who are your skydiving heros?

[josheezammit 0]

When i met him almost a year ago, I'll admit it, i was intimidated as hell, I mean I am a big guy, but this boy is huge! However his canopy is small, his heart is large with enough room for all those he cares about, he is always there to teach me whatever i ask about, encourage me when i do well, scold me when i am a naughty skydiver, laugh with me, and just plain old be my friend, what can i say, I get all all excited when i see bright green cobalts flying, cause soon all those around might stand in awe as he comes in for another swoop, as they see the grace of a saint in a man that is a semi retired hellion. I can not tell you enough, that Eric Butts is my skydiving hero.

Who do you look up to?

Ahh, what a wonderful world.

[pjchis 0]

Geoff Mundy. There are rarely such passionate and generous teachers with such extensive experience: 18,000+ skydives, more than half AFF jumps. He even took me and my dad out with him and his girlfriend and the DZO to a nice dinner on lake Taupo after I got out of the hospital from a bad landing. What a cool guy!

[cocheese 0]

Everyone from manifest to the plane mechanic. From the Wright Brothers to the Muff Brothers.

[waltappel 1]

I don't know that I have any skydiving heroes. I have, on the other hand, met some truly extraordinary people who happen to skydive. I would feel the same about them even if they had never made a jump in their life.

I have to agree with cocheese, though, that the real heroes of skydiving are those who have made it possible for all of us and those who continue to make sacrifices to make it possible.

The rest of us owe them our gratitude and love.

Walt

[drae 0]

The staff at SkyDive Atlanta and The Farm who allowed this old woman to realize the dream of skydiving.

[racer42 0]

Why you are my hero Joshua.

L.A.S.T. #24
Co-Founder Biscuit Brothers Freefly Team
Electric Toaster #3
Co-Founder Team Non Sequitor
Co-Founder Team Happy Sock

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Dave Cole: Not a famous name, I guess, but he was my instructor for AFP and he was eminently concerned with teaching well, having fun, and being safe. A really good friend, too. The "Dad" of my original skydiving family.

J.C. Perren: He took my learning how to be a safe skydiver that much further. Amazingly knowledgeable about skydiving and rigging (hey, he worked (works?) for Sun Path!), and I knew that he was looking out for me while I was working on my A license and didn't know a damned thing. Kept me on the ground when I shouldn't fly, but not by grounding me, but by causing me to question whether it was safe to jump. I'm just awed by the enormity of his expertise about skydiving.


-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[shropshire 0]

No doubt... Mr Wally Gubbins... b oy I must be old

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Maxx 1]

My skydiving hero's are the ones that live in a trailer at the dropzone, earn barely enough money to pay their bills and to get enough food, but do something for the sport everyday (teaching, training, rigging..)..

Those are my heros!

I don't give a crap about people that already had a lot of money and then started skydiving and paid for their skills with their money.. Once there was a guy that paid someone (who also came from a very well-off family) 100k to become worldchampion. I respect their flying skills, but c'mon.. everyone could do that with enough money.

So hat off for every poor skydiver out there that dedicates his life to skydiving! You rock!

Max

[hobbes4star 0]

While I hold my instructors in the highest regard, my hero, and please forgive me for I do not know his last name, is a load organizer at eloy named Tom. I have the privilege of jumping with this individual for a little over 3 years and almost 300 skydives. Tom is one of those guys that has the natural knack for teaching and helping new and old skydivers. I have never seen him turn down a newly off of student status or 1000 jump world record holder. He has always taken the time to help with swooping a formation or s folding a pro-pack. Eloy is very luck to have him as a load organizer.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[masterrig 1]

Let's see... my heroes in skydiving are... Bill Booth, Sandy Reid, John Sherman, 'Handsome' Dave DeWolf, Dan Poynter and a few others. They have helped to make the sport better.


Chuck

[sclosoma 0]

Bill Dause

"Don't mistake common stupidity for common sense"
-Bill Dause

[AggieDave 6]

Doc Stewart is my skydiving hero.

He's not nationally famous, hell, he's not even statewide famous. He doesn't swoop and doesn't compete in 4-way. The last time he did any freeflying was when he was on student status and had troubles. He did earn some metal in his ankle, but that was from a hook turn on a para-commander.

