skies fo r the POPS get to ­
gethe r at C ark. Sure e nough, we g o t the blue skies and the
sun shone but I’d fo rg o tte n to m ention abo u t the w ind!!!.
So it was, th a t o n ly the real ‘ru ffy tu ffy ’s ’ co u ld do it. So . . .
then I had to get on the b low er again, w h ich resulted in the
fo llo w in g m em o being sent from J.C. (him self) to S w ith in s
o f th e W ind and W ater Dept., “ B etter tu rn dow n the w in d
a bit, th a t b lo o d y C o o k e y ’s been on fro m C ark a g a in .”
B ut I digress!
It was w in d y on the S aturday, w h ic h was no bad th in g
’cos it m eant th a t som e o f the real o ldies c o u ld reserve
th e ir stre n g th fo r the s h in d ig planned fo r the S aturday
night.
T here th e y were, som e in dem ob suits, w in k le pickers,
slicked back hair, som e w ith no hair at all, Pop H arrison
was sp o rtin g a som ew hat shadow y version o f his 1950s
D.A. W ynn Davis had com e all the w ay from S u ffo lk, Jack
Park and Co. from the N o rth East, Pat Keeley and his gang
from the ‘sm oke’, the lovely, elegant Edith Sum m ers from
S tafford sh ire , shy S heila Farrell, the in co m parable A u n ty
Joyce, Jo h n n y S peight escaped from R.A.F. V a lle y and
D oug Peacock let it all hang out. M any, m any m ore came
from ju st ab o u t all a round. The main a ttra ctio n was o u r
POPS No. 1, A rch ie M acFarlane, at 80 years young, w ith ­
o u t a d o u b t the star o f the w h o le evening. (He sm okes and
d rinks and heaven know s w hat else.) All these lovely
people w ere assem bled, rather shyly, in the lounge o f my
home. Perhaps it was the heat fro m a big log fire, perhaps
the g lo w from a co u p le o f d rin ks, but s u d d e n ly the thaw
came, we w ere all ju m p e rs and friends. First how ever,
tra d itio n a l Lancashire pota to pie w ith red cabbage, apple
pie and cream , gateaux and cheeses. A fte r w h a lin g into
the cakes and ale, we had the disco w ith John T ra v o lto —
S how addyw add y at the to p o f the requests, none o f y o u r
old tim e s tu ff here!!!. On and on in to the early hours, w ith
no th o u g h t fo r the m orrow .
S unday daw ned b rig h t and clear, w ith ju s t a p u ff o f w ind
and we jum ped th e ass o ff it all day long. The B.B.C. came
along to do a five m in u te sp o t fo r Look N orth, w h ich H ar­
rison did his best to tu rn in to a fu ll length fe a tu re film .
We m anaged a co u p le of POPS tw o mans, w ith several one
mans, som e o f the s p o ttin g was rather q u a int, w h ich
added h ikin g to the days a ctivities. We had a c o n sta n t
show ing o f film s in the p a ckin g shed, in c lu d in g a rather
scratchy c o p y o f ‘M asters o f the s k y ’, thanks anyw ay
D oug. T he POPS sw eatshirts and car stickers arrived,
W arren Searle sent £6.00 from Canada, to buy a b o ttle o f
rye fo r the o lde st ju m p e r on the day. (Guess I fo rg o t to
present it A rchie.)
John Norris records Pat Keeley and Len Mobbs over Cark
— an all POPS effort.
And so it w ent on, a tru ly m agical experience fo r us all.
A t last the g ro u p p h o to ’s, and the p a rtin g o f true friends,
all agreed to repeat the fo rm u la as soon as possible. To all
those w h o c o u ld not, o r w o u ld not attend, ‘W ell it sure was
one hell o f a w eekend!!!’
Perhaps in years to com e w hen the g ra n d ch ild re n are
cla m o u rin g fo r a sto ry, th e y’ ll be able to s a y .......... “ O nce
upon a tim e, I spent a w eekend at a place called C ark
C ookey.
Preaching the joy of
flying; the proven path
to perfect flight. Clearly
illustrated. RW’s standard
reference text; worldwide
best seller. 4th printing,
revised.
£4.25
Available from the
BPA Office or
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19
wm
FLYING IN SOON!
The most spectacular
lift since SKIES CALL 1'
148 full-colour photographs
throughout 136 pages
of designed flight!
Flying in sequence with
‘SKIES CALL i; Volume 2 is the
photographic champion, and will
be published, MARCH '79.
USA $25
per volum e, plus packing/postage.
'SKIES CALL' P.O. BOX. 57238,
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'SKIES CALL; DEPT. 436, THE OLD PINES,
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93 of the pictures share the
unique excitement of Andy
Keechs' 1977-8 missions!
- 'Mirror fmage' in training 'Know Sense' canopy RW
amazement! (craziness??)??
- 'Permutations' in motion
- the precision of the
US Army 8 Man team!
- the fun of the
Raeford RW Group!
And the 'Pelican' Starship Team!
47 of the pictures are
photographic gems,
artistic and unusual,
from the best of
21 free- falling,
internationally known
cameramen.
8 pictures from the
CARL BOENISH
'EL CAPITAN
CLIFF JUMP*
ee
xt issue
of this
magazine
for
application
details
IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?
I guess this sto ry m ust go back to Ju n e when Eddy and the
hot rods, better know n as “ the M arksm en” fo u r man
sequential team, were tra in in g fo r th is ye a r’s nationals
and “ Pure Fun” , Jo n W illia m s’ e ig h t man team, were
frustrated because we o n ly ever had seven people around
to ju m p together. W ell one day in June, som eone said le t’s
go mad (aren’t jum pers anyw ay in th is co u n try? ) and fly
the M eacock m achines in fo rm a tio n !
The 185 and Islander th a t makes 14, w h o ’s here, o n ly
six o f the e ig h t man team , again, Eddy and the h o t rods
th a t’s ten, Ian Parsons, th a t eleven, Ray P erkins (what,
not run n in g a m ilk board dem o?) and tw o slo ts left! W ell
rig h t under our noses we fin d R onnie O ’Brien and Derek
Boersma, h o ld in g hands and m aking all the rig h t noises
about rushing the M eacock stu d e n t b a tte ry system at
warp fa cto r six to m ake them selves available and the a ir­
craft free to do the dive. Fourteen people! O ff we go.
The usual super fly in g by Jo h n M e a co ck’s p ilo ts and
surprise we b uild a th irte e n man. Go back and sta rt again.
Eddy and the hot Rods take a n o th e r fo u r mein o u t the d o o r
sm ooth and stable as ever, then in a nice steady
d iscip lin e d sequence the rem aining ten ju m p e rs docked
in fo u r pods o n to the legs of th e fo u r man.
N ow the sto ry really starts. W ell as th e beer flo w e d to
celebrate SCR ’s, SOS’s and the B ritish record, R onnie
O ’Brien cam e up w ith the suggestion th a t maybe the
Fred’s have a dem o close to Sibson one weekend and we
could then try a tw e n ty fo u r man, tw o Islanders and the
185. No sooner had he said it than we w ere w o rk in g out
the fo rm a tio n we w o u ld b u ild and w h o we co u ld invite to
do the dive.
W ell this really is when you start to th in k “ is it w o rth it” ?
Ronnie, bless his b a ld in g head, was a Rock o f G ibra lta r, or
is it ju st his beer belly?, p h o n in g e ve ryb o d y and his g ra n d ­
m other to arrange a irc ra ft and jum pers. Jon W illia m s
starts on the fo rm a tio n d ic id in g w h o goes where. I start
chasing m y co m pa n y fo r m oney. The firs t real p roblem is
a ircra ft and here we m ust thank the Red Devils fo r the
use o f th e ir Islander w h ic h R onnie m anaged to secure the
use of fo r three days in A ugust. Then to be able to make
tw e n ty -fo u r John M eacock had to arrange a special d is ­
pensation from the local c o u n c il to fly three parachute
aircraft. Both w ere achieved w ith little fuss, and both
people in th e ir u su a lly m odest m anner made no fuss ab o u t
achieving the im possible.
N ext to fin d tw e n ty fo u r plus ju m p e rs w h o co u ld give
five days, a w eekend and M onday th ro u g h W ednesday.
We also w anted to use people we knew o r over the past
year had jum ped w ith us and th u s had an idea of th e ir
cu rre n t form . We also made the d e cisio n to start by fly in g
the tw o Islanders and go fo r an eighteen man. Ju st to get
used to the idea of lots o f people. If th a t w orked we w o u ld
then go fo r the tw e n ty fo u r w ith the three a irc ra ft in fo rm a ­
tio n. There the problem s sta rt; we had fourteen fro m o u r
previous attem pt and w ith the m issing tw o people from
W illie ’s e ig h t man team ; sixteen. O n ly e ig h t m ore people
to find.
We started asking aro u n d and people 'ju m p e d ' at the
chance, especially as sp o n so rsh ip was lo o k in g quite
possible. R onnie e ve n tu a lly g o t tw e n ty people all ready
to attend all five days and a fu rth e r five people prom ised to
com e ru n n in g at a phone call if we m ade the eighteen
and w anted to go fo r the tw e n ty four.
A irc ra ft O.K. Jum pers O.K. T h in g s looked really good
so R onnie phoned the B.B.C. to try and b o rro w a cam era
to record the event. N ow at tim es the Beeb can be useful
The Team
and suddenly we have cam era and ta lk o f 10 m inutes on
N ationw ide! S tardom and good p u b lic ity fo r ju m p in g .
Steve “ the d is c ” Eversfield suggested the F red’s co u ld
help, yet again, if th e y co u ld spare th e ir cam era man thu s
g ivin g tw o-cam era coverage, and m ore chance fo r Jon
and S ally to get in to the frame.
W ell on the w eekend o f 19th o f A u g u st we assem bled at
Sibson. R onnie w ith now even less hair as he ju st h a d n ’t
stopped, and we have sixteen p e o p le .. . one, tw o, three . . .
s ixte e n !” “ D o n ’t w o rry it’s o n ly Jim and Fred Keery
m issing, th e y are in the chase a irc ra ft and we d o n ’t need
them until M o n d a y” , R onnie says w ith co n fid ence. The
w eather was fin e ; little clo u d , sunshine and no one was
really th a t bothered a b o u t the e ffo rts to be made over the
next few days. Jack ‘three rin g ’ G re g o ry was stuck at his
base, but we s till had hopes o f persuading his s tation co m ­
m ander to release him. We use o u r o n ly a tte n d in g reserve,
D ick Petter, (thanks fo r being there D ick) and by the end
o f th e d a y a c tu a lly managed to put up the nine people w ho
w ill be in the lead a ircra ft. R onnie and W ill had decided
to b u ild a six man base and then c lu ste r in pairs between
legs to make the eighteen.
We spend the S aturday ta lkin g and try in g to get the base
u n it going. T h is really was w hen Ron held th in g s to g e th e r
keeping eighteen people’s m inds on the jo b at hand isn’t
easy. The firs t dive w asn’t a great success but was
prom ising, it pointed out the odd tra ffic p ro b le m it looked
like we may have had. We altered a ro u n d the o rd e r o f en try
in to o u r base six u n it and trie d again. Ja ck G rego ry
was around at the tim e and b o rro w s m y cam era to record
the practice jum p. T h in g s go w ell w ith a fo u rte e n second
base unit. This gives a good fo rty seconds fo r the o th e r 12
to c lu ste r betw een the legs, p le n ty o f tim e. T ry in g again
ju st to make sure causes a d is tin c t problem as it all blows
up and tum bles dow n the pipe w here all garbage deserves
to g o .
S unday n ig h t is spent w o rry in g w hat th is all means
and w hy did it happen. H ours o f ta lk in g produces the
g olden rule o f R.W., (w ell, in my book it is), “ If it isn ’t
settled and fly in g p ro p e rly d o n ’tto u c h ” .
