The DropZone Obituaries

[Rick 67]

St. George South Carolina Blue Sky Adventures. The first Dropzone I jumped at away from Z Hills. First Wally and then Jack were the DZO's. Great place friendly people always fun to jump there.

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[drjump 0]

Kevin--don't forget the 'singing' camp fire in Cleveland. RIP Eric.

[kkeenan 14]

drjump

?.. RIP Eric.

I sure thought, "Human Torch" was a pretty cool nickname. Too bad he didn't have it for long. Jeez, thinking back on those days, it's incredible how many are still around.

Kevin

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[BillyVance 34]

Rick

St. George South Carolina Blue Sky Adventures. The first Dropzone I jumped at away from Z Hills. First Wally and then Jack were the DZO's. Great place friendly people always fun to jump there.

I believe I was there at the first Harvest Moon Boogie. Good times. Wally ran a nice place.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[efs4ever 3]

Seagoville.
Aero Country.
Decatur Airport
Decatur (Bishop)
Commerce.
Waller.
Aggies. (2)
Golden Greek Airlines.
Spaceland League City.
Spaceland Anahuac.
Spring Creek.
Beaumont.
Nome.
Elmendorf. (San Antonio)
Beeville.
Cut and Shoot.
Temple. (Reborn in Salado)
Wharton. Skydive U.S.A.
Georgetown.
Birds Nest.
Smithville.
Coupland.
Sycamore Strip. Fort Worth
Mansfield.
Ennis. Slovac Air.
Forney.
San Marcos Muni.
Gainesville.
Granbury.
West Houston. (Harbican)

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[wmw999 2,291]

That's a very comprehensive list.
Houston: Weiser Air Park, Spring Creek Parachute Ranch.
Turners Falls in Massachusetts.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[oldwomanc6 38]

Not sure if this counts, but Thompson Field/Bear Creek. This is where Elsinore moved it's operations when it flooded, and then again when it flooded yet again. Then Hemet.

At one point (albeit short-lived) they were real DZs.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[timber 4]

Sadly it appears that we will add Emerald Coast Skydiving to this list! Open as various names as Grandview Parachute Center and Panhandle Parachute Center and Emerald Coast Skydiving. It has been in operation since the mid 1960's when the "Colonel" an his special forces buddies would get together and jump for fun. With the loss of his beloved son Jimmy Horak earlier this month. He does not have the will to continue and is worried about liability concerns. I believe Emerald Coast still has the Alabama state record of 45 set in the late 1990's. "Damn has it been that long already"? Jumps to the world famous Flora-Bama and Pensacola Beach were the big attraction! we enjoyed hosting the Memorial Day weekend beach boogies until the last couple of years. I believe some beach jumps will continue from time to time if we can keep a jump plane close by. Some alternatives are being looked into but no details yet. Most of us will likely migrate to Gold Coast Skydiving in Lumberton or Skydive Panama City in Altha, Florida or Skydive Live in Paxton Florida. Still not the beautiful view we enjoyed at E.C.S.C.! Many great memories and friendships and even marriages and children resulted from there! (Not mine that I know of);)!

[BillyVance 34]

That sucks, Timber.

The state record is still a 40 way organized by the late Sandy Wambach, on a damned cold day, by coastal Alabama standards anyway. I was on it, and by god, we built it so fast we had enough time to do 4 or 5 points if we had the talent! It was held for more than 20 seconds.

Are you sure there's nobody willing and able to step up and keep it going?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[GreenLight 6]

oldwomanc6

Not sure if this counts, but Thompson Field/Bear Creek. This is where Elsinore moved it's operations when it flooded, and then again when it flooded yet again. Then Hemet.

At one point (albeit short-lived) they were real DZs.

I used to manage Thompson Field or Bear Creek during it's final few years of operation. I've made quite a few jumps there out of anything that would fly. Landed there in one of Skips DC3s once and it liked to scare me to death because I thought we were landing on a foot trail at first. Skip used to keep his entire fleet of aircraft there until the place started to be threatened with housing popping up all around us. I have video of the last DC3 flying out on it's way to it's new home in Elsinore. He had 3 and this one was the DST that was used by the Brooklyn Dodgers originally. It was the only Sleeper DC3 made at the time.

It was closed by the city using illegal tactics including the use of the Murietta Police Dept who I had thrown off the property twice by the California Highway Patrol. There is no end to my contempt for the Murietta Police Dept. and the city council. They are all as crooked as they come.

