steve1 5 #1 December 13, 2002 I was just wondering if anyone jumped in Taft during the 60's and 70's. We have a pilot who flew the first ten-way load, back then, with Jerry Bird. His name is Walt and he used to own a twin beach. He's now in his 70's but is still flying jumpers here in Montana. Anyone remember him. He's a tough old bird. Last year he was flying loads out of a 206, with the door off, in the winter. Everyone would be freezing their gonads off. Sometimes we'd be huddled under a blanket, in the back of the plane, with chattering teeth. It was that cold, but Walt always came back to fly another load. Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropdeded 0 #2 December 14, 2002 Just a question,I know that Air Adventures West has been around since the early 60s,any idea how long they been in operation over at The Taft Airport? dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thom 0 #3 December 25, 2002 I jumped there between 27 SEPT 69 and 12 April 70. I was a poor student At Brooks in Santa Barbara and was looking for a closer place that the "NYLON TRIANGLE" (Hemit-Perris-Elsinore)after Santa Ynez closed down. I made my first motion picture camera jump there and my 100th jump there with Joan Emmeck (D-1811) and I landed on a cactus. Taft was also my last jump in California (moved to Colorado. I remember Bill Smith (A Canadian), Art Wooly, Bill Freeman and Debby Reeves mostly. Thom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thom 0 #4 December 25, 2002 Well, before 1962 at least. 2 of the 1962 World Team, Murriel Simbro and someone else, were Taft jumpers. Both the Simbros jumped as did their daughter at Taft. Taft and Lancaster were very early California DZ's and in competition. I prefered Lancatser because it was closer but it lost out to Taft. THOM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skr 1 #5 January 15, 2003 > anyone jumped in Taft during the 60's and 70's I was there from about 1964 to 1970. I remember Walt and his Beech. Please tell him Skratch says Hi. I met both Walt and Jerry Bird at Arvin. Bird took Russian at the Army language school in Monterey and one day he started counting who was on the load in Russian. I took Russian in 1957 after the Soviets sent the first Sputnik up so I started talking back. For a few years Bird and I were brother in laws, married to sisters Diane and Clarice, two of the early women jumpers. Clarice is now married to John Rinard. John and I were the base / pin on the first 10 man team. Bird and Clarice were somewhere in the back of the load. It's a very small world. Skr Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DTOXX 0 #6 February 7, 2003 I know for a fact that Taft is rocks! But then again I am most like bias. HomeDZ=SkyDiveTaft ------- D.T. Holder SIMstudy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbmsc 0 #8 February 10, 2003 Quote Drop Dead is dead wrong. Air Adventures West has only occupied the Armstrong property as a DZ since 1991. The original Taft DZ was run out of the Taft Airport, starting sometime in 1960. I started jumping there in July, 1962. In early 1963, Art Armstrong moved the DZ to his private property where Air Adventures is now. It stayed there until Art died in 1990 and Air Adventures West ( Bill Jones ) leased it in 1991. Dave Chrouch had a video operation at Air Adventures West. In 1998 he left Air Adventures West and started his own operation on the Taft Airport and called it Skydive Taft. Thus the Taft DZ has traveled full circle and returned to where it began. Bill Newell SCR#3, D-2644, SCS#69, NSCR#747, SCSA#11Quote Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wmw999 2,126 #9 February 10, 2003 Too cool. Skratch Garrison and Bill Newell both posting in the same thread... Welcome, Bill. Wendy W. (and no, you don't know me from Adam...) 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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dropdeded 0 #10 February 11, 2003 Drop Dead is dead wrong. Air Adventures West has only occupied the Armstrong property as a DZ since 1991. __________________________________________________ Sorry dude,it wouldnt be the first time.I put that down because thats what their website says.dropdeded ------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skr 1 #11 February 12, 2003 > Too cool. Skratch Garrison and Bill Newell both posting ... I was kind of startled myself. I went to the forums page, saw something new in the history section, clicked the thread, saw login bbmsc, thought hmmm ... Hey! that's Bill Newell! Then I flashed back to when we first met, pulled out my logbook to check the date and there it was: Jump #284 August 8, 1965 Oceanside, California 5 star - Me, Clarice, Bob Buquor, Jim Dann, Bill Newell It also says I had a stuck cone and pulled my reserve, which I had completely forgotten about. Cool, all the old farts are showing up. Maybe we're not too old to teach young dogs new tricks ... I mean ... No, wait ... How does that go ... ?? Then I clicked his profile and saw that he is still a man of good taste ... his Racer is older than mine :-) :-) Skratch SCR-16 (You'd think since he created the Star Crest that he would (be SCR-1 but the first 8 were in order of entry in the star. