Oct 11, 2008, 4:01 PM
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Harry Leicher is gone ...
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It is my sad duty to report that Harry Leicher is dead.
Harry went in under a spinning main. He hit completely flat. Possible broken neck on opening. No movement under canopy. Only 1 person on the load saw it (he was on the backside of the open canopies relative to the DZ).
It happened at about 10:30 this morning at Perris on, of all things, some "Fielding crowd and friends" formation dives (31-ways at this point in the day).
RIP Harry, I'll really miss you.
Pat Swovelin
(This post was edited by NTHRIWZ on Oct 11, 2008, 4:05 PM)
Oct 11, 2008, 4:10 PM
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Re: [NTHRIWZ] Harry Leicher is gone ...
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I will miss seeing Harry in LP. I will miss receiving a random letter with a photo he had taken of me. I will miss the Christmas cards every year. I'll miss the hugs and kisses and see you next times.
Damn, Harry, I'm gonna miss you. You have been such a good friend to me over the past year, always full of fun and kicking my ass to get back in the air. Thanks for the day at Catalina, teaching me to skip stones at Lake McScottish, and most of all, just for always being there with a hug and a shoulder whenever I needed one, and I'm sorry I never told you how very much I appreciated your friendship.
I just dug into my stash of Lang and opened one in your honor.
Oct 11, 2008, 6:50 PM
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I was stunned when I heard about Harry going in today. He's the man who was so safety conscience that he'd land out in the dirt to avoid being in a tangle of canopies landing all at once on the grass! <See his dz.com's profile tag-line!>
Harry took me on a flight a couple of years back, just to have fun flying without a student doing frightful things to the controls. He just wanted to get up and fly. He never asked for repayment and I so enjoyed that flight. Thank you again, Harry.
I'll miss the hugs and the brief neck massages he'd give. The enthusiasm on meeting new people and welcoming them into the sport. His continual smile. His sage advice.
Big Hugs to Janna, especially. You both made Perris a welcome place to be.
This video is a fitting tribute to the pilot in Harry...And the one he referenced in one of his last posts here on dz.com.
Lori
(This post was edited by ltdiver on Oct 11, 2008, 6:54 PM)
Oct 11, 2008, 6:58 PM
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Harry, many thanks for the jumps we shared, I'm looking at a photo of me hanging with one hand on your harness and one on the young lady celebrating her one hundredth jump. We lost the other half of the hybrid early on but kept our part together and mugged for the camera.
And many thanks for the advice through out my flight training, you were not my instructor but you shared tips and information freely. I'm a pilot now and I owe some of that to you. I had hoped one day to share thoughts on instructing but I'm still a ways off from being a CFI.
To those that may not have known Harry, read his thoughts here on this website. He's a smart guy, who knew how to have fun, yet keep it safe.
Blue Skies Harry.
-jp-
(This post was edited by diablopilot on Oct 11, 2008, 7:19 PM)
Oct 11, 2008, 7:54 PM
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I am at a loss for words. Harry would be the last person you'd think would go in. He apparently did everything right. He packed for himself, so I am sure it was his normal pack job. How strange to have such a hard opening on a canopy lightly loaded (~1-1.2)
Today was the 39th anniversary of his first jump. He turned 60 about two weeks ago and proudly wore his SOS shirt that day. Harry was looking forward to being on his first SOS load this January. He was so enthusiastic about it, he even was organizing a SoCal base that was going to be rock solid and practiced by the time January came around. He helped with coaching at this year's SOS event too.
He was someone that always had fun on every dive - no matter how it went.
Oct 11, 2008, 8:36 PM
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It is my sad duty to report that Harry Leicher is dead.
Harry went in under a spinning main. He hit completely flat. Possible broken neck on opening. No movement under canopy. Only 1 person on the load saw it (he was on the backside of the open canopies relative to the DZ).
It happened at about 10:30 this morning at Perris on, of all things, some "Fielding crowd and friends" formation dives (31-ways at this point in the day).
RIP Harry, I'll really miss you.
Pat Swovelin
Oh man, this just plain sucks! this it truly unbelievable. So sad. BSBD, Harry gonna miss you. It seems we loose more and more friends as time marches on. At least he died doing what he loved.
Oct 12, 2008, 12:19 AM
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I had the pleasure to know and work with Harry for four years. Harry was the model of safety so it is really hard to see him go like this. I am inspired that he was able to enjoy doing what he enjoyed most right up to the end.
We are sure going to miss his smile and humor every day at the club. The aviation and skydiving community has truly lost an amazing person.
Oct 12, 2008, 12:23 AM
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NO! This can't be real. I was flying back from Reno tonight with another Perris jumper and we were talking about flying and I brought up Harry's name. I was going to phone him tomorrow about some airplane stuff.
Oct 12, 2008, 7:47 AM
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Harry was one of the good ones. He'll be missed. Here are some photos of Harry from the old PerrisCam website. Harry and his friends from happier days.... Fly free Harry.....
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