What's the real story on Amelia Island DZ?

[oldfart 0]

I made my first jump at Amelia Island in NE Florida (about 45 minutes from Jax) back in 1978 and probably what hooked me on the sport was the view.Never seen a view that pretty in NE Florida again.I jumped AI again in 1999 after leaving the sport for 15 years.Then the DZ shut down.I got several different stories.Anyone know the real skinny on the place?

[JohnRich 4]

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I made my first jump at Amelia Island in NE Florida back in 1978

Who is this? I too, made my first jump at Sunrise Sport Parachute Center - this is John Rich. A photo of me as a student is attached. I recently conversed with Bill Smith, the previous owner and 4-way National Champ - he now runs a Boys Prep School in the northeast. I have his e-mail address if you're interested. And my jumpmaster was Mike "Mad Dog" McGuire, who has since gone on to work for a parachute manufacturer. In fact, his wife was in my first jump class with me.

I was too much of a newbie back then to participate, but I loved the annual town shrimp festival, in which the skydivers would do (try) accuracy landings onto a barge floating out in the river. Splash!

I hadn't even heard that a DZ had re-opened there later, so I don't have a clue what happened to it.

[oldfart 0]

OMG!! I think you were in the plane with me on my first jump making, I believe your 8th or 9th something like that.There was a cute girl who exited before me, Dan Steeger was jumpmaster.
This is Marty Hamrick, I'm still in Jax.I knew Bill Smith,Mad Dog Mcguire,Gordon Hardage (he's still in the family funeral business.I saw him last when he helped with my dad's funeral a few years ago),Steve Hall,Art Barchie and Janice Oliva.Been a long time since I saw that crowd.Please send me Smitty's email addy.He still jump?
Yeah a DZ briefly opened at Amelia in 1999.Didn't last long.I made about 4 jumps there in '78 and another 4 in '99.Then I went there to jump again and the DZ was gone.Got current again at Palatka,but had to get out again for health and finance reasons.Planning to jump again when my income tax refund comes in.Just wanted to know what happened there.Whatever happened to Dan Steeger?

[JohnRich 4]

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Dan Steeger was jumpmaster. This is Marty Hamrick, I'm still in Jax.I knew Bill Smith,Mad Dog Mcguire,Gordon Hardage...

Your name is familiar, but I can't put a face to it.

My first rig was a used one, previously owned by Gordon. A security Crossbow, with a Paracommander and a military surplus reserve made in 1954.

Bill Smith's e-mail is tbow1@charter.net

I hunted him down after an article in one of the magazines about a demo jump into a boy's school, mentioning his name. He still tries to make a few jumps each year, but must be in his 60's by now.

I don't know what has become of most of those folks. I still see Johnnie Sumner's name from time to time, so I think he is still active. He was teaching a course on electricity at a college at that time.

Mad Dog ran into a power line a couple of years ago, which knocked him out of jumping for a while. He was an air traffic controller at the time, but was one of thousands fired by President Reagan.

I was thinking I was the only student from that short-lived DZ to ever go on to become an experienced jumper. I've got over 4,000 jumps now.

There was another student named Chip Parks, I think, who went on to make several hundred jumps, but I don't know if he continued beyond that.

I hadn't remembered Dan Steeger until you mentioned him.

Looking at my first log book, other names I see are; Sandy Sheppard, Vance Collie, Roger Moore, and other signatures I can't make out.

Sandy was famous for "going in" with a streamer, but the streamered canopy caught on some trees, and stopped her short of the ground, saving her. She still had scars from getting cut up going through the tree.

I still remember the sign in the loft: "Get it on. Get 'em up. Get 'em out.", and "Reserve repack prices: $20; if you watch: $30."

Gosh, what days those were.

[crutch 0]

John and Marty, I can maybe patch up a few of the holes in the history you are trying to put together.

Art and his wife went to Australia tio work after the strike by the air traffic controllers. Tom Harvey and I were talking about them recently, I believe they may have come back to the states recently.

Vance took his life a number of years ago. Left no note or anything, so no one is sure why.....

Mike (Mad Dog) is in Deland and is jumping periodically since his accident several years ago. He had been one of the premier tandem masters and base jumpers in the country.

Roger is in South Florida and still jumps every once and a while. I saw him as recently as a year ago, he hasn't changed much at all.

Yes, there was a drop zone there in Amelia Island for about a year. The owner had some personal problems which eventually ended up with the closure of the drop zone. We still use the airport for many demo jumps that we do in the area.

Hope this fills in some of the blanks for you. I didn't ever jump at either of the drop zones, although my instructors of the mid-eightys often told many fond tales of jumping there.

blue skies,

art

[jaybo 0]

I was curious to see what DZ was on Amelia Island and checked this thread. Thanks for filling me in on Mike, last time I saw him....well you guys know. After the fund raiser never heard any news and its great that he's jumping again.

[JohnRich 4]

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Never seen a view that pretty in NE Florida again.

Attached: an aerial photo of the airport drop zone.

Ocean to the east, big river to the west. Eeek!

I just remembered a guy named Chuck. He was walking in from a far corner of the airport once with his T-10 student canopy, and encountered a diamondback rattlesnake, which bit him on top of his foot. He was in the hospital for a week, and the doctors almost had to amputate. But he saved his foot.

Later, while searching the woods for a helmet that popped off my head during opening, I ran across a rattlesnake of my own. A huge one. I barely missed stepping on him.

