alarnold

Yea, well I stick to my story, June 1981, we slipped in and were told to leave after the jumps. It was the adventure of my life. and I can piss farther than that Rodofko Gerst guy. Seriously, at this point, even though he's mistaken, I wish him well. He's living his dream in a third world country, where a man has to be pretty agro to get anywhere. It's great that it's worked out to be legal and everyone can jump it if they have the time and money. He can probably work it into an exclusive trade agreement with that "President For Life" J.C. Chaves fella and make a good living. So Blu Sky, Senior Gersti, but Tom Bollinger is the first. Al A.F.#3 Quote I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.

Cool Jerry I'd like to hear what Tom Sanders has to say about it. I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.

Well all right. I'm sure there is a lesson in this somewhere. 1. If you're the first, and no one knows, you're irrelevant. 2. If you are first and someone knows ii, you end up driving a cab. Hell if I know. I guess in the final analysis, this should have had a forum of it's own. I apologize to Jerry Swovlen for squandering the space, on this subject. I'll just slip into BASE jumping obscurity, happy to have muddied the water, just a bit. Blue Sky Al D-6257, AF #3 or 5 or 6 or something like that. I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.

Huh? Well anything is possible. Information traveled at a different pace in those days. Our footage was pretty disappointing and we had no interest in "claiming." So.... I felt like we must have been the first when Tom Sanders made us these nice "suitable for framing" Certs. in the '90's. I hope you come up with the name of the film with Bird hucking rocks off the falls. I'd like to see it. In any event, to be remembered in the skydiving world as 'a guy who mistakenly claimed' isn't all that bad. Now I'm gonna sound like a real geek. Bird is still alive, right? Cheers Al I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.

I would not dispute Jerry Bird, if he laid claim to it, I've never discussed it with him. We did it June 12, 1981. I always thought that some of Tom Sanders people had laid claim to it, but he (after viewing our footage) made up some "official" looking plaques with calligraphy and a photo of the falls and numbers 1,2, and 3 on them. I figured Tom Sanders had to have the straight scoop on it. Maybe the numbers should be annotated with something like T.S. I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.

A few years ago Gary Dourise showed up at Elsinore and gave me an official card, signed by Carl Boenish with my #84 on it. The card had been given to him by Jeanie Boenish because Gary knew me. The jump was made in the summer of '80 just before it became legal, by three ghouls. Connie Tibbits, Vern Weincauf (sp) and I did it on a whim, between Grand Canyon River trips. We did it at sunrise and got away clean. Call Gary, he may have yours. Here is one that will probably stir some controversy. In 1981, June, Coolidge Az. regulars Tom Bollinger. J.D. Painter and I jumped Angel Falls and claimed numbers 1,2,and 3. Few have heard the story, but it is a hoot. Basically we didn't ask for permission and since no one saw the jumps, were told to leave and not come back. Tom Sanders saw the video many years later and issued us Official Certificates with those numbers. I've always wondered who else has 1,2 and 3. I loved it for many years. i quit but still am interested in it and my old friends.