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Badly injured victims of a plane crash in Motueka this morning were conscious and reassuring each other when help arrived, according to the first rescuers on the scene. Ambulance staff said two of the six people on the Skydive Nelson Cessna 185 plane were in critical condition with head injuries. The others on board the plane were badly hurt. The 29-year-old aircraft lost power as it was taking off, and crashed deep inside a kiwifruit orchard on College St near Motueka airfield about 9.30am. It hit kiwifruit vines and slewed round 180 degrees as it struck. All the injured were taken to Nelson Hospital by helicopter or ambulance, with the first - a 35-year-old man with serious head and chest injuries - arriving at 10.19am. The second critically injured patient arrived 25 minutes later. Paramedic Hank Bader said the six people had suffered injuries including to the head and chest, and broken legs. Father and son Ian and Cliff Satherley were working on an orchard with Pip Hart when they heard the plane go down nearby. They raced over to the crash site. When they got there, they found people both outside and inside the badly wrecked plane, all conscious. They were "just lying there quietly, reassuring each other. What they were doing was really good", Cliff Satherley said. "All we did was reassure them, and make sure they were all breathing until emergency services arrived. Thank God there was no fire." St John volunteer Vickie Hovenden, a nearby resident, arrived and emergency services - called by neighbour Ron Ewers - were not long behind her. Fire engines, the Fire Service emergency vehicle and ambulances, quickly converged on the scene. Cordons were thrown up around the crash site, apparently amid fears that the aircraft's full fuel tanks could ignite. Emergency services put out calls for doctors and extra medical staff from Nelson and Wakefield. She said the plane had reached about treetop height when it appeared to lose power and plunged to the ground. Her husband Ron ran inside and phoned emergency services. "They responded really quickly. It only seemed like a couple of minutes and they were there." Mr Ewers witnessed the crash and said that the engine stopped as the plane was climbing. "They're always working a bit when they take off. This one stopped working. We knew it was in trouble, being that plane we know he doesn't cut the motor for fun." The plane did not get more than about 20 metres above the ground. "The nose went down, it did a twist and then started down." Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews of Motueka police said there were six people on the plane - a pilot, a video camera operator, two jumpmasters, and two passengers. The crashed plane was a mangled mess, with a wheel and undercarriage debris scattered around. "It's a miracle there are any survivors," Mr Andrews said. He said when emergency services arrived they had to cut some people out of the plane and some had been flung out. Stuart Bean, owner operator of Skydive Nelson, said the Cessna was bought two years ago and there had been no problems with it before. Weather conditions were perfect and there was nothing unusual about the operations, said Mr Bean, a pilot. Six people was a normal load for the aircraft. The plane was built in 1972 but was "not old for a Cessna", Mr Bean said. The 10-year-old company, which employs six people, has one other aircraft and has operated out of Motueka since September 1999. Previously it was in Nelson. Mr Bean declined to identify the people involved. A Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigator was on the way from Christchurch. Staff at the Skydive Nelson office were busy contacting relatives and friends of the people involved in the accident. Victim Support workers were on hand. Nelson Hospital was well-prepared and equipped to handle the injured in the crash, general manager Keith Rusholme said. Scheduled surgery was postponed in preparation for the arrival of the six patients, while all theatre, accident and emergency and intensive care unit staff were put on standby. "Initially we had a full staffing component. We put everything on maximum alert and then wind it down from there, depending on what happens," Mr Rusholme said. "In terms of numbers, this doesn't happen very often. But we're trained for this kind of thing." Patients due to be transferred from Christchurch to Nelson Hospital because of the nurses' strike, remained in Christchurch for the time being. Tasman Mayor John Hurley received news of the crash at a Tasman District Council meeting this morning and said his first thoughts were for the injured people. "It (the skydive operation) is a well-run organisation in my view, from the information we have on it. It's a very regrettable situation.

A former Royal Air Force skydiver who lost a leg after he crash-landed into Aston Villa football ground will kayak around the UK to promote blood donation. Television viewers and football fans watched in horror as Nigel Rogoff plunged into the roof of a spectator stand at Villa Park during a premier league football match in December 1998. Mr Rogoff was taken to Birmingham City Hospital where he received a massive blood transfusion - the equivalent of 120 pints - to treat life-threatening injuries to his legs and pelvis. Mr Rogoff said: "I realised that I owed my life to every person who had donated blood. "I had never thought about giving blood before my accident but I realised afterwards that we need to increase the donor base." The National Blood Service campaign aims to recruit 400,000 new blood donors in the UK and will urge two million registered donors to keep on giving. Mr Rogoff launched the challenge with former RAF serviceman David Abrutat, whose life was saved by a blood transfusion after he broke his back in a car accident in March 2000. Mr Abrutat, now a paraplegic, will travel on a handbike. "Hopefully people will see two guys who have survived major trauma who want to get on with their lives and want to promote the National Blood Service in a very proactive way," said Mr Rogoff. The skydiver was part of a seven-man display team when he crashed into the Trinty Road stand at half-time in December 1998. He spent months in hospital with two broken legs and a fractured pelvis, and eventually had his left leg amputated. The two men will take four months to complete their challenges. They will set off from Tower Bridge in London next April.

