howardwhite

OK, I went to Berlin in 1962 when I was in the Army. I have some photos from Checkpoint Charlie. I rode the troop train. I plan to make a jump tomorrow. HW

There was also a DZ at Fulton, NY. HW

That's what I thought too. I think the "system" is trying to screw you> HW

Why do you need an MRI? An X-ray should give your ortho all he/she needs to know. When my doc saw my x-rays, he said "you must have a high threshold for pain." "Give me two weeks to order the parts." HW

Arthritis. My hip was clicking -- bone to bone. The surgery and recover was relatively painless. I spent two weeks in a nursing home doing rehab. HW

I think I had a Tri-Conical. Is that the Pioneer 23-footer you had in mind? HW

The longer you wait, the more it will hurt. I've got about 500 jumps on a Titanium hip. HW

Still betting on CrossKeys. HW

I believe she's gone to Crosskeys in NJ. HW

It was taking off to the south on 19. Got about half way down and then shut down. Copilot fixed the problem, the plane back taxied, and took off normally. As to the pump thing, the only one I remember was a 180, 44C, which had no jumpers in it. There were railroad ties around the pump and the pilot was taxiing to get fuel when the wheels hit a tie. The plane went up on its nose and burst into flames. Mike, the pilot, got out safely but the plane was totalled. The staff immediately painted out the PI logo and markings to avoid bad publicity pix. HW

The pilot was a retired Eastern Airlines captain with, as I recall, about 39,000 hours. I was there and saw it. HW

Skydive New England does not jump year round. Their Otter is down south. The only New England that jumps year round is CPI in CT. HW

I think it's an L10A. Z-Hills had one for a while. Lemme look in pic archives. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Model_10_Electra HW

Muppett's ash dive will be at Jumptown in Orange, MA Sunday June 12 with a weather date the following Saturday. There are links on the Jumptown web and FB pages for donating to bring his family to the US. HW

True HW

Astounded to learn of the death of Gary Harbird, D-25785, in a BASE jump in Europe. Known also as "Muppet," he was from southwest England (Dunkeswell) but had been working in the states as an instructor and video guy for many years, at Providence/Boston Skydiving Center and then at Jumptown. He did a lot of BASE jumps, including from a TV tower about two miles from my home -- I'll never go by it again without thinking of him. He had also worked as a tunnel instructor and coach and helped me beginning to understand backflying only a couple of months ago.. Blue skies, Mup. HW

Maybe here. HW

I deeply regret starting this thread. HW

I'm saddened to learn of the death this morning of Denis Ducharme Sr. D-5274 of Dracut, MA. He was the ultimate fun jumper -- never much interested in competition or instruction, but always in boogies. And he was an active demo jumper, with a Pro rating. He mostly jumped in New England, but also Florida boogies. I put Denis out, along with his friend Tommy LaRochelle, on their first jumps in Orange, MA about 40 years ago. I always joked with him that I made a mistake by attaching his static line. He contracted brain cancer about a year ago. HW

Here's the Camels ad, a repost. There was also a billboard in Times Square HW

Calm your nerves. HW

Actually, I had you beat on this one here. HW

The late Mark Schmidt, D-21, flew for Zantop. probably these. He was one of the first to fly jumpers in an Otter, at Pepperell, MA in 1971. HW

Facebook is ok; you just have to set your privacy settings, which are not always the default settings. When you get on, look at my videos. HW

If you're on Facebook, you can sign up for this group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_161859267167701&ap=1 It's called New England Tunnel Coaching. They generally schedule most every week, though one of the principals is away for part of the winter. HW