lekstrom10k

the Para hawks at Salem Michigan started PC's in 1972 in stylemasters with shot and 1/2s and pilot chuted reserves. Harold Lange at Tecumseh bad mouthed us becaused jump rags like his students did

I used to pack Army and Air Force seat packs for Danny Latchford's Midwest Parachute sales in Novi Michigan in 1974. All that riser to go under your butt . Then no steering other than riser tugging. I wouldnt wish that on anybody but it beat the alternative.I got a 1942 28 foot Navy all silk canopy cut steerable by Danny. One jump on it in 1974, I thought I was going to kiss my ankles on landing. Kind of like holding a chain up by one end then dropping it.I still have it. What color would the canopy be ? All white I presume.

Could anyone post some pictures of the parachutes used in F4u Corsairs pilots for the Korean War. A friend is making a movie and would like to be accurate as possible.

Quote It was never good to have colors match. If you did a cutaway who would notice? , With different color some would wonder where are you and look where your going also head start on canopy recovery

As for the RSL I had a 1964 Cross Bow that had one but it only connected to one riser with one-shots

I had a Wonderhog in the late 70's .It didnt have a three ring yet

I finally caught Lars at home to help post this copy of Gerts Ash dive. Thats me with the bag with flamingos on it . Tim and John Sherman made the baf for me at the Jump Shack. It wiil always be that no matter what they say. Cliff Alfiche is side body on me Pat Solar is on the left . Keek {Chris } Myks is next He is Slugger Myks son. His brother Brandon flew 84Charley in the formation. Bryan Shehann is under the Go-Pro on my left. Ryan Hanold took the pictures and video. A few others had a misshap and couldnt dock to form a giant "G" for Gert. There was also a "G" on the ground made up from flamingos standing Honor Guard for us.

Mine was last Friday and as tradition I magic markered a 7 on one palm and a 2 on the other . The numbers were about 3 inches high and 3/8 thick . I had two girls in a threeway then split to a line palms flat and up. we had hoped for more people to fill slots behind but only had one more guy on my tail. It worked out great. It can be seen on my facebook page Larry Ekstrom for an idea. I did that with a lot of Tandem videos, They liked it We had a guy with 95 on his hands a few weeks ago

I dont know yet. There was a post from Aerohio when I did a 15 second one there. at 71 years old. Videos are filtering down now from the 29 way and the SOS jump . I have a picture of our JOS jump but have to have my kid post it soon

I am it

We did the state record 29 way POPS on Saturday after 4 tries. Sunday the state record SOS 11 way and sequential. We had 4 people ready for the state record JOS jump on Saturday night . Alas it dwindled to me and Doug again for the record Sunday We had two videos of us doing theTwisty Thing . for eight points. I also set the record for NNKS at 24 seconds . I don't know if I can print Night Nude Keg Stand on here

Last weekend in a practice JOS record jump for Skydive Tecumseh Solstice Boogie this weekend. Doug Coleman and I did a 6 point two way. Big deal but our combined ages were 143 and 95 combined years of jumping with 16000 plus total jumps.Cant wait to see or totals at the boogie

I started in 1967 so that makes it 7

There was a picture with two tandems in an eight or 10 way over Ohare airport with jets taking off and landing. Nice picture the you saw what month it was then April Fools issue. Some still believe its real.

Friday is her memorial service , Her ash dive will be in Tawas MI on August 23 at Tommy Oriellys boogie .John Sherman is having her ash bag built like Vickie Johnston's, Except it will have flamingos on it the sacred bird of sky divers. I was astounded to find out Vickie was 6 days older than Gert. If you go to my sight on Facebook there are a lot of pictures. I don't know how to transfer them. She wrote her own epitath 30 years ago. Also a poem to Jessica Myks . Sluggers daughter. Again I don't know how to transfer it. Thanks again for caring.

A friend and co-worker at the GM tech center did a tandem in Lost Wages (Las Vegas with an instructor named John. She said he did tandems in Michigan at all the DZ's . I don't recall him . I said what does your certificate say ? She said she never got one (Strange). I saw his picture but nothing clicked. I asked Mikey P and Dale Maddox and Tony Gwinn nothing from them either . It was a PAC they jumped out of if that helps . No he doesn't owe me money just curious

My Wife started jumping in 07 08 1972 at Salem MI with the Para hawks Although she only made 33 jumps she has one more coming,She was well known in Michigan Ohio IN IL. She went to the first Richmond Boggie . All the Hinckley Scrambles and Freak Brothers at Freeport and Quincey. She made T-Shirts for Missie and Rook when they were tots. She developed MS about 35 years ago . She got one tandem jump by me 20 years after her last solo jump. Her crutch was brought to her to get off the field under her own power. She was a smoker for a long time but finally quit. Well cancer had other plans. She complained everything was going dim and she couldn't see or hear. That was in September. EMS took her to a hospital were she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She went through Chemo that made things worse eventually. She passed away in a hospital room with 16 family and friends there. We plan an ash dive for her at Tommy Oriellys Tawas Boogie in late August . Keep her in your hearts and prayers she had to put up with me for38 years and Cancer too.

We did my first night jump at midnight into Oxford Mi.We jumped a U-206 no door . We flew over the DZ under clouds. When it was time to jump total overcast. As Robert {Marty} Martin would say about my stories they always said "We jumped anyway". We were supposed to call Lou Schroeder as soon as we landed, we didn't. He called the party. Tom Campau {Midwest Parachutes}answered the phone. Lou asked if everybody all 5 were OK. Tom said I suppose so. Lou said "What" Tom then said except for Dave. "wheres Dave" from Lou . Tom We never saw him after we left the plane . Lou "Go look for him " Tom " No its cold and dark outside. We will look for him in the morning when its light and warmer. Besides there are a lot of girls and beer here. Lou didn't know Dave was laughing right next to Tom. Lou still lets us jump for free. "If you guys are dumb enough to jump and I am dumb enough to fly its free".

I got to jump eith Bob a few times at Napoleon MI a few summers ago. A real class gentlemen .

I can honestly say you aren't even close on that. You meant to say 2500 drunken bored skydivers at Quincy in the rain. Let the carnage begin. Drunken base jumps off motor homes into the waiting arms of equally drunken catchers smashing their foreheads together. Then it gets worse

The Charles Shannon Michigan is still around but living in IN now

I stand corrected the drip rail above the door made it look like a C-47. They had three doors in back the front door was square with a person rounded top door in it it hinged from the front . The rear cargo was square and hinged from the rear.. I could be jumped with both cargo doors off but most pilots taught it was to squirrely. Some DC-3s had a curved drip rail over the round top door. That's all there was for floater bars

Sugar was WWII phonetic alphabet. The modern one has Sierra for "S". Its funny because the plane on the cover is a C-47 not a DC-3.

He was when I worked for him not when he worked for Wright Patt.

I never recall that as he never jumped.