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites n2skdvn 0 #12 February 12, 2003 Skratch ..I think It is great hearing fron the pioneers of the sport. you few brave people paved the road thet we all follow. when i started freeflying was just heard of. i decided to try it on my own. i am doing good seven years later . i just hope that your legacy to find new ways of flying lives on, through the younger jumpers of today,but that they dont forget the beginings of the sport. --if my calculations are correct SLINKY + ESCULATOR = EVERLASTING FUN my site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cutaway1 3 #13 August 25, 2003 Hi Skratch, Good to see you still jumping. I remember Walt the pilot, good guy, used to fly the beechcraft, Don Molitors plane, I believe. I'm still jumping in Hawaii. Having fun freeflying. Tim Harris scr-21SCR-21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mjosparky 3 #14 August 26, 2003 QuoteI jumped there between 27 SEPT 69 and 12 April 70. I was a poor student At Brooks in Santa Barbara and was looking for a closer place that the "NYLON TRIANGLE" (Hemit-Perris-Elsinore)after Santa Ynez closed down. I made my first motion picture camera jump there and my 100th jump there with Joan Emmeck (D-1811) and I landed on a cactus. Taft was also my last jump in California (moved to Colorado. I remember Bill Smith (A Canadian), Art Wooly, Bill Freeman and Debby Reeves mostly. Thom Thom, It is a small world. If you went to Brooks do you remember Tommy Owens. He was in some of the early stars and also went to Brook. Bill Smith was my first jump instructor, June 1976. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dropdeded 0 #15 August 29, 2003 How bout the hearst, whats the story with that thing? There has GOT to be a story there. Ya know, I never imagined riding in one let alone DRIVING one, but last weekend.... dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mjosparky 3 #16 August 31, 2003 Quote How bout the hearst, whats the story with that thing? There has GOT to be a story there. Ya know, I never imagined riding in one let alone DRIVING one, but last weekend.... dropdeded They still use the the hearse at Skydive Taft and the airport in town. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites dropdeded 0 #17 August 31, 2003 They still use the the hearse at Skydive Taft and the airport in town. Sparky __________________________________________________ Yep, beat all to hell but still in use dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skr 1 #18 September 7, 2003 >I'm still jumping in Hawaii. Hi Tim, It's surprising to me how many of us are still jumping, or maybe coming back to jumping. A couple months ago Kim Emmons (now Knor), D-221, came back after a 37 year layoff. Skratch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites fundgh 0 #19 October 2, 2003 You all should plan a big get together in Taft! Bring all the old guys back together and meet all the new guys, it would be hoot!...FUN FOR ALL! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites herpster 0 #20 July 31, 2004 Bill, thanks for all this good info. Any news on Art's kids? Eddie and Richard? -Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cutaway1 3 #21 August 3, 2004 I made my first jump at Talf in 1963. Over 20 years ago I believe I heard that Richard was killed in a motorcycle accident around Talf, and that Ed was doing fine. Aloha, TimSCR-21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites sprtdth 0 #22 August 31, 2004 Hate to be the barer of bad news, but Eddie went to the other side 31 July 2002 after a bout with cancer. We did his ash dive 26 October, which was also the 20th anniversary of Spike's plane crash. In the star were, Brian Fairhurst, Lyle Cameron Jr., Norm Van Pelt, Bob Butt, Frank Lupica, Dave Crouch, and Danny Haden, and Eddie in the bag. Nice eight way for Eddie's last jump. CRW skies FrankCRW Skies Frank CRW Diva #58 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites loflyer 0 #23 September 2, 2004 Hey Frank, Where have you been? Did you forget where Taft is??? (Just kidding). I think it's about time for all the ol'timers to get together again at Taft... Hope everything is going good with the CRW.. Please Tell Brian that we miss him, too! Hope to see you both soon... Lori Skydive Taft Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites