patmoore

Good catch Rick! Wonder how Donna let that mug get away. Here's a photo of Donna with one of her mugs. Now that I think about it Connie probably has all hers still. She has a couple of notable claims to fame. In 1969 she became the first woman in the world to jump a square parachute. In 1973 she was getting ready to head for Yugoslavia as the alternate on the US Women's team when a call from her obstetrician said that would be a bad idea. Our oldest daughter (now 40 and a mother of three herself) had 46 jumps before she was born. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Thanks Martin! I've updated the listing for Kansas. Do you have any short stories or photos from some of the old DZs? Here's an example of a page from a DZ in Wisconsin. Pretty cool that there's a voucher for a lift ticket to 7200 feet for $3.50. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I posted this over in the history section but wanted to make sure everyone saw it. Those of you who have been involved in the sport for a long time remember old drop zones that are no longer in existence. I thought it would be an interesting project to document those with stories and photos from the past. To date, over 300 have been identified in 42 states. Please take a moment to see if I'm missing anything. If you have any stories or photos you'd like to share, please send them to info@dzgone.com DZGone.com Look at DZs with hyperlinks to see sample stories. Florida and Wisconsin both have a fair number of stories. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I don't know who created this patch but I think it was to commemorate the world's first "All Couples Star" in Riverview, FL around 1975, There were four sets of husbands and wives in the formation: Ruth and Lance Lanier, Ski and Donna Chmielewski, Ed and Charlene Moore, and Pat and Connie Moore. I built seven of the eight rigs in that shot. Freefall photo taken by Mike Swain. We used two 182s and had to squeeze six people in one to get Mike on board to take shots. And yes, we did bust the clouds. The photo of the formation is part of the banner of DZGone.com DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I have about 35 of those in my garage. 1st in Women's Combined in '76 could have been Donna Chmielewski, Pat Schapanski, or most likely my first wife Connie Moore. See attached. She's wearing a harness and container I had just built for her. You can see some of her mugs in the background. BTW, they were made of a material called Armetale simulating pewter. "Combined" was for style and accuracy. "Overall" was for style, accuracy and four person RW. I won Combined for the year in 76 and Overall for 74, 75, and 76. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I tried taking digital pictures of slides shown on a screen but they didn't come out that well. I do have a slide scanner but it involves taking them out of the carousel tray and scanning them three at a time. Way too time consuming. In any event, here are a few I took shots of. I'm having a hard time identifying everyone. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'll likely upload some of them to DZGone.com DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

"Pat, you MUST be retired by now, how about scanning some more photos for us (please, please)? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519" __________________________________________________ Retired a week ago. Can't believe how busy I am. On the "to do" list is to dig out the old Kodak Carousel and go through a dozen trays from back then. Just updated the page for Indiantown. Check it out. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Just want to thank all the folks who have been sending stories and photos. The volume of information is really growing. Check out all the states where you've jumped and send me old photos and short writeups about the DZs or even jump stories you think others would like to read. Share the site with others and save it in favorites. It's being updated daily. DZGone.com DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

More DZs are now featured. Visit Florida's page and check out Gainesville, Lakeland, Riverview, and Williston DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Thanks for the heads up on the typo. I just fixed it. I'd love to get a brief history and description of the DZ, regulars who jumped there, and any stories you think others might find of interest. Definitely would like photos. Here's a sample I put together for Riverview, FL DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Thanks. I just added it. Can you tell me anything about the DZ so I can update the listing? DZGone.com DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Six years after suggesting a website devoted to Lost Drop Zones I've finally pulled the trigger and created one. I retired last Friday and have been working ever since to get it up and running. I'm new to Dreamweaver so it's been a laborious process and I still need to iron out some wrinkles (I know Georgia isn't in the Southwest). I have over 300 lost DZs documented but nothing in the way of stories other than two I've submitted for Riverview and Lakeland Florida. Your mission is to dig into your memory banks and share your stories and photos from the early days of our sport. Send them to info@dzgone.com along with your name, license (optional), the years the DZ was in operation, and anything else you think would be of interest to others. Definitely send pictures! And share the site with others from the early days. DZGone.com DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I'm thinking the DZ was called Trinity. Yep, I'm in the process of designing drop downs that will cover Region, State, and DZ. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Thanks Jack. I jumped with Woody at Barnwell, South Carolina. I'll touch base with him. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

