Jim_Hooper

Actually, it was my main, dumped by Billy Revis on my 1,000th, but only after we'd completed a 10-man practice jump, so I didn't really mind swinging at 5,000 feet. If it had happened before completing the star, the disciplinarian in me might indeed have bubbled to the surface. But, as I'm sure you know, hyperbole always makes for a better story. Mike, nice guy that he was, just wasn't cut out for RW and must have taken my not letting him jump with the Ten High Bunch very personally. But the safety of everyone on the team meant I had no option. Decisions always piss off someone. Fact of life. Hoop

As Muff528 and Jack "Sensei" Gregory have noted, there was the R-1340-powered L-10E Electra and the R-985-powered L-12 Electra Junior. There's a whole chapter about the Cayman Island jump. There's also a not entirely flattering description of Mr. Hooper. HW Hmmm, never went to the Caymans. But as far as the last, do tell! And I always thought Mike and I were pals. Ah, well...as long as he spelled my name correctly... Hoop

Well, Howard, we certainly wrung that one out for you. Hoop

QuoteCould Howard's pic be a Lockheed C-40A / model 12 Electra Junior?reply] Very well could be. R-985s, door farther forward, that distinctive keel evident in both Mike Swain's photo and the link you added. Jack Gregory is normally the best man I know when it comes to aircraft recognition. You there, Jack? Gives us your wisdom. Hoop www.jimhooper.co.uk

You'll note in the attached that the L-10E has a more rounded belly, shorter, stubbier nose, and is proportionally longer from trailing edge of wing root to horizontal stabilizer than a Twin Beech. And inasmuch as N355B was the only Electra used as a jumpship, the paint job on Mike's photo doesn't match. (What a pedantic bore, eh?) Hoop www.jimhooper.co.uk PS And the distance from wing root to door is noticeably greater on the L-10E.

HW-- I think Mike made an error on the Lockheed caption. Having made a few dozen D-18 jumps and 449 out of "Amelia," I'm pretty sure that's a photo of a Twin Beech. The Lockheed L-10E is bigger with less tapered wings and carried P&W R-1340s. Hoop

Good memory, Rog-- I'd guess 95% of my T-bow landings were standups, and a fair few demos into tight DZs. And yeah, a couple of malfunctions I decided to leave behind. If I'm not mistaken, they were your reserve pack jobs I rode down. Hoop

What's wrong with your memory, Mayfield? It was the '71 Turkey Meet where you guys smoked the Ten High Bunch into 2nd place. Here's a photo taken a couple of days after the event, when a few from the above-mentioned teams stayed to make some hot skydives. Hoop SCR242 SCS90 NSCR26

Tuna, Sparky and Bozo-- All three services in RVN flew the Bird Dog, though most of the Air Force tactical air support squadrons had phased out the O-1 for the O-2 (Cessna 337) by the time frame of my book. Shortly after that, the Marines replaced their Bird Dogs with the North American/Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. The twin-engine O-2 had four hardpoints that could take rocket pods and minigun pods. The latter were seldom mounted for reasons stated in my previous post. Just to make sure I wasn't talking out my ass, I checked with former USAF pilot Walt Shiel, author of the definitive work Cessna Warbirds. Here's his response: "Jim, I think there were a few reasons for never flying with four pods installed: (1) The extra weight affected climb performance quite a bit, especially in the high density altitudes common in the higher altitudes in portions of Vietnam and Laos. (2) The extra weight and doubled drag index of 4 vs 2 pods cut fuel consumption by an extra 7% or so (loiter time was very important to a FAC) (3) Two pods provide 14 rockets total for target marking, and FACs generally needed only WP rockets to mark a target (rarely more than two and that usually only to bracket a target). So two pods were sufficient for almost all missions. The O-2's minigun pods were only used initially in Vietnam before being quickly withdrawn, as too many gung-ho, wannabe-fighter-pilot FACs tried to use that little peashooter to engage troops and even crew-served AA weapons. And too many were taking serious damage or getting shot down. A FAC's job was not to engage the enemy on his own but to direct the fighters with serious firepower to do so. I'm not positive when the last USAF O-1 was replaced by the O-2 or the OV-10. The Ravens in Laos (admittedly only semi-USAF) flew the Bird Dog right up until the end of US combat ops. And the Army, of course, operated Bird Dogs right up until 1973." So, guys, I hope that answers your questions. Those of you who have read A Hundred Feet Over Hell will have noted that the only time the Catkillers used their M-16s was when there was an pressing tactical need to help troops in contact, and close air support was not immediately available. Hoop www.jimhooper.co.uk

Tuna-- With full fuel, pilot and observer, radios and rockets tubes, a Bird Dog (basically a C-170) was already over gross. Hanging an M-60 under the wing would have added more weight and drag to the 85kt Cessna. It would also have encouraged very aggressive twentysomethings to actively look for targets to strafe. In an area known for mobile 12.7mm and 14.5mm heavy machineguns, this would have seen more of the Catkillers KIA. Calling in artillery or marking targets and running Marine, Air Force or Navy close air support (A-4s, F-4s, A-6s, A-7s) was a much more effective way of dealing with concentrations of enemy troops. They weren't supposed to fly lower than 1,500' AGL (3,000' when they went into North vietnam), but to get the job done, sometimes they were working just above the treetops. Hoop

