Jumping in Germany circa 1978-79

[AirWhore 0]

I was just curious if anybody on here jumped near Illesheim, Germany in the late 70's. My dad helped to run a military jump club there, and was part owner of a Cessna that threw a rod on take off. I was the little blond haired brat that ran around trying to bum candy bars off of jumpers.

[cosmo22 0]

I do not no of that club.But i started with the Bamberg
club in 81.Ran by a retired SGT Major,By The name
of Tom Schafer D817.He had about 40 rigs.And
we would jump at Kotterbach,Scweinfurt.Where
they had hueys.A dollar to jump all day.And
would also go to German DZS.Haasfurt.Spichersdorf.
Do not remember the other one.

[zoobrothertom 5]

Both of these posts triggered a few memories. I showed up in Ansbach/Katterbach Army Airfield in '85. The 1st ADs AH-1S Cobras were divided between Katterbach and Illesheim. I was a tech inspector and used to drive back and forth all the time.

No more jumping in Illesheim or Bamberg by then. Tom Shafer did put me on a demo he organized for a July 4th jump in Katterbach into the housing area. We did two practice jumps and then got rained out for the demo next to the airfield. The only jumps I made in Katterbach while working there for almost 5 years.

As for the Bamberg club, sometime in 87~88 or so me, Jeff Hawk and Randy Gilliard heard that the MWR (morale, welfare and recreation) office had a room full of surplus stuff from the old Bamberg club. We drove Randy's pickup to Bamberg and bought everything for $70. Mostly old rounds, slick suits, a couple of altimeters, misc. stuff and one mint condition Unit 1. Don't remember much else except that it filled the back of a toyota pickup. We used one of the rounds for unit picknics for a while. A fun day!

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I'm back in the USA!!

[zoobrothertom 5]

...And would also go to German DZS.Haasfurt.Spichersdorf.
Do not remember the other one.

[cosmo22 0]

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Was the other one Herzoanaurach (sp?) ? A german private airport next to the us military golf course?

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I think so.Did they have a Turbo Cessna 206?
And a Gaushthouse on the Airport?I remember it was just north of Erlangin.Can not remember a golf course.And last
i heard a,few years ago .Tom Schafer was still alive.But does not jump anymore,because of a heart condition.I think he would be about 77 today.

[zoobrothertom 5]

Good to hear Tom is still alive and kicking.

Yep, that was the place. Nice little gathaus on site where you could sit and watch the jumpers land in front of you. I don't recall if the plane was a 206. But, definitely a Cessna and roomy if I recall correctly.

The golf course was actually hard to distinguish from the ground (or air for that matter), maybe it was closed. Herzo Base was just a small logistics base for the 1st AD back in the woods. The course was mostly flat brown grass with no sand traps or even flags on the greens that I ever saw. I never played it myself.

The owner at the time I was there was a guy named Walter.

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!