We all know it but in the heat o f the m om ent we seem to
fo rg e t it, th is p o in t is ram m ed hom e several tim es over the
next few days.
M onday daw ned w ith cle a r blue skies, the B.B.C. arrive
w ith reporters and cam era’s, fin a lly eighteen jum pers
can be coun te d , J o h n ’s Islander, 185 and . . . no Islander
from the Fred’s! “ D o n ’t w o rry it w ill be here by 10.00” ,
R onnie again, less hair than yesterday I’m sure but he did
22
have to sleep w ith Jim and Fred Keery. The Beeb start
film in g the brie fin g and d irt d iving, in te rvie w Ron and me,
(Hi dad it’s me), then as s till no Islander, we take the base
nine up w ith Steve E versfield c a rry in g the camera
su pplied by the Beeb. N ice fo o ta g e o f free fall fo r M onday
n ig h t N ationw ide.
we go again . . . 1 0 . . . 1 1 . . . 1 2 . . 1 3 . . . 1 4 . . . o u r usual
sto p p in g p o in t reached Jo h n holds his breath on the tape
. . . 15 . . . 16 . . . three people o u t one low, tw o going low,
the th ird ju s t clo sin g . T h in g s looked goo d fo r num ber
seventeen but a broken g rip in the base fo u r causes break
o ff at 5500ft. The 16 man flew fo r seven seconds so it
becom es a new B ritish Record. H igh w in d and clou d then
calls any chance o f ju m p in g u n til later when the Fred’s
Islander has left.
The cam era recorded every d o c k in g and made the six
o ’c lo c k N ational news but p o o r C yril missed his handyw o rk as he had to fly away w ith the a irc ra ft ju s t before the
news started. R onnie and I feel exhausted fro m tryin g
to keep the th in g go in g and believe it th a t is w here I found
the title fo r th is article! I m ust fin ish by th a n kin g John
M eacock w ho let us take over his C entre fo r five days, and
w hen the sp o n so rsh ip m oney ran out, co n tin u e d to let us
ju m p free o f charge. M any thanks Jo h n . A lso to o u r main
sp o n so r M em orex U.K. Ltd. fo r th e ir m oney, T -s h irts and
w ell wishes. The Beeb fo r h e lping show the p u b lic Relative
W ork w ith the fun and pleasure it gives to m any each
w eekend. J o h n ’s Pilots, perfect to the end and the Red
Devils fo r P lant and Cam era man.
Finally the ju m p e rs w ho tu rned up and m ade it a fun
tim e. The sloggers in the base fo u r Dave S tephens, Ed
S term er, Jo h n N ew bold and Je ff Page. D oing n o th in g but
base u n it fo r Jum ps can be d e m o ra lisin g when you see the
flye rs m essing it up. Then the re st:- Ray P erkins, Ian
Parsons, Steve Eversfield, Steve N ew ton, Jon and S ally
W illiam s, Jim and Fred Keery, Je ff Lancaster, D ick Peter,
Derek Boersm a, R onnie O ’Brien and Me, C o llin Bruce.
Base u n it and fla ke rs all s lo t to g e th e r nice and as I cu t
away a m adly sp in n in g C lo u d , in com es the Fred’s Islander.
Have you ever seen seventeen people pack a w ond erh o g !
Dave M oxum and the Fred’s p ilo t o f the day ta lk th ro u g h
the fly in g and by lunch o ff we go, the firs t eighteen man
attem pt. T h in g s looked really good u n til the tra il a ircra ft
disappears on ju m p run. F inally the Red Beast is spotted
at least a thou sa n d feet lower, fu ll tanks and icing
problem s giving the p ilo t a hard tim e. Round again and
dow n we go to fo rm a te on them . Run in and we lost them
again, Dave says th e y are behind so o u t we c lim b and
fra n tic a lly look dow n to make sure all is w ell.
Go, and o u t pours the lead g ro u p . The base fo u r man
have a few problem s and s lo w ly we b u ild the base six.
The flye rs are n o t around u n til the last few seconds, p o o r
a irc ra ft fo rm a tio n and lack o f co m m u n ic a tio n on th e e x it
cause all the problem s. A n ine man was all we saw and
after ta lkin g th ro u g h the fly in g problem s we go up again
to try and do it properly.
This tim e the fly in g was perfect, no ca rb icin g o r excess
fuel. Ju m p run, stand-by, e x it and go. Eddy and his hot
rods take a bea utifu l fo u r man o u t and in goes Ray five and
me six. As I dock, all aro u n d I can see the flyers w a itin g in
position, it m ust be one o f the m ost beautiful sig h ts in
ju m p in g . 7 . . . 8 .. . 9 . . .10 .. . here a hard d o c k in g starts
the base u n it b o u n cin g abo u t and we all overreact m aking
it w orse . . . 1 1 . . . 1 2 . . . 1 3 . . . 1 4 . . . dow n the pipe, 6000 ft
and n o th in g to do! We put it dow n to nerves and rule one,
if it a in ’t rig h t d o n ’t to u ch , and to som e e xtent decide we
need a firm e r fo rm a tio n . We re th in k and decide on a base
fo u r w ith three man pods on legs w ith the final tw o people
fla kin g on op p o site pods.
R onnie and I sit dow n and redraw, re p o sitio n every one,
H iggy here, S ally there, Ian o u t here, Fred and Jim round
there. A fte r try in g plans tw o th ro u g h hundred and tw o we
sta rt d irt d ivin g again. W ith the h o u r’s lig h t that is left up go
the base n ine to try the new fo rm a tio n . Four man nice,
solid and fast then in go the flakers steady and sm ooth.
Nerves now steady we are al I set fo r T u e sd a y.
Was it really w o rth it? You bet y o u r ass it was!
FOR ALL CANOPY REPAIRS
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A N D D ELIVERY
IF R EQ UIRED
Tuesday daw ns dam p and cla m m y w ith clo u d at a
1000ft. B y m id afte rn o o n boredom has set in and m any
people leave fo r th e local s w im m in g pool. N ow w hat
happens w hen any person on a team leaves? T h a t’s rig h t
the w eather breaks! By 5.30 I’m p u llin g my h a ir out
because o n ly 6 o u t o f 18 people are around. S till in o n ly
m inutes w ith sque a lin g tyres and dam p hair su d d e n ly
everyone is w a itin g to go. Jo h n phones C aptain C u rly
W atts and at 6.30 we take off.
Form ation perfect, but w ith Dave and M ike one expects
no th in g less, e xit goo d but e ve n tu a lly fo r no apparent
reason on these attem pts, dow n the pipe we go. L iste n ­
ing to Jo hn M eacock’s tape does give us som e en co u ra g e ­
m ent as we hear a nice d is c ip lin e d e n try sequence fo r the
flyers w ith the fo rm a tio n b raking yet again at fourteen.
By now it is dark and all rush dow n the pub fo r fo o d and
d rin k in high spirits, all th a t is except me, I had a n o th e r
mal! P.S. the three ring circ u s w o rks really nice, but the
mals are anothe r s to ry a ltogether.
W ednesday, o u r last day, we fly the 185 in fo rm a tio n
ca rryin g th e cam eram an C yril, w h o had done us proud
over the past few days ta kin g his jo b very seriously.
S p irits w ere hig h w ith m em ory o f Tuesdays ju m p , the
fo rm a tio n fly in g by all three p ilo ts perfect. Exit and here
BPA Scholarship/Student Progression Courses
1.
It is intended to run tw o Scholarship courses in 1979, the firs t from 23-27
A p ril at Peterborough and the second from 16-20 J u ly at Hereford. The
object o f these courses is to give advanced in struction to candidates in
Style, A ccuracy, RW, ram air parachutes etc.
2.
A pplications are to be made in the' first instance to the BPA O ffice. C andi­
dates must have achieved BPA Cat 8 and FAI ‘C ’ C e rtificate w ith in 18
m onths o f starting the sport, and not have previously attended a BPA
' S cholarship course.
3.
A pplications are to be supported by the C andidate’s CCI, all jum ps made
on the course w ill be at no cost to the Candidate.
4.
Two student progression courses w ill run in parallel w ith the scholarship
courses. These are open to any student o f Cat 4 to Cat 7 who wishes to
benefit from 5 days intensive coaching. A p plications from individuals may
be made to the O ffice. A ll jum ps w ill be paid fo r by Candidates.
Doug Peacock N.C.S.O.
OBITUARY
Gunner P hilip Russell, Royal A rtille ry
Phil Russell, who started sport parachuting about 2 years ago and
who has been on the APA staff since April 1978, was tragically killed
in a car accident on 24th November. To all his family and his many
friends we send our deepest sympathy.
23
DISPLAYS ARE LIKE THIS!!!
The tim e approaches 13.30 hrs. and here com e the arm y
in the form of a 1 to n tru c k and N igel plus his a ttra ctive
w ife. He does not look w ell, c a n ’t h a rd ly move, lots o f
sym p a th e tic noises. A ll the kit is there, 4 P.C.s, 4 Reserves,
ju m p su its, huge sm oke bom bs and brackets, 2 sm okes
w hich w o rk u n d e rw a te r, even b ro u g h t his ow n W .D.I.s —
the m ilita ry really do p o u r it on. Ah, w ho is th is chap from
H a lfpenny Green, know n to Jo h n Fisher, got a C licence
w o u ld love to do a £10 w ater ju m p , e specially as he’ll be
paid as his feet etc. So back to 4 and all is now set fair.
Screech o f brakes, Pete W ilkin so n — team all com plete!!
W hat’s that, Peter, y o u ’d like a qu ie t w ord? C hrist, I’m try ­
ing to check th is k it and I’ve not a lo t o f tim e. N igel w ants to
get off. You what!! No w ater, w hat d 'yo u mean? It's a w ater
ju m p and fo r th a t you have to have — oh m um !! Low est
high tid e o f the year, the raft race is at the peak, by 4 p.m.
it’ll all have gone, yo u are jesting. A fte r all, w hen there is
no w a te r it is all th ic k black go o e y mud. Y o u ’re not! “ N igel,
my frie n d , a w ord, Peter says e tc .” No, N igel, the org a n ­
isers are o b vio usly stra ig h t o u t o f the lo o n y bin if Peter
was there yesterday at 3.30 and there was no w ater, Peter
I tru st, the organisers I’ve never met! I do n o t w ish to land
in m ud, no not even a little bit. C onference! D ecision! (it’s
great to have a chain o f com m and!) N igel w ill go and ring
— if there is w ater it’s on as planned, if not, it’s look fo r
alternative D.Z. very close, o r s cru b it.
We w ait. S u ita b ly dressed in te n n is k it I feel I cu t an
unusual figure, e sp e cially as Fisher w ill keep p rodu cing
people to be in tro d u c e d . “ H ere’s o u r C.C.I. No it isn’t
G in n y W ade in d ra g !” T he phone rings. No, there is a
d e fin ite lack o f H 2 0 , ju s t 8 feet w id e and 2 1/2 feet deep in
acres o f mud. But, ray of hope, one area o f m ud is big and
hard. N igel had w alked and ju m p e d up and dow n on it, and
surely th a t is enough — ju s t a little b it unsure, I agree. Use
o u r squares and w ith s e m i-C h ristia n C.H. should be
O.K. B ut if I squelch m y last in black m ud I sure as hell w ill
hau n t som e bastard!
It’s on! C hange clo th e s and kit, get so rte d out, emplane,
take off. A t least fo r a 20 m in u te flig h t w e're m ore com ­
fo rta b le w ith o u t the life jackets. S om eone notes that the
A38 is co m p le te ly devoid o f tra ffic . I lo o k and p o in t o u t it
is a disused railw ay line and m ake a m ental note to w atch
his s p o ttin g . T here it is. G od! Lo o k at the m ud, to ta lly
su rro u n de d by th o u sa n d s o f people, w ith the w ater
m eandering in the centre. S tream er gone. O.K. alm ost no
w ind o u t over the p etrol tank, up to 5 grand, run in, o u t go
H a lfp e nn y Green lad and Jo h n Fisher. T here goes the
s m o k e — yes, w hat else w o u ld it do but blow o p posite to
the w ay the W .D.I.s w ent — it ’s that kind o f jum p.
