bravoniner 0 #1 March 5, 2004 Anybody remember (or jump at) the old Air City airport at Sturtevant, WI back in the early '60s? Primary jump ship was a tri-gear mod Howard DGA-15, backed-up by a C-180. I hung around there as a ramp-rat kid. Jim Stoyas and others tolerated me and helped cement my resolve to jump. (That had to wait until 1969, four or five years after the Air City DZ was dead and gone.) Bravoniner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #2 March 6, 2004 Quotetri-gear mod Howard DGA-15 Is that the jump aircraft featured in "The Gypsy Moths?"Arrive Safely John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravoniner 0 #3 March 6, 2004 John: Offhand I can't remember if they used a DGA in the movie (I've got it on tape somewhere around here, so I should take a look). If they did, I know it wasn't the one based at Air City (THAT I would have remembered!). I think there were two tri-gear DGAs in jump service about that time -- the other one was working the West Coast. I heard that Air City's got rolled up in a ball somewhere a year or two after the DZ closed. Bravoniner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slug 1 #4 March 6, 2004 We had a howard at our DZ in Fulton Mo for a while. Don't know about the mod thing, Big ass radial engine and the pilot used to bitch after every T.O. because of the engine torque and rudder peddle required to keep it on a straight line during T.O roll. The pilot complained but also enjoyed flying it R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poppenhager 1 #5 March 6, 2004 I think the DGA tri-gear you are referring to was the one that crashed in Pa.in 1966 and only 1 jumper servived. POP D47Quote Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bravoniner 0 #6 March 6, 2004 Sounds right, Paul. Here's a photo of the ship while it was operating at Air City. Bravoniner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites SkymonkeyONE 3 #7 March 8, 2004 QuoteQuotetri-gear mod Howard DGA-15 Is that the jump aircraft featured in "The Gypsy Moths?" The Howard in "The Gypsy Moths" was a tail dragger. I just watched that movie again for the first time in about 20 years when I was at the Mardi Gras Boogie. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jbrasher 0 #8 March 8, 2004 The Howard used in Gypsy Moths came from Elsinore. At one time Larry Perkins had at least 3 flying and several others in various stages of re/dispair. We all hope he be able to rebuild one and let us jump it again Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jbrasher 0 #9 March 13, 2004 After thinking some more about this I dug this picture up. The first time Elsinore flooded we move down to Thompson field in Temecula for about 9 months. This would be in 1980 I think. We had just (that week) started using Hanbury student piggybacks with T10 and 24'. Jim had decided that the static line put too much wear on the container flap and was using some bungeecord to keep the mains closed. Mike Wheeler was the JM for 3 people from a local radio station and Tom Sanders was along to film. First student out doesn't go when told to but instead steps off and hangs on the strut. The propblast works the static line out of the bungeecord and the T10 goes over the tail. Aircraft goes noise up and eventually the student cuts away but the main is now jammed into the elevator causing the plane to dive for the groud. Mike trys to throw the next student out but when he starts lifting her the main container opens and the main spills out. He puts her back on the floor and tells everyone to brace themselves. I was teaching a FJC that day and was walking my students thru an equipment container showing them equipment while this was happening. When I walked out the chief instructor had this funny look on his face (shock) and I asked him what happened. He said the Howard just went in. I ran to the parking lot and commandered an old cadallac convertible and went bouncing across a field and up over a slight rise going "There's no smoke, that's good" but I expected to see a crater when I got there. What I saw was Tom rapidy taking pictures (even though he was long out of film) and everyone else standing around the plane as seen in the picture. The pilot (naturally I can't remember his name, good one though) was the only injury, a cut face because the shoulder harness hadn't been tight. The canopy hung up on the tail was diving the aircraft at the ground and he was able to get the nose up enough the belly it in and strip the landing gear off. Someone had a tape recorder going the whole time and we timed the whole thing at 35 seconds from canopy over the tail at 3,200' until impact. It was a good airplane and Larry Perkins still has the parts, so there's still hope. Ah, those where they days Remind me to tell the story about 3 cutaways on one student load sometime. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jbrasher 0 #10 March 13, 2004 Here's the picture. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bravoniner 0 #11 September 3, 2012 QuoteAnybody remember (or jump at) the old Air City airport at Sturtevant, WI back in the early '60s? Primary jump ship was a tri-gear mod Howard DGA-15, backed-up by a C-180. I hung around there as a ramp-rat kid. Jim Stoyas and others tolerated me and helped cement my resolve to jump. (That had to wait until 1969, four or five years after the Air City DZ was dead and gone.) Bravoniner Still looking for info on this old DZ. Anybody got any pix or other stuff from this short-lived operation? Thanks, B9 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
bravoniner 0 #6 March 6, 2004 Sounds right, Paul. Here's a photo of the ship while it was operating at Air City. Bravoniner Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #7 March 8, 2004 QuoteQuotetri-gear mod Howard DGA-15 Is that the jump aircraft featured in "The Gypsy Moths?" The Howard in "The Gypsy Moths" was a tail dragger. I just watched that movie again for the first time in about 20 years when I was at the Mardi Gras Boogie. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbrasher 0 #8 March 8, 2004 The Howard used in Gypsy Moths came from Elsinore. At one time Larry Perkins had at least 3 flying and several others in various stages of re/dispair. We all hope he be able to rebuild one and let us jump it again Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbrasher 0 #9 March 13, 2004 After thinking some more about this I dug this picture up. The first time Elsinore flooded we move down to Thompson field in Temecula for about 9 months. This would be in 1980 I think. We had just (that week) started using Hanbury student piggybacks with T10 and 24'. Jim had decided that the static line put too much wear on the container flap and was using some bungeecord to keep the mains closed. Mike Wheeler was the JM for 3 people from a local radio station and Tom Sanders was along to film. First student out doesn't go when told to but instead steps off and hangs on the strut. The propblast works the static line out of the bungeecord and the T10 goes over the tail. Aircraft goes noise up and eventually the student cuts away but the main is now jammed into the elevator causing the plane to dive for the groud. Mike trys to throw the next student out but when he starts lifting her the main container opens and the main spills out. He puts her back on the floor and tells everyone to brace themselves. I was teaching a FJC that day and was walking my students thru an equipment container showing them equipment while this was happening. When I walked out the chief instructor had this funny look on his face (shock) and I asked him what happened. He said the Howard just went in. I ran to the parking lot and commandered an old cadallac convertible and went bouncing across a field and up over a slight rise going "There's no smoke, that's good" but I expected to see a crater when I got there. What I saw was Tom rapidy taking pictures (even though he was long out of film) and everyone else standing around the plane as seen in the picture. The pilot (naturally I can't remember his name, good one though) was the only injury, a cut face because the shoulder harness hadn't been tight. The canopy hung up on the tail was diving the aircraft at the ground and he was able to get the nose up enough the belly it in and strip the landing gear off. Someone had a tape recorder going the whole time and we timed the whole thing at 35 seconds from canopy over the tail at 3,200' until impact. It was a good airplane and Larry Perkins still has the parts, so there's still hope. Ah, those where they days Remind me to tell the story about 3 cutaways on one student load sometime. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbrasher 0 #10 March 13, 2004 Here's the picture. Red, White and Blue Skies, John T. Brasher D-5166 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravoniner 0 #11 September 3, 2012 QuoteAnybody remember (or jump at) the old Air City airport at Sturtevant, WI back in the early '60s? Primary jump ship was a tri-gear mod Howard DGA-15, backed-up by a C-180. I hung around there as a ramp-rat kid. Jim Stoyas and others tolerated me and helped cement my resolve to jump. (That had to wait until 1969, four or five years after the Air City DZ was dead and gone.) Bravoniner Still looking for info on this old DZ. Anybody got any pix or other stuff from this short-lived operation? Thanks, B9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
