fastphil

Good story, Bill, what a trip. Gotta say, though, that your NSCSA number looks kinda high from my point of view...

Count me in, I'm easy...

A fitting tribute; thanks Bill. Wonder how long Byron will be aloft...

Wish I waa 25 and had 50 bucks, sounds like fun... Dude, you fail to realize a time when, between the time you ordered new custom gear and the time you recieved it, the sport is redefined and your new custom gear outdated. What have you done for skydiving lately???

Hmmm... good taste and a touch of class too. Those Starlites are just suped up PCs

Been awhile, but I have several hundred jumps on the one in the attachment. I don't have it anymore but may still have a starlight in the closet, if you like snappy openings...

Drooling???, sounds to me like they spilled beer...

I've made quite a few passes thru the small door also, with no lasting damage; but one of the girls at our DZ was making a mass exit one day and suddenly found herself flapping against the side of the plane as her wedding ring had hooked somewhere on the edge of the door. She fell free shortly, when her finger detached at the knuckle...

The competetive edge was keen at Doc's DZ in those days. The "Hit and Chug" combined the disciplines of parachute accuracy and beer drinking, and always allowed the finest to rise to the top and be recognized...

Probably after the big, post jump drunk many of the details were forgotten...

Thanks for the video; you guys know how to crank it up...

I can remember some of the girls (snoots??) from "Exite us". Moffett (mmm), Midget Mary, Claire Bare... Other's may come later

Although this is not an answer to your question, it is somewhat relavent. EVERY skydiving incident or mishap I've witnessed or had first hand knowledge of has been mis-reported by the media. I always keep that proverbial grain of salt handy while reading news...

the SCS (Star Crest Soloist) and SCR (Star Crest Recipient) are awards for certain freefall relative work proficiencies. SCR is given for being in an eight person star, and SCS is awarded for flying into the star eighth or later. An ASO is an Area Safety Officer. The Pea's is also the site for the SCR award ceremony...

Regardless of the change over the years, the cost of a jump has always been a primary reason for a skydiver to have a job. Five hundred jumps my first year of jumping made me a regular at the worksite...

Woo Hoo on your B license. I got one too (I skipped the A though, made too many jumps too fast, I guess). And the Bare Ass is cool too, now how about that Bare Ass Eight Way (BASCS). I like your attitude...

Hey Paula, I feel your pain; RW will always be the defining edge of this sport, but it's probably the most frustrating discipline to practice...

Oh yeah, would be hard to forget a name like Tenafly...

"Cow Palace" was the DZ near Rosharon TX that we jumped the Load Toad (N59720 ?). This was during a boycott of Spaceland, and Svec, showing his usual testosterone, had found and set up our airship, pilot, grass runway, and local friendly law enforcement. The DZ was quite cool, by the way. I made at least six jumps, I see right away in my logbook, and that may have been all the jumps out at that location. I don't remember any stalls, but the pilot, who had not flown for jumpers before but seemed very cool with his plane (He had cleaned all the pot smell out from the last haul, also) would keep airspeed at about 120 knots on jump run with the nose down. I was the only floater (ragdoll) to ever hang outside the aircraft in that breeze...

Yeah, I remember the long summer afternoons when I would head out to Spaceland after work. For twenty bucks I could make three jumps and have a BBQ and a beer. The attachment is for a jump at Doc's DZ in Hitchcock; don't even ask how it didn't get used, and I don't mind Doc owing me one last load...

oops, attachment disappeared...

Got mine, low number too...

R.I.P Spaceland. I rode by the DZ today just to take a look, not much to see. Even the highway is changed, and Dead Baby Curve no longer there, but a whole new four lane highway cuts through. The entrance to a new subdivision stands where the machine gun range once was, still remember hearing those Thompsons pop while under canopy. Beacon Rides at Spaceland Airpark where the best, guess those will have to remain just a memory also. Boatman's Otter was # 500, not the one in the picture. My brother would demo it at airshows, he claimed it was the best made. Just for old time sakes I ran my two wheeler up to free fall speed, just like I'd done on the runway so many times before. Check out the bumper stickers of the time (posted)