RogerRamjet

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I owned one wonderhog and two Buchman Eagles. The wonderhog was first by a least a year...

Hi Mike, not sure why when you bought your rigs would dictate when either started making their rigs. When I left Booth to work for Buchmann and moved up to Aurora for the summer, there were a ton of Eagle rigs being jumped at Hinkley already, so he had been making rigs for a while before I got there.

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Roger Ramjet's the one to ask. From his post on where are they now?

What about you, you've been around long enough that I may have met you. I was the rigger at Z-Hills in 1973-early 74 before going to work for Bill Booth. Worked for him about a year building the first 100+ Wonderhogs, then went with Bill Buchman to IL for the summer to build his rigs. Returned and continued to jump at Z-Hills, Deland, and the Sod Farm (off 301 in Tampa).

While I worked for both "Bills," I have no idea who's rig was in service first. I never saw an Eagle rig before going to work for Buchmann, but his operation started in Ill while I lived and worked in Fla. I expect they both started pretty close to the same time, but have no way to know for sure.

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Suzie Luger? Where's she?

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Suzie Luger, wasn't she Silly's girlfriend for a long time? Pretty blond girl as I remember.

I remember Suzie working at Booth's Relative Workshop (pre-uninsured days). I dealt with her on the phone ordering and tracking my rig. Great lady, always helpful. Here's a shot of her I took at the '77 Z-Hills Turkey Boogie.... Suzie "Hogback" was a nickname often used, as I recall.

Yeah, that's Suzie alright. I started working for Bill Booth while he was renting from Pam Tayon in Miami. We used her converted garage to build the first 100 or so Wonderhogs. Bobby came on right around that time and just a bit later Silly started working there. The story I heard at the time was that Suzie showed up on Silly's doorstep and asked to move in (don't know if the girlfriend rating came then or after). She came to work for Booth also. I left shortly after to work for Bill Buchmann building his rigs. Not sure how many more rigs they built before the move. Booth then moved up to Deland and I believe all three went up with him.

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Roger Freakbrother spelled my name wrong.I miss him. I spent 8 years sailing around the world with my wife & kids.Finally stopped in a really nice place, Ilove it here.Still have my container i built in my garage with a paradactyl in the reserve & a Paraflite test reserve for a main.Hope you're doing well.Been a long time.

Thanks for the update. Not really visualizing the final sail into Montana though Yeah, I miss both Roger and Carl and think of them from time to time. No skydiving gear left for me though.

Made my last jumps out at the Sod Farm near Tampa finishing right at 1000. Didn't really plan to stop, just kinda went less and less. Got married too, no kids. Living in South Florida now in Lake Worth (West Palm Beach area). Current sport is competitive waterskiing.

I've been up to Deland and Z-Hills a few times. Went to Z-Hills for Walter Lamdin's Sister's memorial jump. She was a jumper too, not sure if you knew her though (Jane Lambdin). Her daughter and some of her friends made tandems for the event. I took my camera for that and also there were several of us there from Hooper's 1975 Ten High Bunch speed star team. See this link for pictures I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16626901@N00/sets/72157623605573411/

Not long before that event, my wife and I went to London on vacation and Hooper came up for an evening. Hadn't seen him since the 70s, so great to get together and remember the great times we all had back in the day...

Been up to Deland too. Carl Daugherty is still going strong and has offered to do a recert training and AFF jump with me for free. Bob offered the rental rig and ride up for free as well. Haven't done anything about it though. Haven't ruled it out yet either.

I'd love to talk to you a bit. PM me a phone number and a good time and I'll give you a call if you're up for it.

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Mr. D was considerably slower, but it had a nice sound system in it, for the ride up. And seems like Marshall Tucker was always being played. Yes it had two stage superchargers, but as I recall it was only 600shp per side.

Burke

Yeah, Mr. D had an 8 track, 8 speaker system. I preferred Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon myself for the run to altitude.

I too remember the transition around 5k on the blowers...

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Bobby Gray in Montana still alive!

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Hi Bobby, funny thing is your name is spelled Grey in the Freakbrothers website.

What the hell are you doing in Montana?!?

