JohnRich 4 #1 February 3, 2010 During yet another of Houston's dreary-weather non-skydiving weekends, I took a little trip up to College Station, Texas, to see the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, at Texas A&M University. The building: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/01%20Entrance.JPG Why are there eight flags out front? One of the things featured in the museum, which contains the story of his life, is his skydiving. The first thing you see when you walk in the front door, inside the main lobby, is this, a life-size replica of one of Bush's tandem skydives: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20a%20Skydive.JPG Underneath this display is a TV monitor showing a constantly running video tape of Bush making a tandem jump. After several hours of looking at the displays throughout the museum, you finally approach the end. There they have several more items from Bush's skydives. The altimeter he used: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20b%20Altimeter.JPG See if you can make out what the faint background image is under the lens. I think I know what it is, but let's see what you guys come up with. And right next to that is a standard blue student logbook, opened up to jump number 3, made in 1999. The left side of the page entry: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20c%20Logbook%201.JPG And this is the really good part - the right side of the page entry: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20c%20Logbook%202.JPG I could transcribe the instructor comments for you, but that wouldn't be any fun. Read it for yourself, and have a good laugh. Of course, the general public won't understand the significance of what those comments mean. But we do. Enjoy! And in the section about Bush's WWII military service, they have an example of the seat parachute he wore as an Avenger dive bomber pilot, and which we used to bail out and save his life when his plane was hit by enemy fire and set ablaze. This is the chute that was donated to him at the Houston PIA convention, many years ago. Bush made a surprise visit there to speak to the attendees, tell his story of the bailout, and thank the parachute industry for coming up with an example for his museum. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/04%20c%20Parachute%201.JPG http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/04%20c%20Parachute%202.JPG Here is a display of a TBM Avenger, the type of aircraft he flew: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/04%20a%20Avenger.JPG And his aviator's license: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/04%20b%20Aviator%20license.JPG To show how difficult it was to land an Avenger on an aircraft carrier, they had a simple simulator that you could give a try. There were two controls: a throttle for airspeed, and a joy stick for pitch and yaw. All you had to do was keep the instrument needles in the green (rpm and altitude), and the plane lined up with the carrier deck. And don't let the crosswinds blow you off course. With my superior parachute accuracy landing skills, I nailed it perfect on my first try. Top Gun school, here I come! http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/05%20Simulator%201.JPG http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/05%20Simulator%202.JPG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #2 February 3, 2010 It's the Presidential Seal. And the comments are in line with about 10-20% of AFF first jump CAT "A" skydives from my experience. ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muff528 3 #3 February 3, 2010 The display at the Library seems to be quite a testament to his interest in skydiving and the importance that he placed on his jumps. He's obviously proud of them. If he started skydiving at a much younger age the course of history might have been much different. (not intended to be a political commentary in any way) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GatorNation 0 #4 February 3, 2010 Quote Why are there eight flags out front? My guess is there's one for every year he was President. Bush Sr. was president for only 1 term (4 years), so that can't explain the flags. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
totter 2 #5 February 3, 2010 They should have bought N1846 as a static display. That was one good Skyvan. It's a shame that that AD put it out of service. It still had the dent where GW hit his head. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #6 February 4, 2010 Isn't that a fun presidential museum? I've gone through there a number of times, especially when I was in school there and it was free to enter with a school ID. Keep up with their website, they have special exhibits every year that are typically very good. The former director of the museum was a jumper. Doug Manarcheck (sp?). He is a retired Air Force Colonel and an incredibly fun and skilled jumper. He jumped at Aggieland fairly often before getting a new job in Washington for the last administration.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryan_d_sucks 0 #7 February 4, 2010 QuoteQuote Why are there eight flags out front? My guess is there's one for every year he was President. Bush Sr. was president for only 1 term (4 years), so that can't explain the flags. They must have done 2 flags for each 1 year in office. Everything is bigger in Texas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SivaGanesha 2 #8 February 4, 2010 Quote The left side of the page entry: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20c%20Logbook%201.JPG And this is the really good part - the right side of the page entry: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20c%20Logbook%202.JPG I thought I read elsewhere (probably on here at some point) that he banged his head on exit creating a permanent ding in the aircraft. But my question is--how does one bang one's head on anything exiting from a Skyvan, esp on an AFF jump? I never did an AFF jump from a Skyvan, so maybe there is something about the exit procedure I'm not familiar with--but I'm just not clear what you'd bang yourself on even if you tried ?"