05/11/11
Comments:
Great site! Sure brings back memories reading all comments. I attended USN Parachute Rigger School in 64-65. Mac McGraw was one of my instructors. Wanted to jumps since I was 16 and saw "Ripcord" on TV. Started skydiving at USNAS Meridian, MS and got to know several jumpers in the Cottonbelt Parachute Council including Herb Golden, Leon and Prissie Riche, Rick Miller, Ron Radhoff, Dave Boatman and Noel Funchess. After Navy, moved to SoCal and worked for Irvin Industries under Ed Drumheller with co-workers Dennis Henley and Willie Manbo. Wasn't too active in skydiving those years (69-73) but did get my master riggers ticket from Beth Cusick. On to Tulsa from 74-76 and bought my first jump plane and ran the DZ at Skiatook, OK. I jumped with Dave Goolsby, Bob Schiermeir, Pete Morris and Robbie Robinson. Moved to Wichita in 77 and worked briefly for Cessna and retired from the KS Air National Guard in 1996. The skydiving gang there: Clay (Mudman) and Barb Crouse, Dale Boyer, Jack and Sandy Washburn, Chuck Powell, Dennis Anderson (R.I.P., old friend), Don Riggs, Kevin Knoll and Dave Snyder. Retired for good in 08 and back in the Tulsa area. Haven't jumped since 01 or packed a chute since 07. Still fly a little and am building a kitplane. Would be great to hear from any of you mentioned (or not mentioned if I knew you).
Don Herbel
D4599
phone: 918-859-7901
04/22/11
Comments:
Blast from the past. Heard from Gatewood Smith (D-3305) today. Moncks Corner, SC, I remember Gatewood disappearing behind the trees with nothing showing. We walked down some dirt roads trying to decide where to look for the body. Gatewood comes stomping out of some farmer's field toting his gear. Someone mentioned Tom Eddins and Bill Jones in a previous post. That made me think of Frank Ringa. We all used to jump at Wings and Wheels in Santee, SC. Anyone know what happened to Frank Ringa? There was a great bunch of guys who jumped around SC in those days. Combat Controllers, Golden Knights, and the Citadel Skydivers including Gatewood Smith, Bob Sinnot, Jerry Heater, Joe Shine, Hank jones, Zeke Johnson, et al.
Rick Brice C-6261
04/04/11
Comments:
Navy 1967-1971 c-6446
04/02/11
Comments:
Hi all.
03/21/11
Comments:
I started jumping with the XVIII Airborne Corps Sport Parachute Club at Ft Bragg in 1963 and made over 130 skydives by 1964 and was a Jumpmaster and Instructor there. We were next door to the Special Warfare Parachute Club, and the 82nd Club was up the street. Bobby "Spider" Wrenn had a spider painted on his canopy (a round canopy, of course), and his wife had a bunny painted on hers. We regularly jumped a Cessna 195, and were not totally dependent on military aircraft. Each member paid dues to support the aircraft.
As a civilian, having 100 jumps was considered a skygod. Very few civilian jumpers in 1965 could make standup landings, and
"tracking" was unknown until I awed them with demonstrations.
Around 1965 the Para-Commander came on the market. Even though today I jump a square I consider the PC to be the best
chute ever, and I still have one.
I remember those east coast jump organizations like MEPA and CASPA that scheduled Meets for competition in Accuracy and Style. Boy, there were some good jumpers and pilots at those Meets! The sport has changed, and we've had to change with it.
|
