Daniel Fairchild-1 of 3 paralyzed skydivers in the world who jump unassisted in 2000 who were the other 2?

[gimpboogie 0]

I just learned that as early as 1998 there were 3 paralyzed skydivers jumping unassisted.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000903/A_NEWS/309039994

Daniel Fairchild is 1, does anyone know who the other two are?

Anyone know if these people still jump?



Found this waiver from USPA re Daniel Fairchild

U.S.P.A. Board of Directors Meeting, Alexandria, Virginia, July 14
-16, 2000
-
Waiver for currency requirements 3
-
3.19F.1
In 1998 the committee granted a waiver for Daniel Fairchild, who is paralyzed and is unable to perform the jumpmasters requirement to renew his Instructor rating. He requests renewal of the waiver allowing him to maintain his USPA Instructor rating and continue to be involved in training.

http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Min_BOD_2000_07.pdf

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[cptchaos 0]

Records are sketchy Minna, I tried to find out all this kind of info when I started jumping, there were some concessions made for an instructor who wanted to carry on doing ground schooling and needed to maintain his licence. But I also could not find a lot of info about that case. I've never heard of Daniel Fairchild though. I'm fairly certain the only Paras jumping are Myself and those we know about. A couple new guys are coming through now as well.

all that is gold does not glitter
not all those who wander
are lost!

[gimpboogie 0]

Quote

there were some concessions made for an instructor who wanted to carry on doing ground schooling and needed to maintain his licence.

that's Daniel Fairchild - see the second link I posted from USPA meeting.


I had never heard of him prior to posting the other day.
The article I found titled:

It's all about attitude and altitude ... and love of skydiving

(at the link posted in my 1st post http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000903/A_NEWS/309039994 )

from the article:

"There are no handicaps at 13,000 feet, jumpers say


LODI -- A skydiving accident in April 1997 took away Daniel Fairchild's use of his legs.


But that didn't stop the 40-year-old Stockton resident from jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet and heading to Earth at 120 mph.


"I got up and did it when my bones got strong enough," said Fairchild, who said he is one of only three paralyzed skydivers in the world who jump unassisted. Pointing to his head and crediting a positive attitude, he said he never thought the injury would stop him from skydiving.


Fairchild was one of about 100 skydivers at the Parachute Center near Lodi taking part Saturday in Distant Thunder, an annual skydiving fund-raiser he organizes."


" Rick Draeger, an instructor at the Parachute Center, said those with missing limbs or paralysis have a harder time controlling air flow than nondisabled parachutists. He said he is impressed whenever he sees Fairchild jump.


"He's gone through a lot of work to get to where he is now," Draeger said. "Every time I skydive with him, I'm amazed."


I just had a quick look around and see Daniel T Fairchild was born in 1960. He currently lives in Medford, Oregon. Before that, Daniel lived in Lodi, CA in 1994. Before that, Daniel lived in Stockton, CA from 1995 to 2001.

The article from September 03, 2000 seems to verify he was in Stockton in 2000.


I've also found several mentions of him skydiving after paralysis in rec.skydiving google groups. These were posted in July and Sept 2000.

There was also a reference of him in SkyXtreme magazine, I'm just searching the archives to find exactly what was said about him.

I just found these 4 separate references to Daniel Fairchild skydiving while paralyzed.

I will log onto my work computer with other software and see what else I can find. As nothing is deleted from the internet, even if you think its deleted.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[grimmie 186]

Dan was an instructor with a lot of experience. He was injured doing "blade running", the original speed flying down mountains with skydiving canopies.
I haven't seen him in about two years.
He's a great guy that stays pretty active with all sorts of projects. He is paralyzed waist down.
Madjohn here may have contact info for him.

[pookieland 0]

Me !!! Pick Me!!!

Stop Touching Me!!!

Muff Brother# 4466

[gimpboogie 0]

grimmie

Dan was an instructor with a lot of experience. He was injured doing "blade running", the original speed flying down mountains with skydiving canopies.
I haven't seen him in about two years.
He's a great guy that stays pretty active with all sorts of projects. He is paralyzed waist down.
Madjohn here may have contact info for him.

Thanks for the info grimmie.

Yesterday I received a message from another skydiver who jumped with Dan before and after his accident. We shared some info and I received Dan's contact info.

This new info changes the history of paralyzed skydivers.

Unless we can find anyone else
(like the possible other 2 paralyzed skydivers mentioned in the article),

Daniel Fairchild is the worlds 1st paralyzed skydiver as early as 1999.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[hookitt 1]

His harness was made with extra wide legstraps and heavier padding. They were eventually modified to be a full saddle to sit in.

The harness had an extra set of rings under the usual 3 rings to allow him to lift his legs and clip them in.

I don't know when he finally sold it but I saw it again recently at Actionair in Davis.

Dan was a very good instructor, especially when it came to Tandems and landing. Since he was an ace at slide ins with a passenger, he could easily set his own ass down and slide in on the grass without a passenger.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[DanG 1]

I know of a paralyzed skydiver that made a handful of jumps after he lost use of his legs in a plane crash. He had to quit after breaking his femur on his last jump. IIRC, he was trying out a new harness/leg restraint system that didn't go so well. The plane crash was in 1996. I'm not sure when he made his jumps, but probably around 1997. He is still active in the sport, but doesn't jump anymore.

- Dan G

[grimmie 186]

gimpboogie

***Dan was an instructor with a lot of experience. He was injured doing "blade running", the original speed flying down mountains with skydiving canopies.
I haven't seen him in about two years.
He's a great guy that stays pretty active with all sorts of projects. He is paralyzed waist down.
Madjohn here may have contact info for him.

Thanks for the info grimmie.

Yesterday I received a message from another skydiver who jumped with Dan before and after his accident. We shared some info and I received Dan's contact info.

This new info changes the history of paralyzed skydivers.

Unless we can find anyone else
(like the possible other 2 paralyzed skydivers mentioned in the article),

Daniel Fairchild is the worlds 1st paralyzed skydiver as early as 1999.

Wayne Flemington was paralyzed waist down in the Perris otter crash in 1992. He made about 40 or 50 jumps IIRC in1993-4.
Another great guy that was an instructor and video flyer, and also the manager of the Perris Ultralight park.
He now flies his gizmos all over the countryside.
http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/52881/

[DcloudZ 0]

This summer I went to Parachutisme Atmosphair in Quebec and while there I saw a gentleman that appeared to be paralyzed from the waist down doing some formation skydiving jumps. Did not get a chance to talk to him, but I was pretty amazed, even his landings were smooth! I also saw the same gentleman at the Canadian National Indoor Skydiving Championships earlier this year. He was competing in the intermediate category with his team! (I believe they won gold).

Wish I could have had a conversation with him; don't even know his name!

"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

[Nigel 0]

You can add Carl Roland, from Norway, who got his A license at Davis last weekend. He broke his back skiing, is paraplegic. Katie Hansen helped him through it, I believe. I was privileged to do a hop and pop after him - his landing was better than mine (which isn't normally difficult)!

[cptchaos 0]

Awesome to to see new people coming in and news of older pioneers, it sucks that I was in fact not the first....but it was never about that anyway

all that is gold does not glitter
not all those who wander
are lost!