The ageing Dakota transport lurched and bumped far above the Normandy beach. The Paratroopers inside wished they were already over the Drop Zone, it was hot inside and even with the door open not enough air was circulating. At least it had not been a long flight. The despatchers eyes watered as he peered outside the fuselage into the slipstream. Ahead was the town of Merville and to one side the coastal battery. He pulled himself back into the aircraft and took a deep breath. "Stand up". "Hook up".The Port stick struggled to their feet and snapped the hook at the end of their static lines onto the overhead cable. "Check equipment". Each man checked his static line, his helmet fastening, his reserve hooks and flap covering the reserve chute handle. Satisfied all was as it should be, each man then checked the jumper in front, making sure the others static line ran clear and there was nothing visually wrong with the back of the Parachute."Sound off for equipment check" the despatcher shouted. "Twelve OK! shouted the last man and slapped the shoulder of the person in front. This was repeated by each jumper until it reached the lead man. 'Number One OK, Port stick OK!" The despatcher put his hand to his headphones and pressed the cup closer to his ear to hear the pilots commentary better. "Two minutes" came the call from the pilot. The despatcher had another quick look outside the aircraft to satisfy himself of the Dz location and called "Action stations" at the same time pointing to the door. The first man stepped smartly into the door frame, almost a drill movement. His left hand snapped the static line towards the despatched who grasped it firmly. His hand, now free was placed on the door frame to steady himself and his right hand rested on the top of his reserve. He looked out at the horizon and into the clear blue french sky. Behind him the rest of the stick closed up."Red on! He tensed, his mouth suddenly seemed very dry and it was hard to swallow."Green on, Go!" Number one stepped smartly into the slipstream and was tumbled away into the turbulence below the aircraft followed rapidly by the rest of the stick. He gasped as the Chute opened above him and the pressure of his reserve threatened to squeeze all the air out of his lungs. The moment passed quickly and allowed him to check his canopy. Turning the chute he satisfied himself he was in no danger of a collision with any other jumper and looked for the DZ. 2000 ft below he could see the battery clearly marked out in the lush green Normandy fields. It was now time to think about his landing. Far below a dirty water filled ditch beckoned uninvitingly as he once again turned into wind and assessed his drift. No, this was not the Normandy invasion,niether was it a scene from a film. The Pathfinder parachute group had just jumped onto the Merville gun battery in front of the survivors of the original airborne assault, The 9th Battalion the Parachute Regiment. This was there anniversary and for Pathfinder it was the second time they had jumped here at the personnel invitation of the Veteran battalions committee. 80% of Pathfinder are either serving or retired paratroopers from all over the world and so the honour bestowed on them by the 9th was appreciated. Pathfinder was the brainchild of Sgt Roy Mobsby and Bdr (retired) Ron Ball.Roy had started off as TA Paratrooper in 10 Para and Ron had served with 7 RHA. They had both answered an advert to jump in Holland at Parcentrum Texel and earn their Dutch wings. Whilst there they were introduced to the IAAV,the International Association of Airborne Veterans run by Mike Epstein who had served with the US Airborne. This organisation used its contacts to attend parachute courses around the world and earn the host countries parachute brevets. With advice from the IAAV a small group of British airborne veterans were formed into a non profit Parachute club with the aim of following in their footsteps. The first year was a bit slow with only two small courses being jumped at Paracentrum Texel . Word passed slowly passed around that here was a group filling the gap between military parachuting and sport parachuting. The membership rapidly increased, not only from England but from abroad. Soon Danish LRRP,Japanees Rangers, Dutch, German,Estonian,French,American,Canadian soldiers both retired and serving swelled the ranks. It takes a different type of bottle for static line and freefall and not many can achieve both. Paratroopers feel that 2000 ft is high whereas a freefaller will tell you that is their lowest safety high before they become a stain on the landscape. Pathfinder allows a retired paratrooper to continue jumping in the style has been trained in and without a weapons container or a three hour low level flight it becomes enjoyable. In order to jump safely and legally all jumps are carried out at civilian minimum drop height but are the 'Walk out the door" exits that paratroopers are used to. With nearly three hundred members spread over sixteen countries the "Airborne "really does exist. As many of the jumpers noted, jumping with Pathfinder is like being back with the Airborne. Although Pathfinder boasts a Brigadier, several Colonels and Majors within its ranks no rank is used nor does it need to be. All jumpers no matter what rank or nationality are there for the same reason, to enjoy jumping round canopies. To jump in the style they were all trained in and to uphold the traditions of the Airborne in an age when it is fashionable to promote peace and unfortunately forget our veterans and their sacrifices whilst doing so. The group keep the military and the Paras in the public eye when the army cannot afford to do so themselves. Until recently the group felt they were the only people who still had faith in the use of Paras in modern war. That was until the American Airborne jumped into Afghanistan renewing the MOD planners interest in Airborne assaults. Within the group are a few civilian jumpers who have never been in the forces. These are usually re-enactors from Airborne units who having portrayed Paratroopers wish to find out what it is really like. Pathfinder give these people the opportunity to experience the end result without having to suffer "P" Company like the rest of the group had to. These people do not consider themselves Paratroopers but have a better insight into what makes the airborne some of the best soldiers in the world. In 1999 Pathfinder was given the opportunity and honour to jump with British Regular and TA Paratroopers at Ginkle Heath as part of the Arnhem anniversary jump. Two former Soviet AN2 jumpships were pressed into action and twenty five members from six countries jumped onto the heath. The jumpers were then carried by re-enactors in over 40 restored "Willies" jeeps around the battlefield area. Most of the jumpers had at the request of a British veteran bought WW2 battledress to make the jump more realistic. This was well received and as a result we had an invitation from the veterans of the 9th Battalion the Parachute regiment to jump at their anniversary onto the Merville gun battery in Normandy. This was successfully completed in 2000 and 2001 putting out over 40 jumpers each time. A cargo drop was also carried out by 47 Air Despatch sqn and a bail out by the jump masters from a higher altitude as a tribute to the despatchers and aircrew who had died on these missions. The cost of all the displays was met by the jumpers who raised the thousands of pounds needed to hire the aircraft and chutes. Several static displays have been carried out on Pathfinders behalf by re-enactment groups who portray "Pathfinder" units. Pathfinder only supports groups who's members are ex para or who have attended their basic course at Texel.The basic Dutch Military Parachutist course at Texel is used as a safety guide. All new jumpers must attend this course in order to maintain a safe standard within the group. With so many different member nationalities, all with different methods of training to achieve the same aim, it is essential to have a common syllabus for jumping. The British system is taught to all at Texel by Dutch instructors speaking better English than we do. So many courses have been taught at Texel that it has been adopted as the groups home DZ. The staff are all friendly, the training amongst the safest and best in the world and the area is ideal for jumping. British GQ canopies are mainly used for the courses. Due to the BPA phasing out round canopies in England, Pathfinder cannot jump in its home country but is nethertheless welcomed in many other countries. All jumpers must be fully insured and thanks to a British based company have the best parachute insurance money can buy. Pathfinder have jumped for Cromwell productions and Channel five's British heroes series. In 2000 Pathfinder became affiliated to the EMPA,a predominatly German Para lead organisation with the same aims. This has now opened up the European military parachute circuit for Pathfinder members. Next year will see the Airborne brotherhood spread to more countries by our members and we look foreword to bigger and better jumps. For more info visit the web sites below or email Roy Mobsby Col Holemans International Para page Pathfinder PageBy Roy Mobsby

Skydive Sebastian, in Sebastian Florida has just stepped up it's efforts to be the number one destination for skydivers on the East Coast, and in doing so has now attracted the world's best free flyers to instruct, coach and organize on a daily basis. The Free fly Training Center (FTC) has just opened at the DZ located centrally on the east coast of Florida. "Our mission as The Free fly Training Center, is to lead the free fly scene at Skydive Sebastian in the most efficient way possible. This will allow each and every individual flyer to progress at their desired learning curve. We are doing this through extensive coaching, events every month, and free load organizing", says Mike Swanson, instructor for the school and current Free fly World Champion. The FTC has 4 instructors on staff who are already involved in organizing on a daily basis, helping to expand free flyers in aerial awareness, communication, flying skills and dive planning in a safe and controlled manner. This program aims towards flyers who are used to visiting DZ's where it's hard to find anyone to jump with, and end up spending their vacation doing solos. " We wanted to get away from the typical situation where intermediate flyers never get a chance to jump with someone who is more skilled than themselves. Our program adds to EVERYONE'S learning curve, and gives us more capable flyers to have fun with during events", reports FTC instructor Dave Brown. The FTC is the end result of all of it's members giving a combined effort in looking to start something which will benefit ALL flyers in the end. The FTC members are: Mike Swanson, from the First School of Modern Sky flying Instructor Staff, and Rook Nelson, of Free fly Chicago, which together are the current Free fly World Champions. They will be training all season long at Skydive Sebastian, hoping to defend their title in the 2003 Free fly World Championships. Addition FTC members are David Brown, also of the First School of Modern Sky flying Instructor Staff, and Rob Silver, formerly of Sebastian Free flight. Together they ensure that the quality of free flying at Skydive Sebastian will be extensive, and without a doubt, educational. Coaching programs are available for individuals who are looking to excel past their current flying ability, OR towards specific goals. All of the instructors are highly experienced and capable of teaching all facets of free fly, in a unique and efficient atmosphere. This allows the flyer to advance and become proficient in all areas of three dimensional flight. The FTC has no minimum on the number of instructional jumps that one must purchase. HOWEVER, they recommend that any student should participate in AT LEAST five instructional jumps, to attain the most out of the program. At the end of each coaching session, the instructors will evaluate the student's progress, and give advice for the future, so as to continue the process of education and guidance after the student returns to his/her respective drop zone. With the already increased interest in their programs, the FTC has worked with DZ management to get price breaks on block ticket jumps for students who come to the DZ to do at least 25 instructional jumps or more. The FTC instructor rate is discounted with this package as well, offering discounted coach rates with the purchase of 25 jumps or more. Since the beginning of October, the FTC's events calendar has started rolling with the Halloween Boogie, the Keys Boogie and an influx of regular and visiting jumpers doing coached and organized jumps. Both of the boogies were great successes, lots of high quality and safe jumping. Each month the FTC plans on having events focused on different flying and learning. The event which has drawn the biggest response from flyers thus far, is the FTC's "Pure Progression Program", where students are engaged in a 30 jump minimum course held over a period of 7 days. This takes them to the next level of human flight. The weeklong course includes seminars in three dimensional flight, canopy piloting, and camera flying. During the week, students will visit the Sky Venture Wind Tunnel in Orlando, and participate in the FTC's Wind Tunnel Program, focusing on head up flying and dimensional control. There are also two "Big Ways" camps, a Weekend Skills Camp, and The All Axis competition. The FTC hopes to draw flyers nationally and internationally not only to have fun, but also acquire as much knowledge as possible this season. If you are interested in any of these programs, or want to get in touch with FTC members contact [email protected] or go check out the FTC's website at www.freeflytrainingcenter.com, the web site is currently being built and will be up and running soon. Also check out Skydive Sebastian's website at www.skydiveseb.com for the latest information on boogies, skills camps and coaching info and prices. All photos of Dave Brown and student Dan Labelle by Rook Nelson Written by: Erin Golden

