The Hang

In the old days, we used to hang.

I am not sure when it started. I know when it stopped. Late 1980s. Abrupt. Like somebody finally looked at what we were doing and said, enough.

We called it the Hang.

Somewhere along the line, Jumpmasters had decided that the job required more than standing in the door. To be a Jumpmaster, you had to get as far out of the aircraft as a man could get and still claim he was on it. Look for hazards. Do a 360. Come back in with a final thumbs up to the other door.

That was the standard we gave ourselves. Late eighties SOP. Required.