JerryBaumchen

Hi elias123, While the peas may be the site of the awarding they were ONLY developed for downwind accuracy. Commonly known as 'back in the day.' Jerry

Hi folks, It started out as R & J Parachute Sales; Ron Tavalero & Jerry Meyers. They were located on the airport at Antioch. Then they changed it to The Altitude Shop, in downtown Vallejo. The gut pack rig was the Rumour; the piggyback was the Top Secret. The Classiflyer came later. Jerry

Hi Drew, Yup, 23,000 ft AGL. Jerry

Hi wwarped, Well, I spent 30 yrs working for the fed. gov't. And, yes we did say that quite often in meetings. I used to even say to contractors, once I got to know them somewhat. Quite often I would have to go out to a wood pole company that was right next door to the Sheridan, OR dz. If I had time, I would usually try to stop and see Ted Mayfield, the dz owner. When I drove up in the gov't car and my suit & tie, the jumpers would all run inside and yell, "Ted, the FAA is here." You should have seen his face until he realized it was me. Ya gotta have some fun in life. Jerry PS) IMO, 30% of gov't workers are worthless; 40% are OK and do their job; the other 30% really care and do a great job. Guess where I fit?

Hi peek, I 'remember' something from Para-Flite many years ago that said that the center 'A' lines took a greater share of the load. Greater being more than the other lines. Jerry

Hi Sparky, IMO, the essence of the Minor Change. Jerry

Hi Jack, Did you guys get to Hatley's dz in Oregon on that trip? I made a couple of jumps with Mike out at Hatley's when he was some bigwig in USPA. Jerry

Re: How do you get on a plane without a rig on? As I recall this guy was a vidiot. In those days the video gear was bulky (big stuff on your belly) and required the use of an additional harness to hold it all. Apparently, he assumed that the video harness was a rig. I 'heard' that it was the 2nd time that day that he actually gotten on the plane without his rig on. Someone caught it and he went back and got his rig. Others????? Jerry

Hi Terry, Do you know who the ring came from? DJ or RWS or ???? Thanks, Jerry

Hi diablo pilot, NOTE: I have not looked on anyone's websites (too lazy). However, I would 'think' that if the articulated harness were built like a Wings or Quasar (the "L" shaped leg junction) then it would be rather easy to convert/make a articulated harness with B-12 snaps. Just a thought of mine. Anyone from Wings or Strong here to comment? Jerry

Hi rigger john, sparky, et al, Not trying to be harsh here but you need to better state your responses: In TSO C23b it is still 22 lbs. Lots of old chest packs still floating around were TSO'd back then and that req'ment still stands. As I have mentioned here before, one should clarify any response regarding TSO req'ments by referring to which version of the TSO the req'ment is in. By not doing so, it really (IMO) confuses those who do not know and read stuff here trying to learn. Just trying to be clear here, Jerry

Hi Kim, I've known Urban since the days at Scravel Hill; and that's a lotta years ago. He and I have always gotten along good with each other. And, I hope that he continues to succeed down there. But when you talk about safety, you should include the tandem downplane that pounded in last summer. That one has been kept quiet and not reported. I bet that you know about, and not just because I know about it. Safety and 'How safe is it, really?' are very subjective things. My subjectivity and yours (and most anyone else's will never match up). Jerry

Hi JENNR8R, Since you did not clarify as to now or in the past; but you did indicate a car in your past. I wrote an article for a NW auto magazine last year listing the three cars from my past that I should have kept: 1932 Ford 5-window - my Senior yr in high school 1957 Chevy, black 2-dr hardtop, stick w/overdrive - bought when I got out of the service 1965 356C Porsche coupe - bought when I got out of college Today I drive a '97 BMW 840Ci, an unbelievable car. Jerry

Hi kelel01, They are called Speedsters; were made back in the late '50's and maybe as late as 1960. Yes, they all had that bump in the front. I'm not an expert but I do know a fair amount about 356 Porsches; owned two of them. Jerry

Hi Freak, Interesting, they never issued D-184 and Ed gets two. They probably had everything in a shoe box & using a #2 pencil back in those days. Jerry