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

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Of all the Gooney birds I have flown none could compare with the Southern Cross in power and climb. It was the only light skinned 3 that was approved for 1820-76D's equipped with 2- speed super chargers for a combined 2,900 horse power. In high blower it could effortlessly climb to 27,200 feet. My logbook shows 262 loads at 100% reliability. I operated the airplane very conservatively, flying the engines at 55 to 65% for a 1,000 foot per minute climb. At a 17,000 foot exit, the power reductions started at about 14,000 slowing the rate of climb to about 600 fpm and 85 knots. The cut airspeed was about 70 knots and a bunch of left rudder. There is quite a bit of finesse to really get a 3 to perform and remain reliable, you fly the engines. The airframe is just along for the ride. I wish the latest owner good luck with her. Bob Metz

Did you ever fly the Deland "Mr. Douglas" DC-3? It also had 2 stage super chargers. Not sure what engines though. It was the fastest climbing DC-3 I jumped from. If you have indeed flown both, which is faster and by how much?

Hi Kim, great story. I believe George is residing and occasionally jumping at Z-Hills area these days. He's on facebook as well.

IMG won't work on this forum, here it is linked:
http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc329/redfish443/2009_1214jacket0011.jpg

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Do you remember if I was rigging back then?

I don't know who was rigging. I do know that I took over as rigger shortly after I started jumping, but I don't know who I replaced.

Z-Hills July 1st, 1973. $40.00 FJC with static lined T-10s. I did get a certificate with that

I had both of those patches. Had the XX patch on my pop-top reserve.

I think Nick is right too though I didn't know there were tables in the back of the book... It was about time from exit altitude to 2000 feet (normal pack opening altitude for experienced jumpers at that time).

12,500 = 60, 10,500 = 50, 7500 = 30.

And then there were the style guys and gals who went (at least at Z-Hills where I started) to 6600. Not sure what the time to opening was for them since they got into such a tight ball for the turn/loop sequences.

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Wow, that would be way cool Rog, it's normally the middle of January, this year it was the 15th Jan. I'll be sure and put you in the email loop for next year...glad to have you!

Ok, email is rogerbclark at bellsouth dot net

Thanks!

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Friday the 14th of Jan, Mike Patterson, Ron Schott, Mike Branch and Bill (Tuna) Case met at a Cuban restaurant in Z-hills and had a good time reminiscing about our past history there.
After lunch we all went out to the DZ currently there and I was particularly amazed at the operation now going on there.
Any of you old guys would know the old bunker where aircraft armament was sighted in but it's now devoid of all that mound of dirt around it and turned into a shop of some kind along with many new buildings and facilities for jumpers.
There were lots of people camped there and many were doing skydives. The gear was of particular interest to me and I was amazed at the technology now in use, entire rigs the size of one of the old belly warts, sleek functional and SMALL would cover it wit a side order of cost $$$(Phew!).
Other aspects of change since back when, the amazing twin otters, three teams, straight jump run, all out in sequence.....and the otter is down before the last guy hits the field...amazing....
Forward speed, drive....Jesus H Christ, if we'd a had that gear back then....man o man... spotting is no longer needed....
Best of all, Jerry Bird's Bar....we all got caught by the old 8x10's of the original teams, Mike and Ron were clearly evident along with many of the people we knew and loved back then, a fitting tribute to the "stone age" of jumping and beginnings of relative work....awesome to see and remember.
It felt great to be back in and around the sport and personally I was truly amazed at how much equipment has changed for the better, and skydivers from Europe....France, Germany, Russia, we talked with a guy from Finland who explained the gear to us, truly wonderful that the sport has developed to the extent it has, I know we were all amazed at the day.
Hopefully we can make it an annual affair and would hope any one from those days would join us next year.
Tuna...

If I'd known you were doing this, I would have come up this year! Count me in for next year

That's the Fast Harry I remember for sure!

Congratulations Pat! Proud to know you and tickled to death to find out I'm mentioned in "UWF."

If you make to to Deland or Z-Hills, let me know and I will come up to say hi if possible!

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I can remember being at Zhills in the spring of '69, and working for Jeff Searles at the DZ there. Although I do remember 95 N, I do have a picture of Frank Youngquist, Jeff and Bonnie in front of a 196 which is likely Frank's and taken on a visit while he was at Zhills. I'll try and find it but think it's been posted on here somewhere. I had disremembered that there were two of the aircraft but the only one I flew was 95N.
Thanks to this posting the story is now refreshed in my mind and I thank you for that.
Flying the 196 was one of the high points in my time at the hills....fantastic aircraft and one helluva jump ship. And, there is nothing quite the same as firing that R985 up first thing in the morning......

So one day I'm sitting in Jeff Searles office and he is talking with Lou Howell about getting checked out in the 196. Lou already had tail dragger experience I believe in a 180 and might have been flying the L-10E by then also.

