NoShitThereIWas

NICE!!!! I definitely recognize the airplane. That was Jess Rodriguez's old twin otter with the big dash whatever you call em engines. I have at least 600 jumps outta that plane when it was at SMB (Skydive Monterey Bay). It looks like Jess sold the plane to Dave Crouch? Does Dave still own/run Skydive Taft? That is a great group of jumpers out there if it is and all I have to say is that Jessie would be proud to see his airplane used for such an extraordinary movie! My deceased ex hubby was the one who installed the awesome sound system in that plane and did all the maintenence on it for a good five years. We used to blast the Jimmy Buffett tunes on our way to 18K every Friday for O2 oxygen Fridays for $18. Man, those were the days! I miss that airplane. Good times, Great memories and I am glad that Dave and the Skydive Taft crew is putting the airplane to good use. All I can say is that a lot of sex has taken place in that airplane. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

The BEST!!!! I put mine in a soft high thread count white sateen cotton duvee in the summer. (It is actually cool). Then I put it in a warm flannel duvet in wintertime. It is the best anytime! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Not sure about all the number stuff ... But my name Jennifer means "white wave," pretty cool considering my love for the ocean. My daughter is named Dakota. I love that name too because it means "Friend" in Native American. It is also a strong name for a girl. (Of course she was also named after the DC-3 Dakota ) Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I'm not on all that much anymore ... as much as I used to be anyway. Geez, my post numbers have gone way down. Gonna have to PH for a while. I miss Teb6363, FreeflyHol, the absolutely hilarious posts of the ever popular GirlFallDown, Zennie was always super cool to read his posts, and CrazyIvan always made me laugh. I used to follow the man dramas and soap operas of MissKriss, VanillaSkyGirl, Michelle and others in the Lady's Forum. Always knowledge, wisdom, support and a little laughter to be found there. I can recall going through a particuarly difficult time in life after just losing my ex husband to suicide. The words of VanillaSkyGirl and Michelle (I know I spelled it wrong, sorry Michelle) made the biggest difference at that time. It is always nice to come back and eventhough sometimes my Bonfire gets up to the high thousands of posts not read, I still come back to visit every now and then. I can't believe how much the list of sign ons has grown since I started on DZ.com (tomorrow will be my 4 year DZ.com anniversary) True Love Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Well I wanted to BUMP this thread and say how happy I am that Talent lost. During the race, he was ahead by 55% the night of the election when I was on my way to work. I was so pissed and after watching his campaigners look at the cameras and talk about how happy and confident they were, I started to feel pretty upset over it. I started to wonder why anyone would vote for that guy. The next morning after all the votes were counted, I figured it was hopeless and that somehow Talent would win. Come to find out that McCaskill won and is Missouri's new senator. I was very pleased to also hear that women's votes dominated that count and were the ones to make the ifference. Great job ladies. Way to have your voices heard! IMHO Talent is not worthy or deserving of office just for the mere fact that he is an insensitive and downright dirty liar. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