Craig Chesworth was killed in an accident at Skydive Sebastian, located in Florida. After reading numerous incident reports with the ubiquitous and certainly ambiguous statement "the parachute failed to open fully", I decided to find out what type of malfunction he experienced. As a jumper, I find that articles written by the mainstream media often say that "the parachute failed to open", when it is often other causes which created the fatality. And as a jumper, I feel that one way to honor the deceased is to learn from their mistakes. So, this morning, I called and spoke with Mr. Mick Hall, the Safety and Training Advisor at Skydive Sebastian. Mr. Hall was gracious, accepting an unannounced call from me with no hesitation. He was forthcoming, and seemed as frustrated about the lack of media knowledge as I was. I found him eager, in fact, to make sure I understood the events, so that this article would be as complete and accurate as possible. It is thought that the following scenario is what occurred. Mr. Chesworth likely opened a little lower than he had intended to, but his parachute did open fully. His reserve was not used, as it was not needed. As a consequence of opening a little lower, Craig was long on his spot. As is drilled into a jumper's head, an "out" was spotted and chosen. Craig had chosen a good, grassy area, near homes, and was flying with the wind toward his out. According to one witness flying near him, Mr. Chesworth turned low to be into the wind, misjudged, and, while completing the turn, hit the roof of a building. "Did he turn so he wouldn't land downwind?" I asked "We can't know for sure, but we think that may have been a factor", agreed Mr. Hall. "I surmise that he may have felt a bit high, and, in trying to bleed off altitude so he wouldn't overshoot the grass area, he turned," said Mr. Hall. "As far as we can tell, that's what he was trying to do. Of course, no-one can tell what he was thinking at the time but we feel that he may have been worried about overshooting the out, and simply misjudged with no time to correct." Mr. Chesworth, 23 years old, was an intermediate level skydiver, with 200 successful jumps. The fatality occurred on his 201st jump. A visitor to Skydive Sebastian, Craig's home dropzone is located in Nottingham, England. This was his first time at Skydive Sebastian. It is reported that he held all regular BPA licenses available for his level. Mr. Chesworth weighed 150 pounds without gear, and was jumping a Fandango 135, with a Techno 146 Reserve. He did have a Cypres, and is thought to have had an RSL that was disconnected. The weather was clear, and considered "good". He leaves behind a young child. Our condolences are with him and his family. Blue skies, Mr. Chesworth, blue skies forever. ~ Written by Michele Lesser

A SKYDIVING school has been ordered to pay two of its students more than $600,000 in damages after they collided during a jump. Sydney Skydivers Pty Ltd was found to have breached its duty of care and ordered to pay damages for injuries and loss of work suffered by the men. The NSW District Court heard that Christopher Charles Morton, 33, was making his first jump and Michael Richard Warren, 26, his third when the collision occurred on December 14, 1997. They had both attended a training day before they jumped out of the plane near Picton, south-west of Sydney. The instructors were the first to reach the target area, marked by a large cross. They were then to direct the movements of their students using large arrows and batons. When Mr Morton and Mr Warren were about 30 metres above the ground and had their parachutes open, they collided and fell to the ground "with considerable force", Acting Judge Clifford Boyd-Boland said today. He blamed the collision on one of the instructors, Helen Perry, saying her sense of direction was confused when she landed just 90 seconds before the students. She therefore pointed her student, Mr Morton, in the wrong direction, Justice Boyd-Boland said. "I find it was the conduct of Perry and the confusion she had, surrounding the direction she was giving, which led to the collision," he said. He rejected a suggestion that Mr Morton had failed to follow the direction indicated by Ms Perry's arrow. The collision could also have been avoided if the two students had more than a 20 second interval between them when they jumped out of the plane, Justice Boyd-Boland said. Despite the 20 second gap, both students were at the same height when the collision occurred. "It became an added risk in an already risky procedure and would be best avoided," Justice Boyd-Boland said. Mr Morton suffered a fractured pelvis and injuries to his right shoulder, spine, head and severe shock in the fall and was today awarded almost $277,000 in damages. Mr Warren received fractures to this right arm and injuries to his spine, head and severe shock, and was awarded about $328,000. ~ From AAP

A Royal Navy skydiver died on his 500th jump in front of hundreds of spectators. The jump should have been an important milestone for Lieutenant David Paton. An inquest was told on Thursday that Lieutenant Paton was part of the Raiders Parachute Display Team when he landed heavily during a display in Portsmouth. The accident happened at HMS Excellent on 25 July this year. Tony Butler, a parachuting expert, told the inquest Lieutenant Paton could have been trying to perform a "spectacular swooping landing", but had not timed it correctly. He added: "Mr Paton might have thought he was going to hit a building and turned, but did not have sufficient height to land safely." Lieutenant Paton had jumped with five other members from a Sea King helicopter at 7,000 feet in perfect conditions. Everything had gone according to plan, with the Raiders linking up and then separating to land, the inquest in Portsmouth heard. However, as they landed in front of families at the show, the leader of the display Lieutenant Commander Phil Gibbs, who was first to land, looked back to see Lieutenant Paton. He told the South East Hampshire Coroners' Court: "I saw a parachutist making a very hard diving turn to the left and he ploughed into the ground at the edge of the arena. "I probably saw the last two seconds. It was all over very quickly. I knew that something was wrong and that someone was injured over there." Lieutenant Paton, who had just completed his second year of an engineering degree at Southampton University, was taken to hospital with multiple injuries, but died later. Mr Butler, a technical officer with the British Parachute Association, said it was not possible to say exactly why Lieutenant Paton had hit the ground so hard, as his parachute was not faulty. Deputy coroner Peter Latham recorded a verdict of accidental death. ~ BBC

Hundreds of people called 911 Tuesday after seeing six parachutists who were trailing plumes of red smoke land at Austin High School. "People thought we were being invaded," said Ed Harris Jr., director of emergency communications for the Austin Police Department. Wrong. It was the Army's Golden Knights parachute team landing as part of a recruitment drive. It certainly didn't look like that to Leila Levinson, who called 911 about the soldiers with black and yellow parachutes she saw floating through the air as she drove down MoPac Boulevard. "I saw everybody put on their brakes and pull over to the side," Levinson said. "My heart started pounding, because I thought it was anthrax or smallpox and I was evaluating how far it was from my son's school." The landing was reminiscent of the 1984 movie "Red Dawn," in which invading communist paratroopers land at a Colorado high school. No invaders, Tuesday's paratroopers graciously greeted students, said Kathy Uplinger, an assistant principal at Austin High. The Golden Knights frequently appear at schools and public events, said 1st Sgt. Harlan Dobbs of the Army's recruiting division. "I've been in recruiting for 12 years and watched them jump 30 times and never had anything happen like this," he said. "Everybody is in a state of alert right now." The Federal Aviation Administration, city and school district police and the media had been notified of the jump, officials said. Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said the Army is careful to work with communities where the parachute team is jumping. "We are greatly empathetic with the concerns of the community." ~ American-Statesman.