H alf penny Green lad, on his square, has no problem lands
O.K. B ut I ca n ’t see if he is subm erged o r not! Jo h n Fisher
w ith the D.C. is try in g , 8 feet w ide 2V6 feet deep and Fisher
issm a ck in th e c e n tre . H yste rics in the plane! Run in again
— o u t we go, all goes as norm al, both in by the cross and
the m ud is hard. O rganiser and crow d over generous in
th e ir praise, and it is fin a lly over. C an’t th in k w hy I d id n ’t
wet m yself, but I’m still dry.
Oh, one last point. Yes, he did, paid as o u r feet tou che d
m ud we were, so if N igel should ring and y o u ’re hard up,
well — !!! you can be sure y o u ’ll get paid as y o u r feet etc.
M ike S tanton.
M y phone, w hich m y w ife insists is o n ly fo r the para­
ch u tin g fra te rn ity, rang, and w ith total abandon I
answered! “ Hi, M ike, N igel Neames here. R em em ber m e?”
H urried search o f m y w ell know n p o o r m em ory and then
click, Capt. R.A. som etim e leader of the Buccaneers d is ­
play team — jum ped on a very low d isp la y w ith him last
y e a r— he’s the one w ho pays you as y o u r feet h it the
g ro u n d — great chap. “ Hi, N ig e l.” “ M ike, can you do me a
favour?" W hoa now, you know w hat d o in g favours means
— g e ttin g lum bered! B u t he pays as y o u r feet etc. “ W hat
favo ur?” , I ask. “ Oh, n o th in g really. G o t a d isp la y, need a
D In stru cto r to keep it legal. It’s at H ayle in C o rn w a ll, not
to o fa r from y o u .” Up to now it sounds q u ite reasonable.
“ W ho is ju m p in g ? ” “ Oh, it'll be you, me and tw o others.
Sgt. K enny” (him I d o n ’t know ,) “ and CpI. F oster” .
(B rum m y I do k n o w — good lad!) “ W h o ’s d o in g the paper
w o rk? ” “ No w orry, M ike, I’m at C om m ando H.Q. and w ill
take care o f everything, paper w ork, rigs, sm oke, every­
thin g! W ell, can d o ? " T h is all sounds great — w h y the
niggle in m y gut? Ah w ell, he does pay as the feet etc. “ O.K.
N igel, you can c o u n t on m e” . Oh! w hat a naive n itw it, I’d
have been b e tte ro ff ju m p in g L o fty ’s W ing.
A pleasant fo rtn ig h t passed, then it arrived — by post,
dam n great m anilla envelope — o ffic ia l paid. T ’was the
paper w ork, and it m ade m y g u t feel co n scie nce struck.
It was, by any standard, fantastic. Every d e ta il — every
second, all include d . Dress, tra n sp o rt, 3 m aps (yes 3)
from Large to M edium to Sm all — a re a lly im pressive
perform ance. I was o b vio usly ge ttin g m oney fo r jam !
T w o days passed and I arrived hom e one evening to fin d
a message — B rum m y Foster had phoned — w o u ld call
again. He did! T o let me know he to o had a dam n great
envelope, but he was n o t im pressed — b oth he and Sgt.
Kenny w ould be on m anoeuvres and c o u ld n ’t jum p! H e’d
spent 2 days try in g to get Capt. Neames but no success,
w ould I do it fo r him ? Yes, I’d try! M y firs t ha lf dozen phone
calls w ere useless. I trie d both num bers fro m m y dam n
great envelope — no lu ck — fin a lly I g o t som eone to
breach the N ational S ecurity. He did know N igel Neames,
yes, Capt. R.A. but he was on leave in France. W o u ld n ’t be
back fo r a fo rtn ig h t. C hrist, the ju m p was S unday week
and a fo rtn ig h t was T h u rsd a y week! W ait! Fall back on all
th a t tra in in g — d o n ’t panic — m erely fix up tw o su b ­
stitutes. M ore phone calls. Peter W ilkin so n w o u ld do it,
he was reliable and also Jo h n Fisher. N o t so g ood at
accuracy, but surely no-one can miss the A tla n tic !
T hursday and now to ring N igel. Oh! H a d n ’t I heard A ir
T ra ffic C o n tro lle rs etc. Capt. Neames was delayed. The
g u t was really g a in in g co n tro l now. It was g o in g w ro n g
and certain to get ‘w ro n g e r’. So in a really decisive, take
c o n tro l manner, I did n o th in g and w eakly rang N ig e l’s
hom e num b er on Friday evening. Th a n k G od, he was there
— all was great! Yes, m y su b stitu te s w o u ld be fine, w e’d
meet as per the dam n great envelope, h e ’d su p p ly etc.
P anic su b sid es— w o rry e lim in a te d — great big sm ile!
S aturday, 14 students at Bodm in, all tra in e d , ready to
ju m p 10 a.m. S unday, all set fo r good w eekend, w ith even
the w eather goin g to be fine. Trained m y students, no fuss,
seem a go o d cro w d . Sunday, up at 7.30 a.m., show er and
breakfast, so rt o u t m y w a te r ju m p kit. O ld te n n is shoes,
shorts and a T -sh irt. Read up on th e B.P.A. regs re w ater
ju m p s — no, n o th in g fo rg o tte n , so w e’re ready to go. The
phone!!! “ H e llo N igel. W hat? Y o u r back, s lip p e d a disc,
can’t jum p? G reat, but you w ill meet me at B o d m in D.Z.
w ith kit and do the c o m m e n ta ry — c h a rm in g !” B lo o d y
typical, m ilita ry d isp la y and not a ru d d y s o ld ie r in sight.
Ah w ell, not to w orry.
30 MAN A TTEM PT
Eric Finney w o u ld like to say a sincere th a n k you to all w ho
su pported his recent 30 man attem pt. Y o u r enthusiasm
was m uch appreciated.
24
BRITISH PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION
CO U NC IL MEETING, THURSDAY 14th SEPTEMBER 1978
held at BPA Offices, Kimberley House, Leicester
PRESENT
W. J. Meacock— Chairman
J. T. Crocker
P. A. Howell
WO J. Laing
G. Lilly
P. G. M itchell
D. Turner (Co-Opted)
G. C. P. Shea-Simonds
(Co-Opted)
interposed to suggest that in situations such as this, where
an im portant letter has gone unanswered, the follow up
should be, in this case a letter in the name of the Chairman
of Forward Planning to show that the matter has been
taken up a stage. This was agreed. Mr. Howell went on to
saythat the wide circulation of the letter to the Sec. of State
has had some bi-products in that he had been approached
by the Sec. of a local Sports Council who indicated that the
letter had aroused the interest of certainly one County
Planning O fficer who it would seem viewed the ‘Ashbourne’
decision as nonsense. Mr. Howell w ill be trying to establish
contact with him to see the basis of his opinion. It is inter­
esting to note that some people feel that way and it's worth
follow ing up.
J. Norris
D. Prince
J. R. H. Sharpies
P. Slaughter
J. L. Thomas
Brigadier J. Starling
(Co-Opted)
IN ATTENDANCE
Sqn. Ldr. W. Paul Sec. Gen. BPA
D. Peacock— NCSO BPA
M. J. Beynon (South Cotswold Para Club)
Mr. Davis (South Cotswold Para Club)
and Nine Observers
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
D. I. Waugh
D. Orton
b. Sports and Law Conference Mr. Howell reported that he
would be giving a paper to the Sunday Telegraph for a
Sport and Law Conference to be held in London towards
the end of September. The subject of his paper will be
Planning and Building on which he would be dealing with
the question of Planning Permission vis-a-vis sport and he
would do his best to include in his address the difficulties
that we encounter, hopefully that the press there may try
and take it up. The conference is a jo int venture between
The Sports Council and the Sunday Telegraph. He felt that
perhaps we ought to have one other representative there,
because he would not be there for the entire Conference.
Mr. Shea-Simonds was asked if he could attend, the dates
being 28/29 September — he was unable to say with any
degree of certainty at this time but undertook to let either
Mr. Howell o rth e Chairman know.
I. B. W right
Item 49/78
APPEAL— MISS WENDY MILLER
This m atter brought forward from previous minutes (Item 48/78
20 July 78) was deferred due Miss M iller being unable to attend
arising to being on holiday. The matter would be placed on the
Agenda of the next Meeting and Miss M iller again invited to
attend.
Item 50/ 78
COMMITTEE REPORT
1. Safety and Training The Chairman of STC referred to the
Minutes of the STC Meeting of 15 August ’78 (previously dis­
tributed) and called for any questions:
a. Cornwall Display The Chairman STC, had written a letter
of caution and reprimand to the Cornwall Para. Club. The
letter to which there had been no answer was read to the
meeting.
b. Irvin Snap Hook— Item 1.(5J) Mr. Shea-Simonds reported
on a letter received from Mr. I. B. W right of Irvin GB which
quite rig htly pointed out that the Irvin Snap Hook which
BPA has said is inefficient, is inefficient simply because
we are putting it to a use for which it was not origin ally
designed. The letter was intended for publication in ‘Sport
Parachutist’ and this would be done.
2. Competition In the absence of Mr. Waugh the Chairman
reported there had not been a meeting of the Com petitions
Committee since the previous Council Meeting and that the
next Com petitions Committee Meeting was to be held on 19th
September.
The Sec. Gen. produced a provisional expenditure and
income account to the 1978 W orld Parachuting Cham pion­
ships— Zagreb.
The matter of a refund shown as being due from the Head of
Delegation (Mr. Meacock) was raised. A car had been hired at
the request of the H of D to be available on his arrival at Zagreb.
The cost had been paid by the BPA and was to be reclaimed
from Mr. Meacock. It was the view of the meeting that the car
had been of value for the team and its value warranted the cost
being met by BPA. On a proposal by Mr. Crocker seconded by
Mr. Slaughter it was unanim ously agreed that the cost £123.00
in full be paid by the BPA.
3. Forward Planning Mr. Howell referred to the follow ing
matters
a. The letter to Secretary of State for the Environment re.
Town and Country Planning Acts and Sport Parachuting
The original letter from BPA (21 March 78) was replied to
on 7 June 78. In view of the disappointm ent at the tenor of
the reply a f uther letter was sent to the Secretary of State on
22 June 78, to date there seems to have been no reply
other than an acknowledgem ent of receipt. He suggested
that perhaps we should now send a chaser. Mr. Crocker
c. Cornwall Parachute Centre Mr. Howell reported what he
considered to be somewhat encouraging development
over the correspondence he had been having concerning
the Cornwall Parachute Centre D.Z. in which we had main­
tained that parachuting doesn’t need planning permission
because we were going to do it for 28 days in one field,
28 days in another field and so on. An argument was then
‘dredged up' that parachuting was ‘Other O perations’
within the Town and Country Planning Act so requires
planning permission. Fortunately there is a House of Lords
decision which is right on the point; ‘Other O perations’
have to be in the nature of building or engineering opera­
tions and having pointed this out to N. Cornwall District
Council they have now replied.
“ Careful consideration has now been given to the contents
of yo u rtw o letters (11 and 14 July) and reference has been
made to the case law which you site. After carefully
considering all the matters involved I have now come to the
conclusion that my original argument is probably wrong
and that, as you submit, a parachuting activity is not an
‘Other O peration’ w ithin the definition sent out in Section
22(1) of the Town and C ountry Planning Act, 1971. In these
circumstances I do not propose to advise this A uthority to
pursue the enforcem ent of the parachuting activities as an
unauthorised operation.