So I am wondering if anyone has done the whole hypnosis thing with quitting smoking and if it really works? I saw Ellen Degeneres on her show claiming that hypnosis worked for her and that she has not wanted cigarettes since going through hypnosis. I wonder about the psychological associations created with years of addiction and if anyone else has had any luck. If so, can you recommend a hypnotist? I would like to see my Mom kick the habit and nothing has seemed to work Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I don't know about the rest of you all, but since I moved to STL in Jan. '04, I am way impressed with baseball in this city. Baseball is taken very seriously here ... It was cool, I just took my parents from out of town to breakfast at the casino and there was a whole table of old timers ... They all had to be in their late 60's to late 70's, about 20 of them, having breakfast at the casino diner, looked like they were part of the Ra Ra Ra man team, not a woman in sight. Looks like they left all the ole bitties at home, but half of them were wearing their Cards shirts. I love driving by all the flags and signs here in St. Louis. The Cardinal spirit is here and it is strong. It has been exciting watching them play and no matter where I live now, I will always vote for the Cards and be a Cardinals fan. GO CARDS!!!! Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hey Steve: Tried to write yesterday, loved what I wrote, then the computer froze up and I lost it . I don't think I can come close to replicating everything I said but ... I've been thinking about you a lot and how I need to get to the hospital to see you. I was glad to read your post and sometimes it amazes me the strength and character you and Kim show and how your spirits can be so uplifting. You both have endured a lot and have big challenges ahead yet you care and have such concern for others while you make us laugh and smile. Please know Steve that in your road to recovery, if there is anything I can do, ANYTHING at all for you or Robyn, please just ask. I will be there as your friend. If hospital food sucks, I'll bring you Aldos or something else. If you are bored, I'll bring you movies, I'll come hang out, if you ever need or want to talk ... I know I need and want to talk but it is akward and I feel lost. I think about you and Robyn, the eight of you who were on board, our friends and families every day. Parts of me feel immobilized and depressed which prevents me from doing much about it. I don't know what to do I show up to anything that says Quantum Leap on it and other than that I have just been spending a lot of time with Dakota. That has been a good thing but I miss my friends. So at the very least I just wanted to write and say Hi and that you guys are in my thoughts, and how much I miss our QL family. I also want you to know Steve that we will get through this and that wherever our QL family ends up, we want and need you there with us. Next year there is going to be a QL 4 way team (if I have anything to say about it) and we are going to need a decent coach. ------>>> Enter: (Airspeed Boy) Anyway, just a thought to let you know how much you are missed and needed. Who will I go to to show me how to do the Meeker exit or the Stairstep? Who will I go to when I need something explained to me about airplanes that I don't get? So just remember Steve, that you can call me anytime day or night; that you and Robyn are so in my thoughts, and that Dakota sends her love and wants you to get better soon. Please let me know when a good time would be to come and visit. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I think I like this one the best Chuck! Definitely the most creative ... As for me, I would want my family to do whatever with me they choose. Burials are neat I guess and so are headstones ... but all that seems so expensive. I would rather money be spent on friends gathering, relaxing, eating good food and telling stories. Lately, (unfortunately) I have seen some beautiful urns for ashes. They can make these neat boxes and engrave your picture on it. Plus that way, you are in the box and your picture is there. Your family can keep you close even if they move, you are mobile and they will always have something to go to to reflect on and remember you by. I would just want what was best for my family at that point, no matter what it was. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Oh Vinnie, Old Shmold! We all know you can handle the tequilya Vinnie. You were the first one to introduce me to the Patron. I drank a couple shots of Patron last night with Dave Salaz and it went down smooth ... YEAH baby! Of course ... it's been like 4 years since I've drank any tequilya with you Vinnie ... Hmmmm. Geez Vinnie, maybe we are getting old. How old are you now? I know you're not due for another birthday till November (just like me ) Scorpios rule! he he Edited to add: I voted for the Drink Tequilya and Be Done With It Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