Precision Aerodynamics is one of at least two manufacturers who have been advertising emergency escape chutes for high-rise buildings. Although the concept of using parachutes as a last ditched effort to escape from a building isn't new there has been new interest in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York. Below is an exert from Precision Aerodynamics' web site. Let us know what you think of the idea. Emergency Building Escape Parachutes - A complete system ready to go including carrying bag and video. Training Required The EscapeChute is our emergency parachute system that has been specifically developed for low altitude exit and deployment. A typical scenario for its use might be by high-rise tenants in the event of fire or earthquake. You would never travel beyond swimming range from shore without the benefit of a life preserver. If you work or live in a high-rise building at an elevation that is beyond the reach of firefighting or rescue apparatus, your best hope for an emergency escape might not be found in the crowded stairwell. With the EscapeChute, you might easily deliver yourself to safety within a few precious seconds at a time during which those few precious seconds may make all the difference. The EscapeChute canopy design is a slight variation of our popular B.A.S.E. equipment that is commonly used by sport enthusiasts who jump from low elevations like cliffs, bridges, and buildings, etc. By following the simple instructions, the parachute is automatically deployed for you. All you have to do to initiate deployment is to jump out the window and away from the building. Simple steering and landing techniques can deliver you to the surface with confidence. The EscapeChute is available in 8 different sizes for persons ranging from 100-250 lbs. Contact PA for detailed information. Custom Order - from $1575.00 Let us know what you think in the forums, and take our poll on the main page.

DAYTON TOWNSHIP. The third skydiver to die in eight days at Skydive Chicago in Dayton Township was killed Sunday afternoon. Bruce A. Greig, 38, of Jacksonville fell to earth at about 12:46 p.m. when witnesses reported his parachute failed to properly deploy, according to La Salle County Coroner Jody Bernard. Greig landed on Skydive Chicago property south of the hangar. He was taken by ambulance to Community Hospital of Ottawa, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. An autopsy was scheduled for today and the Federal Aviation Administration was notified. Greig was an experienced jumper, according to his father, Curt Greig, of Jacksonville. "He loved skydiving and talked about it all the time", Curt Greig said in a subdued voice. He was there (Chicago Skydive) every weekend and loved that group (fellow parachutists) up there. Curt Greig said his son was a friend of Deborah Luhmann and Steven Smith, who died Oct. 6 in a skydiving mishap at Chicago Skydive and attended their funerals last week. Bruce Greig was a program installer with AGI based in Melrose Park.

An experienced skydiver died when he fractured his skull in a mid-air collision with one of his best friends, an inquest heard on Tuesday. Robert Monk, 39, from Bedminster in Bristol, was on holiday with two friends at a Spanish parachuting centre when the accident happened on 28 July. Mr Monk's friend, Elliot Borthwick, also 39 and from Bristol, told the inquest at Bristol coroner's court that the three had skydived together many times and were planning to jump in a "sit-up" formation, with their legs linked as they were free-falling. At the last moment before jumping out of the plane, they decided to open their parachutes earlier than usual, but Mr Monk apparently forgot about the change of plan. When the other two opened their parachutes, Mr Monk remained in free-fall at a speed of 130mph and crashed into his friend John Carew's leg, fracturing his skull. "We were smiling and laughing and having fun," Mr Borthwick recalled. "When we separated I flipped over and opened my chute. I looked under me and saw Rob and John [Carew] still linked together." He saw Mr Carew jettison his parachute and use his reserve parachute, but he could not see Mr Monk. "Because we were so far from the drop zone, when it came to break away at 6,000ft, I think Rob reverted to our old thing of coming back together after we had broken off," said Mr Borthwick. He thought that Mr Carew was unaware that his friend had flown back towards him, and as he opened his parachute his leg collided with Mr Monk's head. Rescuers found Mr Monk's body near Castello de Cempurias, about 30 miles from Gerona in north-east Spain. Two hours after the accident Mr Carew, 35, from Birmingham, was found unconscious in a field of maize. He awoke in hospital to find surgeons had had to amputate part of his leg. Mr Carew spent a week in a Spanish hospital before returning to Birmingham. The fatal jump was the group's final one on their holiday in Emporia Brava, one of Europe's biggest skydiving locations. The Avon and District coroner, Paul Forrest, recorded a verdict of accidental death. "There was a mid-air collision which resulted in the deceased free-falling to his death. He received a fracture of the cranium, as was certified in Spain," he ruled.

Like approximately 300 fellow BASE jumpers and more than 200 rappellers, 73-year-old Jim Guyer has been grounded from Bridge Day 2001. And he's fighting mad about it. "It broke my heart to talk to the folks at the Holiday Inn about the cancellation," Guyer, a resident of Hendersonville, N.C., said Friday. "There's going to be millions of dollars lost in economy for the local area." "If they don't hold Bridge Day, they better stop every pro football game coming up Sunday," he continued. "What's the difference? It's absurd." Guyer alleges the National Park Service is seizing the cancellation of this year's festival as a means of halting Bridge Day altogether. In fact, he says that in early September he talked to an assistant superintendent for the New River Gorge National River named West, and that West said the NPS "wanted to get rid of it (Bridge Day) anyway." Henry Law, assistant superintendent at the local NPS headquarters in Glen Jean, said it was he who talked to Guyer, and Law refuted Guyer's interpretation of his remarks. "That's totally untrue (that he said the NPS wanted to abolish Bridge Day)," Law remarked. "The National Park Service is not in any way, shape or form trying to shut Bridge Day down. "The decision to cancel it this year was with the Bridge Day Commission. We have one person on that. We're not the overriding factor." Guyer has recently been twice denied by the NPS in his quest for a permit to skydive from El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park, decisions he's appealed to the Department of the Interior. And he's been vocal to various lawmakers concerning his displeasure with the NPS. "The NPS wants to have control over the people," Guyer said. "I was simply trying to give him (Guyer) a nice piece of advice," Law remarked. "I told him that if he continues in the courts, it may affect future activities in all national park properties, including Bridge Day. "He (Guyer) believes what he wants to hear." Guyer, an engineer who first began parachuting a half century ago but only recently took up skydiving and BASE jumping activities, participated in Bridge Day 2000, his first. In place of a full-fledged Bridge Day, Guyer - a Korean War veteran and a retiree from Phillip Morris Co. - has proposed to Fayette County Sheriff Bill Laird that a scaled-down Bridge Day ceremony be staged Oct. 20, one that would allow five people to jump off the bridge in a symbolic gesture, as well as having a short, patriotic-themed ceremony to honor those felled by recent terrorist attacks. © The Register-Herald 2001

DAYTON TOWNSHIP. Two people, including an Ottawa woman, plunged to their deaths Saturday morning in a skydiving mishap north of Ottawa. Deborah Luhmann, 27, of Ottawa, formerly of Lake in the Hills, and Steven Smith, 44, of Ohio, Ill., were pronounced dead at 10 a.m. Saturday in the emergency room at Community Hospital of Ottawa, said La Salle County Coroner Jody Bernard. Bernard said witnesses reported Luhmann's and Smith's parachutes became entangled about 75 to 100 feet above the ground, causing the chutes to deflate. Luhmann and Smith landed on Skydive Chicago property, north of the hangar. The two victims were were part of a 20-person team practicing for a national competition to be held in a few weeks. Local weather conditions Saturday were sunny, temperatures were in the mid-50s and winds were up to 20 mph. Autopsies were performed Sunday, but the results will not be available for some time. The La Salle County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident. Luhmann was an experienced, certified skydiver with 200 jumps, according to her brother, Paul Luhmann, of Chicago. She started skydiving last year and usually jumped every weekend. "It was a very freak thing," Paul Luhmann said. "My sister was very responsible. Skydiving wasn't a stupid thrill for her. Strangely enough, for a skydiver she wasn't a risk taker. She was very responsible and logical." Luhmann was engaged to marry Donovan Bartlett, of Ottawa, formerly of Barrington, on June 22, 2002. She worked as a systems program manager for Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire. Skydiving was the latest manifestation of Luhmann's passion for athletics, according to her brother. She was an All-America swimmer at Denison University in Ohio and later a swimming coach for the Palatine Park District. Paul Luhmann said that although his sister's time was cut short, she packed a lot of experiences into her life. "She had so much ahead of her, but had already lived so much." With the deaths of Luhmann and Smith, 10 people have died in accidents at Skydive Chicago since the facility opened near Ottawa in 1993. The most recent previous victim was a Pennsylvania woman who was killed July 9 when her chute failed to inflate.

