NickDG 23 #1 March 9, 2010 These always remind me of when the late Larry Yohn used to live in an old Twin Beech fuselage at Perris, LOL . . . http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2010/03/plane-obsessed-more-jet-hotels-and.html NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #2 March 9, 2010 I can never look at a Lawn Dart , without thinking of Larry! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites howardwhite 6 #3 March 9, 2010 Larry was my student on early jumps. I marveled that he did well in freefall, figuring out what to do with his leg -- 'cuz I sure wasn't much help. Didn't know about his airplane residence. He was a newspaper reporter in Springfield, MA when I first knew him. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites NickDG 23 #4 March 9, 2010 Larry lived his last years in the Perris Ghetto and he and I played a lot of late night chess games over jugs of cheap wine. I recall one story where he went riding in the local mountains with another jumper who had a 1000 Ninja sport bike while Larry had that old rat Honda Magna of his. After the first few twisties, figuring for sure he'd left Larry in the dust, the other jumper looked in his rear view mirror and there was Larry, peg leg propped up in the wind, and right on his tail. Larry's motorcycle was in a shop in downtown Perris getting worked on the day he died on that demo. A few days later I went down to the shop to make arrangements with the owner about getting the bike for Larry's service. But the guy wasn't there and the shop was closed for the day. But I remember peering in through a dirty back window and seeing Larry''s bike sitting there patiently waiting, like a loyal dog, to be picked up. It was really sad in a way . . . Larry's judgment was a bit on the wain in those days. I know that because I began beating him regularly at chess. And that never happened before. His air skills were also getting a bit thin. By this time he was relegated to only doing reserve side on AFF Level Ones and teaching FJCs and I did a lot of those AFF dives with him. When he started funneling AFF Otter exits (never mind the Skyvan) I had a talk with Melanie about it. Larry was always straight up about saying to students, "Sorry, that exit was my fault." But it was impacting student confidence & enjoyment and getting scary for the rest of us jumping with him. I don't know how many dives went tumbling and I'd see Larry, then sky, then student, then Larry again, with that peg of his whipping by my head. The worse part is Larry was too old school to ever let go in a funnel and if he did you'd never see him again on that particular dive. He was a good friend to me over the years and I'm not disparaging him. The lesson in it for me was the day would come when we'd all have to hang up our AFF spurs. Melanie was sympathetic but told me to deal with it. When she was a little girl waiting out on Goetz Road for the school bus Larry was one of the first few jumpers she ever knew. And I understood how much it all meant to him too. So that's what we did, all of us who worked at Perris during that time, we dealt with it. When I saw the video of the demo I watched it several times wondering how he could have slammed himself into that wall after a low turn like he did. He'd never displayed any problems with canopy control in the past and he'd done probably hundreds of demos. I like to think he was taking evasive action for some unseen reason and I just let it go at that. I still miss our late night chess games . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #5 March 9, 2010 Quote Larry's judgment was a bit on the wain in those days. I know that because I began beating him regularly at chess. And that never happened before. His air skills were also getting a bit thin. By this time he was relegated to only doing reserve side on AFF Level Ones and teaching FJCs and I did a lot of those AFF dives with him. When he started funneling AFF Otter exits (never mind the Skyvan) I had a talk with Melanie about it. Larry was always straight up about saying to students, "Sorry, that exit was my fault." But it was impacting student confidence & enjoyment and getting scary for the rest of us jumping with him. I don't know how many dives went tumbling and I'd see Larry, then sky, then student, then Larry again, with that peg of his whipping by my head. The worse part is Larry was too old school to ever let go in a funnel and if he did you'd never see him again on that particular dive. He was a good friend to me over the years and I'm not disparaging him. The lesson in it for me was the day would come when we'd all have to hang up our AFF spurs. He provided me with some of the most exciting footage I ever filmed! (and you were there for it too) yes it was very strange, and sad to watch towards the end, how he was changing...I think maybe that demo saved him from a looooong slow death by Alzhimers, I am just very greatful it didn't happen while working with the students, but also very sorry it had to happen in front of a large demo crowd!I loved hearing his motorcycle travel stories....he mayu have been a small man, but he lived large in his life! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #6 March 9, 2010 More from the link..Including house boats made from planes! http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/03/mystery-photo-jet-in-your-backyard.html Damn Nick, now ya got me running my mind threw Larry memories! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites MakeItHappen 15 #7 March 9, 2010 Larry was my FJC instructor. This was SL, pre-tandem and AFF days. Somewhere in the lesson he explained exit order and said the heavy guys went out first. My class only had two people in it. The other guy was a lineman that easily outweighed me by +100 pounds. When we finally were boarding the C182, Larry sets us up so that I jump first. I challenged him about that because he said in class that the heavier people go first. We rearranged and the big guy went first and me on the 2nd pass. Years later, I recounted that story to someone & was told that it was common practice to put the 'girls' out first so that the guys don't chicken out. You know, if a guy sees a 'girl' jump out of a perfectly good airplane then chances are the guy will too. IIRC, I never did a jump with Larry. He was always JMing. In those days, the only time you jumped with a JM was on your pin jump. But when I moved back to SoCal at the end of century, he still remembered me and would chat with me during the day between jumps or at the end of the day over a beer at the BombShelter. Melanie did tell me that many people were concerned about his JMing skills. In the 80s he also was a school teacher. Don't know why or how he got out of that. He was a good teacher. .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #8 March 9, 2010 I thought he was still teaching school in hemet right up to the end? math, if I remember right...but then I do drink a bit! I think I may have filmed his last "main Side" jump....the exit went to hell, and they lost both JM's...the student was spinning and falling so slow, I (with my wing suit) was the only person able to stay with them, abotu 6 grand, I flew in ,stopped the spin, and gave a pull signal....they pulled, (surprised they could see, I already had my eyes on teh rip cord) I was in trouble for "touching a student" without a rating, Larry stepped in, talked to Mel, and all was dropped! I guess I was only supposed to film wether or not the aad worked! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites howardwhite 6 #9 March 9, 2010 I didn't know any of that. I just knew he'd died on a demo. When he was still a student, he wrote a long story for his newspaper about skydiving and dying. It was, as I recall, a positive story. I'll have to find it; it's around here somewhere. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #10 March 9, 2010 BTW, I left out the fact I could see Larry and the other JM, Waaaay below us, so knew they couldn't possibly get back up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #11 March 9, 2010 QuoteI didn't know any of that. I just knew he'd died on a demo. When he was still a student, he wrote a long story for his newspaper about skydiving and dying. It was, as I recall, a positive story. I'll have to find it; it's around here somewhere. HW Larry lived a very full life for a scholar and a little guy, His leaving left a hole! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skyrider 0 #12 March 9, 2010 BTW, it is Obvious even more now, than then, when Larry started losing his skills, he never lost an ounce of respect! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
skyrider 0 #2 March 9, 2010 I can never look at a Lawn Dart , without thinking of Larry! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #3 March 9, 2010 Larry was my student on early jumps. I marveled that he did well in freefall, figuring out what to do with his leg -- 'cuz I sure wasn't much help. Didn't know about his airplane residence. He was a newspaper reporter in Springfield, MA when I first knew him. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #4 March 9, 2010 Larry lived his last years in the Perris Ghetto and he and I played a lot of late night chess games over jugs of cheap wine. I recall one story where he went riding in the local mountains with another jumper who had a 1000 Ninja sport bike while Larry had that old rat Honda Magna of his. After the first few twisties, figuring for sure he'd left Larry in the dust, the other jumper looked in his rear view mirror and there was Larry, peg leg propped up in the wind, and right on his tail. Larry's motorcycle was in a shop in downtown Perris getting worked on the day he died on that demo. A few days later I went down to the shop to make arrangements with the owner about getting the bike for Larry's service. But the guy wasn't there and the shop was closed for the day. But I remember peering in through a dirty back window and seeing Larry''s bike sitting there patiently waiting, like a loyal dog, to be picked up. It was really sad in a way . . . Larry's judgment was a bit on the wain in those days. I know that because I began beating him regularly at chess. And that never happened before. His air skills were also getting a bit thin. By this time he was relegated to only doing reserve side on AFF Level Ones and teaching FJCs and I did a lot of those AFF dives with him. When he started funneling AFF Otter exits (never mind the Skyvan) I had a talk with Melanie about it. Larry was always straight up about saying to students, "Sorry, that exit was my fault." But it was impacting student confidence & enjoyment and getting scary for the rest of us jumping with him. I don't know how many dives went tumbling and I'd see Larry, then sky, then student, then Larry again, with that peg of his whipping by my head. The worse part is Larry was too old school to ever let go in a funnel and if he did you'd never see him again on that particular dive. He was a good friend to me over the years and I'm not disparaging him. The lesson in it for me was the day would come when we'd all have to hang up our AFF spurs. Melanie was sympathetic but told me to deal with it. When she was a little girl waiting out on Goetz Road for the school bus Larry was one of the first few jumpers she ever knew. And I understood how much it all meant to him too. So that's what we did, all of us who worked at Perris during that time, we dealt with it. When I saw the video of the demo I watched it several times wondering how he could have slammed himself into that wall after a low turn like he did. He'd never displayed any problems with canopy control in the past and he'd done probably hundreds of demos. I like to think he was taking evasive action for some unseen reason and I just let it go at that. I still miss our late night chess games . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #5 March 9, 2010 Quote Larry's judgment was a bit on the wain in those days. I know that because I began beating him regularly at chess. And that never happened before. His air skills were also getting a bit thin. By this time he was relegated to only doing reserve side on AFF Level Ones and teaching FJCs and I did a lot of those AFF dives with him. When he started funneling AFF Otter exits (never mind the Skyvan) I had a talk with Melanie about it. Larry was always straight up about saying to students, "Sorry, that exit was my fault." But it was impacting student confidence & enjoyment and getting scary for the rest of us jumping with him. I don't know how many dives went tumbling and I'd see Larry, then sky, then student, then Larry again, with that peg of his whipping by my head. The worse part is Larry was too old school to ever let go in a funnel and if he did you'd never see him again on that particular dive. He was a good friend to me over the years and I'm not disparaging him. The lesson in it for me was the day would come when we'd all have to hang up our AFF spurs. He provided me with some of the most exciting footage I ever filmed! (and you were there for it too) yes it was very strange, and sad to watch towards the end, how he was changing...I think maybe that demo saved him from a looooong slow death by Alzhimers, I am just very greatful it didn't happen while working with the students, but also very sorry it had to happen in front of a large demo crowd!I loved hearing his motorcycle travel stories....he mayu have been a small man, but he lived large in his life! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #6 March 9, 2010 More from the link..Including house boats made from planes! http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/03/mystery-photo-jet-in-your-backyard.html Damn Nick, now ya got me running my mind threw Larry memories! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #7 March 9, 2010 Larry was my FJC instructor. This was SL, pre-tandem and AFF days. Somewhere in the lesson he explained exit order and said the heavy guys went out first. My class only had two people in it. The other guy was a lineman that easily outweighed me by +100 pounds. When we finally were boarding the C182, Larry sets us up so that I jump first. I challenged him about that because he said in class that the heavier people go first. We rearranged and the big guy went first and me on the 2nd pass. Years later, I recounted that story to someone & was told that it was common practice to put the 'girls' out first so that the guys don't chicken out. You know, if a guy sees a 'girl' jump out of a perfectly good airplane then chances are the guy will too. IIRC, I never did a jump with Larry. He was always JMing. In those days, the only time you jumped with a JM was on your pin jump. But when I moved back to SoCal at the end of century, he still remembered me and would chat with me during the day between jumps or at the end of the day over a beer at the BombShelter. Melanie did tell me that many people were concerned about his JMing skills. In the 80s he also was a school teacher. Don't know why or how he got out of that. He was a good teacher. .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #8 March 9, 2010 I thought he was still teaching school in hemet right up to the end? math, if I remember right...but then I do drink a bit! I think I may have filmed his last "main Side" jump....the exit went to hell, and they lost both JM's...the student was spinning and falling so slow, I (with my wing suit) was the only person able to stay with them, abotu 6 grand, I flew in ,stopped the spin, and gave a pull signal....they pulled, (surprised they could see, I already had my eyes on teh rip cord) I was in trouble for "touching a student" without a rating, Larry stepped in, talked to Mel, and all was dropped! I guess I was only supposed to film wether or not the aad worked! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #9 March 9, 2010 I didn't know any of that. I just knew he'd died on a demo. When he was still a student, he wrote a long story for his newspaper about skydiving and dying. It was, as I recall, a positive story. I'll have to find it; it's around here somewhere. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #10 March 9, 2010 BTW, I left out the fact I could see Larry and the other JM, Waaaay below us, so knew they couldn't possibly get back up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #11 March 9, 2010 QuoteI didn't know any of that. I just knew he'd died on a demo. When he was still a student, he wrote a long story for his newspaper about skydiving and dying. It was, as I recall, a positive story. I'll have to find it; it's around here somewhere. HW Larry lived a very full life for a scholar and a little guy, His leaving left a hole! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #12 March 9, 2010 BTW, it is Obvious even more now, than then, when Larry started losing his skills, he never lost an ounce of respect! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
