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Tinkerbelle

Where's Bill Ottley - Respect your skydiving elders!

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Speaking of our skydiving elders...

The last couple times I saw Bill Ottley he was having some trouble getting around, and didn't seem very happy. I am worried about him. Does anyone know where he is, what he's up to, or how he's doing?

We jumpers really oughtly to be more respectful of our skydiving elders. It seem that once you have passed your prime or get injured and can't jump any more, even if you were awesome and a hero in your time, and a skydiving pioneer and responsible for progressing our sport to what it is today, so that all the yougens can enjoy all the fruits of the labor the older ones lived through in the old days in order to advance our sport, they are all but forgotten and shoved aside and ignored. We really oughtly to revere, respect, and admire our skydiving elders a lot more, and hold them in the highest of esteme.

The USPA oughtly to have a sort of Smithsonian Museam online where people can go and look at pictures and read stories of the people, places, events, and gear that was our sport's foundation. Skydiving elders could add pictures and stories and other info to the site including names, places, events, and their gear. It could be a dynamic site, ever growing as a sort of well recorded time line.

And when the old timers show up at events like The World Cups, or The Nationals, or World Record attempts, or The Fantasy of Flight, or other such large gatherings, the younguns ought to take a moment out of their fun to go pay their respects to our elders who often mosy around forgotten by most and often even unrecognized.

It was funny when I flew around CA with Bill Booth presenting his new Sigma Tandem system to DZs all over the place, at several of our stops, when Bill Booth mentioned that he wanted to talk to them about their tandem systems, a number of people asked him if he was there to do a tandem, and that he would have to sign a waiver and step aside, that they were busy. He seemed quite shocked that they did not even recognize his name or his famous long beard, and that he was in fact the innovator of the modern tamdem system. I was appauled at the ignorance and irreverence of the DZ people. Although the DZs made lots of money doing tandems, so many of them had no idea who it was they were talking to, and just pushed us aside to wait for someone to talk to while they got ready for the next load of tandems, which ironically, had it not been for that man Bill Booth, himself, they would not be doing at all! Bill should have gotten the red carpet treatment at all the DZs or at least a more appreciative welcome, by all those profiting from Bill's immaginitive innovation!

While riding around in the golf cart with Bill Ottley at every event I have seen him at, it was amazing how many people just ignored him and did not even recognize him, or know who he is, and what and how much he has done for our sport. After hours, the jumpers just went their own way, having their own fun, leaving Bill Ottley in the corner of the bar, not even willing to help him down the stairs. Roger Nelson was good enough to lend Bill a hand, but quite honestly I would have expected more people willing to help out one of our living legends.

Imagine how you'd feel if you were a pioneer and innovator of an extreme sport, and years later, after you were old and worn out, young ones who now profit from all your effort and expertise over the years just blew past you like you weren't even there, or at best felt sorry for you that you were old and/or broken and unable to participate in the activity you loved and brought into the modern age for the younguns to enjoy. You would feel unappreciated and neglected. It was sad to see, while instead he should have been honored and approached with reverence and respect, and made to feel really good by all the younguns paying their respects. A little recognition would go a long way to brighten his spirits and those like him, our skydiving elders and pioneers.

I was thrilled that at the PIA (Parachute Industry Association) meeting in San Diego, the event organizer phoned Bob Sinclaire during the banquet speach to give him a life time achievement award. We need to do this more often for folks like Bob Sinclaire and Bill Ottley and others like them who are still around and love to remain associated with the sport, even if some can not jump any more.

Bob Sinclaire sends out a newsletter keeping up with all the old timers, which is nice, but there needs to be more recognition and appreciation for them. After all when they started skydiving it was a lot more dangerous, risky, cumbersome, and uncertain. They didn't have all the nifty high speed training, and safety and back up stuff we all take for granted hese days, like a good AAD, or ditters, or reliable, square reserves that land as nicely, safely, and reliably as our maines.

If there are any USPA officers reading this how about setting up such a website to honor our elders and allow the younguns to see the progression of our sport's history, both gearwise and the people who pioneered so much and were essentially test dummies trying out new and innovative stuff, and developing the modern techniques of flying and formation building, enabling us to have such a modern, high speed, awesome sport!

And for all you younguns, when you see an old guy wandering around an event, be sure to stop and talk to him or her. They just may have a lot of skydiving history in their heads that you would do well to listen to and appreciate. And I know the elders would love to get some attention and recognition and appreciation from all the modern jumpers who are only there enjoying themselves because of the efforts and time and energy put into advancing our sport by none other than our skydiving elders! So respect and acknowlege your skydiving elders all you young whipper snappers!
Tootles
Tink D# 272 ;)B|
Rehab is for quitters.