BYRON -- With warm Indian summer weather still lingering, the Byron Airport would have been busy this weekend with people eager to jump out of airplanes -- with parachutes, of course. But the tiny airport and its biggest business, Bay Area Skydiving, has been quiet since Tuesday. No planes have arrived or departed. The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday placed a flight ban at all airports within 10 nautical miles, or about 11.5 miles, of several nuclear facilities in the United States. Byron is near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "It's dead out there. Obviously nothing is happening," said David Mendez, manager of county airports. The ban does not extend to police, fire and other emergency crews who might need to land at the airport, Mendez said. The ban ends at midnight Wednesday. The tiny Tracy Municipal Airport is also feeling the pinch, particularly at the Tracy Flight Center. It has been unable to run since the ban began. Steve Dietrich, the flight center's office manager, said the ban has cost the school money. Mike Tjaarda, owner of Bay Area Skydiving, estimated he's lost between $15,000 and $20,000, and turned away at least 40 first-time jumpers since Tuesday. "We're continually turning down business," Tjaarda said. "Some of these people are going elsewhere, which is an unfortunate thing for us, and it's bad for the county, too, because they're not spending their money here." Though the ban has been tough for Tjaarda, he said it was a small price to pay to own his own business and to be a part of the nation's fight against terrorism. "If my country needs me to do anything, that's fine. We're Americans first. If that means I have to find another job, I will. We're Americans first. It's not all about making money," Tjaarda said. East County commuters who store their planes at Byron Airport, and who get to work by air, have been forced to use alternatives. Discovery Bay pilot Rick Mann said the ban has forced him to drive to his Hayward business and postpone business trips to Fresno. He also had to forego a flight on Halloween to Marysville, where he planned to take his daughter trick-or-treating. "The big thing is not being able to get back and forth to work. The plane is actually stranded there. We can't move it," Mann said. Randy Howell, who owns eight Russian MiG-17 jets and two Boeing L-39 fighter jets, said the ban has not affected his business. He stages air shows around the country which are mostly held February through October.

A Grande Prairie man is suing the operators of the Edmonton Skydive Centre for $5.4 million over a jump that went wrong and left him a quadriplegic.In a lawsuit filed with the Court of Queen's Bench, John Minue says he took parachuting lessons through the centre in September 1999 which included basic training in jumping from an airplane and landing. His instructor told him that to land safely he had to "flare," a procedure that controls the speed of the parachute as it approaches the ground, according to the statement of claim. The instructor was supposed to let him know over a one-way radio when to flare, the lawsuit says. It alleges that once Minue jumped, he was directed away from the landing zone to a field, but communication ceased before he was told to flare. Minue claims he landed at high speed and out of control, making him tumble forward when he hit the ground. This caused serious injuries, including spinal-cord damage that resulted in quadriplegia, fractured neck vertebrae, a broken thigh and a dislocated shoulder, the lawsuit says. The document says that as a result of his injuries, he will need care and supervision from an attendant for the rest of his life. It doesn't state what his current state of health is, however. Minue contends his instructor and Para Aerosvc Inc., which operates the centre, were negligent for not telling him he might need to flare on his own if radio communication failed. They also breached their agreement to provide adequate training for a beginner to learn to skydive safely, the lawsuit says. Among other problems, he claims he wasn't properly instructed in landing procedures and shouldn't have been directed to an area where it was harder to land. Statements of claim contain allegations which haven't been proven in court. No statement of defence has been filed in the case.

The double tragedy of two experienced skydivers plunging to their deaths in separate accidents has failed to deter hundreds of other thrill seekers taking to Sydney's skies. Brendan Cook, 34, from Griffith in Canberra, and Jethro Thornton, 24, from Ermington in Sydney's west, died yesterday after their parachutes failed at the Sydney Skydiving Centre in Picton, on the city's southwestern outskirts. Jumps were suspended yesterday, but Sydney Skydiving Centre owner Phil Onis said it was business as usual today with about 400 people expected to jump. "The investigation is still underway ... (however) we are operating as per usual ... (with about) 400 jumps per day," he said. Police and paramedics were called to the centre yesterday when the first man fell to the ground sustaining critical injuries. Then, to their horror, a second man fell to his death as they watched. The first accident was about 11am (AEST) when Mr Cook's parachute failed. He had notched up hundreds of jumps and held an international skydiving licence. He later died in Liverpool Hospital. Three hours later, the equally experienced Mr Thornton fell to his death when his parachute failed to open. There had not been a fatality at the centre for 15 years and staff were still in shock, Mr Onis said. Police were still gathering evidence for a coronial inquest into the deaths, a police spokeswoman said. Australian Parachute Federation NSW safety officer Leigh Shepherd said skydiving centres observe strict safety measures. "The extremes we go to for safety are very high," Mr Shepherd said. "Obviously, two incidents have now happened but until that's investigated we can't say why. "My understanding is there's nothing the drop zone could have done to supervise it any closer or prevent it." He said there was a 0.03 per cent chance of being injured during a solo jump and even less probability in a tandem jump. There has not been a skydiving fatality in NSW for two years. "I'm still confident that the most dangerous thing we do each weekend is drive to the drop zone rather than the actual skydiving," Mr Shepherd said. "I'd still encourage people to come and try and when you try tandem, it's still the safest way to do it." It is standard practice for skydivers to sign an indemnity form acknowledging they risk serious injury or even death when they skydive. Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter which airlifted Mr Cook to Liverpool Hospital, said it has airlifted three patients involved in serious skydiving incidents since March.

TWO student skydivers who plunged to the ground after a mid-air collision during a training jump are suing the company that was teaching them how to parachute. Christopher Charles Morton, 33, was in hospital for four days and off work for six weeks after the accident, which also involved Michael Richard Warren, 26, at Picton, south of Sydney, on December 14, 1997. Mr Morton and Mr Warren are suing Sydney Skydivers Pty Ltd in the NSW District Court, claiming the company was negligent by failing to ensure its employees were adequately trained and that it failed to exercise due and proper care for the safety of its students. Their barrister, Andrew Morrison, SC, told Acting Judge Clifford Boyd-Boland it would be their case that the system for novice skydivers put in place by the company was "thoroughly unsafe". Mr Morrison said the pair were "some significant distance above the ground" when they collided and fell. Mr Morton, a master of the Sydney Harbour tall ship Bounty, suffered a fractured pelvis and injuries to his right shoulder, spine, head and severe shock. Mr Warren, a former coalminer, received fractures to his right arm and injuries to his spine, head and severe shock. Mr Morton told the court a friend, his girlfriend and he had decided to buy each other skydives for Christmas presents that year. He said that after a day of training he went up in a plane to do his first jump with several instructors and fellow student Mr Warren, who was then doing his third jump. They were to aim for a cross marked on the ground and were directed by instructors moving large arrows and using batons to show them which way to turn. "I thought I was doing really well because I was coming up to the cross," Mr Morton said. But he said when he was about 30 metres from the ground and while watching his instructor, who was also on the ground, he and Mr Warren collided. He said his canopy collapsed and he hit the ground. The company is being sued under the Trade Practices Act, with Mr Morton and Mr Warren alleging the services supplied by the company were not supplied with due care and skill. The company's barrister, Greg Curtain, told Judge Boyd-Boland there would be evidence Mr Morton and Mr Warren failed to follow instructions to watch the "target assistant" on the ground and that Mr Morton went in the opposite direction to the way he was directed. Mr Curtain also said there would be evidence that there was nothing wrong with the way the company's operation was carried out. The hearing is continuing.