You gotta watch out for those things - the island is infested with them.

[JohnRich 4]

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John and Marty, I can maybe patch up a few of the holes in the history you are trying to put together... Hope this fills in some of the blanks for you.

Thanks for those updates!

I'm sorry to hear about Vance.

[oldfart 0]

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Never seen a view that pretty in NE Florida again.

I just remembered a guy named Chuck. He was walking in from a far corner of the airport once with his T-10 student canopy, and encountered a diamondback rattlesnake, which bit him on top of his foot. He was in the hospital for a week, and the doctors almost had to amputate. But he saved his foot.

I was there that day.I believe that was on my first jump which was 10/7/78.I jumped sporadically over the years.My profession as a TV news shooter as well as a marriage and 2 kids kept me grounded for much of that time but I did manage to log 164 jumps.
I made a few jumps with Chuch in the early 80's in Palatka.He was about 16 when that rattlesnake bit him.
Very sorry to hear about Vance.He jumpmastered me on some of my first freefalls.
Johnnie Sumner...I bought his old 5 cell parafoil and logged about 135 jumps on it.Then I bought a rig from Henry Best in 1984,made a few jumps and took a long hiatus from the sport.I understand Henry Best is no longer with us and died a few years ago in a canopy relative work accident several years ago.
Good to hear from you guys again.

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[JohnRich 4]

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I was there that day.I believe that was on my first jump which was 10/7/78.

Wow, what are the odds that two old farts like us would run into each other again after 25 years?

Here's another story about Chuck. I bought my first rig from him for $300, complete. He was giving up the sport, because he had a pretty little fiance, who insisted that if he wanted to marry her, that he would have to give up skydiving. His loss, my gain.

Then about six months later, Chuck showed up at the DZ again, ready to buy his rig back off of me. The girl was gone, and he was ready to start jumping again! But it was too late - I kept that rig and put 450 jumps on it over the next several years.

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Johnnie Sumner...I bought his old 5 cell parafoil and logged about 135 jumps on it.

I tried to buy one of his old rigs once, but couldn't get the money together for the deal. It was a black container system. He went to a lot of trouble unpacking the main to show it to me, and then packing it back up again. And all for nothing. I was broke in those days.

[crutch 0]

Oh, I forgot about Johnnie. He is still a very active jumper, was on the last SOS (Skydivers over sixty) record in California. In fact he came down for Tim Webb's forty-way jump the first weekend in Jan. He lives in Tenn. now and comes down to Florida every so often to make a few jumps.

blue skies,

art

[mdwhalen 0]

I guess you guys (except Crutch) quit jumping there before a certain naked bi radio DJ broke himself up on a landing there. They explained to the EMT's that they had cut his jump suit off before they arrived to prepare him for transport to the hospital!

"I have magic buttons ;)." skymama

[oldfart 0]

I know the story of wife vs. skydiving.I don't think my ex had a problem with skydiving,she just didn't want anything to take time and money away from her sorry ass.Trouble was I spent 12 years with her before we went separate ways.She was so self centered during sex she used to call out her own name(drum effect here for punch line).Glad to hear Chuck got his senses back.
I had heard a few stories about Johann and BK, the two guys who were running Amelia last.I had heard the city of Fernindina Beach had some run ins with rowdy jumpers and outlaw jumps or naked beach jumps or something like that, but nothing confirmed.Both Johann and BK seemed like really nice guys and I hope whatever their personal problems were, they got it straightened out.
Glad to hear Johnny Sumner is still jumping.I made a few jumps with him last in the early 80's in Keystone Heights (another DZ that went the way of the buffalo,not sure what happened there,haven't seen or heard anything from Joe Davis in about 15 years).
I still see Tom Harvey every now and then,he pops up in odd places here and there.There's a character.Never forget when he flew observers in his plane and fake a heart attack not long after jumpers exited.He did it so well!Remember the little dog he used to jump with in his suit?

[oldfart 0]

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I guess you guys (except Crutch) quit jumping there before a certain naked bi radio DJ broke himself up on a landing there. They explained to the EMT's that they had cut his jump suit off before they arrived to prepare him for transport to the hospital!

I remember hearing the story when I started jumping at Palatka again.The story made it's way in the broadcasting and gay/bi community.A certain gay TV reporter reiterated the story to me and said that he was going to try skydiving until that happened to the DJ.

[mdwhalen 0]

While we are on the subject has anybody seen or heard from Pat Whorton since he left Amelia Island?

"I have magic buttons ;)." skymama

[JohnRich 4]

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I guess you guys (except Crutch) quit jumping there before a certain naked bi radio DJ broke himself up on a landing there.

I don't recall that - it must have been after I moved further south in Florida in 1980.

I don't recall any fatalities during my two years there.

Although there was an attractive female jump student, who was a flight instructuor for a living. She died in a plane crash during one of her instructor flights.

[JohnRich 4]

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I still see Tom Harvey every now and then... Remember the little dog he used to jump with in his suit?

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten all about him and that dog. Yeah, it was a tiny little chihuahua, which he would just stuff down inside the front of his jump suit. After he landed, he would unzip the front of his suit, and that little dog would hop out and run around excitedly in the grass.

[oldfart 0]

After he landed, he would unzip the front of his suit, and that little dog would hop out and run around excitedly in the grass.