Pilot Country Estates DZ - North of Tampa/West of ZHills - late 70's/early 80's

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Had anyone here ever jumped at a small DZ located in an airstrip housing plan known as Pilot County Estates? The DZ was at the intersection of Routes 41 & 52, north of Tampa, west of ZHills.

I did my first jump there (SL) in April of 1981. After a 23 year hiatus, I have resumed skydiving; now at DeLand.

Would love to hear from anyone who I may have jumped with at Pilot Country.

Jeff T.

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Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[mwr 1]

Yup, I imagine we made a jump or two together Jeff.
You may have even eaten some of my chili....

Mark

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Hmmmmmmm Mark R. Sounds familiar.

Instructor extraordinaire????????

Last seen with foot in cast????????

Great chile?

Hey Mark - I moved to Daytona Beach in July. Been together with the other Mark a few times.

Meet up for a pork sandwich at Hungry Harry's sometime?

Tell your prettier half I said hi.

jt

pssssssst went through AFF (abbreviated) in December and been jumping several times a week since then at DeLand. :)

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Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[mwr 1]

Are you looking for these people?

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Hey!

I have an autographed 8x10 of that pic! You or someone at the time had everyone sign it and brought it to me in the hosp.

Can you actually remember everyone's names?

jt

*

Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[howardwhite 4]

Usta be called Top O' Tampa, I believe. And they had a wind tunnel there for a while. Wierd looking out at the freeway traffic from in tunnel "freefall."

For those in the general Tampa area, there was also even longer ago Mac McCraw's "ranch" in a cow pasture east of Tampa. Richard Bach of Jonathan Livingston Seagull fame made some jumps there and flew in sometimes in his DeHavilland Heron.

HW

[mwr 1]

Top o' Tampa used to be another drop zone in that region but Jeff's talkin' bout the DZ a little up the road called Pilot Country.

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Mark,

Are you trying to hide your age? In the sport 10 years? Uhhhhhhhhhh. How long were you in it when you taught me the first jump course in April of 1981!!!

Do you realize the D license numbers are approaching 30,000 and yours is 4864?

Miss your pearls of skydiving wisdom at the DZ.

Drive out to DeLand sometime soon.

jt

*

Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[howardwhite 4]

Yr right. Got my routes mixed up. Top O' Tampa was at 54 out of ZHills at the intersection of 75.

HW

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Yes - Pilot Country was at intersection of 52 and 41. The airstrip and the housing plan are still there - just not a DZ anymore.

jt

*

Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[mwr 1]

Quote

Are you trying to hide your age? In the sport 10 years? Uhhhhhhhhhh. How long were you in it when you taught me the first jump course in April of 1981!!!

Do you realize the D license numbers are approaching 30,000 and yours is 4864?

How am I gonna hide my age with such good buddies around to remind me? The ten years only reflects my active jump time. I've since retired and gone on to other activities. It's interesting to come in to this web site and see how things have developed since I left the sport though. It's particularly fun to read the posts on the Delta II parawing. I had one of 11 special made for the Navy. It had a blue nose with sewn on stars and red and white stripes in the remaining two thirds. Sold it long before you knew me bud.

[JeffSkydiver 0]

Hey Mark,

It really has all changed, but much has stayed the same.

Some good changes:

zero porousity canopies
DZs with instructors and coaches
AFF
Tandems
Soft landings - I like this one the best.

Some sadder changes:

Busy DZ = less camaraderie than I was used to

Helping jumpers is a "business" (charging for coaching) - in the old days experienced jumpers like yourself just helped the rest of us along

Way more shit going on in the sky to watch out for: bigger planes mean more groups in the plane, some on bellies, freeflying, tracking, different opening altitudes, the "funnel" at the peas is a mess: tons of canopies, swoopers, not swoopers. I'll land in the "student" area forever. Remember our old 185? Everyone in it exited together and did the same thing (well we tried) !!! Amazing idea.

Skydivers dying and getting hurt under perfectly good canopies, on perfectly clear days, perfect winds, in the landing area - last week a guy went in 20 yards from me hook turning a landing. Died in the hospital the next day or so. I'll never forget the sound of that thump.

Mark if you ever visit a DZ, you may do what I did in August - my first visit to a DZ in 23 years. I looked up and saw some jumpers about to land. The next thing I know, the guy starts a radical hook turn and is screaming toward earth! I about shit myself and actually let out a scream!

Holy shit, that was against every frickin rule in 1981. If we had seen anything like that in 1981, we were looking at death. Hmmmm I guess we still are sometimes - like last week for me.

I may still get hurt or die in this sport - never say never, but I choose not to do hook turn landings, jump a small canopy or land in a tight or busy area.

Everyone else is free to make their own choices.

Let's meet up at ZHills sometime Mark. Let me know.

jt

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Let's all do this safe enough that we can still do this in our 90's.

[jonstark 8]

Sadder changes at the DZ;

Nobody even looks up any more... Remember when you'd hear "PULL!" "PULL!" "whew".

Now you don't even have to go looking for the guy that went in because he's in the landing area under a good canopy!