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JerryBaumchen

Ted Mayfield

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I don't know the circumstances but if you're hand propping without a tiedown or qualified person in the cockpit, that's not considered good practice at all.

In other words, running something shoddily / on the cheap / casually / really old school finally killed him rather than someone else.

Karma?

(That being said I don't know his full story and many jumpers must have benefited from the skydiving operations he ran. Must have been quite a character whether one liked him or not. I might have a biased opinion just from the news reports and some of the stories. BSBD)

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pchapman

I don't know the circumstances but if you're hand propping without a tiedown or qualified person in the cockpit, that's not considered good practice at all.

In other words, running something shoddily / on the cheap / casually / really old school finally killed him rather than someone else.

Karma?

(That being said I don't know his full story and many jumpers must have benefited from the skydiving operations he ran. Must have been quite a character whether one liked him or not. I might have a biased opinion just from the news reports and some of the stories. BSBD)



He certainly had a history with the Feds. I saw the 20/20 story on him and I was like wow, he was one of the old school outlaws in the sport, depending on who you talk to though.

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I had the pleasure of jumping at Sheridan one week in the early 90's...doing some of my first tandem videos...I remember the locals saying..."look, they're always in the frame" I was like what??

Ted was super cool...I know all the stories and some of the facts...but if you ever met Ted face to face you would know that he was a pretty cool dude.

BSBD

hangdiver

"Mans got to know his limitations"
Harry Callahan

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pchapman

I don't know the circumstances but if you're hand propping without a tiedown or qualified person in the cockpit, that's not considered good practice at all.

In other words, running something shoddily / on the cheap / casually / really old school finally killed him rather than someone else.

Karma?

(That being said I don't know his full story and many jumpers must have benefited from the skydiving operations he ran. Must have been quite a character whether one liked him or not. I might have a biased opinion just from the news reports and some of the stories. BSBD)


Hi pch,
When ya' live yer life with yer butt hangin' out in the breeze 24/7/365 like people like Ted, sooner or later the "Reaper" will find his "Sweet Spot" and take it for all the "Misses" that he cussed himself out for being too fast or slo on the "Swing!!!!!!!!!" Got that yet??? Most of us are just "Weekend Warriors!!!" Ted was "Full Time!!" all his Life!! 'Reaper was always there, but "He missed!!!" That's all anyone could ask for!! I think about some of my old "Sky Buds!" "Dirty Ed," "Pat Swoveln," "Kevin Donley," just to name a few "THAT" "Died In Their SLEEP!!" 'Reaper had lots of chances on them......but missed!! I've "Hand Propped" a lot of airplanes in my time going back to before I started Skydiiving when I was in the Civil Air Patrol as a Cadet back in the early 1960's at Hammond Airport Louisiana "Before" the "Skydivers" showed up.....then I got "Rurant!!!!" The rest is "History!!"
PS Tie down the tail and/or chocks may have (No an AAD Would NOT have done any Good!!) prevented this fatality!! No an RSL would not have helped either!!!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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I almost understood some of that, but it made even less sense the second time I read it. ;)

The aircraft was tied down but not chocked, apparently enough slack in the tie downs to allow it to lunge forward. No doubt he had done this a million times before. Complacency? Age and slower reflexes maybe? It is just hard to believe he would go out that way.

Love him or hate him Ted was one of the original outlaw skydivers and a true icon/legend in the sport. He got a lot of people in the air and many of them are still jumping today.

Related story:

http://themountainnewswa.net/2015/08/30/db-cooper-suspect-ted-mayfield-killed-in-aviation-accident/

Onward and Upward!

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SStewart

I almost understood some of that, but it made even less sense the second time I read it. ;)

The aircraft was tied down but not chocked, apparently enough slack in the tie downs to allow it to lunge forward. No doubt he had done this a million times before. Complacency? Age and slower reflexes maybe? It is just hard to believe he would go out that way.

Love him or hate him Ted was one of the original outlaw skydivers and a true icon/legend in the sport. He got a lot of people in the air and many of them are still jumping today.

