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Timeline

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Why are there no dates on this page? When did the RSL first come on the scene? When did it become standard on student gear? Etc. -Antiaverage (talk) 15:29, 5 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Perry Stevens

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The article mentions the device aka "Stevens lanyard," but why no further mention of the inventor of the Stevens Release (as I learned of it while jumping at his "Stevens Paraloft" in Antioch, CA circa 1978)? Perry D. Stevens invented the RSL and chose not to patent it to allow widespread proliferation. Virtually every military on Earth with a paratrooper force had RSL's in use within 10 years I was told. Who knows how many countless lives were saved by his invention? Stevens died March 24, 2018 from cancer. (RIP) I wish there was a Wikipedia page on him. He was one of the early pioneers of skydiving. He was known for his stern, firm and demanding militaristic type training to assure high safety-consciousness. I recall my pre-first jump training. In the training barn you'd hang from a mock parachute and he'd be shaking your harness violently so you're flopping around uncontrollably while he's yelling at you describing different kinds of chute malfunctions so you'd have to rectify the situation while he was shaking and yelling at you with the altitude dropping, obviously trying to build confidence so you could handle a real emergency if ever needed. He was also very critical when giving a random inspection of the chute that you packed for yourself before a jump - which we all appreciated even/especially if a flaw, however minor, was found. And believe me, he'd find them all. SanJoseRobert (talk) 22:21, 20 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]