The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 211

5C i Why do people jump out of airplanes? What does it feel like? How much does it cost? We have the answers. By David Alfonso Photographed by Fred Fox People fell from the sky lett end right during a recent giant parachute meet in Zephryhills. HISTORY To fly has been an ancient dream of mankind. Probably closely related to it has been the desire to jump from high places-and survive. The notebooks of Michaelangelo contain drawings of a parachute-like contraption.

Galileo and Newton tinkered with the principles of falling bodies. In 1617 a sport named Fouste Veranzie jumped from a Venice tower using a canvas-framed parachute and lived to talk about it. And thus parachuting was born. In 1 838 the craze hit the United States when balloonist John Wise made the first recorded jump in this country. He made a descent, pretty impressive even by today's standards.

Naturally the airplane was a boon to parachuting, and by 1914 paratrooping was a signif icant part of World War I. It was also in 1914 that a woman, Tiny Broadwkk, made the first "freefall" jump. Freefall, in its literal sense, means the jumper falls for a certain period of time before opening the chute. Broad-wick's jump was made at San Diego; many enthusiasts of the sport say that California is still the hottest jumping state. Her freefall paved the way for other experiments, which eventually led to the development of sport parachuting or "skydiving." Steve Budreau, a U.S.

Army instructor, also gave the sport a big lift when in 1925 he jumped from 7,000 feet and fell free for 3,500 feet before opening up, making him the first person to prove that long free fails need not ruin your day all by themselves. SKYDIVING TODAY Today there are about 25,000 people actively participating in skydiving, according to Laura Mac-Kenzie, the executive director of the United States Parachuting Association. There are another or so who don't jump very often or have quit the sport. About 10 per cent of those jumping are women. Membership in the USPA, the official governing body of the sport, numbers about 15,000.

For a $20 membership and $18 renewals you get, among other things, the organization's monthly magazine and liability insurance. The USPA also stages meets, issues license ratings (A, or C) and qualifies people to become jump masters, a prerequisite to becoming an instructor. According to MacKenzie, a veteran of 1,700 jumps and twice a member of the U.S. National team, the sport is definitely growing but not all that rapidly. In other words it's not going to hit the country like the tennis craze did but it is going to grow considerably.

Today there are also about 600 clubs and 75 commercial parachute centers in the country. THE BIGGEST AND BEST PARACHUTE MEET It happens every year around Thanksgiving, right tip the road from Tampa in Zephyrhills. It's called the "Big Turkey Chute," and it is billed as the world's largest parachute meet. Nobody has stepped forward to dispute the claim. Started in 1969 by Si Fraser, operator of the Zephyrhills Parachute Center, the first gathering had three 10-man teams compete in relative work jumping.

In 1976 said Herd member Denny "Mad-dog" Ritchie. LEARNING HOW If you're up to it, so to speak, it's quite possible to learn how in the morning and make your first jump that afternoon, weather permitting, provided you've satisfied your instructor you know what you're doing. An instructor at a commercial jump center will provide everything you need. "You won't need nothin' except the guts to jump out of the plane," says Ted Bernhardt, 26, a construction worker who is a veteran of nearly 400 jumps and a weekend instructor irv Yonkers, N.Y. Closer to home, Jim Hooper is the head instructor at the Zephyrhills Parachute Center, located at the town's airport.

Hooper is 32, married and has more than 1,600 jumps. He's a University of South Florida Russian major and at one the meet lasted nine days and saw about 1,250 jumpers register for eight, 16, 10 and 20-member relative work competition. Probably another 10,000 or so attended as interested parties or spectators. It's also a very large social gathering with lots of beer drinking end more than a little smoking of hand rolled cigarettes. But jumpers say it's rare anybody jumps while under the influence.

There's an incredible camaraderie among skydivers. You'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier crowd that gathers annually at the Big Turkey Chute. One of the more outgoing groups that attends is a parachute club known as "The Herd" from New Hanover, Pa. "They're the Hells Angels of skydiving," somebody said about them. The Herd, however, is not a violent group; they are a bit raucous.

The Herd claims the world's fastest time for forming a 10-man star, 4.8 seconds. "We like to have parties, very good parties," 11 Florida Accent Sunday, January 2, ,1977 Oavid Alfonso if in Tribune New Port Richer bureau..