Martin Caidin

[skypuppy 1]

Martin Caidin wrote a couple of books about the history of parachuting, primarily in America I think. One was 'The Silken Angels' and the other with quite a bit of parachute lore in it was 'The Barnstormers'.

I'm right now reading a novel of his 'almost midnight' which describes a jumper landing on the roof of a bank in Georgia in order to break in and steal $100,000. It is sort of interesting because it was copy=righted in 1971, the spring before DB Cooper.

Anyway, I know he also wrote other books on aviation, but he writes about parachuting as if he knows what he's talking about. Does anyone know of him being a jumper, or even jumped with him?>

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[Krip 2]

Now you stirred up the hornets nest

One Jump Wonder

[JohnRich 4]

I don't know if he's jumped himself, but he used to occassionally fly jumpers in his WWII German Junkers 52 aircraft back in the 70's and 80's, even letting the jumpers climb out onto the wing on jump run. I seem to recall he set a record doing this for "most people outside a plane while in flight".

[Krip 2]

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I don't know if he's jumped himself, but he used to occassionally fly jumpers in his WWII German Junkers 52 aircraft back in the 70's and 80's, even letting the jumpers climb out onto the wing on jump run. I seem to recall he set a record doing this for "most people outside a plane while in flight".

Hi JR

Sounds like the picture that we've all seen.

So you knew that guy

R.

One Jump Wonder

[skypuppy 1]

That is interesting. I know I've heard of that Junker, didn't realize it was his. And I think I've seen some pictures of the jumper with people on it, altho the more common picture was a Beech or Lockheed with people on it - and I know that one has been discussed on here lots. I suppose that picture might actually be in one of his books - I'll have to dig them out and take a look.

Incidently, further into the book the bad guys hijacked a C130 and after landing it and killing the crew and taking the load off, one of them takes off in it, sets the auto pilot and jumps out. Again, this book came out early in '71 (second printing was april 71), so this was before DB

Is Caidin a Texan?

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[dpreguy 14]

OK, not about parachuting, but he wrote "Black Thursday" about the bombing raid on the Schweinfurt (sp) ball bearing factories. The biggest loss of life and bombers ever. The bombers were slaughtered. I know this sounds like a bad description, but it is a riveting account, and in my opinion one of his best books.

[Marisan 0]

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OK, not about parachuting, but he wrote "Black Thursday" about the bombing raid on the Schweinfurt (sp) ball bearing factories. The biggest loss of life and bombers ever. The bombers were slaughtered. I know this sounds like a bad description, but it is a riveting account, and in my opinion one of his best books.

And even further away from Parachuting, the raid did nothing to stop German Production of things that needed Ball Bearings.

Reason was that Albert Speer (Reich Minister of Production) sent his minions around all of the manufacturers that used Ball Bearings and confiscated all of the over orders that were their "Just in Case" reserve supply. This enabled manufacturing to continue until the Ball Bearing Plant was rebuilt.

This also had the secondary effect of convincing the 8th Airforce that Ball Bearings were not a strategic necessity as 2 raids had made no impact on manufacturing.

[rdufokker 6]

The record for most people outside an aircraft was at Raeford out of the Lockheed 10E, UNTIL Caidin wanted to break it with his Fokker Tri motor. It was in Florida as I recall (memory is a little shaky during that time period) and he had rigged up all these ropes along the side of his aircraft. All I remember is him bitching about the damn skydivers wouldn't let go as he was starting to have trouble controlling the aircraft. Big bitchfest on the ground. Seems like it was Palatka or Deland or maybe even Zhills.

Burke

Irony: "the History and Trivia section hijacked by the D.B. Cooper thread"