skybill

Well, it's been a while... but mentioning pulling off pieces at low altitudes.... Back "in the Day" at Scare-Us-Valley in the early mornings with the cloud ceiling around 3 to 3,5K and no holes.. Bob Webb would get on the Mike and say he'd take a load to the cloud base f anyone wanted... Well "GOOD FUN" we called them TORPEDO RUN'S!!! the Otter throttles Ballz2Dwall and above the DZ we'd Launch.. Donuts, Diamonds, Rounds .. trying to "Frisby launch" the piece!! We'd get a good 10 to 15 seconds and a couple of points!!! Did I say "GOOD FUN!!!" .. The Best of times!!! foto: anybody remember this place?? Note!!: no Rock Crushing plant in the background and YOU may be in the foto .. if yer' old enough!!!! skybill

Scary to today's jumper's.... have to check my log's .. think it was March of '66 me, Don McQuattie and Pat Larkin's did a "Double Baton Pass!!!! My friend Jim Day .. an aspiring Photographer was at the DZ and shot me under canopy!! YUP a "7-TU!! 28' C-9!!" .... OH yes... Check out our Altimeter's!!!!! skybill SCR-2034, SCS-680

It's am MC-4 PC spring with a cap at both ends and in a mesh tube... 'worked on the program back in Ca. then in NC with scurvyirvn... The late Gordo Foster and I tweeked the program a bit... Andy Cowley and the Brit bunch started it... If ya' have enough Beer and Whiskey I'll tell ya' the tale.... skybill

The Bodacious Thunder Chicken!!!!!! 'Have quite a few leaps out of the Bird!!! skybill PS note in the foto how "Dude" has his hand over the "EN' in thunderchicken.. So i think he thinks "SHE!!'s the "ThunderChick!!" ..."OMG!!"

Well... it is an illustration of the hand... say thankyou to "Bullet Bob!!!" Still have the shirt... and it still "Fit's!!!!!!... me!! seems like for a lot of older Sky Divers some of our older, favorite Sky Divin' T-shirts have "Shrunk!!!!" Badly!!!!! skybill

Here it is a few years later... .... The old "Hammond Airport" Admin. bldg. our office is now the CAP bldg. the Airport now after "KATRINA" has Grown... FBO's, the "Border Patrol and Homeland Security!!" and a "TOWER!!!!!" (Manned by the US ARMY located on Field!!.....) .... Sometimes at sunset ... on calm evening.... ovr the wisp of the wind you can hear the sound of a Cessna 172 at 7500 feet cut it's engine then the sound of skydivers in freefall and the opening of their chute withe tem hootin' and hollerin'!!! The Spirit lives....... skybill

Post 20... by "mwr" noting from Otay the "Sons of Beeches" ... also from Otay was the "San Diego Zoo!!" honcho'ed by Lorenzo Lizarag!!.... me, Ken Pelkey, Dennis Schufflin, Dave Mizel, Mike Parnell, and I have to get out my logs to see who else!! That was march of '75 and Jim Spencer was still in Jail!! ... Our first Otay 10-MAN team was the "OTAY BUNCH" we went to the "Chute Out at the Gulch" at Casa Grande in March of '73......."That's the T'Shirt!!!!!" down there!!!!!! Blue skyz, skybill...... D-6009

Hahahahaahahaha!! a few years ago now..... I needed to get my monkey ass back inthe air after 8 years on the deck.. started with a torn deltoid then my wife got cancer so it go's!! Showedup at GOLDCOAST lumberton MS. leanne said i had to jump with one of her instructor's "FIRST!!... I tried not to scare JD too much ... on take off roll i unfolded "SAMMY SKULL!!!!!" (Old SO. CAL JUMPER'S KNOW!!!" and as the wheel's lifted, I lifted Sam andyelled "BLUE SKIES, BLACK DEATH!!!!" Much to the shagrin of all on board including "JC!!" thnI turned and looked at him and said, "I hope I didn't scare you too much!!!" The dive was GREAT!! JC signed me off .. I seriously think he will NEVER forget me!!! skybill