Here is a link to some photos of us jumping out of ultralight aircraft at Bear Creek. We used to do this once a year and called it the Bare Ass Creek Jump And Dump Boogie. There is also an article on the doomed airport and how it was being threatened.

http://www.airtrash.com/bash.htm

Green Light
"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."
"Your statement answered your question."

[GreenLight 6]

California City.... GONE... The airport is still there but the DZ is gone.

There was one that Joe Crotwell used to run in another part of the desert and they had the anuall Pecker Head Meet there but I can not for the life of me remember the name of the DZ.

Green Light
"Harry, why did you land all the way out there? Nobody else landed out there."
"Your statement answered your question."

[Tink1717 2]

Extra Fine Skydives, Hanover PA. RIP 1992.
Hartwood Paracenter, Hartwood VA. ?

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[Tink1717 2]

The take away lesson is that to make a small fortune in skydiving, start with a big fortune. I wish that weren't true.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[Tink1717 2]

Anyone know when the Freefall Ranch in Warm Springs shut down?

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[Krip 2]

Add the Fulton missouri airport and dz to your list.

Its gone.

The dz at edgerton ks home of KaMo skydivers is long gone.

I could go thru my paper log books and come up with a short list of dzs that are gone. But whats the point. Basically I suspect the majority of the smaller dzs from back in the day are gone.

No big, just the natural evolution of time.

We still have our log books, some faded pictures, and our memories. For now.We can still give a shout and see who we can dig up , we can still get to get together, party, tell lies. Etc in cyber space, or in the real world. Just not at a dz that no longer exist.

The major players on both coasts and in between are still operating in one form or another.of course.

Time to take a nap

R.I.P

[Bones 0]

Pacific Parachute Center
Sheridan, OR

Started there as a static-line baby

[efs4ever 3]

Was Weiser a DZ on May 14, 1978? I have jumped there in the not too distant past.

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[wmw999 2,291]

No, it had moved to Spring Creek Parachute Ranch (roughly the corner of Mueschke Rd. and FM 2920) by then.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[efs4ever 3]

Then it wasn't a dz when I started. I did jump there on a bandit leap one time.

Russell M. Webb D 7014
Attorney at Law
713 385 5676
https://www.tdcparole.com

[skybill 22]

GreenLight

California City.... GONE... The airport is still there but the DZ is gone.

There was one that Joe Crotwell used to run in another part of the desert and they had the anuall Pecker Head Meet there but I can not for the life of me remember the name of the DZ.

Hi Larry,
"Apple Valley" Up in "Roy Rogers" Country.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[docjohn 0]

Alamo Skydivers run by Larry Van Horne, Pleasanton Texas and Lockhart Texas in the mid 70's. Richard Castillo, Gary Potter, Steve Petto. Where are you guys?

Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

[steve1 5]

Montana has had several Drop Zones come and go over the years. There was once two different drop zones at the Laurel Airport. They were both small but both were a ton of fun. About eight years back they were forced out by rising insurance fees.

Bozeman had a jump club during the 70's. I'm not sure what happened to that club.

There was a small amount of jumping at one time in Helena. It was never a big club.

I heard they may have even jumped at Glasgow, Mt. at one time. That may have been in the 60's.

The Silvertip Skydivers are supposed to be the oldest continually run "Collegiant" club in the U.S. The only thing is that I don't think they have a single college jumper in it now.

They started in Missoula, then moved to Stevensville. They are now in Hamilton. They just had a boogie about a week ago......

[masterrigger1 2]

Warm Springs, GA was run by Banks Brasille and closed in 1995.

Elijay, GA closed about 1996.

Barnwell, SC - Vikings of Denmark- Closed about 1996 ish

And my all time favorite DZ, Beaver Valley Skydivers in Beaver, PA closed late 1990's.
[inline Beaver_Valley.jpg]
Lots of good times at these places!

MEL

Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

[BillyVance 34]

I jumped one weekend at Ellijay out of Mike Mullins' King Air in '95.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[bozo 0]

docjohn

Alamo Skydivers run by Larry Van Horne, Pleasanton Texas and Lockhart Texas in the mid 70's. Richard Castillo, Gary Potter, Steve Petto. Where are you guys?

Petto was at my daughters wedding a couple years ago. I think hes either in Alabama or Florida now. Still healthy but aging like most of us old farts.

bozo
Pain is fleeting. Glory lasts forever. Chicks dig scars.