I do, however, still remain concerned with the C lub’s
activities at W hite Rose Farm and, in this connection, the
matter of the aircraft landing strip at the farm is being con­
sidered by the C ouncil’s Planning and Development
Committee at their next meeting on 4th September. At that
meeting the outstanding planning application for the
various proposed uses of some of the outbuildings at the
farm is also being considered.
I shall doubtless be w riting to you again in connection with
the activities at White Rose and in the meantime thank you
fo r drawing my attention to relevant matters which have,
I feel, clarified the situation fo r all concerned” .
The sequel to this is that the club have problems with
power cables, which are too close to the existing D.Z. It is
understood the club has now been offered by the Trustees
of the M oor’ (or some sim ilar body), an area right in the
middle of the m oor providing someone lives in a certain
25
On being questioned the Sec-Gen stated he had applied
the Sports Council Scales as had been the practice each
year since the BPA Staff was assimilated into the Sports
C ouncil’s grading and salary scales in O ctober 1975. He
admitted that this had in the case of the NCSO effectively
increased a figure agreed by Council by £1,071. Discussion
continued on this matter w ith ou t the presence of the NCSO
and Sec-Gen. On recall the Sec-Gen was inform ed that
Council had resolved as follows:
1. In view of the actions of the Secretary General over his
decision to grant Salary increases to the BPA Staff, w ithout
C ouncil’s authorisation, this Council has no confidence in
his conduct o f the Association’s affairs.
2. The Council reprimands the Secretary-General for his
actions over the salary increases, and invites his resigna­
tion.
house (rent free) and on this basis the club is hopeful they
w ill get planning permission for that particular area.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Howell for his efforts in this
particular case,
d. Leeds Bradford Club (Elvington) The Chairman reported
that the Leeds Bradford Club had been granted the licence
to operate at Elvington for a period o f fou r m onths and
were hopeful they would get it for another year. There was
also hope that the existing restrictions would be eased. The
Chairman had inform ed the club that if necessary another
meeting could be arranged w ith the local Council in a
couple of months time.
4. Finance Mr. Mitchell, Chairman of Finance Comm ittee
reported on the Minutes of the Finance Com mittee meeting of
7th August (attached to these minutes, together with Balance
Sheet and A uditors’ Review letter for the year ended 31st
March 1978).
Item 51/78
AFFILIATIONS
a. South Cotswold Para Club This application having been
proposed by Mr. Crocker and seconded by Mr. Norris was
unanimously agreed.
b. British Collegiate Para Assoc. Centre This application
having been proposed by Mr. Crocker and seconded by Mr.
Sharpies was unanim ously agreed subject to a check on
the D.Z. being made by the NCSO.
The Meeting was adjourned till Monday 18th September
when an extra-ordinary meeting would be held to con­
tinue with the unfinished Agenda.
The follow ing matters arose:
a. Auditors Review Letter This had made recommendations
concerning the em ployment of extra staff, reduction of the
number of rates of membership. There was considerable
discussion concerning the work of the present staff and
how the Association had grown particularly over the past
few years. This culminated in a proposal by Mr. Crocker
seconded by G. L illy and carried unanim ously that a
Business/Management Consultant be employed to con­
sider the present organisation and make such recom­
mendations as are deemed necessary to establish an
efficient adm inistration system which w ill also take
account of anticipated increases in membership over
the next few years. The responsibility fo r implem enting
this resolution to be in the hands of Finance Committee
who would call for quotations and be empowered to
appoint the Consultant w ithout having to refer back to
Council. The Sec-Gen took up the Auditors point on the
number of variations of membership fee, 25 in all and
produced a modified list of 16 which would be given over
to the Finance Comm ittee for consideration.
b. Sports Council Grant Aid Application — 1978/79 Mr.
M itchell referred to the application which included
reference to the salary increases granted by Council to the
previous NCSO and the Sec. Gen. in June 1977. It was
accepted that the original submission in respect of these
increases did not adequately express C o un cil’s reasons for
granting these increased and therefore undermined the
prospects of these being accepted by the Sports Council
for grant aid. It was agreed that Mr. M itchell/M r. Crocker
would rewrite the submission which would be embodied in
the application for the year ended 31st March 1979 in the
hope that the cost of the increases would be accepted
retrospectively.
c. Net Cost of World Championships 1977 It was pointed out
that against the total expenditure of £34,000, the Sec. Gen.
had previously estimated an income sufficient to produce
a net cost to the BPA of some £3,000. In the event this net
cost was in fact £V— V h 'k'h . Theexpenditure by the Balance
Sheet showed £30,890 from this was to be deducted the
Sports Council, Grants of £19,869 and Profit on the Raffle
£2,479 (total £22,448) thus leaving a balance of £8,442. A
further £1,500 had been agreed by the Sports Council
bringing the net cost down to £6,942. Short falls on his
original estimates were on Raffle (£1,000) N.T.F. (£500).
The Sec. Gen. undertook to give other inform ation on short
falls — these are now added as: LWTV £400, Sports
Council £780 and an estimated £600 to be recovered on
extension o f tickets fo r those staying in Australia. This
brought the total short falls on the original estimate to
£3,280 which would have brought the now net cost of
£6,942 down to £3,662.
d. Staff Salaries per Sports Council Scales It had been noted
that the Sec. Gen. had in June 1978 w ithout reference to
C ouncil implemented the revised Sports Council Salary
Scales (effective from 1st April 1978) and paid these to all
staff retrospective from the effective date. It was pointed
out that C ouncil had in July 1977 increased the Sec-Gen’s
salary by £500 and that the New Scales had been applied i n
his case. In the case o f the NCSO his salary had been set at
£4,500 as from the commencement of his em ployment on
1st April 1978 this was a block figure and not a scale figure.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
B.P.A. does n ot guarantee equipm ent bo ught and sold through
the m edium o f this journal. Purchasers are advised to use the
services o f approved riggers.
Classified Advertisements can o n ly be accepted if accom ­
panied by a cheque o r P/O made ou t to the British Parachute
Association (Crossed B ritish Team Fund) fo r a sum not less
than 50p.
FOR SALE
Spectrum Strato Star. Talisman Reserve, Custom Hogback,
Altimaster II— £475.00
contact M. W hitley, 0524-419919
Mk I PC (Red and Black), 124 (4 line chop) in GS Custom Wedge
system— £225.00
contact P. Ritchie 0903-37883 (W), 45762(H)
Custom Harness with R3s, Reserve Tray, 2 matching packs
(PC/Star) Incl. ripcords— £100.00
contact A. B rooks 01-892 9912(H)
C9 TU, B4 Pack and Harness, as new.
contact D. Carbel 01-952 8641
Pathfinder, sleeve & extractor, very good condition — £125.00
contact A. M cDermott, 111, The High, Streatham H igh Road,
London S.W. 16
Yellow Security Piggyback, with short lined Mk I PC (In POD)
& T7A Reserve (4 line chop) complete — £250.00 o.n.o.
contact M. Wardle, 4 Locksley House, Robin Hood Chase,
St. Ann's, N ottingham .
Strato-Star complete — £260.00 American Pap plus Reserve
Tray— £300.00
contact A. Cleaver 0203-25588 Ext 3368
Irvin Skydriver, ready to Jump, 1W 4-pin pack and harness —
£140
contact Phil Wells 01-942-6885
Security Thunderbow rig (blue and gold) complete with Mk I
PC (Church Window), New Talisman Reserve, Hot Dog & M A 1.
Altimaster II, space riggers & ripcord— £450.00 o.n.o.
contactP . A itchison 0306-5911 Ex125(W ) o r 67281 (H)
26
BRITISH PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION
EXTRA-ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 1978
held at BPA Offices, Kimberley House, Leicester
PRESENT
W. J. Meacock Chairman
D. Orton
J. D. Prince
J. R. H. Sharpies
P. Slaughter
J. L. Thomas
D. I. Waugh
Brigadier J. Starling
(Co-Opted)
Mr. Howell commented that the ‘explanations’ if one could term
the S.G.’s statement as such were irrelevant and failed to deal with
the specific issue.
In view of the general critical comments made by the S.G. in his
statement, discussion followed in broad terms on the running and
managing of the office and other procedures.
Mr. Thomas felt that council were to some extent lacking in not
providing more help and guidance to the S.G. and that the office
workload had increased during recent times beyond the present
capacity to cope.
Mr. Waugh stated that the meeting should confine itself to the
specific issue in question which prompted the proposals of the
last council meeting. The Chairman then reminded the meeting of
the two proposals emanating from the previous m eeting:
1. “ In view o f the actions of the Secretary General over his
decision to grant Salary Increases to the BPA staff, w ithout
Council authorisation, this C ouncil has no confidence in his con­
duct of the Association’s affairs” .
(Passed unanimously)
2. “ This Council reprimands the Secretary General fo r his actions
over the Salary increases, and invites his resignation” .
(Passed 11 to 2)
Brig. Starling commented that nothing had changed his view
that a breach of trust by the S.G. had occurred.
Mr. C rocker confirm ed Brig. S tarling’s view and said that he
was staggered particularly as the increases were backdated, let
alone implemented. In the case of the NCSO, the backdating
being to the first day of his em ployment with the BPA at an already
agreed figure by council. The facts being that council had no
knowledge of these actions nor was there any indication that
council were likely to be informed or consulted. Furthermore
it was inexcusable to effect the NCSO increase by using two
cheques where one would have exceeded the S.G.’s authorised
lim it— a fact inviting criticism from our Auditors. By not seeking
council’s direction the situation was clearly an abuse of a position
of trust.
Mr. Lilley confirm ed that the explanation given by the S.G. for
his conduct was not satisfactory.
Messrs Waugh and O rton who were unable to attend the pre­
vious meeting agreed that despite the fact that all concerned had
had fo u r days to further consider all aspects and had hoped to hear
a full and satisfactory explanation from the S.G., were dis­
appointed and saw no reason to change the second resolution.
The Chairman summed up the discussions which culm inated
in the follow ing proposal by Mr. Crocker, seconded by Mr.
Howell.
‘That the Sec. General be once again invited to resign and to give
his decision within as short a period as possible (as agreed
between the S. G, and the Chairman) and in default be given three
months no tice ’.
The proposal was carried by 12 votes to 1.
Mr. Crocker finalised the issue by saying that Council are not
necessarily bound to any notice given or required, but are giving
notice gratuitously as the situation in his view was one that
warranted summary dismissal.
The Chairman recalled the S.G. to the meeting and read the
proposal.
J. T. Crocker
P. A. Howell
WO J. Laing
G. Lilly
P. G. M itchell
J. Norris
D. Turner (Co-Opted)
G. C. P. Shea-Simonds
(C o-O pted)
Item 50/78
Continued from Meeting of 14th September
4. Finance Mr. M itchell recapped on his report given at the
Meeting of 14th September fo r the benefit of those who did
not attend that meeting. The Chairman then recapped on the
resolutions agreed at that meeting.
The Sec-Gen was perm itted to address the Meeting and made
the follow ing points:
1. During the past ten years only one annual budget fo r BPA
finances had been produced and that by the late Mr. Morgan
fo r the year 1975/76. The current Treasurer agreed that he had
not produced a budget.
2. During the past ten years only one of the five treasurers had
taken the opportunity to come and see how the day to day
finances were handled and how the office operated. The
current treasurer agreed he had not looked at the day to day
finances and how these were handled, however, he responded
that he felt this was not absolutely necessary.
3. In June 1977 when Council decided to increase the then
NCSO’s salary by £1,590 and his own salary by £500, he had
advised Council that he had not sought a salary increase and
that the increases Council had approved were outside the
G overnment’s then pay guide lines and outside the Sports
Council pay scales fo r grant aid to which we were linked.
