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SkydiveJack

Frenchy from Z-hills

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'Paraflite ran an big advert in Parachutist after he made his 10,000th jump all of which were on the same old Strato Cloud'

And here's the ad with Roch.

Frenchy was famous for his fires in the evening at Z-Hills wasn't he? I certainly remember them in '86 when I was there for a few weeks.

Al ;)

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'Paraflite ran an big advert in Parachutist after he made his 10,000th jump all of which were on the same old Strato Cloud'

And here's the ad with Roch.

Frenchy was famous for his fires in the evening at Z-Hills wasn't he? I certainly remember them in '86 when I was there for a few weeks.

Al ;)



Different French guy. One was Frenchy the other was Roch Charmet. Charmet met an early demise while Frenchy is alive and kicking (and probably as cantankerous as ever).

jon

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Frenchy is in a retiremant home in Crossfield, Alberta, Canada.
In 2005(?), I visited him in the hospital in Calgary and told him that his trailer and the dropzone in Lake Wales were toast. He had a severe infection and had 3rd-degree barfing and diarrhia at the time. Then a few months later they carved out his prostate.
In that retirement home now, he's surrounded by whuffos, 4/5 of them female, and he has no interest in telling them that he'd jumped out of planes or that he was in the French Foreign Legion, and the storied life he led.
It's awfully lonely there. Anhh-hanhh.

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At Zhills, he had to be 70+ years old, but would get up and chop wood for an hour and a half. He would cut it so that he could build a fire to his exact specifications.

We gave him one of those 3ft long childs shovels and painted it with gold paint. He used it to tend the fire all the time. As a prank, one of the instructors rocked it back and forth into the ground until only a nub stuck out. He had to get another shovel to dig it out.

The last time that I saw him was a few years ago at Lake Wales. Still doing his once-a-day jump on the first load. Sitting by the fire with a trenchcoat on that had big pockets and a beer in each pocket.

One of the Brits was giving him grief and he said, "Merde... I talk to the Queen today and tell her you very bad man."

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My last Frenchy sighting was at the Canadian Nationals at Skydive Burnaby in Ontario last August. He slept on the couches in the hangar. He was complaining that it was too hot to sleep during the day, yet at night people stayed up too late. Merde this, merde that. But at least he was around. Hope he had some fun too.

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just found out he is gone ... merde ... putain!!
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=3690365


I remember one day at Z-hills, the FAA had just showed up, routine call, someone had bounced 2 weeks before and they were mostly just touching base (and making sure 140 Tango's long range tanks were still up in the rafters and not in the plane; is my guess)

so Feds are in with Frasier in his office and Frenchy comes running in the back door (back from his morning walk searching for ripcords, etc. and some Swedes had described other things he should look for... things they would pay good money for) and he is yelling
"HANS !! HANS!! are zese za right mushharooms !!!! "

Frenchy is hustled into loft, told to shut the hell up, the Feds are here ... and besides Frenchy... zose are NOT za right mushharooms !!!

Frenchy goes ... Merde !!! Putain !!! Merde !!

BSBD you old derelict bastard !!

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