Searching for some skydiving history on the PCA

[demoss99 0]

I am a second generation skydiver. My dad was jumping back in the late 50's - early '60s when sport jumping was just really getting started. He was in a military jump club/team at Ft. Hood, Texas. I have promised to help him on an research project into skydiving history.

He is wanting to know if anyone out there has any information about the old regulatory skydiving body the "Parachute Club of America" which preceeded the USPA. He's looking to see if there is any record of the old license rolls etc...

In addition, he is looking for anyone with an old PCA patch they would like to sell.

I have contacted the USPA and have had no luck - just wanting to know if anyone else out there has anything they would like to share.

Thanks -

"I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

[bob.dino 1]

You might want to try posting this in the Skydiving History & Trivia forum. It'd probably get a better response there.

edit: now been moved.

[skypuppy 1]

Or try to contact geronimo at parachutehistory.com - I don't know if she can help but she may have some contacts....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[slotperfect 7]

I'm moving this to Skydiving History & Trivia so it won't get quickly bumped off the fron page.

Arrive Safely

John

[demoss99 0]

Thanks -new to dz.com actually and glad for the active and effective moderation.

Blue Unzzz

"I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

[steve1 5]

You might contact Bill Newell. He's very knowlegeable on the history of our sport, and he enjoys sharing what he knows with others.....Steve1

[AirCav 0]

He's looking to see if there is any record of the old license rolls etc...
------------------------------------------------------------
If my memory serves correct.......

USPA was PCA. It was only a name change in the mid-sixties to sound more proffesional ( ie Assoc vs Club)

Also a move of the Headquarters around the same time. ( From Monteray Cal.)

The only licenses at the time were A,B,C,D( same numbers). There were no other awards at that time. Gold wings , Freefall badges, Instructer ratings etc came much later.


P.S. I found my original logbook , will scan and post the license requirements in a bit.

GW685,D3888,C5052,SCS843

[AirCav 0]

Don't know if this will work or if they'll be readable but I'll try............O,K, it worked. It opened in PDF and you can increase the image size to read it.

GW685,D3888,C5052,SCS843

[JerryBaumchen 1,362]

I joined PCA in mid'64 and they only had Gold Wings at that time; no one (in USA) had made 2,000 jumps yet.
They had a blue 'triangular' shaped patch that said 'PCA' on it.
For information on real OLD stuff try contacting Jim Bates with Conneticut Parachutes Inc (????). Try sending and email to Kim Knor at cadillackim@comcast.net as she has a lot of info on the Pioneers of Parachuting.

[demoss99 0]

Thanks for everyone's input - its much appreciated. Now I just need to get my dad to get his own dz.com account and he can do this stuff himself - haha

Thanks again!!!

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"I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

[poppenhager 1]

At the PCA general membership meeting at the 1967 nationals we voted for the name change to USPA.All the lic.# are still carried on to the present.The first Instructor ratings were issued 2/22/62,all 23 of us the same day.

Pop D47