Hi tbrown, Uh, wasn't a Katana a motorcycle before it was a parachute? Jerry

Hi jumpervint, Re: the Fairchild Jack's 'business' card has the famous picture of it; the one where Cameron is sitting on the fuse behind the wing and the other guys are all over the outside. Jack said it needs new fabric but with a 50 ft wingspan it is too much to do ($$$$). Jerry

Hi usetawuz, Actually I think a list of the first 1,543 D license holders should be listed. Jerry (D-1543)

Hi Sparky, Just got this back from Dr. Eco: "Great to get the status of the old jumpers in the Pacific Northwest. I will update the list of the first 400 D-License Holders with a columns that shows there status e.g., dead, almost dead, getting married for the 3rd time, running off with their grandson's baby sitter, etc. and maybe comments like yours on Jack Ady and Rick Johnston. We will have to play the comment stuff by ear in case keeping it updated get too intractable. Maybe we can get some of the skydiving websites, e.g., like Bill Newell's and/or others, to put the list on their web site. Website update and maintenance volunteers are welcome. People can them send in the status/comments of the old D-License jumpers like Jerry Baumchen did in his Email. Until that happens send any status updates on these old D-License jumpers to me DrEco@aol.com and I will try to keep the list updated. From time to time as I get more status data I will sent an update out to everyone on the list. Richard Economy D-115 DrEco@aol.com 386 672 1811 1309 Oak Forest Dr. Ormond Beach, Fl 32174" Maybe some other folks can chime in with info, Jerry

Hi kefran, One additional thing to consider is the weight of the Cordura. Most Vectors & Infinitys are made of 500 denier (unless it is a color that is only available in 1000 denier). The 1000 D is much more durable than the 500 D which (IMO) is only slightly more durable than ParaPak. HTH, Jerry PS) You might try to get a sample of both 500 D & 1000 D to compare. A good suggestion (I think) for others who want to know more about gear fabrics.

Hi Rob, Well, some are merely bent (most chest strap hardware). I know of none that are cast. The 'nodules' could be forged in, pressed in while hot, or could be machined in. I really do not know. Cast??? I'm with you; never seen any hardware for parachutes cast. I've seen lots for other industries, though. Jerry

Hi Sparky, I sent him this yesterday: "Hi Dr Eco, A little up date about some of them here in the Pacific Northwest: John Scott D-93 John died about 10 yrs ago from a sudden, massive heart attack. Jack Ady D-103 I was in the Snohomish area yesterday and decided to go to the airport for lunch and ran into Jack. He is retired, living right off of the airport and got married for the first time about 3 yrs ago; a real optimist. Rich Johnston D-134 Rich had a stroke just after the first of the year and is now slightly disabled. He lives near me and we used to get together every month or so for breakfast or lunch; I hate to visit now in his condition, but I do need to. Jens Jorgeson D-304 I haven't seen Jens in over 20 yrs but a mutual friend saw him last summer and said that he is in good health. Jim Wright D-364 Jim was killed on a jump about 15-18 yrs ago. Evan Hale D-365 I last saw Evan at the memorial for Jim Wright; nothing since. Ralph Hatley D-394 Ralph still runs a drop zone and is one of the biggest gear distributors in the world. Joe Brockway D-395 Joe retired from the gov't about 15 yrs ago; I last talked to him about 10 yrs ago. I need to call him, also. Dick Carlisle D-396 I understand he was killed in a plane crash many, many years ago. Bill Berg D-400 Bill was killed flying a forest fire fighting aircraft when she came apart in mid-air. Just in case anyone who knew them might be interested. It was fun going through all of the names; I started jumping in early '64 and a few months later joined PCA & subscribed to Skydiver Magazine. A lot of those names were in those mags many times. And I do remember your photos. Jerry Baumchen D-1543 (a newbie compared to this list)"

Hi Speed, Different state = different laws. In Oregon, you work = you do NOT drink. Jerry

Hi Bill, What's interesting is that some people call this (PDX) the micro-brew capital of the world; and my brother worked in the state's largest brewery for over 30 yrs. Me, I don't drink the stuff. Strange, huh???? Jerry

Hi Skyfish1, Bodysport USA still makes the old Crater 'computer controlled fall rate' jumpsuit complete with swoop cords. www.bodysportusa.com (I think) Jerry