Pat Works

[wmw999 2,321]

Just seen on FB. He was a mentor, or grand-mentor, to everyone who does or has done RW.

Very different kind of legend, but man. He'll be missed.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[jverley 1]

I remember having 2 or 3 jumps in 1992 and being totally hooked on skydiving and wanting as much information about the sport as I could get. I went to the local library and look up Skydiving in the card catalog (you younger folks, ask you parents) and the only book I found was the Art of Freefall Relative Work. I read it cover to cover many times and though I did not understand most of it at the time, it opened my eyes to what could be.

Later I read United We Fall and I learned about skydancing. That book is still on my desk and I peruse it often.

Blue Skies , Pat. Thanks for everything.

John
Arizona Hiking Trails

[gowlerk 2,103]

What safety item is most important or most often neglected?
Remembering that safety is a religion and survival is an art.

Thanks for that Pat.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[jbrasher 1]

Pat was the first skydiver I talked to.
I lived in the same apartment complex in Illinois as he and Jan.
He gave me the address of Hinkley and the rest is history.

It won't be the same without him.

Another great one has manifested on a bigger load.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[jumpsalot-2 3]

I still have somewhere "The Art of VRW". I noticed Pat gave up a lot of wisdom onto DZ.com over the last month. Thanks again Pat ...................

Life is short ... jump often.

[pchapman 278]

Blue Skies to Pat. Not that it was easy understanding his unique style of writing, like some oracle, in recent years!
But 8200 jumps and 55 years in the sport isn't bad.

[GreenLight 6]

Rest in peace Pat. You will be missed...

Green Light
"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."
"Your statement answered your question."

[efs4ever 3]

nok nok, they come in treys.

RIP Carbone and Works.

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[Joellercoaster 6]

I never met him, and now I never will.

But his writing is a direct connection to the roots of our sport and community, a thread running through it almost back to the beginning. Skydiving as it is now is a product of generations of deep thinkers and inasmuch as it has a soul, we are in debt to them for it.

Thanks Pat.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[airdvr 201]

Tough week. His books changed jumping for me. Amazing ability to take what he saw, thought, and felt and put it on paper for everyone to enjoy. Thank you.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[kkeenan 14]

Blue Skies to my fellow Aggie, Pat Works.

[jumpwally 0]

efs4ever

nok nok, they come in treys.

RIP Carbone and Works.

Bob Hoover makes 3....

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[efs4ever 3]

I'm happy to have met him, finally, at Elsinore. This was April 2014.

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[rmarshall234 13]

>Bob Hoover makes 3....

Good catch.


Blue skies to Bob Hoover, Scotty Carbone and Pat Works. Each, has changed this world for the better.

[skybill 22]

Pat is Gone!! 'Scotty the other day and now Pat!!! If'n yer' "Old School" yer' probably lookin' over yer' shoulder for that Boney character in that robe !!! Who will be #3????? Someone suggested Bob Hoover was but he don't Skydive!!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[gb1 3]

I met Pat Works and wife Jan in 1972 at Hinckley. Stayed with them in 1975 in California. Saw him last 3 yrs ago at Midwest Freefill Reunion in Michigan with Fido. Still the same wonderful people. Feels empty without him. Jim T D-3411

[WV177RG 19]

Fly free, Pat. Thanks for inspiring us. You'll never know how many lives you touched.
-----------------------------------------
"Someone suggested Bob Hoover was but he don't Skydive!!!"
Bob Hoover may not have been a skydiver, but he earned his parachute wings the hard way, at least twice:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4CYjNQJli4

"Hoover felt severe pain shoot through his lower body as another FW-190 closed in on him...(he) shot a burst of gunfire, but seconds later, the Spitfire’s engine exploded, and a ball of flames engulfed the aircraft’s nose...He opened the cockpit, released his shoulder and seat straps, rolled the plane and pulled his parachute’s ripcord. The parachute didn’t open until three or four hundred feet above the water. His life vest, riddled with shrapnel, wouldn’t inflate, and when he hit the cold water, he felt immense pain in his lower body."

RIP gentlemen. Thank you both.

[freakyrat 1]

Blue Skies Pat. I still enjoy your book The Art Of Freefall Relative Work.

[levy 0]

BSBD, he will be missed

[rmarshall234 13]

Several years ago I was behind the counter at the Perris School finishing up some paperwork on one of my AFF students when Pat Works walked in. He goes up to the counter and tells the girl working that day that he'd like to arrange to jump with a Tandem Student who was a friend of his. The poor girl who was relatively new to the job began explaining to him that it was not possible to jump with Tandem Students. I glanced up when I heard the irritation building in his voice right about the time he had had enough of this. He said to her in no uncertain terms "listen, I've been jumping here for 40 years". Now I didn't really know Pat Works but I certainly new who he was and that something needed to be done, so I said to her "Excuse me, this is Pat Works..." which caught the attention of Shazza, the school manager, who came flying out of her office saying "Hi Pat, what can we do for you".

That poor girl never saw it coming but we laughed about it together afterwards.

[snofun 0]

Pat is flying free and is always in our memories due to his love of our sport, his words, books, and especially: www.skydiving-encyclopedia.com
If you have not read his books, they are available for download for free there. I was lucky to have flown (tandem) with him at the Pioneers 2014 event at Felicity, CA. Yes, a 5 way and a freefly skydance. The second jump is the memory held dear to me, 2 Freak Brothers dancing in the breeze, freefall and canopy. Sing the song of freedom!

Rule #1 of Skydiving: Safely Land An Open Parachute!

[ltdiver 3]

Too many memories, but I'll account a few here.

I read Pat Work's on-line persona when we were back at rec.skydiving and was immediately intrigued by his creativity and out-look on life. Which lead to speaking with him about what his writing -really- meant.

Little did I know that I would be privileged to interview him, years later, for his 30th anniversary on the creation of the GodFrog Award! Thank you John Kallend for furthering this with a write up and web page!

Then there was the time that I got a frantic call from the Perris School that Pat was needing me ASAP in the Perris bunkhouse. He was very ill. That lead to a 911 phone call and life flight to a trauma center. Pat had a rough landing at the beginning of the weekend, but shrugged it off and kept jumping. Seems that his brain developed a very small bleed, which progressed over the weekend, until Sunday he developed signs of an intercranial hemorrhage! Surgery and Physical Therapy and Pat was 'good as new'. I always wondered how his therapists took his quirky personality . . . did they know that his mentality was pre-existing? Or did they believe that his head trauma caused the 'disorder'?

I'll always remember the skydive that he humbly asked if he could join and lurk. He freeflied around us, just a beautiful as could be. I always admired his skill (seen from video and writing). Now I was able to see it in person.

I'll miss you Pat! So incredibly glad I that I got to see you one last time at the Perris 40th reunion. You were (are) one in a million!

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[riggermick 7]

Pat, peace and love, glad we were there to help your return to the sky's back in the 90's. BSBD

Mick and family