Instant Karma in the Sky

[Bob_Church 7]

This is a true story. I've changed one name despite nobody being anywhere near innocent. So, we have Jerry Towner and someone I'll call J1 so I don't have to keep typing out Jumper1. Jerry Towner looked, acted and sounded exactly like Yosemite Sam, right down to the long red hair and mustache and especially the attitude. He was ok when he wasn't pissed off but he was always pissed off. And not necessarily about anything. Jerry was, appropriately I think, a railroad engineer who worked out of Huntington Wv. And being from the hills he sort of believed things. Not to the point that he'd talk about them but when you from those hollers you don't laugh when they say, for instance, that the woman who lives in that house over there can find water. You remember it in case you ever need to dig a well.
But the part that's hard to describe is how much J1 and Jerry hate each other's guts. I mean, it's downright shakespearean or biblical or something. I won't even start, because where to end? So one day J1 is at the airport and despite it being a beautiful blue sky day he's the only one there and Max will only go up with a two or more jumpers. So when Jerry showed up it was awkward. But what are you gonna do? Any old sport in a storm, eh? So Max takes them up and on the way Jerry, as usual, insists on spotting even though he can't spot for shit. But Jerry gets his way. He's the reason I have night four stack 27 instead of 23 but that's another story. A good one, but not this one. Also, Jerry had more cutaways himself than every other person I know combined. He used to stow his lines by grabbing a handful and pushing his fist through the rubber band while growling. Nobody ever figured out how he lived as long as he did, but he was convinced that he was too mean to die until he was ready.
Ok, so 9.5, they exit and throw a quick two way together. Then, looking along Jerry's back J1 sees the airport over there. I mean way way over there. It's directly behind Jerry and far enough away that if they open now, by 7k, they just might make it back. So J1 pulls his right hand free and starts gesturing at Jerry's back. Jerry looks confused but smiles and lets go. They both track a little and open. Well, J1 does, Jerry has a bag lock and being Jerry he fights it. He told me how he would separate the lines, then whip them around and do all this stuff without even paying attention to the altitude, and no, no AADs. Finally he gives up, cuts away, pulls the reserve handle and gets canopy at about 1.5k. This is after dumping at 7k. So basically J1 has saved his life. J1 in the meantime had opened high and landed back at the airport and settled in to wait for Jerry to get a ride back. That's the beautiful part. This is their conversation when Jerry walked into the hangar.

Jerry "how did you know I was gonna have a bag lock?"
J1, giving a modest little shrug "I just knew."

Jerry still hated him but started showing him a little respect.

[Niki1 1]

Now that's funny. I don't care who you are or what side you're on. That's funny.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[chuckakers 370]

"He was ok when he wasn't pissed off but he was always pissed off"

Great line, and great story!

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Bob_Church 7]

chuckakers

"He was ok when he wasn't pissed off but he was always pissed off"

Great line, and great story!

Thanks. Towner was a force of nature. And it seemed so perfect that he was a railroad engIneer with their reputation, earned or not, for being serious bad asses.