Anthony White of Ottawa is a base-jumper who leaps from tall buildings at night to avoid the law. Next month, he'll be in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to compete in an event that begins on the roofs of the world's tallest buildings, the twin 1,483-foot Petronas Towers, and hopefully ends safely on the streets below with the aid of a parachute. White is one of 50 base-jumpers, including another Canadian, Lonnie Bissonnette of St. Catharines, Ont., who have been invited to compete in the international event. "It's quite the rush," says White, a 21-year-old waiter who has heard many shocked voices coming from the balconies he has passed in his numerous descents. "It's a thrill to me when you explain what you do and people shiver." To participate in the extreme sport of base-jumping, participants need somewhere to jump from, and it should be at least 300 feet high, although White swears he has jumped from many structures that are considerably lower. High-rise buildings, bridges and even cliffs will do. Once a base-jumper kicks off, he or she attempts aerial gymnastics before pulling the rip cord on the parachute. However, except for sanctioned events in North America, base-jumping isn't considered legal. In Canada, base-jumpers can be charged under provisions of the Criminal Code with mischief and/ or trespassing. So, to practise his sport, White has become a Batman of sorts, taking to the tops of Ottawa-area buildings in the middle of the night, when traffic is minimal and police are less likely to be alerted. Although White won't disclose the locations of his jumps, he says there are a dozen suitable buildings around Ottawa, with the 333-foot Tower C of Place de Ville being the highest. White says he normally jumps from an Ottawa building once a month and has also jumped from buildings in Toronto and Montreal. This past weekend, in preparation for Kuala Lumpur, White and Bissonnette jumped from eight buildings in Ottawa and Kanata, all after midnight. While it takes a particular type of individual and plenty of sky-diving experience To become a base-jumper, White acknowledges that getting to the sites is a part of the challenge. Some buildings provide access from stairwells to the roofs, but most don't. "I've climbed up the outside of buildings, I've climbed balconies," he says. "Different buildings require different methods. There's security in lobbies and elevators you have to get around. Some of it is common sense. The trick is to blend in and go late at night." For all the inherent dangers of base-jumping, White and Bissonnette say they never cut a lock or damage property for the sake of a jump. "If we start going into buildings and taking crowbars to locks, that's not good for anyone and that's not going to help us out," says Bissonnette, a 36-year-old who lays ceramic tile for a living. "If anything, what we do is simple trespassing. To do anything else is breaking and entering. Our saying is: We take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. "Some people might think it's cool to take something as a momento, but then you cross the line into a theft thing. We want positive exposure for the sport." See JUMP on page D3 White and Bissonnette say they've run into some trouble with police. Reaction from police officers, they say, varies: Some have called them irresponsible, while others have congratulated them for their nerve and skill. The two are optimistic that, if the sport gains positive media coverage, as opposed to being mentioned only when a fatality occurs, it will gain acceptance in the same light as other extreme sports. They hope sanctioned events in Canada will soon be here. There have been horrific accidents. This month, a 27-year-old female base-jumper from San Francisco died when her chute failed to open completely after she leaped from a cliff near Rome. White is well aware of that accident, and says base-jumpers must be aware of all the dangers. He says he never jumps before going through an extensive mental check-list of what can go wrong and how to cope in any given situation. "Yeah, people die," White says. "It could be anything. It could be the deployment of the chute, but it's rare now that it's the gear. Usually, it's human error, but I think about it every day, every time (I jump). The fear has to be there, it should be there. Otherwise, you're in for a big surprise one day. "There's wind, there's how the parachute opens, there are lots of things that can happen. It's very unforgiving. (The danger) is always there, but mentally you have to prepare for all the scenarios and rehearse everything that can happen. It's not a hangover-friendly sport." Parents Penny and Ron White admit to having occasional sleepless nights when they discovered the nature of base-jumping, but say their concerns have eased because of the safety preparations that go into each jump. Besides, given the nature of their son -- who, as he was growing up, found mainstream sports such as baseball, gymnastics and competitive swimming to be boring -- they recognized they couldn't talk him out of jumping. "He came home from a skydiving course when he turned 18, and he said, 'I've found what I've wanted to do my whole life,'" Penny White says. "This base-jumping came from sky-diving. I would have never thought that sky-diving was rather safe, but it is compared to this." Base-jumping has similarities to sky-diving, but few experienced sky-divers try the other sport, primarily because of the risks. For example, a sky-diver has the luxury of a backup parachute if the first one doesn't open, and more time to handle bad situations if they arise. White, who has 650 sky-diving jumps under his belt, was discouraged from base-jumping when he first tried to get involved. He admits to much trepidation before his first jump. "I bought the equipment, I assembled it and I researched it on my own," says White, who also teaches sky-diving part-time and has tested equipment for the military. "After jumping off a (radio) antenna and experiencing far too much radiation, I got calls from some people. They knew I was serious." White was steered to the Bridge Day Festival in Virginia, a conference of base-jumpers and every October home to one of the few sanctioned events in North America, where he met Bissonnette. White claims his craziest feat came there: five somersaults before deploying his chute, two seconds before impact. It was a performance that helped earn him an invitation to Kuala Lumpur. In addition to trying to find jumping spots in the Ottawa area, White has jumped from bridges in Shawinigan and from the tallest windmill in the world, in Grandes-Bergeronnes, near the Gaspe. After that, White picked up notoriety within the sky-diving community for an appearance on Outdoor Life Network, scampering out of a glider in mid-air and performing stunts alongside the plane. Bissonnette has been base-jumping for five years, three years longer than White, but stops short of calling himself White's mentor. Instead, he says they jump together because they share the same personality. Still, he says, being experienced helps in dealing with younger jumpers. "I might have been in a similar high-stress situation and said something doesn't seem right, and talk about what I did in that situation, but that doesn't mean it's right for everybody," says Bissonnette, who says he won't base-jump with anyone who hasn't performed at least 100 sky-diving jumps and fails to show an incredible aptitude. "It's not just a single skill you need. First of all, you have to have the kind of personality to do it. You have to be able to think under severe stress. When you jump, you have to have all your senses heightened. You have to think fast, knowing how to handle every situation. "There are not a lot of people who can do that when their life depends on it. It's not like we walk up to a site and just jump off the edge. You have everything playing through your mind, you have to look at objects from a whole lot of angles." Obviously, when base-jumpers look at buildings, radio towers and bridges, it's not for the architecture. Instead, the structures represent the potential for the next great jump into the unknown. "It's a personal challenge," White says. "I guess it's a way of helping you conquer your fears all the time."

Beiseker, Alta. Witnesses looked on in horror as a skydiver plunged to his death in a parachuting accident Saturday night during his first-ever jump. "We saw the parachute spiralling down and then we hear a loud pop," said a 19-year-old witness, who also had just finished his first jump at the Skydive Ranch, which operates out of the Beiseker airport, about 50 kilometres northeast of Calgary. "It's something you don't want to see on your first time out." An air ambulance was called to the scene about 7:40 p.m. but declared the man dead on arrival. RCMP Constable Wayne Greaves said there was no initial indication of equipment failure. He also said it wasn't confirmed whether the man actually died from the impact, and that there will be an autopsy. Jim Mercier, tandem instructor with the Skydive Ranch, said the man hit the ground hard at the end of a jump in which he opened his parachute with no problem. But during the last part of his dive, he began a "hook turn," said Mr. Mercier, who witnessed the accident while acting as a radio controller on the ground. "In the last 100 feet, he did a 500-degree turn," Mr. Mercier said. "A hook turn is when you pull down on the toggle and spin vigorously around." But another witness who asked not to be identified said the man seemed to be spiralling close to a one-storey airport building on the ground. "It looked like he was going to smoke that building," said the witness, adding that he looked like he was turning to try to avoid a collision. In July, 1998, first-time skydiver Nadia Kanji, 18, died at Beiseker when she abandoned her main parachute and activated her reserve chute too late. Last September, Jean-Guy Meilleur, 30, died after he attempted a hook-turn landing at a Calgary Parachute Club event near Drumheller, Alta. The Skydive Ranch has adopted improved safety regulations since the high-profile death of a Calgary man at the site eight years ago. Kerry Pringle, a 29-year-old accountant, plunged to his death on his first parachute jump in August, 1993. A lengthy fatality inquiry into his death assigned no blame to what was then called the Calgary Skydive Centre for the tragedy. But a series of recommendations were made by a Calgary provincial court judge including leaving a larger margin of safety when setting automatic activation devices on parachutes.

