IEJuggalo 0 #1 September 9, 2009 ...anyone have any photos of the operation there? DZ, hangar, plane? Just curious when it opened, closed, and some history. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #2 September 10, 2009 Joe Crotwell opened Apple Valley in the mid 1990s after one of numerous splits from California City. Joe ran it for a few years before he broke his back during a test-dropping accident. In some respects, Apple Valley operated to provide a DZ for Joe's AERO company doing test-drops for a variety of military projects. Remember that Joe was an old US Navy Test Parachutist who learned his trade at China Lake. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 8 #3 September 11, 2009 Quote ...anyone have any photos of the operation there? DZ, hangar, plane? Just curious when it opened, closed, and some history. I've got a crap load of photo of the place, around the place, people there, etc., but they're all on prints that I still haven't managed to get around to doing anything with, digitizing or such. I could look the dates up, but like Rob said, the place opened up in the mid-90s... it was one of several spin-off DZs from Cal City that happened over the years. Joe and Rose Crotwell ran the place in conjunction with their business AERO. MJO Sparky used to work for them too. They ran the drop zone there as a weekend business for awhile in conjunction with AERO (their week-day business), but they closed up sport skydiving ops sometime in 1999, I think it was, I'd have to go look up the dates in my log book, but I was on the first and last loads there. Joe and Rose continued to run AERO after ending sport jump ops for a short time, but, again as Rob said, Joe was involved in a serious mishap during test drop operations in May of 2000 that left him a quadriplegic. Joe passed away in April 2006, basically as a result of those injuries. Sparky was hurt badly too in the same incident, but recovered. Apple Valley Skydive used to operate a King Air A-90, registration N32229. Same aircraft as was involved in the incident that injured Joe, but ultimately N32229 was repaired. N32229 is still operating as a jump plane out of Skydive Utah. http://www.skydiveutah.com/ Buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell you the story of me and a bunch of us getting out of that airplane at about 110deg roll left wing down after she stalled and departed on jump run... no shit, there I was... Buy me another beer and I'll tell you about how me putting an "EAT ME" sticker on the airplane almost got me banned from the DZ. Anyway, found a photo of N32229 on the web. I didn't take it, but kind looks like it might have been taken at Apple Valley. I've got several videos up on YouTube of the ol' Apple Valley days, including one of the first load done there out of a "guest" (Jan's) DC-3 before they got the King Air. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IEJuggalo 0 #4 September 12, 2009 ...ah Timmy, you are the man I need to speak with. Are you heading to Perris tomorrow? If not, PM me your #. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rapter 0 #5 September 12, 2009 It open for fun jumps on Labor Day 1996 and closed Dec. 31 1999, Jan's DC3 flew the first loads, Only the good die young, so I have found immortality, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