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Bill was our 'ground crew' at the
Kitty Hawk Demo in December! :)

He was having a bit of trouble getting around,
and in fact was utilizing a wheel chair
quite a bit.[:/]

I spoke with him at length while there,
and his faculties are as sound as always!:o;)

As you say..
An interesting guy to say the least!
My old roomie in San Diego and Bill were old friends,
and Bill would stay on our couch
whenever in Southern Ca.

I would take him out for a few beers
just to hear some of the stories! B|:$

One of my favorites was when he was a small child,
he and his older brother
were sitting on their front breeze way in Hawaii...

watching the air show going
on across the harbor....


It was December 7th 1941 !>:(

The next morning, both he and his brother were
on aboard the Pan Am Flying boat "Clipper"
bound for the mainland...

He went to school with Barbara Bush...
and remains close friends in that circle.

Things were certainly different back when 'Otts'
held the tiller of the USPA.
Still more volumes of amazing stories...

PM me if you want his email...
I have it here SOMEWHERE!:|


Who's W.H.O.!?

I know WHO...Do you?
:P










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Having been around DZs clicking cameras for a few years, I've acquired some of the famous ones. Unfortunately, the only pic I have of Bill Ottley is when they stripped him nekkid and put him in a cage at Muskogee.
:|

Here are a couple of others, though.
Russell Gunby
Doc Anagnostis (I'm sure I butchered the name)

R.I.P.
:(
Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

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A couple of times I've suggested to our organization (CSPA) that oldtimers should get a free or discounted membership after so many years jumping, or at least a subscription to the national magazine so they could keep up on what's happening and events such as Nationals or Provincials. I figured if they knew they were going on they might be bribed into coming out, hanging around and just talking to the newer jumpers... I was told that this discussion had been made before. Then my area representative said it's crazy to give these old guys free memberships - look at the motor homes they're driving around to the POPs meets in! (To mind it's the guys who don't go around in huge motorhomes we;d be trying to get out - the guys that don't jump anymore because they're on fixed incomes or have medical problems or simply lost the motivation to keep on jumping)... Then I was told insurance is the most expensive thing the association provides and that these old guys are the ones making the insurance expensive!!! Once again, I disagree - in most cases these old guys have seen it all and done it all and they're the last ones that are going to damage someone else's property....

I still think they should get a senior's discount.

Rob Price
If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

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What is the name of the rig he's packing?

I had one...
yellow & green, can't recall what it was??:S



That is an early Piglet rig and it looks like it was built for other than a Piglet reserve. Maybe a 26' navy.
Until you get you "Cutaway goggle system" perfected I will continue to ridicule your pathetic efforts at R&D.:)
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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I agree with you 100% on that one. Some of the DZs are good enough to let Bob Sinclaire jump for free. I mean, Hell, what's a couple jumps here and there for the character and history and information the old timers bring to the DZ and the younguns, especially sitting around the fire in the evening telling stories, which is a large part of the skydiving experience and cameraderie. Mike Mullens knows the deal! I applaud him for his efforts.

I have often thought they should have an adjunct to the SOS called the SSS (Sexy Senior Skydivers). To me there is no hard, chiseled physique that is sexier than a man/or woman full of a lifetime full of experiences to share. I would much rather spend time listening to and chatting with an older person whose head if full of a wealth of knowlege and experience than looking for hours at a young physique accompanying a mind and experience yet in it's infancy. As Rush Limbaugh would call them, "minds full of mush". Now no one get on my case about that, that was a direct quote from someone else! I guess I am just selfish that way, in that I am more turned on by the mind than the physique. The mind is the sexiest organ of the body. I suppose that is why I have always gone out with guys 20 years older than I.

There should be some incentive to get the older people from our skydiving past to come out to the DZ and events more. Perhaps at events they could have some incentive like a slide show and story telling session, or some way to bring the past into our present. I always feel badly that Bill Ottley and his contemporaries might just feel bored, unnoticed, and under appreciated showing up at events with nothing to do but watch all the young whipper snappers buzzing about in such a big hurry.

These days though skydiving seems so individual. Sure people jump in groups, but there are more bigger egos and fanfare promoting each person individually. Skydiving seems to have been over taken by ego-centics, and those undermining each other instead of supporting one another.

We all must remember, we stand on the shoulders of giants who came before us.

Here's to the old farts, may they live long and prosper!
Tinkerbelle ;):)
Rehab is for quitters.