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #9 February 4, 2010 QuoteThey should have bought N1846 as a static display. That was one good Skyvan. It's a shame that that AD put it out of service. It still had the dent where GW hit his head. I don't see anything in the registration indicating that it's non-flyable: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N1846 Does the FAA not flag that kind of thing in their aircraft records? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #10 February 4, 2010 QuoteIsn't that a fun presidential museum? I was thinking beforehand that it would be kind of boring. But I was pleasantly surprised - it was actually very interesting. Well worth the time on an overcast day when you can't jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #11 February 4, 2010 Quotehow does one bang one's head on anything exiting from a Skyvan A tall man, jumping up, under a low door. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
totter 2 #12 February 4, 2010 QuoteI don't see anything in the registration indicating that it's non-flyable: They only flag it if the Cert. of Airworthiness is revoked, suspended or surrendered. I can tell you first hand that the airframe cycled out. As far as the FAA in Ok City knows, the aircraft is still sitting in the grass in New Jersey. As I said, it was a shame. That airframe had many good years left in it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #13 February 4, 2010 This is what it looked like in 2006, soon after it was retired. I had jumped it earlier that year... at the time they said it had about 50 landings left before it had to be retired. Apparently the Bush presidential library was looking to buy it. Don't know what happened to that plan. And a little more useless information... it's the skyvan in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIyxHL2Og3Y. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhi 24 #14 February 4, 2010 QuoteThere were two controls: a throttle for airspeed, and a joy stick for pitch and yaw. Yaw or roll? I have Joe Jennings Good Stuff with the jump vid on it. It was the only part that interested my parents when they saw it.Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #15 February 4, 2010 QuoteQuoteThere were two controls: a throttle for airspeed, and a joy stick for pitch and yaw. Yaw or roll? I guess I would call it roll rather than yaw. I need to return and see if I can back-loop that Avenger. I was so busy just trying to land on that carrier deck, that I didn't think to try acrobatics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lippy 771 #16 February 5, 2010 I jumped that Skyvan in the Mardi Gras boogie at New Orleans Skydive Center probably 6 years ago. There was a sticker marking exactly where he bonked his noggin.I got nuthin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andybr6 0 #17 February 7, 2010 I did a couple of AFF levels out of that Skyvan in Sebastian in 2001; such a shame it's been retired. Didn't it have a sign above one of the seats that said 'President Bush sat here' (or something like that). I can also confirm that it's easy for tall and inexperienced skydivers to hit their heads on exit ------------------------------------------------ "All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #18 February 7, 2010 QuoteAnd this is the really good part - the right side of the page entry: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2009-11/1349507/02%20c%20Logbook%202.JPG Okay, here's my transcript of what I think the jumpmaster's logbook entry says: "Slight de-arch on exit; arms out fetal position with front loop - jumpmasters shake harness to increase arch - reserve-side jumpmaster releases as planned - main-side jumpmaster rolls over at(?) 7500-8000, with stable body position, no response to pull signal, with hand assist on main-side; main and reserve side pull out at 4500 AGL. Excellent canopy control and landing in target area. SIR, let's do it again, any time, anywhere - we are waiting for "the call"!! - Glenn Bangs USPA AFF I/E" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisL 2 #19 February 12, 2010 QuoteQuoteI don't see anything in the registration indicating that it's non-flyable: They only flag it if the Cert. of Airworthiness is revoked, suspended or surrendered. I can tell you first hand that the airframe cycled out. As far as the FAA in Ok City knows, the aircraft is still sitting in the grass in New Jersey. As I said, it was a shame. That airframe had many good years left in it. I had a lot of awesome jumps from that plane at Cross Keys. I was sad when it was taken out of service.__ My mighty steed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QTPi 0 #20 February 15, 2010 It's a great museum. I took several high school groups there and they enjoyed it as well, much to their surprise. We were there in Aggieland jumping when Bush was preparing to do a jump. One of the jumpers that day got his SCR and as he walked off the field, shook hands with GW and asked him to sign his logbook. I told him to pack it up. He wasn't going to top that for the day! -- A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. -Oliver Wendel Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
