Don Dupont

[poppenhager 1]

Long time Skydiver Don Dupont passed away 3/28/08 of natural causes at 76yrs.old.Don was the owner of Woodstock,ct.DZ through the 70's.He started jumping in the early 60's at Taunton,Mas.

Don was one of the few jump pilots that servived a bail out from a damaged C-182 jump plane.

Clear sky Don.............Pop

[howardwhite 6]

Don was an original.
DZO. Pilot. Party animal.
The story of his departure from the plane (at Northampton, MA) after a tail strike is a classic. I know some of the details but need to refresh them before posting.

HW

[Moloki 0]

Don was a great guy and he will be missed. I had some great times with him.

Blue Skies Don.
Deno

[jerry9461 0]

Don showed a lot of us "kids" how to party at Mansfield -MA, not TX

[vanair 0]

I worked for Don twenty some years ago primarily as a pilot. Ironically he would never let a group exit the cessna with a person sitting in the crotch ie with their backback over the strut while facing the tail. His great fear was someones pack opening and going around the strut with obvious results. It's almost as if he had a premonition of what eventually would happen only in a different way. He was an original party animal.
Jerry, call me about the reserve, thanks, Van 908-377=9231

[skyditch1 0]

DON DUPONT,,

Winter 1985 left the dz where I was trained, showed up WOODSTOCK CT,, They were flying loads!!! landed downwind on the runway, scraped a hole on my reserve container right down to the reserve and a nice flatspot on the back of my protect,,, ALL I REMEMBER IS FLAIRING AND CLOSING MY EYES ,,WELL I scrape myself off the runway start heading in, and and the DZO is fast aproaching !!!
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT",,,, diminuitivley i reply i dont know ???????????????? He calms right down and says somthing like, at least your not giving some bullshit story,,

Well later that night after jumping my compadre and I are looking to smoke one of those funny little cigarettes people used to smoke, so we go out to the car and we are puffing away about three car lengths from the front door,,, alll of a sudden THE FRONT DOOR BURSTS OPEN AND THERE APPEARS MR DUPONT SCREAMING oh no were screwed,,, I stash tha cigarette, put the window down and he's yelling YOU CHEAP BASTARDS,, GET IN HERE WITH THE REST OF US AND SHARE THAT SHIT,,,


Made a few more jumps over that winter,, spring sprung and I ended up Jumping elswhere in my second season. FAST FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHRISTMAS MORNING,, after a long nite of partying sleeping in nice and warm ,,, the phone rings,,,
Expecting a relative or someone with A merry Christmas ,,," is this Justin??? yes,, WHERE'S MY FUCKING MONEY ,I FRONTED YOU A JUMP AND YOU OWE ME ,NOW SEND MY FUCKING MONEY!

I jumped out of bed and wrote him a check,,,

Later in life our lives merged again,, he told me Christmas was the day he always called people who owed him money cause thay were always home!!

DON DUPONT A CLASSIC LIKE THEY DONT MAKE ANYMORE,, AND A CLASS ACT,,,
HAVING THE PRIVALEDGE OF SKYDIVING AND MEETING PEOPLE LIKE HIM,,, IS A PURE GIFT!!

THANKS DON AND PARTY ON.. I,LL BE WAITING FOR A CALL NEXT CHRISTMAS!!

JUSTIN P SILVIAD 15898

WAKE UP TANDEMGUY !THERES A DUI CHECKPOINT UP AHEAD

[flipper3 3]

Don gave me my first 3 way back in 1971. He used to visit the Richmond, RI
DZ now and then back then. This thread has awakened some good old memories.

Flip

[drjump 0]

Don gave me my first hook-up in free fall, and signed me off for Left Handed Cardinal Puff in the spring of '69--Party Time at the May Fair, in Taunton.

[Airman1270 0]

Wow. Stumbling onto this thread has reminded me of some memories...

While passing through the region on June 30, 1985 I looked up the Woodstock DZ and stopped in to make a jump. I had recently had new brake lines installed on my (new) used rig and had hooked it up carefully, checking that the lines were straight, prior to my trip. I shook some hands, did the paperwork, and got on the Cessna. (I think they called it "five-three-echo.") At 3000' I was looking up at a fully open main with a pilot chute waving out in front of me. Since I had a good main I stayed with it, flying backward toward the grass alongside the runway. I did not attempt a standup. Jump #60 was Don's first memory of me.

I think I only made one Cessna exit from the crotch position, and remember feeling uneasy about it for reasons described. It happened at Woodstock. Perhaps Don didn't know about it. I got to know him a bit when I jumped there during that one brief season in '87. Prayers & condolences.

Cheers,
Jon S.