Council agreed that should the increases not be accepted for
grant aid purposes BPA would meet the increases in full.
4. In reply to a question the current Chairman o f the
Com petitors' Comm ittee agreed he had not produced a budget
fo r W orld Championships. The Sec-Gen pointed out that the
Com m ittee’s only attempt to produce a budget had been for
the 1978 National Classic Championships, a Championships
which had in fact shown a profit. The attempted budget had
come about sim ply because o f the £1500 Sm irnoff Sponsor­
ship which the Com m ittee rig htly wanted to see used fo r the
benefit of the com petitors, as far as was possible.
5. When some m onths previously the Sec-Gen had informed
Council that was considering seeking additional staff to
cope with the increasing work load, the only observation to
filte r back to him was that it had said he did n ’t need more staff
because the girls in the office after going down town fo r sand­
wiches spent % hour sitting eating these in the office — he
contended this was a com plete distortion of the facts.
6. In giving an example of how what he considered to be
reasonable observations made by himself were treated, he
quoted the case of Bickmarsh (Midland Para Centre) when its
application fo r approved club status was considered he had
observed on the matter o f the airfield licence — this was not
taken up, approved club status was granted with payment of
£150p.a. under the approved club policy. In view of the recent
problem sover parachuting at Bickmarsh he had indicated that
the Centre’s Approved Club Status was to him a source of
embarrasment particularly now that the Centre was having to
apply for permission to drop even experienced parachutists.
His observation was not taken up.
Item 52/78
Replacement C9 Canopy
The Chairman reported on the latest position of providing a re­
placement C9 Canopy for those who can afford it. WO Laing was
having tw o GQ Canopies tested, one with a net skirt. The Chair­
man hoped to get one from Irvin, a net skirted canopy based on
the Sky Diver. Mr. Shea-Simonds suggested that perhaps, ii clubs
show interest in the project, it may be w orthw hile BPA putting
money into bulk buying the canopies.
The Sec. General and the NCSO left the meeting at the request
of council. The Chairman then invited discussion from council
relating to the Sec. General’s statement.
Considerable discussion follow ed w ith the m ajority of opinion
being that the S.G. had not explained his actions satisfactorily.
Item 53/78
WORLD PARACHUTING CHAMPIONSHIPS (RW )— 1981
Brigadier Starling presented a second draft letter (first draft
previously distributed) on the subject of using Netheravon as the
27
Item 58/78
PREVIOUS MINUTES AND MATTERS ARISING
a. National Championships (Classic) (Item 39/78 2.c.) Mr.
Slaughter referred to the suggested reduction of 50p per jump
and the fact that the reduction was not in fact implemented.
Mr. Prince who had been responsible for asking the jum ps to
com petitors had made his calculations on the basis of break­
ing even against aircraft costs and it was therefore true to say
that a 50p reduction per jum p was not implemented.
b. ‘State Express’/Sports Aid Foundation (Item 39/78 4.a.) Mr.
M itchell referred to the recent announcement that ‘State
Express’ was giving E'/jm to the S.A.F. The Sec-Gen pointed
out this had been a matter of controversy with sports con­
cerned about sponsorship com ing from Tobacco companies.
Aquestionaire recently returned to the S.A.F. showed that our
sport had no reservations on taking a share of sponsorship
money no matter what the source.
c. Protest to B.G.A. (Item 39/78 4.c.) A draft letter by Mr. Crocker
was passed to the Meeting and it was agreed that this letter go
to the BGA under the Chairm an’s signature.
venue for the W orld Parachuting Championships (RW). Basically,
the letter was addressed to the M inister for Sport, seeking the
co-operation from other users of the Netheravon air space for
the period of the proposed W orld Championships. It was
emphasised that the proposal to hold the Championships in Great
Britain would be made to the FAI (CIP) in January 1979 and some
positive response was required for them The letter to the Minister
for Sport would go out signed by the Chairman BPA Council. The
Meeting confirm ed that it wanted to host the 1981 W orld RW
Championships.
Item 54/78
EMPLOYMENT OF P.R. CONSULTANT
Mr. Shea-Simonds was of the opinion that BPA should now
employ P.R. Consultant and suggested that the representative of
a company known to him be invited to attend the next Council
Meeting to give his views on how a professional consultant could
be of value to the Association. The Meeting agreed unanimously
a proposal by Mr. Crocker seconded by Mr. Thomas that Mr.
Shea-Simonds produce an advisory paper for the consultant who
was to be invited to attend the next Council Meeting.
Mr. Mitchell informed the Meeting of an approach by Mr. Water­
man re a publicity film . W hilst Mr. Waterman's suggestion was
appreciated it was thought that we should for now concentrate
on the PR approach now agreed. On the matter of publicity it was
generally agreed that Miss ‘Jackie’ Smith was an example where
a professional PR approach would have achieved better publicity
results. There was also the various annual awards e.g. Sports­
woman of the year and we now ought to make every attempt to get
‘Jackie’ nominated for such awards as are available. A notice
would be published in the magazine drawing the attention of
members to the need for their support whenever nom inations are
called for from the press, radio and television.
Item 40/78.1
d. National Championships (Item 40/78.1) Mr. Shea-Simonds
reported that Gen W ilson had not received an invitation to the
1978 National Championships and would liked to have come
had he been invited. He would be interested in attending the
National RW Cham pionships to be held at Netheravon and
would love to receive an invitation to present the prizes. The
m ilitary agreed that Gen Wilson be invited by a personal letter
from the Chairman to present the prizes at the 1979 National
RW Championships. It was essential that the letter goes to him
soon as he does go out of the country quite a lot.
e. Competition Caravan — (Item 40/78 3) The NCSO reported
that he had now reconsidered this requirement and had made
his view known to the members of the C om petition Committee
— his paper would be considered at the next Com petitions
Committee Meeting. Basically this was to purchase a “ Dormobile” type vehicle to replace the BPA Maxi and provide
facilities for a M obile Control Unit.
f. Outstanding Loans— (Item 40/78 (7,9 & 10)
1. Wessex Para Club— Nothing further other than that as a result
of the notice in “ Sport Parachutist” , an individual also seeking
Mr. Donovan had contacted the BPA. It was agreed that any
inform ation obtained by either party would be passed to the
other.
2. G.S. Custom Parachutes The outstanding balance of £50 had
not been paid and contact with Mr. Shone was proving d iffi­
cult.
3. Elvin Skysports Mr. Crocker reported letters are still being
returned marked “ No Postal Point” .
g. Whitbread Sport Trust Grant The amended scheme had been
circulated to all C.C.I.’s and a copy to all eligible new
members.
h. Electronic Disc Pad — (Item 45/78) It was reported that Para
Gear was unable to satisfy the order for an electronic Disc and
two spare pads — they had sold the only three manufactured
by them. It was now considered that the Para Gear disc and
pads were probably not suitable and that BPA would be better
to concentrate on those being made by Dr. Flinn and Mr.
McBride.
i. Bob Leefman's Appeal Fund— Item 46/78 Mr. Lilly referred to
the agreement that any credit balance from the Classic
National Championships 1978 go to the Bob Leefman's Appeal
Fund. He noted that the credit blaance had reduced from the
previous figure of £233.70 to £97.53. The Sec-Gen pointed
out that there was now a provision for £167.60 against O fficial
Expenses— this was the balance between the estimate of £300
given to him and the actual claims paid to date — as it now
seemed all claims had been made, the provision allowed as a
possible expenditure would now go towards the credit
balance bringing it to £265.13. No further expenditures were
anticipated. The Sec-Gen reported the Leefman's Appeal Fund
as standing at approx. £930.00 but more money had come in
during the day. Mr. Waugh reported that donations should be
forthcom ing from the Duck End Meet.
Item 55/78
PUBLICATION OF BOOK “THE BEST OF SPORT PARACHUT­
IST”
Mr. Shea-Simonds felt there was a need after 14 years for such
a publication. He had discussed the matter with the Chairman and
between them they would undertake the publication as a private
venture. He sought C ouncil’s approval. Outlets fo rth e publication
would be the BPA O ffice and the commerical organisations within
the sport with of course BPA having the best financial deal. Mr.
Mitchell proposed and Mr. Crocker seconded a proposal that the
project has the approval of Council and that the publishers have
authority to use such material from the issues of Sport Para­
chutist as may be required.
Carried Unanimously
Item 56/78
REFUSAL OF DISPLAY TEAM APPLICATION — “BARRETTS”
Mr. Prince reported that in July Barretts Free Fall Team (Mr.
Horan) had been granted approval to carry out a display inside
the Leeds Bradford Special Rule Zone. Then, in August when he
again sought approval for another display in the same area his
request was turned down in a letter stating the follow ing reasons:
“ As a result of the previous activities of the locally based free fall
club. In the past there have been many com plaints from the
public, from Councillors and most im portant of all from a safety
point view from Air Traffic Control O fficers — the site you have
chosen is exactly on the extended centre line of our major runway
and from activities could constitute an extrem ly serious hazard to
o u ra irtra ffic .
In a subsequent telephone call an alternative site was agreed but
it was said “ there would be no more parachuting in this Special
Rule Zone at all".
It was agreed that the NCSO refer the matter to the CAA pointing
out that in our view 'blanket' barring of parachuting within a
Special Rule Zone was not acceptable and that each case should
be decided on its merits. The NCSO to be given a copy of the
le tte rse n tto M r. Horan.
Item 57/78
CLUB LISTING IN BPA JOURNAL
Mr. Acraman had referred to the wording used in the club listing
in ‘Sport Parachutist’. His point was that the wording used
inferred that those listed under affiliated clubs were inferior to
those listed under approved clubs. Council accepted the wording
used and pointed out that the remedy was in Mr. Acram an’s own
hands — he should seek to have his club recognised as
“ Approved".
The Minutes of 20th July 1978 were accepted on a proposal by
Mr. Waugh seconded by Mr. Slaughter.
28
Loan South Cotswold Para Club
The Sec-Gen reported that he had received an application for a
loan o f £400 from the recently affiliated South Cotswold Para
Club. It was felt that a new club such as this one should prove
itself before qualifying for a loan. Application would certainly be
considered on its merits at a later stage when as had been stated
the club had proved itself.
OTHER BUSINESS
Calendar
A calendar (Royal M eteorological Society) sent from GASCO was
shown to the Meeting. GASCO had suggested that if orders of
100 or more can be got from organisations the cost could be
brought down from £1.50 to £1.20 each, thus providing a small
profit for organisations. The Meeting decided that whilst the
calendar was nicely produced they didn't think we had a market
for it. Mr. Shea-Simonds would inform Mr. Ward at the next
GASCO Meeting.
Mrs. H. Curry
The Meeting agreed that a gratuity of £25 be given to Mrs. Helen
Curry who recently left the Association's employment in
appreciation of her 31/2 years service to the Association. It was
suggested that Mrs. Curry be invited to attend the next Council
Meeting when a cheque for the agreed am ount could be
presented.
Life Assurance
The Sec-Gen reported that he was in contact with a broker who
was preparing quotations fo r Insurance which would em body the
benefits of group rates w ithout BPA having to give a guarantee of
numbers joining any scheme. Life Insurance premiums would not
be loaded because of participation in Sport Parachuting includ­
ing Com petitions and display. The Sec-Gen would place details
before Council when these were received.
Mr. Shea-Simonds felt that a lot of time was spent encouraging
young people to take out life insurance when they ought to be
encouraged to put money into Building Societies and buying
property. The only time you need life insurance is when you are
married and you want instant cover fo r your wife and dependants
in event o f your death.
If you do need money fo r buying a house etc. you don’t even
recover your premiums. He did not think the Association should
be encouraging people to get life insurance. The Sec-Gen
reminded Council that we were concerned not only with life
insurance but with all types of insurance and what was suggested
was not that we encourage members to take out this or that type
of insurance but that we should be seen to being of assistance in
getting the best possible terms for those of the membership who
may be interested in any particular form of insurance.