This was not written by me (Noshitthereiwas), I am forwarding this info to those who are interested. If a greenie can make this a sticky that would rule. Thanks and Blue skies. Dear Friends of Quantum Leap and Quantum Leap Family: Thank you for your comments and messages following the tragic crash of the Quantum Leap Twin Otter on July 29th 2006. It is wonderful to see how Scott, Rob, Robert, Melissa, Victoria, Steve, Kimberly, the Quantum Leap Family, and the sport of skydiving touched your lives in some way. What would the friends that have gone before us want us to do now? The answer is as clear as a clean blue sky…. keep living, keep smiling, and keep jumping. Sadly Quantum Leap Skydiving Center, Inc., the corporation that owned and operated the dropzone, will ultimately perish with its sole owner, Scott Cowan. Quantum Leap, the family, however is still very much alive and will continue to honor the lives and dreams of the brothers and sisters we lost. Many of the staff and up-jumpers have grouped together in an effort to preserve our home, the dropzone in Sullivan, MO. We have made great strides. As things currently stand, we have procured a new Raytheon/Beech King Air- 14 seat Twin Turbine Aircraft, the Tandem and Student Equipment necessary to conduct skydiving instructional operations, and the other various and sundry equipment required to operate a state of the art dropzone. We have additionally formed and capitalized a new corporation that will do business under the trade name “Skydive Quantum Leap” that we may honor our friends and the skydiving heritage of our old dropzone. The City of Sullivan is our home. Its citizens and municipal leadership embraced us in our time of heartache and have made great efforts in supporting the memorializing of our fallen friends. A proposal to allow Skydive Quantum Leap and the new corporation to begin new skydiving operations at the Sullivan Municipal Airport will be heard before the Sullivan City Council on September 5th, 2006 at 7:00 P.M. at the Sullivan City Hall. While the City Council has been extremely supportive of the Quantum Leap Family before and after the accident, it is imperative that we provide a demonstration of the support we continue to have within our local community and the global community at large. What you can do: Whether or not you are a skydiver, if you can come in person to the Sullivan City Council Meeting to make your voice and presence in support of us heard, please meet us at the Quantum Leap Skydiving Center, Inc. hangar on September 5th at 6:00 P.M. We are arranging a pre-meeting in order to organize a respectful and orderly presence at the City Hall. Directions to the hangar can be found at the bottom of this message. If you cannot come in person, whether it is because you cannot work it into your schedule or you are a resident of Australia who doesn’t want to book an arduous flight you can send an email or letter to the City of Sullivan expressing your support for Skydive Quantum Leap and continued skydiving operations at the Sullivan Municipal Airport. Letters to the city may be emailed to: [email protected] or sent via postal service to: City of Sullivan Board of Aldermen City Hall 210 W. Washington Sullivan, MO 63080-9985 We deeply appreciate your continued support as well as the love and genuine kindness you have demonstrated to us. Blue Skies Forever! The Staff of Skydive Quantum Leap Directions to the Hangar From the St. Louis metropolitan area take Interstate 44 West to the first Sullivan, Missouri exit #226, (Meramec State Park exit). Turn right at the top of the ramp, and then turn left on the service road (HWY 185 north). Go west approximately 1/2 of a mile to the Sullivan Regional Airport sign, and turn right on highway AF. Go north 3/4 of a mile to the Quantum Leap sign, and turn right on Airport road. It takes approximately one hour to drive from most parts of the St. Louis metropolitan area, a little less from the West County area. We are located 1/2 hour west of the Six Flags Amusement Park. From St. Charles County, take your best route to Interstate 44 and go west following the directions above. From Jefferson City, Missouri take Hwy 50 East to Hwy 63 South to Hwy 68 South to St. James, Missouri. Then take Interstate 44 East to the 1st Sullivan exit #225. Turn left at the top of the ramp, cross over the Interstate and turn right on the north service road (HWY 185 south). Go east approximately 3/4 of a mile to the Sullivan Regional Airport sign, and turn left on HWY AF. Go north approximately 3/4 of a mile to the Quantum Leap sign, and turn right on Airport road. It takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to drive here from Jefferson City Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

High: Being able to laugh at parts of a memorial video and smile or laugh at memories of lost friends. Low: Lost friends. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Playing golf with me (nearly 2 fatalities) water skiing (near drowning experience) handball (stitches) sewing (lots of stabbing) dating a psycho playing chubby bunny driving to the DZ sex Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Yeah, but Robert DIED. Read the clip of Mark Cook's actions after he lost his son. Do you see him blaming anyone and trying to make a buck off of his son's death? (especially before even planning/attending a funeral or memorial for his son?) Give me a break. Mark Cook lost his son, Victoria's parents lost their daughter. It all really sucks. But you can clearly compare who and what is important to each. Robert doesn't come from a POSH family from Kent, England, but they have entirely more class. Edited to add: I have read a few more posts on this thread and many people are having a hard time blaming the family for filing a law suit. I am not saying that I am shocked and that if I was in their shoes I wouldn't file one. I am sure this attorney promised them millions if they agreed to pursue it. The real problem I have with it is the timeline. That the news was already out about it in the midst of a week of funerals to respect the dead and support their families. This law suit could have waited a week or two or three ... There was no information at hand about negligence or liability or fault yet the attorney and Victoria's parents already had those in mind to blame and were jumping to conclusions. To me it shows their priorities in order. I'm sure with all that was going on, the Cowan family did not need the news of this suit just a day after saying good bye to Scott. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Everyone, I just had to post... I saw Kim yesterday and she looks better every time I see her. I know she still has lots of work ahead of her and healing to do, but she got some adorable comfy clothes for her birthday ... and looking at her, if she wasn't wearing a neckbrace and in a wheelchair (temporarily), you would not convince me she was an airplane crash survivor. I'm not saying that everything is perfectly back to normal yet, but she is a young healthy girl and that helps. She is so awesome I wish all of you could meet her! I know Kimberly's birthday was a beautiful day too. She has a strong and beautiful family. You can see the by sparkly light in her eyes and hear it in her sweet Aussie voice that she is full of purpose and you can see by meeting her that this world still needs Kimberly. It has been an absolute uplifting experience to meet her and her family. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Yes, I couldn't agree more. I find it a disgrace and a shame that just a few days after this accident while those of us who lost loved ones grieved, went to funerals, wakes, etc., suit had already been filed and those who are responsible for filing were thinking more about money during that period of time. The attorney has already made some incorrect comments and conclusions about the engines just to try and come up with a quick way to blame Pratt Whitney and name them in the suit. The attorney is speculating only and has not used any evidence associated with the NTSB's report. Immediately following this tragic accident the people who filed suit were thinking about deep pockets. It was before the grieving process really even had much time to sink in that people were thinking about $$$$$$$$$. I have put some serious thought into following my mom's footsteps to practice law as a career. The only thing that has ever stopped me is to be seen as someone who makes their living like these slimeball attorneys. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