Why is he my hero? He gives back to the sport 100% He lives for nothing else but helping a student or low time jumper along in the sport. He taught me what giving back to the sport is all about! That's why he's a hero.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Usetawuz 1]

Dave DeWolf, Jay Harsh, Dan Poynter, Dave Clark.

_________________________________________
The older I get, the better I was!

[SLIDER 0]

I can't really say he was my "hero" But someone I had a lot of respect for and someone that I had the pleasure of meeting, and skydiving with......... was Roger Nelson

Blue Skies

_________________________________________

"there's a fine line between hobby and mental illness"

[skydivermom 0]

***that Eric Butts is my skydiving hero.

__________________________________________________

Great choice! He took me on my first tandem so I'll never forget him.

I'm pretty new to the sport but there are a couple of jumpers who have really made a difference in my short skydiving adventure. The first one is my instructor, Rocke. That is what we call him so I'm not even sure what his first name is. He has been with me since the beginning of my Static line training; Hugging me when I did something great and knocking some sense into me when I screwed up! I admire his honesty and passion for skydiving.

The other jumper has been my "voice of reason" througout my training and is well-known on here. Believe it or not, it's Walt Appel. He has put this sport in perspective many times for me when I thought I was going to lose it, and has provided a TON of very useful information. This past Saturday I finally got to meet him and make a couple of jumps with him. He's a lot of fun to hang out with and even taught me how to pack!

Some of you are probably laughing right about now but it's all true

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[Icon134 0]

Scotty Carbone... for always being pragmatic... and a great cook.

"Fast" Eddie Grantland: for having two world records most important of them being most naked tandems.

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[hookitt 0]

There are too many to list all so I'll write the first 10 that come to mine.

Dave Stewart
John Mattson
Brad Chatellier
Even Mortimore
Chris Q
Johnny "luv" Horton
Bonnie Dutile-Lundblad
Clay Bonavito
Marty
Steve Rafferty
Martin Tilley


.. Oops.. that's 11 and I could list several more. I don't want to leave people out but The post will be to long.

I have reasons for each person listed but that too would take way too many words so it basically it all boils down to this. Showing me and many others a lot about skydiving and life in general, and doing it with no expectations. Teaching and caring regardless of return...The return is hopefully just growing and staying alive and being happy.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[brits17 0]

At first I said none, but then I thought about the qualities surrounding somebody who fits my definition of a hero and I thought of Jim Slaton.

Someone who has had a dream and a vision from the beginning, and made it happen from scratch. He is a true pioneer in the world of canopy flight and bringing it to the masses. He is living his success and that... is a hero.

There are many more to many different people. Mine is not such a personal relationship but one I see that has made his ambitions and dreams come true by hard work, faith, and endless dedication.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[superstu 0]

Todd Higley
Jim Renfro
and,
Kim Winslow

are the 3 that have had the biggest impact on me and skydiving. i don't tell them that enough, but they are the ones that have given me something i thought i had lost...thank you.

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[Salsa_John 0]

Gus Wing
Bob Hallett
Rambo
Scott Miller

in no particular order

"You did what?!?!"

MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez

[waltappel 1]

Quote

(Walt Appel is a great guy, blah blah blah...)

Some of you are probably laughing right about now but it's all true

No, they are thinking that you are either mental or I bribed you to say that.

Walt

[skybytch 259]

Kate Cooper. She's the kind of skydiver I want to be when I grow up.

Any skydiver who deals with physical challenges but jumps anyway.

Any skydiver who has invested huge amounts - of money, of time, of blood, of sweat, of tears - into the sport without caring about getting a "return" on that investment.

[Katzeye 0]

GravityGirl is my skydiving heroine! Her infinite patience with me dragging me through AFF and all her wisdom - one piece (below) that changed my life forever...

- walking to the plane for level 4 --

ME: Will I always have butterflies? I always feel like I'm about to puke on my way to the plane!

Bonnie: Yes, but you will learn to love butterflies!

I still love butterflies, in skydiving or any other part of my life. Thank you Bonnie!

Is a chicken omelette redundant?

[Elisha 1]

Quote

Any skydiver who deals with physical challenges but jumps anyway.

There was a skydiver at Eloy with two prosthetic legs (from the knee down - but one was a prosthetic knee in addition to the lower leg). VERY impressive.