World Parachuting Championships— 1979
The Chairman, who attended the World Parachuting C ham pion­
ships as the Head of Delegation, made the follow ing observations:
1. A full report is being compiled by Mr. Slaughter for the
Magazine.
2. The finish of the training in the USA and the commencement
of the com petition left a big gap and perhaps this could have
had some effect on some of the sty le jum ps.
3. Transport— it is better if you can have your own rather than to
have to rely upon local arrangements.
4. He went on to summarise the performance of the British Team
all of whom gave a very creditable performance. Special
mention had of course to be made of the outstanding perform ­
ance by Jackie Smith in w inning the Gold Medal in the Ladies
Individual Accuracy Event. Mr. Crocker proposed a vote of
thanks to all members of the team and this was heartily
endorsed by the meeting. The NCSO had the teleprint copy of
the official results but would write to the organisers for copies
of the final published results and report.
Royal Marines in line
p h o to b y Gary Law rie
29
BRITISH PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION
SAFETY & TRAINING COM M ITTEE, TUESDAY 3rd OCTOBER 1978,
held at BPA Offices, Kimberley House, Leicester
PRESENT
W. J. Meacock
PPC— Chairman
D. Peacock
NCSO
D. Orton
STAFFS
P. Young
RSA
J. Hitchen
SHEFFIELD
D. Prince
NWPC
P. Hibberd
Halfpenny Green
G. Chandler
PCT
P. Hick
SCPC
J. Barnes
TVJPC
D. Turner
NCPC
B. Jones
LBFFC
J. Laing
APA
T. Strawson
RGJ
D. McCarthy
HEREFORD
C. Shea-Simonds
Co-opted
D. Palmer
LIFFT
J. Norris
RAFSPA
ISERVERS
R. Atherton
M. Haskoe
D. Hickling
K. Townsend
D. Parker
P. Drabble
J. W right
R. Hicks
N. Perks
S. Cottrell
B. G. Nelson-West
G. Simons
H. Curtis
J. Davis
P. Fisher
C. Thomas
OLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
J. Crocker
L. Thomas
M. W inwood
R. W illis
A. Collingwood
A. Knight
J. Sharpies
A. Riddick
In the absence of J. Crocker, the meeting was chaired by
W. J. Meacock.
Considerable discussion ensued, several members feeling that
such conditions would prove unduly restrictive and also expen­
sive for pilots to obtain the requisite minimum number of hours.
The matter was put to the vote and the proposal was carried by 8
votes to 7. In view of the small m ajority, it was decided that the
effects of this proposal be reviewed in twelve months time.
Item 3
ADVANCED INSTRUCTOR RATINGS
1. D. Thorne An application fo r upgrading to Advanced
Instructor, signed by two examiners, was considered by the
meeting. This application was approved, subject to his satis­
factory assessment on the Advanced course being run at
RAPA in conjunction with their approved P1 Course.
2. R. Swainson A letter from R. Swainson applying for upgrading
to Advanced Instructor was read to the meeting. It was noted
that this application was not supported by two examiners
(BSRs Part 2 Appendix A). R. Swainson had attended BPA
Advanced Instructor Course 2/78 but was not considered
ready for upgrading at that time. In view of the foregoing, the
application was not approved. The NCSO was to write to
R. Swainson to this effect.
Item 4
P1 COURSE— HONG KONG
A letter from S. Coxall and G. McLane, both C certificate holders
resident in Hong Kong was read to the meeting. They requested
jo in t exemptions from conditions imposed in BSRs Part 2
Appendix B in order to attend a P1 Course in Hong Kong at the
end of October. S. Coxall required an exem ption from the 150
jum p qualification, G. McLane an exemption from the same
qualification and was also one month short of the required two
years in the Sport.
The application was supported by the CCI D. W right. The Army
team to visit Hong Kong was J. Laing, C. Copeland and K.
Mapplebeck and it was decided that the exemptions should be
granted and a report on the course submitted by the Examiners.
The NCSO was to write to the candidates concerned.
Item 1
PREVIOUS MINUTES AND MATTERS ARISING
Minutes of 13 December 1977, item 1b — banning of blast
handles. A letter from J. Scott Hamilton, Chairman of the USPA
Safety and Training Committee was read to the meeting. This set
forth the intention of USPA to ban the use of blast handles at the
1979 US National Championships and to begin an educational
campaign to discourage the use of blast handles. In addition,
the USPA were to strive to persuade US parachute manufacturers
to discontinue the installation of blast handles on new parachute
equipment. Minutes of 15 August — attached letter from
I. Robertson concerning potential jam ming of R3 Canopy
releases was again read to the meeting. The attention of all mem­
bers is drawn to this letter.
The minutes were then approved.
Item 5
EXEMPTIONS
1. RAF Parachute Jum ping Instructors, not being BPA Cat. 10
parachutists, to jum p Ram-air canopies at Weston on the
Green.
R. W illis requested this exemption on the grounds th a t:
a) These instructors jumped Strata Clouds as part of their
normal instructional and display duties, after about 60
descents experience.
b) He wished to introduce more Service instructors into the
Sport. The NCSO estimated that these RAF RJIs, were
certainly equivalent to BPA Cat. 8.
It was proposed by D. Orton and seconded by C. SheaSimonds that nominated PJ1s be permitted to jum p Ramair canopies at Weston on the Green under the auspices
of RAFSPA. Names were to be forwarded to the NCSO and
this exemption to be dependent upon R. W illis holding the
position of CCI RAFSPA.
Carried unanimously.
2. G. Phillips, BPA Approved Instructor, to act as CCI Paraclan.
Exemption from BSRs Part 1 Section 2.2.
This application was considered by the meeting and it was
decided that G. Phillips should attend a BPA Advanced
Course before the exemption could be granted.
3. L. Cooper
B. Greenwood
G. Fitt
A. Ramsey
Item 2
PROPOSED CHANGES TO BSRs SEC 6 (PILOTS)
These proposed changes were set out in the minutes of 15 August
(Item 4.1) C. Shea-Simonds stated that the current wording of
para 1 "m ust be thoroughly fam iliar with the aircraft to be used”
did not sufficiently define the standard of aircraft handling ability
required. He felt that interests of safety demanded certain m ini­
mum standards from J ump Pilots and that these should be clearly
laid down. He therefore proposed that para 1 of Sec 6 (Pilots) of
the Basic Safety Regulations be amended as follows:
“ To be qualified for testing fo r suitability to drop parachutists a
pilot must have at least 100 hours flying solo or as pilot in com ­
mand (Unless he is a D certificate parachutist in which case the
experience required is 75 hours as pilot in command). Experience
on the type to be used m ust be as fol low s:
Less than 150 hrs P1 — 10hrsP1 on type.
150— 250 hrs P1 — 5 hrs P1 on type.
Over 250 hours P1 — to have been checked out on type.”
The remainder of Section 6 to be unchanged.
This proposal was seconded by P. Hibberd.
These 4C certificate holders requested permission to use
assemblies incorporating single point release systems. All
were fully recommended for such exemption by their respec­
tive CCIs. Exemptions were granted in each case.
30
Item 6
RIGGERS RATINGS
1. R. Atherton R. Atherton made a personal appearance and
requested that he be granted exemption from the ruling that
Advanced Rigger status can only be conferred after 2 years as
an Approved Rigger. He is currently an Approved Rigger and
in May of this year passed the Advanced Rigger examination.
The request was made on the grounds of his previous rigging
experience and the high pass mark obtained at the examina­
tion.
It was proposed by C. Shea-Simonds and seconded by
J. Laing that R. Atherton be granted Advanced Rigger status.
Carried unanim ously.
2. CPL Vollenhaven No record of his rigger qualification was
held by BPA. It was stated by J. Laing that CpI Vollenhaven
had attended a rigger course at the APA Centre Netheravon in
November 1977.
The NCSO was to ascertain the position.
2. Approval for L. Thomas S/L bag systems.
Two S/L bag systems were shown to the meeting. The first
had centre base tie secured through two beckets, short mouth
lock and inspection panels for the CB tie both in the bag and
container. This bag was approved.
The second system was modelled on the first, but with the
mouth lock tucked up and not utilised. The mouth of the bag
was open and the canopy held in by the C/B tie through the
two beckets. This design was not approved.
3. Incidents at Netheravon
Two incidents were reported by J. Laing. The first involved
two parachutists cutting away from canopy entanglement
during CRW. The parachutists were visiting Australian
jumpers. G. Darr D548and P. Chapman D347.
Canopy RW was attempted and continued below 1000ft. Darr
cutaway from the entanglement and had his reserve open by
300ft. Chapman cut away subsequently and was fo u r seconds
under his reserve before landing. Both jum pers have been
banned from CRW at the APA Centre Netheravon.
The second incident concerned the deploym ent o f a reserve
parachute on exit by a static line jumper. The student, jum ping
from the Islander, was equipped with a bag deployed main
parachute and an I24 reserve fitted with a sentinel MK 2000
AOD. He made weak exit, the AOD struck the door sill and
became dislodged and fired the reserve. No injury was
sustained. J. Laing stated that the AODs in question have now
been in service for two years and he w ill keep STC inform ed as
to their serviceablility record.
4. B. Jones showed to the meeting a static line bag which had
been badly damaged. The cause of this damage was d ifficu lt
to ascertain, as no note of the bag number was entered on the
packing card.
It was noted that the bag had seen considerable service and it
was recommended it be sent to Irvins for a report on its condi­
tion and possible cause of the tearing which occurred along
both lateral top seams.
5. Loss of Altim eters in Free fall.
The NCSO stated that four instances of altimeters being lost
in freefall had been submitted as insurance claims. The
insurers were concerned on two counts.
a) Possible injury to personson the ground and
b) The fact that four claims were submitted w ithin the space
of 4 weeks could indicate that the altimeters had not been
mounted securely.
It was felt that, although in each case the altim eter mountings
conform ed to current practice (one w rist mount, 3 foam
rubber mounts velcroed to harness) these could have been
disturbed during close exits. Jumpers were advised to check
the security of altim eter m ountings more frequently.
6. Jamming of YES single point release.
John Hitchen demonstrated to the meeting a situation which
could occur with this type of equipment. If the risers were
twisted low behind the neck, the pressure exerted by the head
prevented both sides releasing once the cutaway handle was
operated.
IT WAS EMPHASISED THAT IN ORDER TO RELEASE IN
THIS SITUATION, THE HEAD MUST BE PUSHED WELL
FORWARD.
7. 30 man RW attempt 18-19 November
E. Finney stated that a film was to be made of this attempt,
details of which were to appear in the O ctober magazine.
Further details could be obtained from the BPA Office.
8. Freefall assem bly— Short S/L attached to handle fo r release.
Approval to jum p this assembly was given fo r the named
instructor G. Phillips only.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2120
hours.
Item 7
INCIDENTS
1. Royal Marines Display Team — Hull Show.
This incident involved one parachutist cutting away at approx.
1200' from a canopy RW entanglement. The entanglement,
between tw o experienced CRW jum pers occurred when one
steering toggle of the top man was caught in a suspension
line of the low man’s canopy. The top man had released his
toggles in order to grip the canopy of the bottom man. The
team’s recom mendations to prevent future occurrence are that
toggles must not be released until such time as the bottom
canopy is below the level of the top man’s risers. It was also
felt that the use o f soft toggles m ight be a good idea to avoid
such a situation.
No damage to persons o r property was involved.
2. Hereford Parachute Club
Two incidents on successive days were reported. Both
involved female jum pers whose canopies re-inflated after
landing and became draped over high tension power cables.
The CCI stated that action had been taken to have this
particular stretch of cable insulated by the local electricity
board.
The follow ing observations were made by STC.
