MikePelkey

[mikep@logiswitch.com 7]

Hi guys,

Just thought I would say hi and see if anyone on this site remembers me. Brian Schubert and I are credited to be the "Grandfathers" of BASE, having jumped the El Capitan on July 24,1966, some 12 years before Carl Boenish and company jumped it and named it BASE Jumping.

We recently moved to Kuna, Idaho and drove down to Twin Falls a month or so ago to watch the BASE jumping from the Perrine Bridge. We met with my old friend, Tom Aiello from the Snake River BASE Academy and new friend Sean Chuma from Tandom BASE, along with a few other BASE jumpers. I am no longer in adequate health at age 82 to be doing any jumping, but I sure felt the urge to get my "knees in the breeze" while watching it.

[pchapman 279]

Welcome.  Your name should still be known to anyone interested in the history of BASE. 

I was at Bridge Day 2006 where your old buddy Brian Schubert died. RIP. It was a little odd to be standing in line to jump, getting close to the ramp, with the line slowly moving forwards, then after staff looking over the edge say "Pull! Pull..." and trail off, the line stops for 20 minutes or so, after which the line started moving forwards again. "Next!"... 

 

 

[mikep@logiswitch.com 7]

God yes. It was much more than a little odd. Brian didn't seem so much to be his old self those days, but in a million years I never dreamed he would go in. I thought worst case, he may have trouble working out how to steer that newfangled canopy and possibly break a leg or walk away bruised. Anything but the horrific outcome that transpired.

 

[dudeman17 335]

I certainly remember of you and Brian, and have always been grateful for what you guys did. I have a question. Are you aware of anyone else who may have jumped El Cap back in your era, before Carl took his group in '78? I have heard of at least one, but have not confirmed it.

[riggerrob 643]

Who skiied off a cliff and deployed a Thunderbow (high performance round) for a James Bond movie?

[mikep@logiswitch.com 7]

6 hours ago, dudeman17 said:

I certainly remember of you and Brian, and have always been grateful for what you guys did. I have a question. Are you aware of anyone else who may have jumped El Cap back in your era, before Carl took his group in '78? I have heard of at least one, but have not confirmed it.

Yes, Rick Sylvester flew off the El Capitan on a pair of skis on January 30th, 1972. Great way to go! Rick had only 56 airplane jumps under his belt at the time. 

[mikep@logiswitch.com 7]

6 hours ago, riggerrob said:

Who skiied off a cliff and deployed a Thunderbow (high performance round) for a James Bond movie?

Yes, you would think Rick's jump might have been good publicity for the Thunderbow. I don't think it ever gained much popularity like the Paracommander though. 

[dudeman17 335]

Ah, yes, I remember Rick Sylvester's ski jumps. I think he did a practice run off El Cap, but the movie jump was somewhere else, like Banff or somewhere. But that had actually slipped my mind when I posted the question, because I had someone else in mind. I had heard that at least one of the early Taft/Arvin/Elsinore early SCR guys jumped El Cap sometime near when you guys did, probably after hearing about it. Do you remember anything like that?

[mikep@logiswitch.com 7]

38 minutes ago, dudeman17 said:

Ah, yes, I remember Rick Sylvester's ski jumps. I think he did a practice run off El Cap, but the movie jump was somewhere else, like Banff or somewhere. But that had actually slipped my mind when I posted the question, because I had someone else in mind. I had heard that at least one of the early Taft/Arvin/Elsinore early SCR guys jumped El Cap sometime near when you guys did, probably after hearing about it. Do you remember anything like that?

I never knew of any jumps from the El Capitan after our jump in 1966 until some 12 years later when Carl Boenish's group began jumping it.  I would surely have heard about it in my opinion. 

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

On 11/20/2022 at 8:36 PM, riggerrob said:

Who skiied off a cliff and deployed a Thunderbow (high performance round) for a James Bond movie?

https://boldentrance.com/the-spy-who-loved-me-ski-jump/

[kleggo 145]

On 11/20/2022 at 12:36 PM, pchapman said:

 

. 

I was at Bridge Day 2006 where your old buddy Brian Schubert died.

 

 

 

Yeah, me too.

I was at the bottom.

Sadly I watched Brian's daughter watch Brian go-in. Watching her running towards the river screaming "that's my dad" is still all too fresh in my mind.

Lottsa controversy of the refresher training he received. Somehow I ended up in a refresher training review "tribunal". I was hounded by NPR for weeks to discuss what the "tribunal" discussed. I chose to not go on the record even though I generally like NPR.

 

Best wishes Mike.

[riggerrob 643]

After viewing the video clip I have concluded that it was a high-performance round, but not a Thunderbow.

A high-performance round is fitting for the 1970s filming date, but it was not a Thunderbow.

Perhaps it was a Piglet??????

The container looks like another Security product, a Crossbow. Crossbow was the first piggyback container made for skydiving. The Crossbow container sold well and was widely copied.

[FIREFLYR 0]

I remember, I met you at Brian's funeral with Johnny U, Nick DG, Colin, Marah and a few others. Hope you're doing well!

Jamie

~981