RogerRamjet

Found Steve Fugleberg, or rather Mike Branch found him for me. He has been living in Tampa all along, just not jumping due to family building. If anyone wants to contact him (or Mike Branch), pm me. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

About jump 12 or 13. I was doing one of my 30 sec delays and the jumpmaster (Jim Hooper) followed me out, swooped down in front of me, and grabbed my wrists. I knew right then that I'd just finshed falling and just started flying (ok, so he was doing the flying, but could learn!). ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

I noticed that the aircraft pictured in your link is the same one pictured in the ad in Parachutist. That's interesting as I haven't seen the ad. Have to go check it out... which issue? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

I remember stories from my father that the B-26 training outfit at what later became MacDill AFB gave rise to the saying "one a day in Tampa Bay". The story:http://www.323bg454bs.org/Assets/PdfFiles/Thunderbolt%20080303.pdf ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Info on the AL-60: http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_aermacchi_al60_en.php ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

All the tables at http://www.starcrestawards.com are up to date. If you think something is missing or incorrect, please contact me or Bill Newell (link on site). ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

It was hard on me watching Ted jump for 6 months before I could. My parents said "not a chance in hell that we sign that waiver." So Ted got his SCR before I even made my first jump. But, I began my rigging training (thanks to Jeff Searles) and was packing T-10s before I made my first jump. Then the Florida Gov. screwed my parents by lowering the legal age from 21 to 18 on July 1st, 1973. I made my first jump that day. I had a lot of catching up to do, that's for sure. The "sky gods" of those days really were as far as I'm concerned. I was on loads with and learning from people like Jim Hooper, Dan Steiger, Tony Patterson, Don Fournier, and many others before I had 100 jumps. What an advantage to have started at Z-Hills! ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Mike, welcome to the forums! I can't believe we all tiptoed around your nickname and you just spew it out like that, but I like it! One thing on the SCSA awards, I got the field order wrong (table doesn't match the headings). I'll be fixing that before the weekend is out. I also noticed that you got your SCR on the same jump my Brother Ted got his

As promised, Bill's answer: Hope that helps. Bill has found a new webmaster who just got access to the site today. He will be re-vamping the site for look and feel and also for content such as the merchandise page you spoke of. I will continue to support the database side of things until they don't need me anymore... ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Holy crap!!! I love this site... Phil, I do remember going over the reserve packing with you. Alas, Si is no longer with us, but he sure promoted our rigs at Z-Hills. My brother Ted has also left this world; interestingly both of them for similar reasons. I have not had any skydiving gear in my posession for more than 25 years, so no idea where anything I built wound up. I sent the update you asked for to Bill so he can update his spreadsheets and such and I updated the live site. Here is how small the world is: I just got back in touch with Mike Branch (and you're right, he wouldn't want his nickname in print anywhere or mentioned around his kids)! Through him, I will be hearing from Steve Fugleburg who Mike talked with just tonight. Hooper posts here also if you haven't seen. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

I will pass your question to Bill and post back here. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Glad to see the site is back up! Wish I could search by dates so I could see how many SCR's were completed during July in the last 8 years. Hi Jerry, Well, the date field is not a "date field" as far as the database is concerned, but rather a text field which means it's not searchable as a date. That's one of the things I'd like to see changed down the road. Anyway, at least the site is back up and the data is up to date

Ok everyone, another update. After moving the site to a new home and running into problems that seemed to have no solution, the site has been moved back to it's original home. The new URL however, will stay: http://www.starcrestawards.com I have just loaded the last of the data updates tonight and all data in all tables is now current. If you have an award, you should be able to locate it in the database. Bill has found a web guru type to re-design the site and that will be getting underway shortly. I believe the bulk loads are over now, but I will support Bill and the awards site in any way he needs going forward. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Hmmm, I don't recognize your name, but that means nothing after 30 years. Maybe we crossed paths at one of those places. I put students out at Downsville to finance my jumps and I was in the first Woodbine 8 man star while I was there. I might have been one of your students at Downsville. First jump August 6, 1977. Mike Zazadil (?) was the jump master. Pelican was a great place to jump in those days. No rules, plenty of open space and zany people. Well, firstly, you didn't supply your name and there isn't one in your profile, so not sure how I'm supposed to remember if you were one of my students? My real name (in my profile also) is Roger Clark (Ramjet was layed on me by Roger Nelson in 1975, probably so he wouldn't end up with it). ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Jon, Strato-Stars were too closely related to ParaPlanes to give me any confidence in squares. "Jump one of them things? Me? (gulp) My mama didn't raise no fool." Took more balls than I had to strap one of those on my back. A few hundred jumps later, Dick Morgan convinced me to take one of their Strato-Flyers. I accepted the freebie only because I could get it into the same space as my Paradactyl. Hoop That's interesting considering the Strato Flyer landed like crap compared to the Strato Star. I put about 350 jumps on rounds with one cutaway and the remaining 650 on mostly my Strato Star but also jumped all the really dangerous Squares at Z-Hills before I got the Strato Star including the Para Plane, Para Cloud, Sled, Foil (the original and the newer 7 cell that came out after the Strato Star). I never had a mal on a square. I always thought a properly packed, properly tuned Strato Star would open every time; mine certainly did. As for the OP, at over 200lbs, you might look for a Jumbo PC for your round jump. I weighed 135lbs while jumping my 28' cheapo and stood up nearly all my jumps. I also landed fairly lightly under PCs and maybe a bit harder under the Papillon. At 200+ lbs, you would thud in pretty hard under a cheapo. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