The first incident involved a Cat. 9 parachutist jum ping in
com petition and in marginal winds (15 m.p.h.) and using a
C9 T.U. This was not considered prudent. It was further
stressed that the location and nature of power cables in the
vicinity of any DZ be made known to all regular and visiting
jumpers. BSRs Sec. 13 para 9 applies.
Item 8
Ch a n g e s t o b s r s
Certain proposals to amend BSRs Secs. 8, 16 and 17, forwarded
by M. W inwood were considered by the meeting. The follow ing
amendments were proposed by C. Shea-Simonds. And seconded
by M. Beynon.
a) Sec. 8 para 12. Additional control surfaces.
Delete the words “ cloth extensions” .
b) Section 16 para 8 Relative Parachuting.
The words “ or IX” be deleted from this paragraph
c) Section 17 para 3 Safety during Parachute Descents.
The first line is to read
“ T hroughout every descent all Parachutists will keep well
separated from each other unless partaking in PRE-PLANNED
canopy relative work.
These proposals were carried unanimously.
proposed
Item 9
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
1. Ram-air Reserve Parachutes. Extracts from the Para Flite
instruction manual were read to the meeting. Summarised
these stated that the Safety Flier must only be packed by a
licensed rigger who has attended a Rigger C ertification
Course to pack and maintain these canopies and is in posses­
sion of a certificate to such effect issued by USPA.
D. Thomas o f Thomas Sports Equipment is currently in the US
and is attending the RCC.
BPA INSTRUCTORS & P i’s NOTE
Instructors C onvention
1100 hrs Saturday 6th January
GRAND HOTEL, LEICESTER
31
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FOR STUDENTS OR SKY GODS
WE CATER FOR ALL
Complete new surplus C9/B4 double ‘L’ main — £144
C om plete new surplus 24' Chest Reserves — £77
d o th
exctu&ioely fin u&f
New Mk. 1 P.C. colou r ‘C low n’ — £285
Strong ‘S tarlite’ Tandem — £145
Paraquip ‘C oncorde’ Tandem Mk. 1 — £110
Paraquip Wedge ‘Front & Back’ Systems,
Custom Made — £156
Paraquip De Luxe Safety Free Fall Main Containers — £39
Paraquip Static Line Outer C ontainers — £25
Strato Cloud 1 Pin Containers,
w ill take variety of canopies — £25
Paraquip ‘Flat Pack'
or conventional chest containers from £38
Paraquip Custom Made Harnesses from £45
Paraquip Sleeves and Bags from £15
H ot Dog P ilot Chutes — £19
MA1 surplus S olid Vane Pilot Chutes — £15
O ther types of pilot chute m anufactured to order
A ltim aster II or III — £53.50
A ltim aster III Hand M ount — £1.75
Foam Wedge A ltim eter M ounts — £2.50
Patrick ‘Harlem’ Nylon Boots — £11.50
Patrick ‘Para’ Boots, Leather — £20
Direct from Europe’s
Largest Manufacturer
Para-bags, nylon large, hand or rucksack type — £12
Leather gloves — £6.50
Boogie goggles — £2
ROD goggles — £4.99
Portia goggles — 70p
Posters — 95p
Skydiver, logbook rubber stamps — £1.50
D ocum ent wallets — 90p
Ripstop repair tape, 2" x 30’ — £1.50
1 lb box rubber bands — £1.60
WRITE OR PHONE T O D A Y ___
FOR BRITISH PARA VENTURES’ 1978 BROCHURE
A M ultitude of colours and designs including
the new ‘D E N IM ’ range
and starring . . . the
Above prices do not include postage.
*
*
*
*
Full ‘Loft’ facilities available for all repair work
with fast turnround.
All equipment inspected prior to despatch by
B.P.A. C h ie f Rigger.
*
★
*
*
Complete range of equipment available for
students, intermediate or advanced jumpers.
‘the ultim ate in co n tro lla b le lift”
Phone or write for details.
New brochure available January.
*
*
*
USED BY THE 1977 BRITISH FOUR MAN TEAM
AT WORLD RELATIVE MEET
*
Phone or write we are always happy to discuss
your parachuting requirements.
‘The best suits we've ever w o rn ’
(Ray W illis) 4 man B ritish Team Captain
PARAQUIP
For brochure con tact:
BRITISH PARA VENTURES
STEVE TALBOT
14d BRICKFIELDS ROAD, WORCESTER
or Telephone Worcester 25983 or 24203 (Office Hours)
or Worcester 51690 (Evenings or Weekends)
42 T ennyson Road, Headless Cross,
R edditch, W orcestershire B97 5BJ
T elephone: R edditch 43869 o r 42348
(Inform ation correct at time of going to press)
35
'V .
SKYSPORTS LTD.
P arachute E q uipm en t Sales • F ull R igging Service • A irc ra ft Lease
Shop
Price
RAM AIR CANOPIES
Lightw eight S tra to -C lo u d ................................
252 L ite ...............................................................
C ru is a ir..............................................................
Mini-Foil ............................................................
Strato-Flyer (including extended stabilisers)
Cobra 1 0 ............................................................
£409
£416
£398
£349
£310
£339
Price to
Include
p &P
£411
£418
£400
£351
£312
£341
THE UNIT
New from G. Q ./Security
This is positively the best value fo r money
in ram air parachutes today ............................ £375
Double Keel “ DACTYL” by Jim Handbury.
This parachute is only sim ilar to the “ Paradactyl” in shape. It is 50% larger and has
excellent stability and stall characteristics.
Forward speed is 15-18 m.p.h., descent rate
10f.p.s and the w eight is an unbelievalble
8 lb s ..................................................................... £253
£255
ROUND IS SOUND
Sierra
The Sierra canopy is a leader in lightw eight
round R.W. canopies. W eight same as Flyer
9.3 lb s .................................................................. £237
£239
RESERVES
Safety F lye r— The Square Reserve. In stock
a tS k y s p o rts .......................................................
Sierra Lite. A 26 ft. steerable Lo-Po w ith 4
Line release. Also obtainable w ith m odifi­
cations. W eight 7 lbs ........................................
National 26 feet Bias/Lo-Po A 26 ft. steerable
Lo-Po w ith 4 line release T.S.O.’d w ith or
without diaper. W eight 7% lb s .........................
“ Preserve” by Jim Handbury. A 2 4 ft. steer­
able Lo-Po w ith a meshed double “ L”
m odification. Packs very small and weighs
only 6%lbs. Rate of descent 16ft. per sec.
with 200lb. load. TSO ’d w ith or w ithout
a d ia p e r..............................................................
£317
£319
£189
£191
£199
£201
£179
£181
RESERVE CONTAINERS
POP-Top reserve c o n ta in e r............................. £36
Mini-System reserve c o n ta in e r...................... £47
S kysports''M ach 1” reserve c o n ta in e r........... £29
Prices do not include risers or ripcord.
STUDENT CANOPIES
24 ft. T10 Reserve ..............................................
24 ft. Steerable R eserve....................................
2 8 ft.C 9 ..............................................................
28ft. C9 w ith "D L” m od.....................................
28 ft. C9 w ith “ TU " m o d .....................................
35 ft. T 1 0 ..............................................................
35 ft. T10 w ith m ods...........................................
£59
£68
£46
£53
£59
£53
£78
CONVENTIONAL HARNESS AND MAIN
CONTAINER SYSTEMS
The Mini-System by North American Aero­
dynamics ............................................................ £134
M a c h l b y S k y s p o rts ........................................ £85
STUDENT SYSTEMS
Harness and container
Skysports “ Statics” .......................................... £79
Skysports “ Freefall” ......................................... £69
Reserve C o n ta in e r........................................... £19
TANDEM SYSTEMS
The Eagle by Strong Enterprises, U.S.A.
W ith single point release and POP hand
deploy standard ................................................
SST. System by The Jum p Shack, U.S.A.
Optional Extras:
B a g ......................................................................
POP Hand d e p lo y ..............................................
R-3’s ....................................................................
Booth 3 ring single point re le a s e ....................
£377
£189
£169
£12
£15
£11
£15
£37
£48
£30
£61
£68
£48
£55
£61
£55
£80
£136
£87
£81
£71
£19
£191
£171
Shop
Price
“Racer” by The Jum p Shack, USA. Inclusive
of POP and Booth 3 ring single po in t release
B a g ......................................................................
Wonderhog II by Bill Booth of the Relative
W orkshop, USA. Single point release and
hand deploy s ta n d a rd ......................................
The Handbury by Jim Handbury of
Advanced A ir Sports, Ca., USA. Best
described as the Californian W onder Hog.
Single point release is a choice between the
Booth 3 ring and the “ YES” system. Also
features hand deploy sta n d a rd.......................
The Classiflyer by Jerry Meyers of the A lti­
tude Shop, Ca., USA. The Classiflyer is built
from cordura and features a single point
release and hand deploy as standard. The
w orkm anship is unsurpassed.........................
System by G.Q./Security. This rig is manu­
factured by G.Q. in England. It is built from
cordura w ith hand deploy and the Meyers
single point release as standard. The
container is b u ilt specifically fo r the “ U nit”
but is com patible w ith the follow in g
canopies: Flyer, M ini-Foil, Cruisair, Cobra
10, and L ig h tw e ig h tC lo u d ...............................
The “Mach 2” by Skysports. Of the eight
systems stocked by Skysports six are
imported from the USA and the G.Q./
Security rig is of American design. For our­
selves we have looked at them all and
selected the features desired by most serious
relative workers. Every rig stocked by Sky­
sports is a good rig. The choice is yours.
The “ Mach 2” is bu ilt of American cordura
and utilises the Booth 3 Ring single point
release.
In our opinion the metal to metal action of
the 3 Ring release is superior to all others,
and it has been proven over a period of
2 years.
The “ Mach 2” is a custom rig so we ask you
to w rite fo r an order form. Design you r own
pattern and select your cordura colours.
Pursuing ou r policy of low prices to ou r
friends the jumpers, we are m arketing this
rig at a very com petitive price. The value
is u n b e a ta b le .....................................................
£199
£12
Price to
Include
P.&P.
£201
£12.50
£215
£217
£179
£181
£229
£231
£159
£160
£149
£151
HARNESSES
Mini-System by North American Aero­
dynamics ........................................................... £81
M achl b y S k y s p o rts ........................................ £48
The Student by S kysports................................ £48
£83
£50
£50
PILOT CHUTES
40" Hand deploy with b rid le .............................
36" Hand d e p lo y ................................................
SST P u ll-o u t......................................................
40" High drag p ilot c h u te .................................
Hot D o g ..............................................................
M ini-G rab ber.....................................................
M A 1 ............................................................
£13.50
£13.50
£15.50
£23
£19.50
£19.50
£12
£13
£13
£15
£22
£18.50
£18.50
£11
DEPLOYMENT DEVICES
18" x 20” Standard S lid e rs ...............................
Custom S lid e rs ..................................................
Para-Flite S lid ers...............................................
Sleeves fo r PC, PAP, Sierra, e tc ......................
Deployment Bags and P o d s ............................
£5.50
£7.80
£14.50
£15-£21
£10.50£10.50£17
Quarter B a g s ..................................................... £5
Deployment S tra p s .......................................... £1.60
RIPCORDS
All ty p e s .....................................................
S S T T yp e .C h ro m e re le a se p in .......................
W /Hog II. Curved chrome release p i n ............
Student static lin e s ...........................................
Locking L o o p s...................................................
36
£3.60-£9
85p
£1.20
£7.50
35p
£6
£8.30
£15
£1 P .&P.
50p P. & P.
£5.50
£2.00
35p P. & P.
95p
£1.30
£8.00
|
»e=i
Shop
RELEASES
Price
R2’s. The single point release by Rodriguez.
You can fit the release in 30 minutes or we
w illd o itfo r y o u .................................................. £19.50
R3’s ..................................................................... £11
JUMP BOOTS
Adidas "M aster’' ................................................
