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St Croix Valley Skydiving Club-Osceola, Wis

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ok you all got some history wrong.
Goofy died with Dave Columbo while Columbo was flying his Barron they couldn't get a IFR permit to fly over the mountains due to the Regan Lockout of airtraffic controllers so Dave decided to thread his way thru the mountains. They died in the sierrras in Calif.
Goofy never had a pilots license nor did he ever own a DC3. He was a a & p and maintained Columbos aircraft. His real name was Keith Skogheim
The DC3 you all are thinking about was owned By Gary Hannah. He owned two of them 111st known as sky train and 29H known as Mr. Douglas.
Myself, Gary. Greg Wirth and Debbie Skadding flew sky train up to Alaska.
The right engine detonated while taking off of a beach with a load of salmon it was a one way take off with mountains in front and on the left no chance of a go around They had to turn into a dead engine with no airspeed. That doesn't work. They all died.

Blue Skys
Stickman Nscr 658

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Still looking for the '10 Man Nude Pyramid'?
It's here: [this is the best copy I have. don't remember if I took more than one picture - I think I took the picture...]
http://westbankmc.org/photoalbums/funstuff/harald/10Man%20at%20Apollo.jpg
I may be Xskydiver but jumping is still in my blood.
Now Bikin' on my '79 BMW R100RT & '05 FJR1300.
~harald B7280 / D2768 [email protected]
www.westbankmc.org

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Harald.
I also started jumping at Osceola. First jump in my log book is 10/12/1968. I remember you and Bob Larson. I think it was Bob that had this phrase on his helmet "He who hesitates is lost". The other quote that I remember was posted in the hangar. "It is not the Sky Diving that will kill you. It is the drinking afterwards and the long drive home." In 1970 I moved to Paris France. I made a couple of jumps at La Ferte Gauche east of Paris. Then I stopped jumping because it was just too hard to get there. In 1976 I made a couple more jumps outside of Washington DC in Hartwood VA and that was the end of it. About 200 jumps in all.

I started jumping at Osceola with my brother Chris. I think he did around 600 jumps, Chris died of cancer almost twenty years ago.

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Hi Jeff, very long time no see.
I remember you well. I also think of Chris often - mostly when scooting into or past Osceola. Was at the Cascade just 2 weeks ago. Nice biking weather.
Those two phrases are still burned into my memory and serve me well running around the Wisc. roads on my FJR or BMW R100RT.
Art would utter 'It's not the Sky Diving...' right about the second case or 5th pitcher. That's probably why I slept in the hanger many a weekend.
Are you still working - I was forced into retirement by the last layoff. After 88 weeks on unemployment I got used to not working for someone else and decided to continue with my 6 sunday and a saturday week.
I still think I may have to make another jump or three (after loosing a gob of weight) but then jumping on one of my bikes takes the craving away. See ya around
I may be Xskydiver but jumping is still in my blood.
Now Bikin' on my '79 BMW R100RT & '05 FJR1300.
~harald B7280 / D2768 [email protected]
www.westbankmc.org

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Harald
It is wonderful that I found this web site and this thread. I was just sitting around this week end and started googling for something related to Sky Diving and Osceola

Yes I am still working. I am working for the the same company I joined in 1965, or rather its successors. That company originally was EMR Computer which was bought by Univac which became Unisys. I was almost out the door a year ago but stayed. I am supposed to retire this June 30th but there are already discussions on getting me to stay a little longer. I might be willing to go one more year but I am 67 now and for sure will retire before I hit 70.

The company moved me around a few times. As I said I lived in France. After that I lived in Washington DC, Newport Beach Calif, London and then finally settled down in Pennsylvania (Unisys HQ) near Valley Forge and raised a daughter who is now a Doctor. We have a Bed and Breakfast www.greatvalleyhouse.com that my wife manages.

Speaking of Bikes, I had a Harley Hawg when I was jumping at Osceola. My ride these days is a Porsche Boxster. I can still feel the wind with the top down but on a more stable footing.