Hi Sky!!!!, Just wonderin' here it is a few weeks later and ...... how'd things go??? 'Have a "skyfriend" whose MOM is not expected to survive this fiasco corona bug... we are standing by... Just know that you and yours are in my prayers...... And Thank You Jesus for lettin' someone back when discover "WHISKEY!!!!!" I hold my glass high and Toast!! "BLUE SKIES!!!" all we can ask the Eternal for.... skybill

Back in the Day... I think around '78-'79 when we were still doin' the S/L Program at Perris before Hank made all those godawful red and yellow Hankpigrigs!! we'd have an average of 30 or more FJC students on a Saturday or Sunday morning Class!!!! Hooodogies! So at least a DC-3 load.. GOOD FUN!! One Sunday.. or was it a Saturday?? either way.. Got the load geared up, a couple of extra J/M helpers in the plane and taxi out!!! Ron Lay does the 30 inch check on starboard ..OK.. then PORT..... POPPOPPOPOP..no go taxi back!!! run everyone over to the other DC-3 ...taxi out, take off.. turn around and land!!!!! Don't remember what the gig was but we were down!!!!!! They had Howie warm up this cargo door Beech 18 we had at the time so I took up 10 students at a time!! First group... OK.. Second group ....well some "Chatter" in the starboard engine!! Students were eager to get out is an under statement!! We got the 3rd group up and 3 to a pass and 4 on the last.... As 2 and 3 go ... Howie starts workin' the throttles yelling...."GET OUT!!!!...GET OUT!!!!" Stu #4 didn't even wait for me to say GO!!! He was "GONE!!!!" Funny how that goes!! skybill

Yesterday evening, Christmas Eve, 'got a text from "Rusti," "Caz" had just passed on.... Some time ago he had a "Stroke!"... he got somewhat better.... then worse.. Details don't matter.... 'knew it would be soon but ...????? you know the drill.... Fly on Caz... 'yer up there in that "Eternal Star" with Gary, Dirty Ed, Joe Morgan, Al Frisby and on!! Blue skies Buddy..... Blue skies!!!, skybill-out

Congrats!! to the winners!!! Go to www.airtrash.com and dig up the message board... just a couple from the top I posted about "Carlos Gene Godfrog" and ... well... just read it...... Hooray for Carlos.......!! Auentes, Fortuna, Ivat, skybill-out

No Pix,but "I was in the Parking lot!!!!!" "HarHarHar!!!" and heard the "Crash!!!!" And NO!! "BOB" was not in the Van!!!...'Was gettin' some gear for the next jump.... 'Just did a "AFF Level I" with this Gorgeous Ginger!!! The Crash put the quanus on our Level II dive that day!!!!! Audentes, Fortuna, Ivat, skybill-out PS "Old Woman!!" somewhere in my archives I have a "Snapshot" of you standing by Sq. 1... 'will let you know when I find it!!!

Hi Jerry, Sorry to hear...... Fly on Flip.... That "Eternal Star" just got another entry!!!!! skybill

It was just a matter of our worst enemy...."Time".... Criss has had a bout of serious battles with his health lately... came down to a "Cerebral hemorrhage" a couple of daze ago and his sawbonez said,"He ain't gonna make it..." Criss went Trackn' up to that "Eternal Star" at 19:48 (EDT) on 05MAY2019.... this past Sunday!! Up in Va. he was stayin' with his sister... was just admitted to Hospice and he left us shortly after.. When he was still down here in Louisiana I was fortunate to visit with him... 'Found out from Sandy Callahan that he was in "Port Allen!!" just across the bridge from Baton Rouge... I'm in Hammond.. just 65 miles away!! Went to visit.... Brought him a "Fresh" "AIR TRASH" hat!!...when he was in the hospital over here... He had some serious complications from surgery... fortunately came out of it but it was scary!! He went up to Va. to live with his sister... anyway he's in that "Eternal Star" now!!! Fly on Buddy.... you will be missed.... skybill