I think the yellow and red on the left diamond might be Greg Baker. I jumped at the Sod Farm in Tampa with him some as well. Ok, scratch that, you already identified him as Jim Beck... And for Pat, the Red and Black rig I'm jumping in the shot is my own design. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Are you also contending that European products are safer and better designed? How about another view - non US manufacturers stay out of the market because they can get away with making crappier products and they don't have to internalize the harms they cause. Not saying anything about any non-US manufacturerers. To be honest, don't know anything about them, but I think all I see (excluding Cyprus) is US gear at the DZ. Also - evidence rules exclude post-accident improvements, as mentioned numerous times. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I read it as the US Legal system has problems and that's why they stay out, not that their gear is any better than ours... ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

There are a number of jumpers in that shot I can identify. On my left is Charlie Moore On my right is Lou Howell (Married Ruth Lanier who passed away about a year ago) Point for my diamond is Foul Smith (I think, Hoop?) Diamond to my left point is Ed Moore Right wing is Randy Quireos (not sure of spelling) Diamond across from me point is Tony "Frit" Patterson I'll need help with the rest. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Pat, I think I said it in another thread, but if you get enough of us together, we make up one complete brain. I don't think you built Ed and Charlie's rigs either. In 1975 they were both jumping Wonderhogs. I have a shot from 1975 of a quadradiamond that they are both in and both have Wonderhogs on. I'll scan it and post it here when I get a chance (maybe later tonight). Ed and Charlie (Charlene) left Z-Hills in late 75 or early 76 for somewhere out west. I thought is was Texas but Hoop said otherwise. I'd love to track them down, two more great people. That photo is great. I've seen Ski and Donna a couple of times in the last 3 years when I went down to the Keys Boogie. I haven't seen Ron since the 70s and have to say, he looks great! If you do another trip down to Z-Hills, I will try to make it up. Maybe we can coax Rumpson out as well. Edited to add photo. I'm in the Yellow Black and Red at the bottom. Charlie is left of me, Ed is the point in the diamond on my left. I'm also attaching a scan of the back of the post card. I think the same shot was on the Center's business cards. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Well? How was the dinner get together and did Rumpson show? Was the other couple on the married couples jump Ed and Charlie Moore or someone else (can't remember any other married couples that both jumped)? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

What is the URL for his website? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Is that canopy from Steve Sutton? He's the first I remember cutting all those holes in the bottom of a ram air. He was doing that sort of thing at Z-Hills in 1974. I did some sewing for him. Watched him hand deploy a 24' flat reserve behind one of his designs that was "acting up" as he got to about 200 feet. I can still hear the thud he made when he landed... ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

I just read through this thread about my friend Roger. We met in 1975 and stayed in touch on and off until just a couple of months before he was killed. We even exchanged letters while he was incarcerated. As others have said here, he brought a lot to the sport and to those he knew. I miss him and his brother Carl both. It was he who bestowed the nickname "Ramjet" on me due to not being able to outrun me on the way down to the formation. Perhaps he did it to keep from getting tagged with it himself since we share the name Roger

In the mid 70's when everyone was trying to get smaller and lighter gear, people were gutting cheapos, removing what they considered excess reinforcement tape from Strato Stars. I thought I had the Answer. I took a Navy 26' Conical and pulled the apex down to the skirt, put crown lines on it for ease of packing, cut a triple doghouse in the back for drive and 2 turn slots on each side. It was light and did pack up very small. And had all the drive of a Wind Drift Indicator. I believe Jim Hooper had a very similar setup for a while. He sent me a picture of it some time ago. Maybe he will chime in here as well. ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

Hey, I had one of those on my cheapo. Just a small pulley in the apex and a dacron line running up through it and back to a riser. I had a small loop in the line at the optimum point and would pull the line down and secure the loop in a little (covered) hook on my riser. It seemed to make landings slightly softer and increased forward speed (very slightly). Never used it to collapse the canopy though ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519