That is an excellent question. Before I explain I want to thank the greenie moderators for making this post a sticky. Velocity Adventures is the new corporation opened by a guy named John Wall. John is a pilot, skydiver and instructor with some pretty affluent friends. He is the one who has stepped up to the plate to secure us a King Air. All he needs to do is make the call and a friend of his who his dad once helped out owns like 65 airplanes now. Velocity Adventures is his corporation and has nothing to do with the old Quantum Leap so no, the greedy attorneys will not be able to touch any of that money. I think we may try and keep Quantum Leap's name by slightly modifying it. Maybe call it Quantum Leap's or Quantum Leap Skydiving. Quantum Leap is a physics term so whether we even have to change the name is questionable. I'm not really involved in any of those decisions. John said the only thing we are lacking right now to get the operation running is gear. We don't need gear for experienced jumpers to jump but everyone knows experienced jumpers don't generate the revenue. He said if worse came to worse he would buy some student gear, but at this point he wants to spend as little as possible since he is already covering all the costs associated with the airplane. He is working with the city of Sullivan to keep the new DZ at Sullivan Regional airport but if we are unable to, our fallback is Cuba. If anyone had sent PMs to Kelly Hinson, Kelly is a bit overwhelmed right now dealing with much other business and cannot take on this task. I was misinformed about this so those of you who did PM Kelly, please PM me instead. Although we appreciate people's desire to send anything, what we really need is student/tandem gear. IF someone had some to loan we would even consider renting it and paying something for it's use. However, that is what we will need to save for, we have no extra money right now to spend on things like goggles, helmets, altimeters, etc. Our hope is that if we all pull together, we can continue QL under a similar name, everyone here is pitching in for nothing in return and maybe after this summer which only has a couple months left, we build enough of a cash reserve to make it a profitable venture next season and everyone can go back to taking a paycheck, etc. If not, then we gave it a go, as best we could and know that we do have intelligent, capable people with some financial backup here to make this work but there just aren't enough of us at this point to support the gear too. Thanks to everyone. If our new DZ survives it will be in part from all of your support and efforts. And I want to make clear that any gear we get is borrowed gear (unless you specify that you are giving it to us). Thanks again to our skydiving community. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Thanks for all the PMs, ideas and responses so far. Yes we can use anything and everything. Like I said, we are starting over. All we have is a bunch of dedicated people determined to make it work, a ton of talent and leadership and an airplane. We are working diligently on all the rest. Someone has PMed me about getting in touch with the manufacturers. That is also a great idea and I will work on that tomorrow. To the best of my knowledge, anything of any monetary value will be tied up until the lawsuit goes away. If the lawsuit wasn't there, I think with the amount of $$$ our jump family has on account, we would have a strong go at getting the rigs right away. But we all know how attorneys work and we need to act fast if it is going to happen at all. That is why I am asking the skydiving community for help. Thanks Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

I think I can guess the body behind the face ... Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