PENSACOLA, Florida. (AP) - An experienced aerial photographer plummeted 11,000 feet to his death Thursday after his parachutes became entangled and failed to open. John Foster, 37, was videotaping a skydiving instructor and a student when his main parachute became entangled with his reserve chute, and both failed to open. He landed in a field in Elberta, Ala., and was taken to a Pensacola hospital, where he died. He had head and leg injuries, a hospital spokeswoman said. The chutes getting tangled was a freak accident, said Pat Stack, who works for Emerald Coast Skydiving and was the drop zone manager for the jump. "It's just not something that happens," she said. Stack said Foster had made 6,000 to 7,000 jumps and often was hired to record other divers' jumps. "He jumped all the time. He loved the sport," Stack told the Pensacola News Journal.

Grahamstown, South Africa - Candidate attorney and naked skydiver James "Buttman" Reilly, 36, was officially cleared of any impropriety by the Cape Law Society on Tuesday. Reilly has also received an extraordinary apology from the partner of the lawyer who lodged a complaint against him. South East Cape Attorney's Association president Raj Daya called the society's decision a "victory" for the profession. "The overwhelming support James got from within the profession shows that lawyers are not a bunch of stiff boards," he said. Reilly's competition-winning leap into freezing air - naked but for a stick of deodorant taped firmly to his manhood - won him a small car in a radio competition for the zaniest act two weeks ago. The society said in a statement that James's act was irrelevant to his application to become an attorney. After considering a report, Cape Law Society president David Macdonald released a press statement yesterday saying: "The Council took note of the fact that the media reports at the time presented the incident as indeed, no more than a stunt or prank; that there was no sense of public offence reflecting on the attorney's profession as such." The partner of the lawyer who complained to the society had personally sent James a note apologising for his partner's actions. "I really appreciated that," said James, adding that he "never doubted" the law society would reach a decision in his favour, but still felt "relieved" when it arrived. - ECN Previous article.... Buttman's wings clipped07-24-2001 Grahamstown, South Africa - Naked skydiver and candidate attorney James Reilly, 36, has been temporarily barred from entering the legal profession after an unnamed Port Elizabeth attorney lodged a formal complaint that his stunt was "improper". Reilly's jump into minus 12 degree air 4km above here last week won him first prize in 5fm radio station's Speedstick Give-it-Stick competition for the whackiest act. Reilly won a new Peugeot in a blaze of national and regional media coverage. News photographs of his naked backside flying through the air earned him the nickname "Buttman". However, Reilly, who was due to be admitted as an attorney at the Grahamstown High Court on Thursday, will now have to wait until the Cape Law Society has properly investigated the complaint. A highly upset president of the PE branch of the SA Attorney's Association Raj Daya said the law society was obliged to deal with the complaint and a committee has been set up to investigate the matter and advise the society whether Reilly's behavior was improper. Daya said: "It is ridiculous that the matter reached the law society." He said what Reilly had done had injected some positive energy into a profession that was suffering from "terminal cancer". 'We had one big laugh about it' "He (Reilly) discussed the matter with me beforehand and asked whether I believed any problems could result. I said 'I hope you win the car'." On the day Reilly's stunt was publicised in the media, Daya had been attending a conference in Knysna together with the law society's president, director and other senior members of the profession. "We had one big laugh about it." "All that is happening now is a procedural issue due to this complaint. This attorney (who issued the complaint) should go for a ride with James in his new car. I think it's a matter of sour grapes. I am terribly upset that it has reached such a ridiculous stage."" He felt that if Reilly was not be admitted to the roll of attorneys, the law society would be "seriously misusing it's powers. "James is not fresh out of university. He is an honorable person respected and held in esteem by his colleagues. His stunt has won the hearts of the public at large and not admitting him would be stretching the moral code a bit too far. "There are much more serious allegations on a daily basis. The law society should be using its time to investigate issues of a much more serious nature." Cape law society director Susan Aird said the matter was to be tabled before a council meeting on Monday. Aird said she could not express any personal opinion. - ECN

The first year's production of a new plane built by Hamilton-based Pacific Aerospace is sold out. The maker of military training and topdressing planes last night unveiled the PAC 750XL at a gathering which included Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton. The company hopes the new plane will become a multimillion-dollar export earner. It is expected to generate $20 million a year in sales. Staffing will have to expand by nearly 50 per cent at the company's Hamilton Airport base to cope with the new aircraft, which will be in full production within a year. The first 10 have been sold to United States skydiving operations, and the Australia Army is also interested. Pacific Aerospace managing director Brian Hare said the 750XL would be capable of fulfilling roles undertaken by the New Zealand Air Force's Iroquois helicopters in East Timor. Operating and maintenance costs would be well below those of the helicopters. Other uses include sightseeing, and there are plans for a floatplane version. General manager Graeme Polley said the 750XL was based on the Cresco topdresser, and could lift two tonnes of freight or carry up to 17 skydivers or nine passengers. The single-engined aircraft, which will cost just over $2 million, has short take-off and landing capability and can use unprepared airstrips. Mr Polley said Australian Army officers had been to Hamilton to look at the aircraft. Able to cruise at 150 knots for five hours with nine passengers, the turboprop-powered plane is expected to make an impact in remote areas in First and Third World countries because of its landing capabilities. It also has a high climb rate - it can carry a full load of 17 skydivers to 14,000ft in 12 minutes. Ultimately, the production rate will be one a month, and Pacific Aerospace hopes to make 10 in the first year. However, a driving factor in meeting demand would be getting trained staff, Mr Polley said.Pacific Aerospace needed another 20 sheetmetal workers to meet demand for its existing aircraft types, he said. A further 20 to 25 staff would be required for the new plane. Pacific Aerospace employs 100 staff and has an annual turnover of $25 to $30 million. That is projected to increase to up to $50 million once the 750XL is in production. Mr Hare said inspiration for the new plane came during a discussion "over a beer" in 1999. An American visitor, impressed with the Cresco, told Mr Hare it was too bad that it could not be adapted for skydiving. "By February 2000 we had plans on the drawing board," Mr Hare said. "But as the design evolved we realized that the 750XL's performance characteristics would be such that it would meet a lot of other needs as well." As well as the Cresco, Pacific Aerospace makes the Fletcher topdressing plane, and the Airtrainer basic military training aircraft, which is used by the RNZAF and other air forces. The company already makes components for Boeing 777 and 747 planes, as well as for the Airbus A330 and A340 and the McDonnell Douglas F18 Hornet jet fighter. It has produced components for the Anzac frigates and United States Marine amphibious armoured personnel carriers.

ROME (AP) A 27-year-old woman from San Francisco died Sunday after her parachute failed to open fully during a jump in the Italian Alps, news reports said. Erin Aimee Engle plunged to her death on Mount Brento while base jumping, an extreme sport in which people jump from cliffs or other fixed objects using parachutes. Mount Brento is one of the sport's most popular and dangerous locations. Engle was the fourth skydiver to die on the mountain since May 2000. The last incident took place two months ago when a Belgian jumper's parachute did not completely open. Engle's boyfriend, whom authorities would not name, immediately jumped after her in an effort to revive her, the ANSA news agency said. She was pronounced dead at a hospital in Trent, the main city of the northern Italian region of Trentino.