Jeff Benson

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Sounds like you have it pretty good. I wish I had retired 5 years ago. If everything is paid for then get out of the rat race. Of course if you have no stress at work then may as well stay put.
I'm finding I have too little time to get anything done now that my week consists of 6 sundays and a saturday.
One of these days, when I have played with all the stuff I've collected either fixed or thrown away I'm gonna get myself further south where I don't have to put up with the snow.
I bought a '83 XLH a few years ago to putt-putt around town but pushed it too hard last year and hole'd a piston. Another thing to fix one of these days. I got 5 bikes crammed in the garage with only the XLH not rideable - never see to have a day with nothing to do.
I may be Xskydiver but jumping is still in my blood.
Now Bikin' on my '79 BMW R100RT & '05 FJR1300.
~harald B7280 / D2768 [email protected]
www.westbankmc.org

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Quote

Swede, T-bone, Jeff Konshaw, Stan, You, Mark Brown, Christy and Gary Hoffman, Mike Hayden, John Goswits, Pat Turner, Rita Volp, Gary Brown, and I don't know the rest, flying in a DC-3?

Pete

It's a shame I'm wearing that hat, because I think I had hair back then......

Add Rick Truacks (sp?) right behind Hayden in the blue jacket, Mike (Mobie Mac) McDonnald behind Rick.
Swede = Don Gilshimer (sp?)
Stan = Stan Kronister
Who is right behind Stan?

I believe this was taken in the plane on the way home from one of the airshows?? It looks like we hadn't finished the keg yet? ;)
Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

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Ernie crashed in Glencoe Min 1994 while landing on a field road instead of the airport with a grass strip.

He then also ran out of fuel on final at Flying cloud airport with another plane in 1996. He was 81 years old.

He flew jumpers for Dave O in Mayer as well as Buffalo after flying at st croix.

He did walk away from these crashes as well.

I am not sure of the year he passed away 2003 ?

I have over 200 Jumps from his plane and he did love the sport.

I am looking to find some picks as well from Buffalo in 1990 JQ flew Chickens beach.

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When I started at Baldwin in 1979, he flew a blue 182 with the Star of David painted on the side. I've got some jumps out of his 182.

Like someone had said in this thread, he would of made a great Alaskin bush pilot. He did everything the bush pilots did in Alaska, but all within the comforts of home! :)

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The Blue 182.

On May 22, 1994, about 1200 central daylight time, a Cessna 182B, N7261E, was destroyed by fire after it struck a pole and nosed over during landing in a field near Glencoe, Minnesota. The commercial pilot was not injured. The personal flight originated at the Flying Cloud Airport, St. Paul, Minnesota. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.

The purpose of the flight was to pick up a group of parachutists who were waiting at the Glencoe Municipal Airport. The Glencoe Municipal Airport has a grass/turf runway. The field the pilot landed in was about one-half mile south of the Glencoe Municipal Airport, and was a grass field. Witnesses reported the pilot circled the field once and landed. The wing struck a fence post during landing roll, and nosed-over.

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I just stumbled on to this forum....wow, what memories all these posts bring back! The first time I ever saw skydiving was at Osceola in the winter of 1965 and I started jumping in Superior the next summer. It was always a blast to get the Osceola, Eau Claire/Wissota, Bob Roach's group, and the Superior group together. There simply isn'tenough room on the whole Internet to tell all the possible stories of what happened when those groups got together in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Don't ever doubt any Ernie story you might hear...they are all true. My favorite Ernie story happen when I was sitting on the floor by the door as we were approaching the "open the door" point of the jump. He wanted to get just a little more altitude so he pulled the yoke back in his lap. The plane immediately stalled and started to snap into a spin. He recovered but I think the jump turned into 4 "one mans" as everybody's focus was shot to hell. If I could do all those times again....I WOULD!!

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Why doesn't it suprise me that JQ's kid is a skydiver. I had the pleasure of knowing your dad when he was just a rigger rat hanging around the big kids (and making a few bucks by packing rigs). I jumped many of his pack jobs! Once he got old enough to jump, nothing could hold him back and he really became a respected jumper.

Jim Mason

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I can't remember if it was after the day of jumping or if it was because of being weathered out but alcohol might have been involved. For some reason we had been having pyramid competition (which team could build the fastest) and one team took it to the next logical (or so it seemed at the time) step. Observer not a participant

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