Adidas “ S uperflite” ..........................................
French “ C om p etition” ......................................
French R.W. Model (S ty le )...............................
“ Star Track". A leather boot from the USA.
Unbeatable a t ....................................................
£25
£21.50
£31.50
£29.60
£17
JUMPSUITS
Student and Style S u its .................................... £22£27.50
The X-Ray. New by Brand X ............................. £55
Brand X— Swing W in g ..................................... £55
Rainbow Patterns on Brand X. A d d itio n a l..... £3
SKYSPORTS “ SEQUENTIAL”
This R.W. suit is b uilt from acrylic. Four sizes
in the colou r of y o u r choice. The w ing design
and flying characteristics are sim ilar to the
X-Ray
The “ Sequential" may be purchased w ith or
w ithout bloused sleeves and le g s ................... £43
Rainbow pattern a d d itio n a l............................. £3
DEPARTURE PACK
As advertised in USPA “ Parachutist”
M a g a z in e ........................................................... £14
GOGGLES
Boogie Goggles as worn by skydivers the
w orld o v e r.......................................................... £2.10
Rod Goggles. May be worn w ith com fort
over spectacles.................................................. £3.60
Eye Glass H o ld e rs ............................................ 85p
ALTIMETERS
A ltim a s te rll .......................................................
A ltim a s te rlll......................................................
Superlite Cushion A ltim eter m o u n t...............
Leather Mount from R.W. shop, U S A .............
Velcro w rist m ount fo r Altim aster I I ................
W rist mount fo r A ltim aster I I I ...........................
Replacement lens fo r Altim aster 11 .................
P a n e lfo ra ltim e te ra n d s to p w a tc h .................
“ Flexlite” to illum inate your a ltim e te r.............
Cyalume Chemical L ig h t.................................
£55
£55
£2.70
£2.95
£1.95
£1.45
£4.50
£6.95
£1
LIFE VESTS
For w ater jumps, intentional and otherwise,
save yourself and your gear. LPU Flotation
C ham ber............................................................ £10.50
AUTOM ATIC OPENERS
FXC Model 12000. This unit is com pletely
mechanical and servicing costs very low.
This opener is used almost exclusively by
m ilitary units throughout the USA including
the “ Halo” jumpers. Also used by JSPC,
N etheravon........................................................ £178.50
Sentinel 2000. Now suitable fo r conventional
andtandem r ig s ................................................. £119
KAP-3P. No expensive plates, handles or
c a rtrid g e s .......................................................... £149
TEE-SHIRTS
From Wayne and the Swoop Shop USA.
“ Over the Edge” by the Swoop Shop is silk
screened and an excellent buy a t ................... £3.95
Other Am erican shirts fr o m ............................. £2
Price to
Include
P.&P.
SKYDIVING MOVIES
by Carl Boenish
“ W ings" 16 mm Sound and C olour (15 mins)
"Masters o f the S ky" 16 mm Sound and
C olour(15 m in s )................................................
"W /ngs” 8 m m S o u n d a n d C o lo u r(1 5 m in s )...
“Masters o f the S ky" 8 m m Sound and C olour
(15 m in s )............................................................
“M egastar" (50 man) 16 mm Sound and
C o lo u r................................................................
"Megastar" and "8 man Canopy Stack"
1 6 m m S o u n d a n d C o lo u r(1 2 m in s )...............
£20
£11.35
£26.20
£22.50
£32.80
£30.90
£18
POSTERS
by Carl Boenish
Beautiful full colou r posters, 22" x 18". Eight
different posters each a t ..................................
Any 3, each a t .....................................................
A n y 6 ,e a c h a t.....................................................
A n y 8 ,e a c h a t.....................................................
These posters retail a t£ 1 .50 each in the USA.
£1 P .& P.
£56.20
£56.20
PARACHUTE M ANUAL 1978 EDITION
by Dan Poynter. This Manual found in
parachute lofts the w orld over and regarded
as the riggers reference book, is now
available at a very low price due to bulk
p u rchase............................................................
Instructor/Exam iner Study Course
by Dan P oynte r..................................................
Parachute Rigging Course
by Dan P o y n te r..................................................
Para-Commander Handbook
by Gary L e w is ....................................................
£44.20
£15
PARACHUTE BOOKS
Sport Parachuting
by Charles S hea-S im onds...............................
Skies Call b y A n d y K e e c h ................................
The A rt o f Freefall Relative Work by Pat
Works SCS No. 1 ..............................................
Parachuting, The Skydivers Handbook
by Dan P o y n te r..................................................
P arachutingandS kydivingbyS aU yS m ith ....
P arachutings' Unforgettable Jumps
by Howard G re g o ry...........................................
£2.40
£4.00
95p
£55.50
£55.50
£3.
£3.15
£2.15
£1.65
£4.90
£7.25
£ 1.20
£179.80
£120.30
£150.70
£4.15
20p P. & P.
£132
Price to
Include
P. <SP.
£133.40
£132
£109
£133.40
£109.80
£109
£109.80
£59
£59.80
£99
£99.90
£1.30
£1.20
£1.10
£1
£1.60
£3.90
£6.90
£8.30
£16.50
£17.50
£6.10
£6.40
£6.10
£6.40
£1.50
£1.70
£4.25
£7.00
£4.60
Included
£4.25
£4.55
£3.00
£4.95
£3.30
£5.30
£6.75
£7.40
From USPA —
1979 PARACHUTING CALENDAR .............. £2.15
£2.35
USPA "PARACHUTIST" MAGAZINE
by A irm a il.9 5 p p e rco p y. P e ra n n u m .............. £11.40
Included
LOG BOOKS
Precision Freefall Log Book ............................
C ord ura W a lle tto hold P recision F.F. L o g .....
Snyder500 Jum p Log B o o k .............................
B.P.A. Log Book
C ordura W a lle tto hold Snyder o r B.P.A. Log
£11.30
Shop
Price
£3.30
£1.90
£2.60
£1.70
ACCESSORIES
Mini packing m a to f w aterproof C o rd u ra ...... £6.50
Magnetman dive b o a rd .................................... £8.40
Bumper and helmet s tic k e rs ........................... 35p-£1
D w yerw ind m e te r ............................................ £5.80
Identification ta p e s .......................................... 20p
Name tapes. (Set of 6 ) ...................................... 80p
Club tapes. (Set of 6 ) ........................................ £1.50
Rigging k n ife ..................................................... £2.95
Parachuting Postcards. (S e to f6 )................... £1
2" Velcro watch b a n d .................. ..................... £1.95
R ipstop tape 2“ x 2 5 ft. A ll colours in s to c k .... £1.95
‘E’ Thread. Imported from USA all colours
instock. (8 o z s p o o ls )....................................... £4.95
No. 5 Cord from USA. Black, red, blue
(8 oz spools) ...................................................... £4.45
A ltitude Shop hook knife in C ordura c a s e .... £1.80
£3.60
£2.10
£2.90
£1.90
£6.90
£9.15
10p P .&P.
£6.20
35p
95p
£1.65
£3.25
£1.15
£2.10
£2.20
£5.25
£4.75
£1.95
F ull R ig gin g Service Available • From an FAA Licensed M aster R igger
and BPA A dvanced R iggers • Send y o u r Repairs and M o d ifica tio n s to “SKYSPO RTS’
For a Fast E fficie n t Service
12 Horne Road, B ulford Cam p, W ilts h ire
S P 4 9 A E , E ngland.
Telep h o n e: ( 0 9 8 0 3 ) 3 4 6 0
37
FLIGHT SAFETY
BULLETIN
/© u E h @ m
/h y /d m m
Full coverage of the
Southern A frican S ky-diving Scene
Overseas airm ail (4 copies per year)
R 10-00
P.O. BOX 33077, JEPPESTOWN,
TRANSVAAL 2043, South A frica
Subscribe to . . .
M
M l CSOMO
FFK Offers More!
* News
t
“SAFETY T H R O U G H K N O W LE D G E "
S ubscribe by sending £1.50 annual s u b s c rip tio n to:
GENERAL A VIA TIO N SAFETY C O M M ITTE E
33 Church Street, Henley-on-Thames,
R G 91SE
Subscription Rates:
New is la n d : $6
Overseas Surface: $10
Overseas A irm ail: $12
Articles
* Interviews
* One full Colour Issue Every Year
A DVERTISING AND E D ITO R IA L OFFICES:
P.O. Box 3603, Wellington, New Zealand
THE BPA SHOP IS
A T YOUR SERVICE!
* * * 0
NEW PHOTOS
showing the T.S.E.
“MINI STREAM”
with the G Q UNIT
and 26 ft Lopo
The Jumpsuit is the
“ S h e ila C ooper S u it ”
by T.S.E.
First in Great Britain. Tailor-made T.S.E. Slip streams with the Chuck
Embury single point release system. Also in nine colours of Cordura fabric.
The single point release that we use is the latest release system available
from the States. Available on the slipstream, Mini Stream, and for the Style
man Mini system type harness with single point eliminating capewells
altogether. This harness is being used at the moment by Mr. John Meacock.
We have sold many of these systems because we make the system to your specifications. Your
canopies, and your choice of colour, and no long waiting for custom equipment.
COLOUR FEATURES — Nine para pack colours to choose from, (Black, Light Blue, Dark Blue,
Kerry Green, Sage Green, White, Red, Orange, Gold). Eight trim colours and nine Cordura
colours (Light Blue, Dark Blue, Orange, Bottle Green, Red, Yellow, Black, Tan, Chocolate).
Buying a custom rig means you can have any or all the specialities, double edging tape, Solid
colours, Block colours (Reserve flap and raisers different colour), reserve one colour main
another, we can even make a Multi-coloured one.
SAFETY FEATURES
Single point release, faster, easier and cleaner cutaways, risers and housing covered by protective
flaps, panic cord standard, buffer pads on all metal work, to save your harness. All equipment made
to FAA TSO standard.
We also stock every need for the student to the Sky Gods, and if we do not have it we can get it.
THOMAS SPORTS EQUIPMENT, LOFTYS LOFT
D irectors: J. L. Thomas & G. Thomas
TO P FLOOR, 102-104 ST. JO HN STREET
B R ID LIN G TO N ,
NORTH HUM BERSIDE
Telephone: 0262-78299
F.A.A. Licensed Master Rigger No. 2085459
The equipment is manufactured by
three BPA advanced riggers, and
one F.A.A. Licensed Master Rigger.
On shelf most items including:
French leather Frap hats, Clouds,
Flyers, Paraboots. Adidas leather
boots.
Custom
made
Relly
jumpsuits. Goggles, all makes, etc.
Helmets.
M ini Stream, C ordura fabric, Three
ring circus, o r YES single p oint
release systems, Hand deploy and
Risers
£199 inclusive
G O U nit
£375
W eight 8 lb.
39
NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE
at SKYSPORTS!
STRATO-CLOUD' LITE or CRUISAIR
Both of Para-Flite’s exciting new lightweights
are in stock at Skysports in these 1979 colour
patterns.
STRATO-CLOUD LITE
HELIOS
★
★
★
★
★
★
Weighs only 111/2pounds.
7 cell — 230 square feet.
New 1.25oz. Ram-Air fabric.
High performance — soft landings.
Only £409.00, add £2.00 p.p.
1979 patterns shown plus solid red,
white, blue, black or gold.
CRUISAIR1
★
★
★
★
★
★
Weighs only 10 pounds.
7 cell — 200 square feet.
New 1.25oz. Ram-Air fabric.
High performance — soft landings.
Only £398.00, add £2.00 p.p.
1979 patterns shown plus solid red,
white, blue, black or gold.
SKYSPORTS LTD.
12 Horne Road, Bulford Camp,
W iltshire, SP4 9AE, England.
Telephone: (09803) 3460
Fisherprint
0