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Let's see the one of Ottley stripped neeked and put in a cage! That one ought to be worth some money to someone! My dear departed fiancee Shawn Gloyer, the pilot, had a picture somewhere of Little Billy Gates, who was in his Boy Scout troupe hung up in a tree by his tighty whities. They also used to gang up on him and put him in the trash can. Apparently no one wanted to be his partner 'cause he never washed his dishes or kept his stuff clean. So when Little ily Gates appealed to Shawn's Daddy, his old Scout Master, for a loan to help get his little project, Microsoft started, they all just laughed at him 'cause Little Billy Gates was always such a mess, so how could anything he ever did work out? It was not a good investment gamble. Boy, did they get that one wrong! Wish I knew where that picture was! I could probably sell it to Larry Flint for a million dollars!
Tink :$
Rehab is for quitters.

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That is an early Piglet rig and it looks like it was built for other than a Piglet reserve. Maybe a 26' navy.



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That was it...
Mine had a 252 & a 23' Tri-Con in it.

Quote


Until you get you "Cutaway goggle system" perfected I will continue to ridicule your pathetic efforts at R&D







Oh sure...
Ridicule my efforts!

Pioneers always take a lot of arrows! :ph34r:

You never thought I'd have all this success
with my "Yogurt in a Sock" snack food...

Or my "Meatloaf flavored Ice Cream" !!!

But once I got all the bugs worked out...[:/]
(Strained out actually...damn roaches are quick!)

You'll see!
You will be first in line for cutaway goggles w/ wipers!
:P










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Let's see the one of Ottley stripped neeked and put in a cage! :$



I'll have to find it and scan it.

It was taken about 23 years ago.

:ph34r:



Woah, hold it there Russ, I saw that in person and it ain't something to unleash on the public at large. I'm sure Bill would feel much better about too it if you didn't show it.:o

There are some things that are better left "caged up". :D:D
The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

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Oh sure...
Ridicule my efforts!

Pioneers always take a lot of arrows!

You never thought I'd have all this success
with my "Yogurt in a Sock" snack food...

Or my "Meatloaf flavored Ice Cream" !!!

But once I got all the bugs worked out...
(Strained out actually...damn roaches are quick!)

You'll see!
You will be first in line for cutaway goggles w/ wipers!



I gotta admit, the Meatloaf flavored Ice Cream was pretty good.:P
Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Let's see the one of Ottley stripped neeked and put in a cage! :$



I'll have to find it and scan it.

It was taken about 23 years ago.

:ph34r:



Woah, hold it there Russ, I saw that in person and it ain't something to unleash on the public at large. I'm sure Bill would feel much better about too it if you didn't show it.:o

There are some things that are better left "caged up". :D:D



Well, I could always blur the only offensive thing in the photo, which was the WHOLE plumber's crack.


:S
Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

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The story of WHO and the cage in Muskogee. Roger Nelson made a dive with him and the Freak Knights. WHO given number and Freak Bro hat. The morning in question enroute to the showers, where I also was headed, WHO was asked where his hat was. He did not have it on. Kangaroo court was held and Roger said WHO was guilty and was to be put in portable jail. Just before was put in, Roger leaned close and said don't move. They hook knifed his shorts and tossed him nekkid in jail. WHO spent the next 14 minutes asking everyone passing by for a towel. He was not a happy camper. And I thought the HERD was bad. Jeff
Rule #1 of Skydiving: Safely Land An Open Parachute!

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I know Bill Ottley and I know Bill Booth. I never pass up a chance to say hi to either of them if I see them. That is not to say that either of them would know me from any of the other thousands of new jumpers in this sport since they made their firsts jumps, but I know who they are and I try to give them their due respect.

But the reason I know who they are, is because of some of the older jumpers from my home DZ and the fact that I have actually met these men in person. I have never met Bob Sinclaire and if he came up to me and started asking questions about our tandem operation, I could see mistakenly pointing him to the manifest window. Granted, the Bill Booth scenario is a little hard to believe given his extraordinary appearance.

Don't go blaming the young'ns so fast! It may be that they don't have the proper tutelage. I was fortunate to encouter older skydivers, like Elaine Demi, who made sure I was aware not only of who Ottley is, but also the contributions he has made to our sport. Not everyone has access to oldtimers like that.

Oh shit! When Elaine hears I called her "older" and an "old timer" she is going to rip my balls off and feed them to me!

Any way, Bill is received enthusiasticly every time he comes to crosskeys. If you can just get him talking, he has some great stories....ever heard the one about Jackie O's coming out party?

Methane Freefly - got stink?

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