spotandfloat

I remember showing up at Cleveland as a very green skydiver. After jumping at Docs and Austin Paracenter it was certainly a change - no baby sitting at this DC. The 1st time I drove up and got out of the car, I think the DZ was 1 short of a load. I was asked how many jumps I had, was I packed, and told I was going floater. I was on the plane about 5 mins after I arrived, asking the jumper next to me what is a "floater"? After my 1st day I had made about 4 jumps and was just glad to land in open spaces and not in the woods. I also got to witness,, beer light on at noon, many "safety" meetings, tracers bouncing down the runway after dark and the Bottrell Brothers shooting fence posts in half with some sort of huge caliber rifle. Lots of great memories there. I remember a day where Arnie(?) The Norwegian spotted a load a bit long. He disappears for a few hours after the rest of us get back. He then shows up with a trash sack of mushrooms that immediately disappear..... It seems he was spotting himself for some mushroom prospecting. The DZ got very entertaining for the rest of that day. It was here also I learned about Capt. Bluebottle. I was sitting in the rear of the DC-3 as we were climbing and looking up behind the door to the cockpit and seeing people clustered together. It looked like they were breathing air from a scuba regulator. I had no clue what was up and asked. Oh, that is Capt. Bluebottle. It took me awhile to figure what that was about. No wonder everyone was so happy on jump run. lol Cleveland was great fun and I jumped there a full summer before going back to college and back to Austin Paracenter. It was gone the next summer when I was back in Houston. A summer I will not forget. No rules skydiving, take care of yourself, pull before you bounce, this DZ ain't your mommie. I never felt unsafe there as it was my job not to be stooopid. Today's DZs don't remember a "wild" DZ really is. ed naylor

Here is the link to all the Svec humor I have: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051665&id=1165457622&l=83f37e1ecc I hope some managed to save more of the Swooper newletters than I have. I still have not seen any of the cartoons Joe published in the Honolulu newspaper, where I remember him telling he was a cartoonist. Blueskies, ed naylor

Wow. Someone took the time to do a log book at a FB Convention? You had more time than I did - I think I logged about 1 of 10 there. ed

Thanks for posting the pics. I remember those days. Correct - Jeff Kaplan went in on a demo, about in 1975 give or take a few years. (Guess that is a few years back for Clark) McGregor was a ton of fun, and I never took a picture then so I am enjoying yours now. You there the weekend we tried to put Dave Sickler's VW bug in the back of the DC-3? Ed Naylor D-5063, scr-3696,nscr-930, aff jm, Senior rigger, etc. etc....

I know that all of us that knew Dave will miss his mischievous sense of humor and his kindness. I always remember him looking at me with a gleam in his eye and the first thing I would think was something was up and the joke would be on me. I was lucky enough to have a chance to talk to him a few months back for a few hours. He gave me just as much teasing and kidding as he always had - for the last 20+ years. We talked about how we had been lucky to have been in the sport for such a long time and all the fun we have had over the years. Dave knew that the way you got less in life was to settle for it. He never settled for less. "It is better to burn out than to rust" Neil Young Dave, I am going to miss you. I am sure jumpers old and new will feel the same. Blueskies, ed

Damn Walt, Those are pictures from Austin Parachute Center at Bird's Nest. I even recognize everyone. Jeff Kaplan and Jeff Smith are in the picture. Needless to say the remaining people in the picture need to be careful. Blueskies, ed