dumstuntzz 0 #1 January 10, 2008 popenhager can back me up on this one.... back in the early80's a certain parachute mfr had an aerial delivery system that used a ramair canopy and homed in on the intended landing area. this company had just recently acquired new facilities,raised their prices and were met with a total lack of orders/cashflow.they were copntacted by a woman who said she was from wyoming or something and that she owned a ranch .she wanted one of these aerial delivery systems to deliver hay/food to her cattle when it snowed and ground access was limited. shewas sold a unit and trained how to operate and pack it.she paid her 18000 bucks and left with the unit. interestingly enough, her car had florida plates. some few months later we got a call from the FBI . seems they had found the canopy in the florida everglades. attached to the parachute was the guidance unit and the remnants of a duffle bags cloth handle.(it appears that the duffle and its cargo was just attached to and not actually placed in the cargo sling.) they called popenhager because he was the nearest dropzone. to find out more about what the fbi had found. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenneth21441 0 #2 January 11, 2008 This system that I had worked on was called the Para-Point. I liked it due to you can call it in by becon or control it under canopy. Just had to make sure that you placed the correct cutters on the correct part. Not that we dropped 400 lbs from 10,000 feet onto anyones swimming pool or such....when the incorrect cutter was applied.... Lesson learned...follow the check list....Kenneth Potter FAA Senior Parachute Rigger Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA) FFL Gunsmith Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #3 January 11, 2008 beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #4 January 11, 2008 Para-Flite may have been the first ot sell self-steering parachutes, but nowadays at least a dozen different companies (Airborne Systems, Atair, MYST, Pioneer, etc.) are flogging them to the military. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dumstuntzz 0 #5 January 11, 2008 para flite is now part of airborne systems .the first para flite parapoint system was drop tested in 1971. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim_Hooper 4 #6 January 11, 2008 Quotebeats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. You wouldn't be referring to Mike Cerasoli's buddy, ex-narc and lawyer Drew Thornton, would you? Tsk-tsk, wasn't that a shame. No, really, I mean it. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,960158-1,00.html http://moesmisadventures.blogspot.com/2004/11/prequel-this-heres-south.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 14 #7 January 14, 2008 Thanks for the research references, Hoop. I think I first met Drew at ZHills. He had a Twin Comanche with modified engines that was the fastest recip. aircraft I think I've ever flown in. His was a very bizarre story...all the way leading to Cowboy's Caravan. If there was anything stranger than Florida aviation in the 80's, it was Florida skydiving in the 80's...and there were more high-profile names than Silly's that came up occassionally.Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poppenhager 1 #8 January 16, 2008 A cowboy came to my DZ and had in his pickup truck a PARA-POINT canopy with other associated parts that he had found on a ranch near Okeechobee,Fl.while on a fence patrol.I called Steve Snyder and informed him of the items and serial #.I don't know about any FBI but I was questioned by several military persons.And was later told the rig Quotewas stolen from the military. I still have the canopy and some other parts around some place.........Pop Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites SwampThing 0 #9 January 16, 2008 Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. If he had landed in my driveway, the cops would have found him out in the street...NAKED! The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!" The Optimist says: "Sure it can!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skypuppy 1 #10 January 17, 2008 Yeah, that's who I was thinking of. Don't think I ever met him. There is a new book out about it called the Kentucky Bluegrass Conspiracy, I think.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites howardwhite 6 #11 January 17, 2008 Quote There is a new book out about it called the Kentucky Bluegrass Conspiracy "New" as in published in 2001 (Just "The Bluegrass Conspiracy.") Drew Thornton is also mentioned in the book "Cowboy's Caravan," which was mentioned recently in another thread here. Here's a picture from that book showing his last DZ. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pchapman 279 #12 January 17, 2008 Quote Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. If he had landed in my driveway, the cops would have found him out in the street...NAKED! It's a tempting idea. But it also sounds like the opening scene of a movie like A Simple Plan or No Country for Old Men... :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites chuckakers 425 #13 January 21, 2008 Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. great line! 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
SwampThing 0 #9 January 16, 2008 Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. If he had landed in my driveway, the cops would have found him out in the street...NAKED! The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!" The Optimist says: "Sure it can!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #10 January 17, 2008 Yeah, that's who I was thinking of. Don't think I ever met him. There is a new book out about it called the Kentucky Bluegrass Conspiracy, I think.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #11 January 17, 2008 Quote There is a new book out about it called the Kentucky Bluegrass Conspiracy "New" as in published in 2001 (Just "The Bluegrass Conspiracy.") Drew Thornton is also mentioned in the book "Cowboy's Caravan," which was mentioned recently in another thread here. Here's a picture from that book showing his last DZ. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #12 January 17, 2008 Quote Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. If he had landed in my driveway, the cops would have found him out in the street...NAKED! It's a tempting idea. But it also sounds like the opening scene of a movie like A Simple Plan or No Country for Old Men... :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 425 #13 January 21, 2008 Quote beats waking up to find Andrew Thornton dead in your driveway. great line! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