Related story:

http://themountainnewswa.net/2015/08/30/db-cooper-suspect-ted-mayfield-killed-in-aviation-accident/


Hi SS,
And "More Info" sheds "More light" on the incident.... "Tie downs but "No Chocks!!" And....It's just a Funky little ol' "Air Coupe!!!" What did they have, a 65 or 85hp Continental engine?? Airknocker Champs, Luscombes, Cubs and "Air Coupes!!" As I recall most Aircoupes had electric starters as I don't recall propping one....(Wouldn't need to unless ya' had a dead battery!)
Back when....Spring-early summer of 1967 I was in PR-A School (NAVY) at NAS Lakehurst, NJ. I recall one day in some class PR-1 Rose made the statement,"For every Safety Rule we have on the Flight Deck, you can find a 'Dead Man!!'" Well we just got a new one, If you're gonna' "Hand Prop" an Airplane, make sure the Chocks are in place AND....The Tie Downs are "Taught!!!!!"
'Only met Ted once ...we were at the Reno Air Races, some time in the 90's...We were at Clyde Blenco's "Skydive Instead" loft on the airport also there was George Galloway...Watched the races, drank Beer, had a good time.... to think that was somewhere around 20 years ago!! Time flies when yer havin' Fun!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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Well the lesson can be that you can't let your guard down with airplanes. Reminds me of something I heard about a similar sized plane -- something to the effect that a Piper Cub may be a dinky little airplane, but it is still big enough to kill you, just like any of the rest...

Too bad Mayfield never got online to tell his stories!

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pchapman

Well the lesson can be that you can't let your guard down with airplanes. Reminds me of something I heard about a similar sized plane -- something to the effect that a Piper Cub may be a dinky little airplane, but it is still big enough to kill you, just like any of the rest...

Too bad Mayfield never got online to tell his stories!



Plenty of people can tell stories about Ted.. but I would caution people to use the axiom about "speaking ill of the dead" and not go there. [:/]

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JerryBaumchen

Hi Scott,

Quote

The aircraft was tied down but not chocked



And it was only tied down at the wing tips. That allows enough slack to let it get a jump on you.

His memorial is on 12 Sep 15 at the Willamina, OR Community Center @ 11 AM.

Jerry Baumchen



Hi Jerry,
Let that be a lesson to "All of US!!!!!!" 'Note my "PR-A School" quote!!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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JerryBaumchen

Hi Scott,

Quote

The aircraft was tied down but not chocked



And it was only tied down at the wing tips. That allows enough slack to let it get a jump on you.

His memorial is on 12 Sep 15 at the Willamina, OR Community Center @ 11 AM.

Jerry Baumchen



Hi Jerry,
'Just got to thinkin', "famous last words!!" When tryin' to "Hand Prop" an airplane and the booger is balking at your efforts, the person doin' the 'Prop Pullin' to the Joker in the cockpit pushin the peddles and workin the handles "says!!,""THROTTLE CRACKED!!!!!".............
Hate ta' say it, "BUT!!" "Been There, Done That 'AND' Got the T-Shirt!"
May God Bless Ted!!! Except for the Grace Of Fortune go All Of Us "Aviator's!!!!"
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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pchapman

Well the lesson can be that you can't let your guard down with airplanes. Reminds me of something I heard about a similar sized plane -- something to the effect that a Piper Cub may be a dinky little airplane, but it is still big enough to kill you, just like any of the rest...

Too bad Mayfield never got online to tell his stories!



Hi Pete!!!!,
'Yuppers!!, You got it!! Somewhere's back down the line I recall an article by an aerospace Engineer-Test Pilot who said something to that effect!! As I recall!!....He said, (I'm sure with a bit of tongue in cheek!!) "A Piper Cub is the 'Safest' Plane in the world.. it can just 'Barely Kill You!!!'" ....same guy also said...."'Never' fly the 'A Model' of 'ANYTHING!!!!!!!'" Geezlouise!!! How many times have us Skydivers jumped on the "Latest new 'HOT SETUP'" thinkin' it was the coolest thing since sliced bread only to be "A Model Test Jumpers!!!!"
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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drjump

Not that it matters, at this point, but what type of airplane was Ted trying to hand prop?



The Mountain News site -- linked earlier in the thread -- said an Air Coupe. Which I think technically would be an Aircoupe or Ercoupe depending on the model. Pretty low power like skybill suggested.

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Amazon

Plenty of people can tell stories about Ted.. but I would caution people to use the axiom about "speaking ill of the dead" and not go there. [:/]



He ran a shady dump but the world needs some of those. I'm glad I made my first couple of hundred jumps at Sheridan.

Unfortunately I'm not a creative enough writer to retell any of the stories in a way that makes him look good.


First Class Citizen Twice Over

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narcimund

***Plenty of people can tell stories about Ted.. but I would caution people to use the axiom about "speaking ill of the dead" and not go there. [:/]



He ran a shady dump but the world needs some of those. I'm glad I made my first couple of hundred jumps at Sheridan.

Unfortunately I'm not a creative enough writer to retell any of the stories in a way that makes him look good.

Nor I... Narci.

Many of us jumped at sketchy operations.... back in the day .....and survived... while others did not.

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