Jeff: "Ok, just take it to the back runway and taxi up and down a bit to get the feel of it."
Lou: "What about take off?"
Jeff: "Take off is just a fast taxi."

That was it. About a month later, Lou dropped a load at 12,500 from the 196 and when he began his decent, the oil pressure dropped to nothing. He shut down and performed a perfect dead stick. I suppose that incident completed his final checkout

Other than finding the "training" humerous, I never really thought about it until reading recent incident threads where dead stick jumper pilots (from altitude) crashed short of the airport. Certain pilots just seemed to be more "on top of things" than others and Lou seemed to be one of those guys to me. Always felt comfortable with him at the controls...

Since the pilots contributing to this thread are still with us, I have to assume you guys are part of the "on top of things" group as well!

There was another guy, Jim Whiting (I think) that I jumped with who was living at a University near Aurora. I remember Bill Buchmann taking the Loadstar somewhere one day and Jim and I hitched a ride and jumped into Jim's dorm. Surprised a few pedestrians when we touched down on the street at the campus. The good old days.

Instructor rating. Hmmm, I trained and put students out at Z-Hills FL, Rainbow WI, Hinkley IL, Downsville MD, and probably others and never had a rating or even a license. 1000 jumps and I would not be able to do what an A license holder is allowed to right now

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I have a lot of very good memories of Hinckley and it's jumpers...

It's where I first met and jumped with Roger & Carl...

Roger, Carl, Jim (Bohr), Red (Kostiba), Pat and Jan Works to name a few...

I have a lot of very good memories of Hinckley and it's jumpers...

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Roger, N4395N was the original 196 used at Z-hills, it was purchased by my Dad in 1968 when he still owned the DZ, he used it to support the US team training that year. There is a picture of it with the US Team on the cover of Parachutist at that time. Dad latter sold it to Jeff Searles along with the DZ, that's when Tuna came to Z-hills and started flying it, in the meanwhile Frank Younquist had 78V and was flying jumpers at Jeff's old DZ in Rainbow, WI. Frank came down with 78V in the late 60's and early 70's and the two airplanes did many formation loads at Z-hills. My aircraft is N4383V it has never seen a jumper and will always stay that way, it is the sister ship to 95N and still has the tip tanks and shortened wings which 95N had in the begining but were latter changed to regular wings. Steve's report on the fate of 78V is accurate and the only surviving 196's of the four that were made is mine and 95N which is owned by a friend of mine who has restored it to like new condition in spite of it's having over 17,000 hours of jump time on it.

Thanks for posting Richard; nice to get the scoop from someone who knows! Great seeing you last March for the Jane Lambdin memorial jump, hope to see you again soon.

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RR,
78V was also a C196. 4-5 C195,s were converted in mid 50,s by PFS for high altitude aerial mapping. Flew down to Z-Hills spring of 72, w/ friend made a few jumps out of 10E & C196. As I recall maybe only time there were 3 C196,s on airport. 95N, 78V, and C196 w/tip tanks which I believe is currently owned by guy whose father was the airport mgr then-Porter? Picture of 78V by JW looks suspicously like airplane when I arrived in Z-Hills after taking the paint off leading edges in a TS inbound to the Hills..SS

Wow, I knew there were a handful of conversions, but wouldn't have bet two of them served at dropzones I've jumped at. Very cool.

I sent a private message to Richard Porter on Facebook pointing him to this thread. If he responds there instead of here, I'll pass along whatever he has to offer. Just saw him ealier this year at the Jane Lamdin memorial jump along with about half the 1975 10 high bunch. See photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16626901@N00/sets/72157623605573411/

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N3878V was destroyed in 76' Accident PI Lakewood,NJ . 95N Z-Hills Rainbow Paint Scheme Completely Restored now Red/White living in Lakeland,Fl.

I didn't have the two aircraft confused if that's what you mean. N3878V was a 195, while the Z-Hills plane is a 196 (450hp engine conversion). I have a ton of jumps from the Z-Hills 196; fantastic aircraft for it's time.

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Before (with the usual suspects) and after the crash pics. We took it to a place down the road that painted school buses. They did it for free from what I remember just cause it was something different to paint.
From what I heard it has been completely restored and lives in florida.

Looks like Jef Searles on the far right who I believe owned Rainbow for a time (and Z-Hills). Si Fraser took over from him and that's who I worked for when putting students out there.