The Chute Shop, Flemington NJ

[phildthedildo 0]

the chute shop was started by John Higgins, Ron Edwards, and Harry Burlin back in the ealy sixties. any oldtimers know where they are today?

[patmoore 14]

I had a nice chat with Johnny Higgins and Lowell Bachmann at Ottley's memorial service. I hadn't learned that Lowell himself had passed away until I read it recently in this forum.

My memory is fuzzy but I think The Chute Shop produced the first great style rig, the Mini System.

DZGone.com
B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

[howardwhite 3]

Johnny Higgins lives in North Carolina. I saw him at the PIA symposium in Barcelona in February as well (I think) at Lowell Bachman's memorial event in April.
I didn't ask him about the others because I didn't really know them.

HW

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

Hi phil,

Johnny & Harry went to South Carolina to set up a shop which became North American Aerodynamics. Not too long after they moved Ron left the company and went to work in private industry. Ron then eventually started Nat'l Parachute Supply which he then sold to Larry Krueger. The last that I heard Ron was living in Florida doing real estate. I think Harry finally retired but Johnny is still the NAA man.

Anyone remembering seeing the photo of Johnny in TIME magazine on the article about NAFTA; maybe about 14 or so years ago?

Jump on the NAA website and you should find Johnny.

JerryBaumchen

PS) Yup, the Mini System was the first 'style' rig to hit the market. Anyone remember their ads with the girls in the mini-skirts?

PPS) A little quiz: What was the serial number of the very first production Para-Foil?

[377 20]

I have a Chute Shop brand altimeter. Still works fine. Looks like a refaced barometer, very small with a nice leather wrist strap and two hole mount, one for a stopwatch. I remember when nearly everyone jumped with stopwatches... back in the day.

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[nitrochute 2]

then you probably remember that some people also jumped with 2 altimeters as well.

[377 20]

I still jump with several altimeters, but I am an altimeter junkie and like to exercise items from my collection: North Star, Chute Shop, Irvin, etc. Latest addition is a Parasport Altitron, wacky design (analog-digital-analog) but fun and accurate. I really like my Chute Shop altimeter, very small and it never misses a beat.

I never thought about it until later after a successful cutaway to a belly wart reserve, but HOW did we avoid reserve deployment snags on those reserve mounted altimeter panels, especially when the altimeter was one of those HUGE aircaft altimeters? Those stuck way out beyond the back of the panel and seem, in hindsight, to have been very hazardous.

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[Guru312 0]

Quote

HOW did we avoid reserve deployment snags on those reserve mounted altimeter panels, especially when the altimeter was one of those HUGE aircaft altimeters? Those stuck way out beyond the back of the panel and seem, in hindsight, to have been very hazardous.

I've often thought the same thing. I had a huge instrument panel...can't recall who manufactured it...with an aircraft altimeter and a stop watch. The altimeter I had was surplus and 2-3 inches or more deep. Black wrinkled paint finish and sharp edges on the mount. A terrible thing to have on belly wart.

I got smacked in the face by that mount a number of times with hard openings. I learned to cinch the harness straps until I could hardly walk.

Yeah...those were the days.

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[RogerRamjet 0]

Like this one?

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[RogerRamjet 0]

Close look:

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

Hi Roger,

That panel looks home-made or locally made.

The one Guru is referring to is an AeroIndicator with the black wrinkle finish. They were the hot stuff back then.

AeroIndicator also made a rather large, but very nice & very accurate, altimeter.

JerryBaumchen

[Guru312 0]

[reply
The one Guru is referring to is an AeroIndicator with the black wrinkle finish. They were the hot stuff back then.

[jumpwally 0]

ok,,,i give..............

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[patmoore 14]

Years ago, Jimmy Godwin told me about his first experience with a stop watch. He had seen Doc Gaffney with one and asked what it was for. Doc explained and Jimmy replied, "you can see in free fall"? Figuring the best way to see the watch was to place it directly in front of his eyes he took some angle iron and fashioned a mount that jutted out in front of his helmet. Unfortunately, he mounted the watch at an angle. He said the first time he jumped it he kept twisting his head to read it properly and went into a flat spin. Obviously he survived and went on to make a big contribution to the sport. With all the friends we've lost I almost hate to ask but is he still around?

DZGone.com
B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152.

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

[howardwhite 3]

Quote

Jimmy Godwin.... With all the friends we've lost I almost hate to ask but is he still around?

No. Died in mid-90s.

HW

[377 20]

Quote

Hi Roger,


AeroIndicator also made a rather large, but very nice & very accurate, altimeter.

JerryBaumchen

I want one for my skydiving altimeter collection! Anyone have one for sale?

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[howardwhite 3]

Quote

I want one for my skydiving altimeter collection! Anyone have one for sale?

Here's mine. I took it for an Otter ride today (I doubt it's ever been to 13,500 before.) The guy that held it (didn't jump with it) said it stopped indicating at about 6,000 feet.
I guess I should put it on eBay and test the market for such a valuable collector's item.

HW

[377 20]

Howard,

I didn't know they salvaged any skydiving altimeters from the Titanic. What did you DO to that fine intrument? Did you figure it could measure depth as well (actually I guess it might with a calibration/correction chart) and take it SCUBA diving?

GREAT Otter article!

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[JerryBaumchen 1,047]

Hi howard,

Yup that is one of them.

But you must be some kind of cheapskate; yours doesn't have the little dust filter in the rear hole like mine did. It was an option.

Like yours, mine quit 'working' and I had it laying around for about 20 yrs ( I just liked the look of it sitting on the shelf ) and then finally decided that the days of the bulky altimeters were long gone. So out it went.

JerryBaumchen

[howardwhite 3]

Quote

I didn't know they salvaged any skydiving altimeters from the Titanic. What did you DO to that fine intrument?

It's just been sitting in my garage for about 30 years. It was right next to the Volplane hydraulic reefing system.
Next jump plane story will be on Caravans. Got any cool Caravan stories?

HW

[377 20]

Nah, no good Caravan stories. Dontcha wish JP4 was below a dollar and we could have operated this as a jumpship? 500 jumpers easy. At one time it changed hands for $20,000.

http://boeing377.googlepages.com/c133

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.