ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by medwaymud

Then we must have met Captain P !
I was there that day - distinctly remember her floating around for ages going more up than down and eventually disappearing off into the woods. I also remember she was very cute and trying to get inside her knickers later on that evening.
errr I think I will re-phrase that last sentence.
Also I went off to give Knocker (a good mate and fellow Sapper) a hand getting the chute out of the trees.

I’m now trying to remember if the incident was on my course or a subsequent one when I was just on the DZ. It was certainly amusing for us to see her floating off into the wide blue yonder. Will try to remember to scan & post a couple of pics later.

I did my basic course in spring ’91-ish and then because the Skins were having a relatively quiet time I was allowed to go & spend most afternoons at Bad Lip. Also on my course was the rather lovely blonde daughter of the OC Bad Lip – does that pin things down a bit better? Instructors included Stevie A & Ken (who I referred to above, he went on to pilot the Islander at Weston IIRC).

Glad to hear I was right about Knocker getting the canopy back. Was it an urban myth that it happened after dark with a chainsaw?

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

I’m now trying to remember if the incident was on my course or a subsequent one when I was just on the DZ. It was certainly amusing for us to see her floating off into the wide blue yonder. Will try to remember to scan & post a couple of pics later.

I did my basic course in spring ’91-ish and then because the Skins were having a relatively quiet time I was allowed to go & spend most afternoons at Bad Lip. Also on my course was the rather lovely blonde daughter of the OC Bad Lip – does that pin things down a bit better? Instructors included Stevie A & Ken (who I referred to above, he went on to pilot the Islander at Weston IIRC).

Glad to hear I was right about Knocker getting the canopy back. Was it an urban myth that it happened after dark with a chainsaw?

You've got me rattling my brains as to when I went through there. Stevie A and Knocker were both instructors at the time. Knocker used to tell the story about instructing 9 Sqn in Belize stood on the top of a 4 tonner to keep himself safe from snakes! If I remember rightly the OC had the unique distinction of been both a fully qualified FJ pilot and had 10000 jumps under his belt??? Time may be playing tricks with my memory though!

Originally Posted by Discovery001

Jump into France after mounting from an austere Airhead, landing on farmers fields that had tyres on every third post as they didn't have enough. Then finding my MSP had hit the pylons and blacked out the whole of Southern France, or jumping into Shirness DZ that hadn't been used since 1963 and still hasn't as the nav dropped us a k off target, then on the way back the same crew missed Hankley and dropped Nosher on hole 14's green however he did ask the golfers should he play though!!!

I can remember the families day lob onto Hankley in 1997 where Karl was drifter and ended up on the golf course. The met was boderline at the very least as all I could see on exiting was clouds!

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

......Glad to hear I was right about Knocker getting the canopy back. Was it an urban myth that it happened after dark with a chainsaw?

The after dark bit is myth .....the rest was'n't. Sappers need no persuading to head off into the ulu and cut things down or blow things up ...in fact it is one of our very favourite things to do.
And if you can piss off a square-headed Waldmeiester at the same time ....so much the better.

Don't remember Tom O_ _ _'s daughter but he was a real gent - fabulous guy to work for.

Originally Posted by postman_twit

You've got me rattling my brains as to when I went through there. Stevie A and Knocker were both instructors at the time. Knocker used to tell the story about instructing 9 Sqn in Belize stood on the top of a 4 tonner to keep himself safe from snakes! If I remember rightly the OC had the unique distinction of been both a fully qualified FJ pilot and had 10000 jumps under his belt??? Time may be playing tricks with my memory though!

I was definitely jumping at Bad Lip from spring-summer '91. I'm sure the OC when I was there was a Gunner, but we saw very little of him as Jim C the CCI ran the show. There were certainly a lot of people about the place with an awful lot of jumps under their belts!

Had some very happy times on that DZ, it seems being crated for something once a week but with Veltins so cheap I didn't mind. Someone recently referred to Veltins causing horrendous hangovers - I thought that was just the quantity we consumed...

Think I was there in 92. Will have tifficate somewhere. I had it in my head that the OC was AAC but I'm probably talking out of my hoop!

1200 Feet?
Try 600.

Originally Posted by Alec_Lomas

The ' PARAWING!' I only ever had one ride on that beast, enough to understand that it wasn't designed by a person who understood the principal of flight. I'm convinced it was built by Lofty Thomas, having found a Da Vinci scroll in the depths of the British Museum. The long lined version was a git in turbulent air conditions as Lofty was to find out on a demo onto an airfield following on from a low level display from the Red Arrows. Cost him a long time out of the sport. I stuck to the para foil, which also explains why my hair went prematurely grey. The arrival of Para Flite's - Strato Cloud kept my remaining bones safe for what was left of of a career in sport.
As for the 'ropes & rings' deployment system of the MT-1 let's not go there.

Parawing ffs - I doff my hat to you sir.

I thank you sir!

It was designed by Rogallo, who designed the original hang gliders, and it was really the first lifting body canopy..

I had one jump on a long line wing, which was frankly scarey, and then "Davey Dog" shortlined it..

I jumped it mostly on displays - it was OK as long as you kept the speed up. The openings were "positive" and usually I just clear & pulled it. I have opened one at terminal, and even though I sat up, my goggles ended up on my chin! It was a really good display canopy - "Hormone" from the Freds showed me how to spiral it with lots of smoke - excellent!

It ws however really dodgy in the stall. You could not sink it like a square - you had to maintain air speed and flare at the last minute for landings.. If you sat it on the stall, it could fall off into a left or right spin, and you could lose 500" in a few seconds..