The topic? The Lost Drop Zones Project. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Sorry to be so conspicuous by my absence. I broke my tib-fib in March when I lost an argument with my snowboard. I am comparatively healthy now other than two bum knees (five surgeries). I hope to retire in three weeks. Sometime after that I hope to launch the long-delayed website devoted to this topic. Unfortunately my sister helped clean out one of our rooms a couple of years ago and all my log books are missing. That'll make it difficult for my own recollections. I'll be seeking your memories and pictures. Help me out with one DZ. I don't know if it still exists but it sure is a vivid memory. I'm guessing the year was 1970. My wife (at the time) and I had done well at the conference meet qualifying for the Nationals at Plattsburgh and a DZ operator in (North?) Carolina generously offered us ten free style jumps each. He said he had a campground with hot showers. We got there and set up our tent. The ops center was under a large roof but had no sides. Industrial sewing machines, etc. were essentially outside. The most remarkable feature of the airport was the runway. It was built vertically on the side of a hill. He had a Twin Beech and a 182. Regardless of the wind he took off downhill and landed uphill. I don't recall seeing any other jumpers that day but he did provide us with about a half dozen style jumps each before we resumed our drive north. Without my logbooks I can't retrieve any more info than that. Does anyone have a clue where it was? We really appreciated the opportunity to get the free training jumps. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Ironically Bill's name came up last night at a dinner party. The subject of skydiving arose and naturally discussion drifted to jump stories. Many of my stories center on Bill. I first met him at Manassas, Virginia at a DZ shared by the Pelicans and the Targeteers. It was the summer of 66 and just before I enlisted in the Air Force. I tried to teach Bill how to barefoot water ski on the Shenandoah River in Front Royal, VA. We became pretty good friends and I was honored to be on his legendary Christmas Card list for many years. I visited his townhouse in Georgetown many times (it even had a private elevator). My wife and I attended his memorial service at USPA HQ a few years back and it was an opportunity to reconnect with friends I hadn't seen in years. I'm attaching a photo of Bob Holler, Bill, me, and Tom Bryant. We had just won Team Accuracy at Pop's meet. It was probably around 1968. Regarding the value of wings, I doubt they carry much value although Bill may have had a custom set made. My Diamond Wings were destroyed in an apartment fire nineteen years ago. Somehow my Airborne wings survived. My enterprising oldest daughter contacted USPA and had them send a replacement pair at no cost. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

I had the good fortune to meet Felix Baumgartner on the plaza of the Today Show just after he broke the freefall record 13 months ago. The existing record had been set by Joe Kittinger in 1960. I just completed a pencil sketch of Felix and Joe (see attached). Joe was the first person to see the curvature of the earth! How cool is that? DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Florida-base Mike Swain was one of the pioneers of air-to-air movies in the sixties and seventies. He put together a nice movie called The Endless Fall with footage from the late sixties. I just got a gadget for digitizing old VHS tapes and extracted two brief scenes in which I appeared. Hard to believe it was shot nearly fifty years ago. Click for video In 1968 Bill Ottley and I appeared briefly with another jumper as Keith Jackson introduced the Nationals at Marana, Arizona. You get a quick glimpse of Moore written on my helmet and, of course, WHO on Bill's helmet. Check it out DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Four and a half years later this thread is still alive. I did buy a domain to create a website devoted to defunct DZs but it'll probably be a year before I can retire and devote the time to it that it needs. When I do have it up and running I'll be looking for stories and photos. It should make for some interesting entries. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Somewhere I have a VHS copy of the movie "The Endless Fall" by Mike Swain. There's a clip of me making a particularly inelegant accuracy landing on a windy day at Indiantown sometime in the late 60's. I'll try to find it and share it. In all, about a thousand of my jumps were on rounds and about a hundred of those were on C-9 flat circular Double Ls and 5-TUs. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

That was Suzie's gear. She later sold her team Papillon to my (then) wife. I actually still have it in my garage (The chute, not the wife......) I'm attaching a photo of Suzie taken in April 1969. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Nice jump! Looks like a blast! Coincidentally, I was a framer who built the middle condo building there at Jackson Gore. Your video is the first time I've seen it all finished.

Okay, so it has nothing to do with Skydiving but I thought I'd share it anyway. Had some fun over the Fourth and put together a short video. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

Dan, This gentleman in the background behind me in this picture may be Captain Spurlock. I do recall the name and heard he had been killed in Vietnam. DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!