MrPeapit

Do you know approx what year that was? I was unaware that they ran Z-Hills at any time... George and Betty sold the Chambersburg DZ to the AFF East group in 1984 and took the DC-3 to Z-Hills. It was a couple of years later that TJ went down there and had his accident. It was indeed a shock to all of us who knew him. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

What a great thread. Brought to mind all those zero-G's at Chambersburg. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Hey OB, I trained at SPC in '77. I remember some of those people you mention. Jim's Always was always a treat on a Sunday morning. Mike Zazadill was my instructor/jump master on my first jump. Jamie went on tot he Golden Knights and was one of the jumpers in the Olympic Ring formation ant the games. Sorry you had to deal with all those issues, I have only fond memories of those days. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Dick Kreis passed away on February 1 , 2011. Thanks for the many rides to altitude over Chambersburg, Dick. You flew that D-18 like it was a part of you. Blue skies forever. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

I have been a Bethesdite almost all my life. All of those DZ's are great. Just pick one and go. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

That reminds me of a picture I saw of a three way line with a pig in the middle. They were having a pig roast at Pelicanland and these guys put a rig on the pig, took it on an AFF jump and deployed its main before tracking off. The pig, having been deceased, had no idea that his main gently circled around and landed in the peas. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

I experienced a floating reserve ripcord after a cutaway. It took the normal amount of force to deploy. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Is that really TJ in '75? He was one of four of us at Chambersburg that would go to breakfast early every Sunday morning then come back and make the first Cessna load before most everybody woke up from the previous night's debauchery. It was a shock when we heard he went in. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Buon Anno da Washington! 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Made a few jumps out there many years ago. Nice to know the "small town" atmosphere is still there. My kind of DZ. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Amen to that. I would conscientiously object to jumping into a fire. I've only known one smoke jumper in my day. He just took the extra danger in stride as part of the job. They were cut from a different cloth than the rest of us. Definitely not F-111. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

All the ones I saw were usually around 30 ft in diameter. I don't know if that was the standard or not. It's too bad they're disappearing. I was never an accuracy competitor but I shot the peas on every skydive just because it was another fun part of the jump. They also made for comfortable sleeping on cool nights. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

I just looked at my Para-Commander Handbook for the first time in decades. That's the book all of us got for information on packing, flying and landing the PC. You sure nobody at Maytown has one for you to peruse? 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

503d parachute regiment during WWII. Created by Walt Disney Studios? 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.

Thanks to YouTube, because that's one of the few places to hear the real thing if you're not in Nashville or Branson. Outlaw country and chicken pickers like Albert Lee took country to its apex. It's been downhill ever since on the airwaves. 1st jump August 6, 1977. Last jump July 8, 2006.