howardwhite

Dunno, but I have a tattered t-shirt somewhere with the legend "I contributed to Parachutist." Mid-70s vintage. HW

This VW ad is from the program for the 1962 World Meet. The scene is the Bowl at Orange (MA) Sport Parachuting Center, where the meet was held. HW

All my Macs do too, except cameras which, as in this case, seem to be broken. No configurin required. HW

It was firewire. System Profiler recognized that there was a PC9 attached to the firewire port on my MacBook Pro, but three apps -- FCP, iMovie, and QuickTime Pro -- all failed to acknowledge input from it. When I put the tape in one of my cameras, the transfer went fine. (The video is great --MagicGuy and I are two of the six in a sunset round with Lew Sanborn,D-1.) HW

I created the pamphlets and postcards; we sold them on site ($3 for the 12-page color book, $1 for a postcard with the Sixth World meet official cancellation from the Orange Post Office.) As soon as I figure out how to accept payment (probably PayPal), I'l let people know how to get them. No. I hoped Daryl would be there, but he couldn't make it. He played a far greater role in the 1962 event than simply as a member of the CDN team. There were, however, six

I made a sunset six-way with three relatively new jumpers (55, 101, and 200+) and three others, one of whom was Lew Sanborn (D-1). Dirtdived in Otter on the way up; four of us without jumpsuits. Sweetness. HW

It would. The picture (and others with the article) were taken at Kissimmee, FL, if memory serves. HW

Did he ever meet or have contact with Nick Piantanida, a civilian skydiver who died as a result of equipment failure on a similar, later attempt? HW

Here's another old one from Sky Diver. The caption tells the story. HW

2 p.m. But Jumptown is also having its Pat Gorham memorial meet and there will be lots of folks there before (and after) the ceremony on the other side of the airport. Attached is a postcard we'll be selling at the event. If you (or we) mail it locally by the first week in August, it will be hand-canceled with a mark noting the Sixth World Meet. HW

The Sixth World Meet monument being dedicated in Orange Saturday is surrounded by a granite curb. One of the curbstones remembers Hal Evans, and Joyce generously contributed to the monument project. I'm sorry Daryl won't be there for the event; he was an important part of the meet, in ways beyond his participation as a member of the Canadian team. HW

I can scan and make a PDF, but such things are almost always too big to post here. I can email to people who PM me with an address (but it won't be overnight, as I'm currently swamped with projects.) HW

Dave Becker. Never heard of him. HW

Ah, yes, Lyle was absolutely prescient in his early leap onto the Crossbow bandwagon. To be fair, though, the same issue has a long story about jumping the PC. Aimed at newbies, it's a complement to the earlier and definitive Daryl Henry article, "Commanding the Commander," which was published both in Sky Diver and Parachutist. HW

A group of people who live in the Orange, MA, area thought it was time to recognize the site of the first World Parachuting Championships to be held in the U.S. The Sixth World meet was held in 1962 (program page attached.) They'll be dedicating a monument to the event Saturday, July 14. It's an impressive granite slab with a bronze plaque bearing the event logo, installed in the flagpole circle in front of the airport administration building.The granite curbing around the circle includes blocks engraved with memorials to Hal Evans, a well-known early jumper and skydiving promoter, and to Bill Hammill, a much-loved Lakewood and Orange skydiver. (Acute students of skydiving trivia will perhaps figure out why the granite circle is exactly 69 feet in diameter.) Keynote speaker will be Lew Sanborn, D-1; others include Jacques-André Istel, D-2, and Bob Spatola, D-24, who headed the state commission that oversaw the development of facilities for the event. At least 5 sub-100 D-license holders, all active in the meet organization, will be around for the event. The same day, Jumptown will hold its second annual Pat Gorham meet, remembering a skydiver and instructor who was also an original model for G.I. Joe. We are publishing a limited-edition 12-page brochure about the meet with some cool old pictures and stories. And we'll have a postcard with pictures of the event on sale. For 30 days following the dedication, the Orange Post Office will hand-cancel mail (including the postcard) with a special event cancellation with the meet logo and words about the meet; if you're a stamp collector, you might want some. All are welcome. If you want more info about the event or the postcard, PM me. And look for a story and pictures in Parachutist, probably in September. HW

Vermont, on I-89 and I-91. Like Oregon, a welcome supplement to the beautiful scenery. HW

What was the last time you saw someone really reaching for the dead center, and on peas, not one of those wimpy tuffets? This is Coy McDonald at Elsinore in 1965, a member of the Army team which lost to the Marines in a jumpoff to represent the U.S. at the Adriatic Cup meet. Photo is from Sky Diver magazine. Lyle Cameron notes "The PCs just didn't perform in Elsinore's mindless heat." HW

The jumpers in the third pic are, l to r, Rob Pine, Vince Sussmilch, Al Romaine, Ross Jamieson, Marty Lloyd, Julius Bundi and Wayne Hunter. The story was by Marty Lloyd and the formation pictures were by Rob Pine. HW

The magazine from which I scanned the picture is at home and I'm at the DZ. I'll post the names later. HW

See this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2636347;#2636347 Note the comment from Mike Mullins that 16-year-olds are too old to learn properly.

Hmm... Considering that the highest A number in the latest Parachutist is 50988, highly unlikely. And how does one get a license number on the day his yellow card is stamped? But congratulations, whatever the number. HW

Services for Jim will be held Thursday in his home town of Windsor Locks, CT. Information and the on-line condolences book are at: http://leetestevens.com/ HW

The PDF file referenced here: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html will probably help. Works fine for my Rebel XTi HW

Jim Bates began skydiving in Orange, MA in the early sixties. He soon became an active and enthusiastic rigger, as well as a national judge. He was a founding member of Connecticut Parachutists Inc. (CPI) one of the country's oldest skydiving clubs. His interest in parachuting history is reflected in the hundreds of articles he wrote for a variety of publications, including Parachutist, the most recent of them in 2006 about Jacques-André Istel, and about the history of skydiving equipment. He was active in the Parachute Industry Association, both on its rigging committee and as the sparkplug of its historical committee. All of his interests as a skydiver, rigger and judge were shared by Marge, his wife of more than 40 years. i last saw them in action as a judging team at the Pat Gorham memorial meet at Jumptown in June, 2006. Arrangements are incomplete, but are expected to include an ash scattering ceremony at the CPI drop zone in Ellington, CT. HW

Today (as I write) is the 27th anniversary of the first "legal" El Cap jumps. The accounts by Nick and Zing are entirely consistent with what I remember being told by many others, including a well-known sub-100 D license holder who was among those bagged for an illegal jump. Perhaps it is instructive to review the conditions USPA agreed to: •Written permit, signed by Chief Ranger Bill; •D license; •Hard helmet and square canopy; •Jumps only from dawn to 8:30 a.m.; •No more than 12 permits (i.e. 12 jumps) per day; •Jumping "season" for 1980 -- Aug. 1 through Oct. 31. I was on the USPA BOD and in the audience when Carl showed his initial El Cap movie to USPA directors. I don't recall any specific action, perhaps beyond authorizing Ottley and Joe Svec to handle the matter. No one in a wild fantasy could then have envisioned something like Bridge Day, but perhaps in retrospect, the initial requirements were so impossibly restrictive as to make them impossible to live with. HW (PS to Nick; Ottley and Bush (both of them) went to Yale, not Harvard, a distinction of some importance to some people.)