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davjohns
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 17
: Student
: 2 years
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Jul 10, 2009, 12:00 AM
Post #1 of 12
(798 views)
Registered: Oct 17, 2007
Posts: 424
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Last year, I returned home from Wallaby Ranch in Orlando. I had spent some time with a guy named Mike Barber. Mike is a world renowned hang glider pilot who coaches at Wallaby. He has the unofficial world record for longest flight (a little over 400 miles, I think).
When I got home, I was re-reading my Parachutist's Handbook in the history section. There, it mentioned that a guy named Mike Barber and a friend made the first tandem jump in Florida. Mike had mentioned that he was once into skydiving while we were having breakfast one morning. The next day, I wrote the owner of Wallaby an email to confirm this was not a quirk. Sure enough. It is the same guy.
So, a pioneer in skydiving is still alive, well and a pioneer in another air sport as well. Thought someone might find that interesting.
Great guy, by the way. Excellent mentor.
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Jim_Hooper
United Kingdom
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 3500
: D 4019
: 44 years
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Jul 10, 2009, 5:05 AM
Post #2 of 12
(775 views)
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Posts: 257
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Believe me, Beanpole was one hot skydiver back in the day. And the first to do a tandem - with his disabled stepson Kirk as the passenger. Please pass on my regards when you next see him.
Hoop
www.jimhooper.co.uk
(This post was edited by Jim_Hooper on Jul 10, 2009, 5:06 AM)
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jimjumper
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 3600
: D 11137
: 27 years
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Jul 10, 2009, 7:42 AM
Post #3 of 12
(744 views)
Registered: Apr 9, 2002
Posts: 185
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Kirk and his mother Dana Handbury are still around here in SoCal. She got recurrent about 2 years ago just after Kirk got a service dog from the organization (Canine Companions for Independence)my wife and I are involved with. We haven't seen her recently but if you do a search on this forum there is lot of information on the jump and the people involved.
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billbooth
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 6100
: D 3546
: 36 years
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Jul 11, 2009, 1:03 PM
Post #4 of 12
(656 views)
Registered: Mar 1, 2002
Posts: 920
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Mike was one of the first 5 employees of the fledgling Relative Workshop. Mike could build anything. I remember that he built his own container AND main parachute from scratch. Kirk and Mike together weighed the same as me, so we modified my Wonderhog (with a Strato Cloud in it), made a passenger harness for Kirk, and Mike put "the Kid" (for then on known as "Sky Kirk") in an 11 way star for his eleventh birthday. Bob Favreau also took his son Robbie up on the same DC-3 load for the second "modern" tandem jump. I think it was 1977.
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rapter
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 2900
: D 11825
: 24 years
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Jul 11, 2009, 9:18 PM
Post #5 of 12
(616 views)
Registered: Oct 5, 2003
Posts: 492
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Kirk and Dana were at "Old Farts" out at Taft last June, both are doing well.
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davjohns
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 17
: Student
: 2 years
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Jul 14, 2009, 9:54 AM
Post #6 of 12
(516 views)
Registered: Oct 17, 2007
Posts: 424
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Mike can still build anything he cares to. Lots of the hang glider crowd have him build custom aluminum racks on their vehicles to carry their gliders. He welds aluminum better than any I've ever seen.
He mentors hang glider pilots and is considered about the best there is. Really nice guy to have breakfast with as well.
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howardwhite
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 8000
: C 3896
: 44 years
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Jul 14, 2009, 7:52 PM
Post #7 of 12
(488 views)
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 2374
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Here, from his great collection of skydiving pix on Flickr, is Jerry Irwin's picture of Mike Barber landing what I guess is a Strato Star at I guess Z-Hills.
HW
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Attachments:
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beanpole copy.jpg
(56.2 KB)
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Jim_Hooper
United Kingdom
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 3500
: D 4019
: 44 years
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Jul 14, 2009, 11:28 PM
Post #8 of 12
(480 views)
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Posts: 257
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Re: [howardwhite] First Tandem
[In reply to]
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Can't Post
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Can't remember who sent me this, but a snap of Gencarrelle coaching Beanpole with Dana on his shoulders and my girlfriend Sara on top. Probably not the same year but not far from where Mike's landing his Stratostar at Z'hills.
Hoop
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Attachments:
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Sara1.JPG
(47.6 KB)
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Jim_Hooper
United Kingdom
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 3500
: D 4019
: 44 years
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Jul 16, 2009, 9:52 AM
Post #10 of 12
(401 views)
Registered: Sep 11, 2006
Posts: 257
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I guess not remembering must mean I was there. (I was, wasn't I?)
Hoop
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3331
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 5200
: D 3331
: 40 years
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Jul 16, 2009, 12:11 PM
Post #11 of 12
(389 views)
Registered: Nov 19, 2002
Posts: 382
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That girl is Sheila Whiten, last time I saw her was in Deland a few years ago.
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jonstark
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 2200
: D 8298
: 34 years
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Jul 17, 2009, 5:39 PM
Post #12 of 12
(320 views)
Registered: Oct 9, 2003
Posts: 1067
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Whitten
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