Dec 21, 2011, 8:48 PM
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"Smitty the Jumper"
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Does anyone remember a guy named "Smitty the Jumper?" Midwest, as I recall. Bragged he never had paid for a jump. Quite a character. I saw him a couple of times, but never saw him actually jump. I think one time he said he had fifty jumps or so.
Does anyone remember a guy named "Smitty the Jumper?" Midwest, as I recall. Bragged he never had paid for a jump. Quite a character. I saw him a couple of times, but never saw him actually jump. I think one time he said he had fifty jumps or so.
Is this the one who claimed to be the oldest one? There's a picture on the wall at West Tennessee Skydiving of Smitty posing with a very young (I think age 9) Charlie Mullins as the oldest with the youngest...
Does anyone remember a guy named "Smitty the Jumper?" Midwest, as I recall. Bragged he never had paid for a jump. Quite a character. I saw him a couple of times, but never saw him actually jump. I think one time he said he had fifty jumps or so.
I was at Savute's here in ICT for Skip Gallagher's send off and Smitty is well known there. The lady that runs the place is at least in her 70s nd said that Smitty was quite the character and ladies man. I asked her if she ever visited Smitty's station wagon and she laughed and said she was a proper girl back then.
Was smitty the guy that lived out of a van at Z-hills or some other DZ in Fl selling jewelery to raise money for The USA Team?
My boss is still pissed I wouldn't buy her a pair silver earings from the guy that were in the shape of round parachutes. Probably late 80's early 90's.
Was smitty the guy that lived out of a van at Z-hills or some other DZ in Fl selling jewelery to raise money for The USA Team?
My boss is still pissed I wouldn't buy her a pair silver earings from the guy that were in the shape of round parachutes. Probably late 80's early 90's.
R.
Judging by the jumpsuit, hat and my bloodshot eyes...id say sometime in the mid 80s
The picture covers it. I absolutely rememer him in some kind of van or pickup camper, and yes this looks like what I remember him to look like. (OK I don't use proper grammar)
I remember us guys talking to him and he was indeed a "cocky and prideful chap" who spun his self-created legend with style.
Dec 25, 2011, 1:46 PM
Post #12 of 23
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Re: [JerryBaumchen] "Smitty the Jumper"
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Hi Krip,
Quote:
Was smitty the guy that lived out of a van
You may have him confused with Chet Poland.
JerryBaumchen
Hi Jerry
I woke up from my nap and even remembered to look for my "Smitty the Jumper" business card and actualy found it.
I've reviewed the his thread "all the way" back to the first post and checked the business card and would like to fill in some blanks.
Smitty's birth name was H. Truesdell Smith.
In addition to Smitty being on the Jonny Carson show at the age of 81, He was also on with Norman Vincent Peal, And Paul Harvey.
During the Freefall with the Coors world champ team they made a hook-up with him on December 15, 1985 in a 8K freefall , That earned earned world wide recognition and good write-up in Sports Illustrated.
The card I have is 4 sided and the dead pan expression on Johnny's face is pure Johnny with Smitty wearing a SEG on his face. I don't remember where or when I got the card, But it was pre 1988.
In reviewing this thread from the first post ti present I came across a post where someone was trying to raise some funds for Smitty's headstone.
Anyone know if "Smitty The Jumper" got his headstone?
Smitty was living in Kansas in 1966 and I was with the Jester Skydivers out of Bartlesville OK and we did a demo jump at an airshow in Coffeville, Kansas with the Air force Thunderbirds in June of 1966. Smitty came up to us after we jumped and started telling us he used to be a barstorming parachute jumper. He said he hadn't even been around jumping since the 30s. We weren't sure about him and took him with a grain of salt. He went home I think and got his old parachute that he used to jump in the 20s and 30s. It had the suspension lines tied to an old Ford steering wheel with a leather harness that he had made. We then treated him like a hero that he was. He later became very involved with the jumping community and became famous again and wrote a book. I like to think we brought him out of obscurity.
He was jumping an old delta two parawing back in the mid nineties over at Vandalia Illinois for a POPS meet with Dave Verner's bunch. I saw him make about ten jumps including a hit and rock with his canopy hooked up bassakwards! Kind of a nut sort of guy! Had the audacity to open high under me and I'm six five weighing two twenty at the time!
(This post was edited by pterodactylLXX on Feb 2, 2012, 5:37 PM)
Feb 3, 2012, 8:19 PM
Post #22 of 23
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Re: [pterodactylLXX] "Smitty the Jumper"
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He was jumping an old delta two parawing back in the mid nineties over at Vandalia Illinois for a POPS meet with Dave Verner's bunch. I saw him make about ten jumps including a hit and rock with his canopy hooked up bassakwards! Kind of a nut sort of guy! Had the audacity to open high under me and I'm six five weighing two twenty at the time!
I don't think it was the same 'Smitty'...
The Smitty of this thread wasn't getting around real well in the 90's, I would be shocked to hear he was actually jumping...especially a delta death...on backwards!