MrSoundman 0 #24 September 4, 2004 I made my first jump at taft 1 March, 1980. Carl Staib wa the pilot, his son Scott was the instructor. The FJC took all day, so Art Armstrong lets us go out at night. I got in teh sport after some friends at work told me about their first jump experience. One of them, continued to jump and had a couple of hundred jumps by the time I made my first. It was really cool, showing her my logbook with a night jump already. She hadn't made one yet! I remember Spike and his cool beech, as well as Norm and Lee Van Pelt, Carl Boenish, Art Armstrong, and Bill Newell. Since I worked in teh Hollywood movie industry, I imediately made friends with Carl Boenish. We were planning a movie when he died. By my first freefall, I had purchased a an old-ex-military "gut-gear" rig. About a year or so later, I was working on the movie (In post-production sound) "Pursuit of D.B. Cooper." Consequently, the sound you hear (If you can over the music.) of his rig, is actually mine. The sound effects editors asked me to bring it to the studio one day (MGM), so I did. Once they saw it, they were afriad to touch it (Like some riggers I used to know.), so they had me do the "Foley" work with it. That same week, we did an episode of "CHiPs" that had a skydiving scene in it, and they used me and my rig again. Naturally, I bought a case of beer for each project. I've since been grounded from a back injury, but I would love to go to an "Old timers" reunion. If anyone starts to organize anything, keep us "posted." (Pun INTENDED.) --Duncan McEwan, C-19645 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites sprtdth 0 #25 September 7, 2004 Hey Lori, No, I didn't forget. PM me, I lost your adressCRW Skies Frank CRW Diva #58 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
wmw999 2,126 #9 February 10, 2003 Too cool. Skratch Garrison and Bill Newell both posting in the same thread... Welcome, Bill. Wendy W. (and no, you don't know me from Adam...) 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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropdeded 0 #10 February 11, 2003 Drop Dead is dead wrong. Air Adventures West has only occupied the Armstrong property as a DZ since 1991. __________________________________________________ Sorry dude,it wouldnt be the first time.I put that down because thats what their website says.dropdeded ------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skr 1 #11 February 12, 2003 > Too cool. Skratch Garrison and Bill Newell both posting ... I was kind of startled myself. I went to the forums page, saw something new in the history section, clicked the thread, saw login bbmsc, thought hmmm ... Hey! that's Bill Newell! Then I flashed back to when we first met, pulled out my logbook to check the date and there it was: Jump #284 August 8, 1965 Oceanside, California 5 star - Me, Clarice, Bob Buquor, Jim Dann, Bill Newell It also says I had a stuck cone and pulled my reserve, which I had completely forgotten about. Cool, all the old farts are showing up. Maybe we're not too old to teach young dogs new tricks ... I mean ... No, wait ... How does that go ... ?? Then I clicked his profile and saw that he is still a man of good taste ... his Racer is older than mine :-) :-) Skratch SCR-16 (You'd think since he created the Star Crest that he would (be SCR-1 but the first 8 were in order of entry in the star. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n2skdvn 0 #12 February 12, 2003 Skratch ..I think It is great hearing fron the pioneers of the sport. you few brave people paved the road thet we all follow. when i started freeflying was just heard of. i decided to try it on my own. i am doing good seven years later . i just hope that your legacy to find new ways of flying lives on, through the younger jumpers of today,but that they dont forget the beginings of the sport. --if my calculations are correct SLINKY + ESCULATOR = EVERLASTING FUN my site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cutaway1 3 #13 August 25, 2003 Hi Skratch, Good to see you still jumping. I remember Walt the pilot, good guy, used to fly the beechcraft, Don Molitors plane, I believe. I'm still jumping in Hawaii. Having fun freeflying. Tim Harris scr-21SCR-21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #14 August 26, 2003 QuoteI jumped there between 27 SEPT 69 and 12 April 70. I was a poor student At Brooks in Santa Barbara and was looking for a closer place that the "NYLON TRIANGLE" (Hemit-Perris-Elsinore)after Santa Ynez closed down. I made my first motion picture camera jump there and my 100th jump there with Joan Emmeck (D-1811) and I landed on a cactus. Taft was also my last jump in California (moved to Colorado. I remember Bill Smith (A Canadian), Art Wooly, Bill Freeman and Debby Reeves mostly. Thom Thom, It is a small world. If you went to Brooks do you remember Tommy Owens. He was in some of the early stars and also went to Brook. Bill Smith was my first jump instructor, June 1976. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropdeded 0 #15 August 29, 2003 How bout the hearst, whats the story with that thing? There has GOT to be a story there. Ya know, I never imagined riding in one let alone DRIVING one, but last weekend.... dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #16 August 31, 2003 Quote How bout the hearst, whats the story with that thing? There has GOT to be a story there. Ya know, I never imagined riding in one let alone DRIVING one, but last weekend.... dropdeded They still use the the hearse at Skydive Taft and the airport in town. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropdeded 0 #17 August 31, 2003 They still use the the hearse at Skydive Taft and the airport in town. Sparky __________________________________________________ Yep, beat all to hell but still in use dropdeded------------------------------------------ The Dude Abides. - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skr 1 #18 September 7, 2003 >I'm still jumping in Hawaii. Hi Tim, It's surprising to me how many of us are still jumping, or maybe coming back to jumping. A couple months ago Kim Emmons (now Knor), D-221, came back after a 37 year layoff. Skratch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fundgh 0 #19 October 2, 2003 You all should plan a big get together in Taft! Bring all the old guys back together and meet all the new guys, it would be hoot!...FUN FOR ALL! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herpster 0 #20 July 31, 2004 Bill, thanks for all this good info. Any news on Art's kids? Eddie and Richard? -Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cutaway1 3 #21 August 3, 2004 I made my first jump at Talf in 1963. Over 20 years ago I believe I heard that Richard was killed in a motorcycle accident around Talf, and that Ed was doing fine. Aloha, TimSCR-21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sprtdth 0 #22 August 31, 2004 Hate to be the barer of bad news, but Eddie went to the other side 31 July 2002 after a bout with cancer. We did his ash dive 26 October, which was also the 20th anniversary of Spike's plane crash. In the star were, Brian Fairhurst, Lyle Cameron Jr., Norm Van Pelt, Bob Butt, Frank Lupica, Dave Crouch, and Danny Haden, and Eddie in the bag. Nice eight way for Eddie's last jump. CRW skies FrankCRW Skies Frank CRW Diva #58 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loflyer 0 #23 September 2, 2004 Hey Frank, Where have you been? Did you forget where Taft is??? (Just kidding). I think it's about time for all the ol'timers to get together again at Taft... Hope everything is going good with the CRW.. Please Tell Brian that we miss him, too! Hope to see you both soon... Lori Skydive Taft Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrSoundman 0 #24 September 4, 2004 I made my first jump at taft 1 March, 1980. Carl Staib wa the pilot, his son Scott was the instructor. The FJC took all day, so Art Armstrong lets us go out at night. I got in teh sport after some friends at work told me about their first jump experience. One of them, continued to jump and had a couple of hundred jumps by the time I made my first. It was really cool, showing her my logbook with a night jump already. She hadn't made one yet! I remember Spike and his cool beech, as well as Norm and Lee Van Pelt, Carl Boenish, Art Armstrong, and Bill Newell. Since I worked in teh Hollywood movie industry, I imediately made friends with Carl Boenish. We were planning a movie when he died. By my first freefall, I had purchased a an old-ex-military "gut-gear" rig. About a year or so later, I was working on the movie (In post-production sound) "Pursuit of D.B. Cooper." Consequently, the sound you hear (If you can over the music.) of his rig, is actually mine. The sound effects editors asked me to bring it to the studio one day (MGM), so I did. Once they saw it, they were afriad to touch it (Like some riggers I used to know.), so they had me do the "Foley" work with it. That same week, we did an episode of "CHiPs" that had a skydiving scene in it, and they used me and my rig again. Naturally, I bought a case of beer for each project. I've since been grounded from a back injury, but I would love to go to an "Old timers" reunion. If anyone starts to organize anything, keep us "posted." (Pun INTENDED.) --Duncan McEwan, C-19645 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sprtdth 0 #25 September 7, 2004 Hey Lori, No, I didn't forget. PM me, I lost your adressCRW Skies Frank CRW Diva #58 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