If you'd like a bookplate to go in it, PM me with an address and what you'd like said. Hoop

Rob -- coming from someone who knows aviation, that's one helluva punchy review. Thanks. Kate and Rog - glad the bookplates arrived safely. Hope you enjoy the read. Hoop

I made about the same number of jumps on a T-bow as Mike, with a couple of malfunctions - but then, I was a seriously fast trash-packer. (Roger Clark once said something like, "The way you pack, I'm surprised it ever opens!") Went from the T-bow to a Paradactyl, solely for the lower pack volume. Around 300 on that, too. hoop

Sparky-- What a great compliment. Thanks! Do you mind if I quote you? Hoop

Rob-- If you go to www.amazon.ca, it's $17.33. http://www.amazon.ca/Hundred-Feet-Over-Hell-1968-1969/dp/0760336334/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259130779&sr=1-1 Hoop

Tuna-- Possibly. PM me with them first, please. Hoop

Tuna-- If Royal Mail and USPS are doing their jobs, the bookplate should be there in a couple of days. Am down to three out of the last 300 the publisher sent me, but more are on the way. Hoop

The offer stands. If you'd like a bookplate to go in it, PM me with an address. Hoop

Kate-- Your choice. Whichever address you give me, I'll have it in the mail the same day. --Hoop

I don't want a bookplate I want a personal note with signature. Like I got from Colonel John Fenzel. http://www.johnfenzel.com/ And I'm still pissed about not being invited to the Smithsonian signing. Steve, ol' buddy-- Ed Scott at USPA put out a note on Facebook about it, so I figured...okay, okay, so I screwed up. Anyway, attached is what a bookplate looks like. Tell me what you want on it and I'll comply. Should take about a week to reach you via snail mail. Hoop SCR242 www.jimhooper.co.uk

We forgive you the "conversational re-creations". I was hoping someone would.

I will second Kim's comments. No one contributed more to relative work than Jerry Bird. Hoop SCR242 SCS90 NSCR26 www.jimhooper.co.uk

Many thanks for the generous comments. The book-signings at the two National Air and Space Museums' locations last month went very well, made better by having Andy Keech - skydiver and distinguished author of the three Skies Call volumes - being there. Wish we'd had more time to sit down and reminisce with our favorite lies and jump stories. The early success of A Hundred Feet Over Hell, which has been at the top of the Air Warfare genre the last four months, has been very gratifying, with a steady stream of excellent reviews appearing, not least the one in Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine. Amazon offers the best price. http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Feet-Over-Hell-1968-1969/dp/0760336334/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235769491&sr=1-1 If anyone has a copy and wants it signed, gimme a shout and I'll drop a personalized bookplate in the mail. Just peel off the back and put it on the first page. Hoop - D4019 SCR242 SCS90 NSCR26 www.jimhooper.co.uk

Jack Gregory gave me a heads-up on this thread, and I'm moved to read all the tributes to Frenchy. He showed up at the old-old Zhills in the mid-70s and quickly appropriated a space under the packing shed, which he reclaimed every winter. Two or three winters later, his ratty main and reserve were stolen. He was in tears at the prospect of not being able to jump. Dan Landis, Mitch Decoteau and Paul Juel secretly took up a collection and bought a second-hand Racer, with a fairly docile square, and presented it to him on the DZ. Frenchy was left (almost) speechless and worked very hard to stay in character: the first word out of his mouth was Merde! He may even have bought a case of beer, though it could well have been the stash he purloined and kept hidden. Frenchy was never much impressed with change; if his original set of gear hadn't been stolen, he might have continued jumping it for another ten years. When I had 40T painted with rainbow stripes, he grumbled at me that "Merde! Eet iz lak old woman with too much makeup!" Moving the center off the airport for the '81 World Meet caused more grumbles and complaints, though he admitted it was easier to find wood for the nightly campfires. One of my favorite stories about the irrascible Frenchman was his finding a wallet that had been lost by a jumper from up north on a no-suiter load. (Remember how he'd scour the DZ and surroundings every morning, looking for lost ripcords?) Inside was $900. I called the guy, who confirmed that the amount was correct, and then asked me to give Frenchy $300 and mail the balance to him, which I thought was a class act. When I sold the center, I insisted on a clause in the contract that Frenchy was guaranteed a roof and bed whenever he came down for the winter. What would the evenings have been like without his fires? He visited me in England about three years ago, after visiting his family in France. We reminisced about those wonderful times and he admitted his heart was still at the original center. When I delivered him to the bus station, he promised to be back in a couple of years. In fact, a letter at the beginning of 2009 stated he had every intention of keeping that promise. The care center where he was staying gave me his telephone number and I called a few times, which always seemed to surprise him Damn, I miss him. Hoop

Cael -- in the late 70s, Z'hills jumper James Revelle headed for Rhodesia, where he spent almost a year as a PJI. He returned and then moved to Amarillo, and we never heard another word from or about him. If you have any contacts there, you might try to trace him. Good luck. Hoop www.jimhooper.co.uk