RogerRamjet 0 #26 March 2, 2006 QuoteWe had one in Sturgis, Michigan in the middle seventies. My dad told me to stay away from it. Never did jump it, we had a DC3 there the same weekend. Was it a special weekend there? If it was the east coast record attempts, I was there with the Loadstar (it was Z-Hills' plane piloted by Bill Buchman). Seems like we had 2 DC-3s and the Loadstar. Roger Nelson was organizing that weekend. If you were there, maybe we met? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drjump 0 #27 March 8, 2006 That story sounds like a load that I was on in Casa G. in December of 1974. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strange 0 #28 March 9, 2006 I have no doubt that you may have indeed been on one of the 2 stalls that I remember. I was the rigger at the gulch 74 thru 75. One stall was out of the gulches loadstar. The 2nd was out of the Veriliner, a tan ship with dark red stripe and lettering. I can still look it up in my log book for the exact date. Strange Dave FB232 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goldwing 0 #29 March 16, 2006 The attached image is a Lodestar owned by a Wisconsin pilot in the mid to late 1970's. He owned and flew a C-182 primarily for the Sky Knights in East Troy, WI. As the demand for larger jump ships increased he bought this plane from Continental Can Company in Alaska. It had a gorgeous interior. It hurt him financially to ferry to longer paved runways that were required. He sold it about 1979/80 or so. Made several dozen jumps out of it with no problems. The pilot was well aware of the stall stories and always maintained good airspeed during exit. Don't know what became of it.You haven't lived until you've almost died" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 20 #30 March 24, 2006 copied from the LOCKHEED TWINS website: GIL HALPIN: Jumper "We hauled 16 parachutist's on Lodestar N43WT (2565) to 15,000ft 6 to 8 times a day every weekend(1973/1983), as well as operating out of a 2800ft runway! She was quite the celebrity around the local township and many people would come out just to see her take to flight!"2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbow 1 #31 March 29, 2006 That was the weekend. Sorry about the delay, haven't checked this forum in a while.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #32 March 29, 2006 QuoteThat was the weekend. Sorry about the delay, haven't checked this forum in a while. Were you on the attempts? I would have been hanging out with Roger and Carl Nelson, Bill Buchmann, Jim Whiting, and others. I had a Canary Yellow and black jump suit at the time. A shot of me from back then:http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Personal_Galleries/RogerRamjet/Blast_from_the_Past&image=SkydiveRoger.jpg&img=&tt= If you look at the next picture in the sequence, I am on the left. In fact, if you look at my gallery under the title "Under Canopy," you will see a shot of me under my Strato Star at Sturgis that very weekend! Hard to tell from your avitar what you might have looked like then... :) ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flajumper 0 #33 April 16, 2006 My logbook shows my first lodestar jump in Palatka around Apr 76. Last one was in early 78 from the same lodestar. Showed up one Sunday morning in 78 and it was no where to be found, and never to be seen again apparently. It was probably the cleanest looking lodestar I think I'd ever seen, and more fun to jump from than any other aircraft I've jumped since. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lekstrom10k 0 #34 June 21, 2006 The one you were talking about was owned by Steve Felloes of detroit .We used to jump it Marshall and Lima Ohio , when it was still running. It had taken a few one way trips for boogies. then broke down . You hoped someone would let you cram in their van for a ride home. Steve flew it solo from California and landed instrument conditions in Denver with a student pilot ticket . It had sat for years on runway 25 at Detroit City airport waiting to be used at the A&P school .Fellows told me some of the other guys already loaned him money to buy it . Not checking I loaned him some to find out later iwas the only one, of course that was 30 years ago and I stiil havent got it all back.There is the Yankee Air Force museum in Willow Run Airport Michigan that had it on display in side for years until last year a fire destroyed it along with other jewels . I have been to Wright -Patterson to see alot of planes that are type I have jumped out of. How many can say that was the actual plane ? Nate Pond was the pilot flying for Fellows. I remember him standing on his head on a bar table with his feet on the ceiling ,which was pretty astounding for someone his height. The Lodestall was17G [Garbage] but Nate did his job and we survived . Ialso jumped Sweets at Indian town Florida at Poppenhagers. I also jumped it at Stormville NY,where you were told not to land anywhere near the prison. If you were at Sturgis it was probably Branches DC3 from Indiana. It was also at Athens, but the other Locheed was a 12 owned by Doug Kelly not an 18 there. Zipper hills had a 10Ethe same style as Emelia earharts. I made a few out of the Super Connie at WFFC at Quincy I also have some out of regular and stretched C130s. Never did a Hudson or a 14. So all in all I never had a bad Locheed jump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #35 August 15, 2006 "Cow Palace" was the DZ near Rosharon TX that we jumped the Load Toad (N59720 ?). This was during a boycott of Spaceland, and Svec, showing his usual testosterone, had found and set up our airship, pilot, grass runway, and local friendly law enforcement. The DZ was quite cool, by the way. I made at least six jumps, I see right away in my logbook, and that may have been all the jumps out at that location. I don't remember any stalls, but the pilot, who had not flown for jumpers before but seemed very cool with his plane (He had cleaned all the pot smell out from the last haul, also) would keep airspeed at about 120 knots on jump run with the nose down. I was the only floater (ragdoll) to ever hang outside the aircraft in that breeze... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #36 August 15, 2006 Quoteboycott of Spaceland, and Svec, Did you ever know a guy that ran with Svec that went by the name Tenafly?My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #37 August 15, 2006 Oh yeah, would be hard to forget a name like Tenafly... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duster 0 #38 November 28, 2006 Jack and Hoop 1974 ZHills locals gather here before an SCR attempt for the new guy out of Sweet's Loadstar. Rick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerRamjet 0 #39 November 29, 2006 QuoteJack and Hoop 1974 ZHills locals gather here before an SCR attempt for the new guy out of Sweet's Loadstar. Rick Rick, wow... long time no talk to. You don't happen to have any more shots from 73-75 do you? I know most of the faces in that shot, but not all. I just heard from Ski (of Ski, Ski, Moore, and Moore fame) that Peanuts (far right in the shot for those that don't know him) is still lurking around somewhere. Saw them, Scotty Carbone, and Carl Daugherty at the Marathon Keys boogie a couple of weeks ago. If you happen to have any shots that I'm in, I'd sure love to get a copy. I have only a few from those times... What are you up to these days? ----------------------- Roger "Ramjet" Clark FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 20 #40 December 2, 2006 I wonder if there is any possible way we could convince the owner to come to WFFC 2007? A Lodestar would be such a rare catch. www.freefall.com2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveJack 1 #41 December 3, 2006 QuoteI wonder if there is any possible way we could convince the owner to come to WFFC 2007? A Lodestar would be such a rare catch. www.freefall.com I really doubt it. It is his personal toy and it has a nice interior. Definitely not skydiver proof! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 4 #42 December 3, 2006 And this is Sweet's Lodestar at (I think) Z-Hills. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #43 May 30, 2007 Getting off topic ... It is rumored that some Calgary investors were designing a prototype of a new design also called a Lodestar/Loadstar/? It is rumored to have one turbine engine and a cargo ramp under the tail. Perhaps designed to compete with Cessna's Caravan? It is also rumored that the project was backed by some of the same guys who owned the last Lodestar to crash in Washington State. Apparently the project has been dormant for a few years. Can anyone confirm the rumor? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maggott 0 #44 May 30, 2007 I made several jumps out of the ill-fated Learstar (aka: loadstall; aka: colonel killer) that went down in Washington in 1983... the day of the crash was not my day to die... a wuffo friend called me to go see a movie so I missed the first Saturday of jumping since I started in 1977. The guy who took my slot never got out of that plane. He was a good fiend...as were many who went in that day. I know that the last time that I did (or ever will) jump out of a load star was august of 1983. Rick "Maggott"~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 20 #45 May 30, 2007 Maggot, That was a close call. I had a similar thing happen, interestingly involving a Lockheed PV2 Harpoon, kinda like a Lodestar. I was bumped from a ride to buzz a seaplane meet at Clear Lake CA. I had helped the owner pilot with some electrical work on the plane and he promised me the ride. A couple of days before the event asked if he could give me a rain check because he had to take the sister of the guy who was doing his annual inspection. He stalled it during a low level zoom climb and push over. It went down into the lake killing all seven aboard.2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 4 #46 June 1, 2007 Well, just to drag this out some more ... Some Lodestar exit pix. The plane is still registered, to a corporation in Texas. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #47 June 1, 2007 Good shots, Howard. That's the kind of exits I remember, at 120 knots or so... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drjump 0 #48 June 1, 2007 Have you noticed the change in pitch attitude between the three shots? I wonder how close to stall speed the plane is in the second shot? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,047 #49 June 1, 2007 That is exactly what I noticed. Stay away from those birds, Jerry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 4 #50 June 1, 2007 It's probably not safe to think that a scan from a 30-year-old magazine accurately represents the pitch. When I find the magazine again, maybe I can tell better. Maybe it will turn out that I actually took the pictures.Meanwhile, if it makes everyone feel better, substitute the attached for the original middle picture. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