MARINA, Calif. -- There he was, high above Monterey Bay, a yellow speck rocketing across the gauzy sky. Birdman was tracing a line due east, maybe 100 mph, following the braided shoals of the Salinas River. The ground was approaching at about 60 mph. Graceful from afar, close-up he looked like a flying squirrel in an Elvis get-up. Mark Lichtle had jumped out of a plane at 12,900 feet and was trying to soar two miles inland before deploying his parachute. For a minute and a half, the 42-year-old skydiver kept gravity at bay, moving forward much faster than he was descending toward that famous dark soil of Steinbeck country. Mark Lichtle: Featured Photographer Mark's Galleries Lichtle is one of a growing flock of jumpers who wear wing suits. Designed by BirdMan International, the suits keep humans aloft with nylon wings that extend from the wrists to the hips and inflate as air starts to rush into them. Another wing, like a bird's tail, connects to both legs. "It's like slow-motion skydiving," Lichtle said. "You can stay up longer and go farther. The wing suit has allowed us to feel as close to flight as possible." Since they became commercially available in 1999, BirdMan suits have given skydivers a new rush, and provided a new impetus to base jumping--hurling oneself off buildings, bridges and cliffs. Lichtle is a retired mortgage broker from San Jose who films other people enjoying such adventures, often while jumping himself. Recently he leaped off a tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in Mexico he jumped 1,200 feet into a cave called the Basement of the Swallows, which itself could swallow the Empire State Building. Wing suits are for experts only. The company recommends that a skydiver perform at least 500 parachute jumps and then take special bird-flying instruction before putting on wings. Although there is an emergency mechanism to cut away the wings, the diver's arms are very restricted while flying. "It's like skydiving handcuffed, and your head is your first point of contact with anything else," Lichtle said. Vladi Pesa, a BirdMan dealer and wing suit instructor, said that once students learn to control the suit, it revolutionizes their diving. They can do loops and barrel rolls and carve across the sky as if it were water or snow. "It completely changes the flight path," Pesa said. "You can do formations, flying like a flock of birds. You can double your free-fall time." Skydivers have long experimented with artificial wings and were called birdmen. In the mid-20th century, the practice was akin to jumping from a plane in a cheap Batman costume. From 1930 to 1961, according to Birdman International, 72 of the 75 people known to have tried such stunts died. The problem was, and still is, that skydivers need to be stable when they deploy their chutes. If some homemade wing has you spinning like a fan out of control, you're history. In the 1990s, skydivers began experimenting again, this time with wings that had no hard parts and were easier to keep in control. A Frenchman named Patrick DeGayardon got it right--for a while. He performed successful wing jumps until 1998, when he tried to sew a little pillow beneath his parachute to get rid of a pocket of dead air behind his derriere. Unfortunately, he sewed the chute itself to the pillow and didn't try to deploy it until too late. He plunged from life to legend. About that time, a Finn named Jari Kuosma came up with the idea of a commercial wing suit. A Croatian friend designed it, and BirdMan International was born in 1999. It has sold about 1,000 suits, ranging from $600 to $1,000. Kuosma has been trying to tinker with designs to slow down the speed of descent even more, allowing birdmen to swoop up and for a moment, maybe, achieve zero vertical velocity. "We are getting very close to zero," he said. "I am going to land this thing without a chute one day." Hopefully, not like the 72 others. Kuosma said he slowed the downward speed to 10 mph on one flight, whereas a normal skydiver falls at about 120 mph before throwing the chute. Others say birdmen haven't gotten much slower than 40 to 60 mph. On a cool summer day, with a briny wind coming off the bay, Lichtle suited up at the Marina Airport, an aging corrugated affair with old barracks and ragged windsocks. He harnessed himself into the six zippers and shuffled like a penguin to the runway. He wore a helmet--aptly designed by the Bonehead company--shaped flat like Frankenstein's skull, on which he mounted his camera. "Birdman!" an onlooker shouted, as an instructor explained the wing suit concept to curious students. Soon after the plane lifted off, the other skydivers on board jumped out right over the airport. Lichtle told the pilot to drop him a couple miles away at the coast. He wanted to see if he could get back to the airport on his own wings. He has to get used to his new suit, which is for advanced divers and "a little twitchy." Still, because he is more streamlined through the air, the sensation is a lot smoother and more liberating than regular skydiving. "You don't have the hard wind on your body," he said. He leaped alone over the beach and, at first, fell like a rock. Then in several seconds, the air went through the vents of his wing, and floom, they inflated. He was aloft, aiming roughly for a rusted water tower at the airport. But up at 12,000 feet, a strong head wind was blowing off the land. Lichtle was going about 100 mph into the wind and hurtling down about 65 mph. He watched his altimeter and studied the oaks and artichokes below. Flatbed trucks tooled along the farm roads. He realized he was not going to reach his goal and threw his chute at about 3,500 feet, still a quarter mile west of the airport. He drifted east with the wind and spiraled down with the other divers, undaunted. An eagle he wasn't. Still, Lichtle was unruffled. "This is really the closest you can get to a bird."

PEPPERELL -- Shortly after Ann Parsons saw her husband hit the ground while practicing a new skydiving move, she saw him do exactly what they learn in training: roll. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, he's going to be sore tomorrow,' " she said. But Charles G. "Chuck" Parsons, a 41-year-old Groton resident and noted nuclear physicist, would never regain consciousness. 'A LEADER': Skydiving was just one of Charles Parsons' passions. A noted nuclear physicist, he invented many scientific devices, several of them patented. PHOTO COURTESY CHAD GRONBACHAfter remaining in the intensive care unit at University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester for three days, his family decided to take him off life support Tuesday evening and donate his organs. Witnesses to the Saturday accident said Parsons, an experienced sky diver, miscalculated the depth of an advanced move called a "hook turn," which involves spinning around 180 degrees at a low altitude and steering downward to catch speed. "It was horrible," said Dennis Ducharme, a 30-year sky diving veteran who witnessed the accident from the ground at Pepperell Skydiving Center. "It was just plain horrible." Ducharme said Parsons should have attempted the move at a higher altitude. Parsons was also experimenting with a new, faster type of parachute. Weather did not appear to be a factor, according to police reports. A wake will likely be held Saturday at the Badger Funeral Home in Groton, and Parsons will later be buried in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. Parsons, who moved to his Ames Road home in Groton four years ago, had owned his own company, Catenary Scientific, for the last eight years. He had invented many devices, several of which were patented. "He was the most brilliant person I knew," said his wife, who is the head librarian at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell. "This will be a big loss to the physics community." He formerly worked at Bedford-based Niton Corp., where he developed improved technology for measuring lead in lead-based paint. Ann Parsons said her husband was working on several other projects that would have benefited the field, as well as the community at large. Parsons held bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees -- all in the field of physics. Her earned his doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. But there was more to Parsons than sky diving and physics -- he loved just about everything, his wife said. "He was passionately into to every facet of science and the environment," she said. "He could crawl under the car with you and repair brakes, and in the next minute talk physics with world-renowned scientists. He was a very special person." His friends agree. "He was a leader," said Chad Gronbach, a close friend and sky-diver. "He had a very large heart. He was someone who always went out of his way for someone else." Gronbach, Parsons and three others formed a sky-diving team called Burning Daylight -- a team that Parsons put together two years ago, members said. The team hasn't decided yet if it will remain intact. At the time of the accident, members were training for the U.S. National Skydiving Competition this fall -- the largest of several sky-diving competitions that take place throughout the year. Parsons started sky diving about 20 years ago, but gave it up when he began school and his career. When he and his wife moved to Groton, she treated him to a tandem jump at the nearby Pepperell Skydiving Center for his birthday. After that, she said, he was hooked. Even though the sport eventually took his life, Ann Parsons said she's glad her husband did what he loved. Participating in the sport improved his life both physically -- he lost 60 pounds in the last year -- as well as emotionally, she said. "He sky-dived the way he lived his life -- passionately," she said. When Parsons took the sport up again in 1998, he earned his Accelerated Free Fall license, which is needed to jump alone. In all, Parsons had about 920 jumps under his belt. The sky-diving community is very tight-knit, and news of the accident spread across the nation via e-mail almost immediately after the accident. Those involved in the sport say it is generally not dangerous, despite its seemingly risky nature. Paula Philbrook, vice president of the Pepperell Skydiving Center, said there are about 15,000 jumps a year at the center. Minor injuries such as twisted ankles are not uncommon, she said, but serious injuries are rare. The center, located at Pepperell Airport on Nashua Road, has been open for more than 30 years. According to the United States Parachute Association, there were 3.4 million jumps made in 1999 and only 27 fatalities. The percentage of death in other sports, such as scuba diving, skiing and flying, is much greater, according to statistics. There are strict rules and safety regulations that each sky diver must complete before jumping, said Philbrook, who also knew Parsons well. Those who receive a license must complete a seven-jump training and safety course. Friends said Parsons was a very safe sky diver, and always took precautions. "He was very safety-conscious for himself and the people around him," Gronbach said. "He was always full of smiles, a very happy man."