As you all know, Quantum Leap lost 4 family members, two students, our twin otter and some of our gear to a horrible plane crash on July 29, 2006. All that is left are the surviving family of jumpers, our combined inner strength, determination and hope. We still want to skydive and we still want to continue the legacy our brothers left behind. Much is in the current works and is being done to keep Quantum Leap alive as a new corporation and to rename the Sullivan Regional Airport the Scott Cowan Regional Airport. Unfortunately, the only thing standing in our way are the attorneys. Quantum Leap has everything it needs to barely stay afloat except what the attorneys have tied up. Many staff members of Quantum Leap are willing to donate their time and skills to keep the operation running and we are going to try and make a go of it. One of our instructors has lined up a King Air airplane for us to jump out of and has agreed to pay for it out of his own pocket for a month to try and "Jump" start our DZ. What we no longer have access to because they are tied up from the lawsuit are the Quantum Leap rigs. Many of us will try and retrieve Quantum Leap's gear from the thousands of dollars we have on account collectively as a whole. This is what is necessary to keep our DZ alive. So why am I writing you all this post? Because we desperately need at least two tandem rigs and four student rigs to generate the bare bones revenue necessary. This is where we are asking if there are any DZs, DZO's, gear manufacturers or anyone out there who is interested in helping Quantum Leap stay alive. If there is anyone who would be willing to lend us tandem/student gear (for a short period of time), all of our tandem instructors are Vector rated and all of our tandem containers were Vector. If you are able to help we would so greatly appreciate it and please contact Jen O'Hara (NoShitThereIWas on DZ.com) at [email protected]. If you don't have any gear to lend but would like to make a donation to keeping Quantum Leap alive we again very much appreciate all of the help. Donations may be sent to: Velocity Adventures P.O. Box 11715 Clayton, MO 36105 Not only do we want to save Quantum Leap, we want to be up and fully running so we can grant Kimberly Dear's wish of taking her on her tandem skydive at Quantum Leap. If a greenie would please make this a sticky it would also be much appreciated. Thank you all for all of your thoughts, love and words of encouragement in this very difficult time. It is times like this when I am amazed by the human spirit. Blue skies. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Hope I made the call Joe!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM! I haven't met you yet but have had the pleasure of meeting your folks. Can't wait till we meet. You and Steve are in my daily thoughts and prayers. Rest and recover well. Blue skies Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

This is a poem to my friends Scott, Robert, Dave and Rob: There lies an emptiness in my heart Our Quantum Leap family has been torn apart Scott, Robert, Dave and Rob The angels must have needed you for a different job. You touched us all in different ways And for this we will never forget our days. A toast to each and every one we will raise And on nights when I go out to stargaze... I will think of you and miss you so In ways which you will never know Blue skies and peace to our departed friends We will fly with you in our hearts from now on on weekends. The time we spent together and the great times we shared None of us were prepared Great men you all really were For you we will drink lots of beer. We know you are watching over us and flying free It is in our hearts and memories that you will always be. You will never be forgotten. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Senator Talent's contact info: St. Louis Office Three CityPlace Drive, Suite 1020 St. Louis, Missouri 63141 Phone: 314-432-5211 Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Thanks for the link. NoShitThereIWas: It says that Talent had nothin to do with it though; it was Sloca of the Republican Party that made the press release. It even says that Talent sent a personal letter of condolence before the release. Yes it does and as I mentioned, news changes quickly and so do the stories. If you had watched the clip that I did at the time I did, you would have seen the initial story I did. Not to sound paranoid but hopefully you know that what you hear comes from the media. Ask yourself once in a while who controls the media. When it comes to politics and nasty tactics, don't be too confident in some of your politicians. The news on this case initially changed hourly and so did the video clips. I know because I have been following them with a fine toothed comb. These were my friends and I want to know what is happening in relationship to them. I have witnessed much that goes on politically and the tactics of this particular party have not earned my trust. The letter that was filed if you read it closely in bold letters (in the sticky) states that the "FEC Notes McCaskill's FAILURE TO FILE Routine Campaign Finance Reports" yet recent media reports have tried to soften their actions by saying that Sloca released that McCaskill "may not have filed." My personal belief for what it's worth, is that anyone who heard the initial news in it's purest form and had half a backbone was shocked, especially those who were closest to Melissa. Once it got some serious media attention Talent didn't look so good. Now all of the sudden this guy Sloca is going to be the guinea pig and claim he didn't know. If that is the truth, then why when it was proven to him that he was wrong did he still refuse to apoligize and continue to make himself look like an ASS. I hope Talent wrote Melissa's family a LONG letter of apology and try to cover up the words and actions of whomever was responsible for making them. At a time like this it probably doesn't help much but it was the only thing to do. What was said was disrespectful and conniving. Furthermore, if Sloca was the one who was the ASS, why did the written apology come from Talent? Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

Thank you BigGun for the sticky post! I had no way of duplicating the news clip because it was a video. THank you for making it possible for people to read. Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires." Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."