Lost Drop Zones Project

[yjumpinoz 0]

Sky Sports Hutchinson Ks.
Kansas Aero Sports Cheney Ks.
OZ Sport Parachute Club Lyons Ks.
Doc's place Udall Ks.
Savutes Strip Kechi Ks.
Maize Airport Maize Ks.
Doc's Place Oxford Ks.
Eldorado Ks.

Any more I am missing???

[IMGR2 0]

This is a cool thread.

I have been around the Austin Texas skydiving scene for a few years and I have seen a few come and go. Can't quite remember the exact locations or the owners though.

Skydive San Antonio

There was another dz outside of San Antonio and can't remember what they called it, near Hondo Tx.

Skydive Smithville

Capitol Skydiving in Coupland Tx

And of course my favorite...
Gravity Rats Skydiving Center..lol

[McGonigal 0]

Hey Gene, Im just glad that Nitrochute ( I mean Charlie) didn't pack my reserve the way he spells!!

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[diverdriver 6]

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Greater Kansas City Skydiving Club Independence, MO. Not sure when it closed but the airport is completely gone building wise. On Google Maps I see the runway is still visible off RD Mize Rd (sounded Our Demise Road). And the Meth house across the street is still there.

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Did you happen to see two-eyed-Phil????

Oh man I wish I could have seen some remnant. However there are a couple of videos on YouTube now that show the old DZ at Independence, MO. Was kinda sureal watching it.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[Taylor610 0]

Yeah, there are a few of those for me these days.


Hey, at least this thread made me think of that afternoon sunset loose load and my favorite "jumpmaster"... Two-Eyed Phil!

[low_pull1 2]

damn john, good one! ive been there in passing and have beein in the "shit" colored brown plane that flew there!

[Clite 0]

Are you talking about the one run by Slavo or an earlier one?
What was the one run by a "Doc" out of Terrell who had a C47 for a short time?

Edit-- I remember talk about a Dropzone in Waco that was used sometimes for jumps into Lake Waco ( not sure about that) Forgot to mention the original Skydive Temple run by Rich.

[drjump 0]

You must be thinking of Gary Lewis's DZ on hwy 6 in Valley Mills, just west of Lake Waco. D-18 twin beech. Only open for a couple of years in the early/mid 70's.

[RogerRamjet 0]

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Woodbine.... That sounded familiar. The ex and I moved to the DC area in 1976 and we found a small DZ called Woodbine. I made one jump there on October 10th of that year. The next week we drove to Pelicanland but for some reason never made a jump. That jump (number 2028) turned out to be the last one I ever made. My logbook was signed by Melanie Splendido (not sure of the spelling, the signature was hard to read). The second to last jump was in Riverview, FL and signed by the late Mac McGraw. The previous seven jumps were at a Florida Parachute Council meet at Indiantown where my logbook says I average 7.36 seconds in the style event. Unless I'm mistaken, all three DZs are now defunct.

Yeah, that's the Woodbine in MD. I jumped there in 1974 and was 8th in their first ever 8 man star. They had been planning the jump for weeks, arranging to have the 2nd aircraft and all. We got it on the first attempt, 7 SCRs and 1 SCS.

I also jumped at the Sod Farm in Brandon (Owned by Cliff and Patty Dobson) quite a bit that you mentioned and the Top of Tampa DZ that Hoop mentioned.

Another defunct DZ in MD not mentioned was Downsville, a small 4-way stop sign town next to Hagerstown.

I jumped in Rainbow WI also. When I went up there to put students out, it was just referred to as Rainbow...

Lets see, I think every DZ I jumped at is gone except Deland.

Z-Hill Commercial Center (Still a Z-Hills, but at least 2 removed from the center I worked at).
Deland (Still going).
Sod Farm in Brandon.
Top of Tampa at State Road 54 and I-75
Hinkley, IL
Downsville, MD
Woodbine, MD
Sturgis, MI
South Bend, IN

I don't think any of the other places I jumped were regular DZ operations like the Richmond Boogie and maybe South Bend where we had a big meet that Roger Nelson organized.

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[WGore 0]

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Anyone mention Bardstown KY?

The longest running DZ in Ky, Greene County SPC 69 to 07. Before that they were in Springfield Ky for a year.
GC also had a DZ outside Ft Campbell in Elkton Ky 72 to 76.
The Ft Knox Club jumped at Campbellsville Ky 67 & 68. The Louisville Skydivers jumped there for several years after that, as well as the Nelson Co. Airport in Bardstown.
The Cincinnati Sky Divers jumped in Cynthiana Ky for awhile in the late 60s early 70s I believe.
The Ft Campbell Sport Club jumped in both Princeton and Greenville Ky in the early 70s.
Around the Cincinnati Area, there were DZs in Rising Sun IN (where I started), Harrison OH, Williamsburg OH, Hillsboro OH and Waynesville, OH.

GUNFIRE, The sound of Freedom!

[blongb 0]

LAGNAF Skydivers, Ava, NY 1960's
Evansville Skydivers, Chandler, IN late 60's early 70's
and Boz, wasn't there a GCSPC in Franklin, TN and Jonesboro, GA for awhile?

[stratostar 5]

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Mid American sky sports in Garnett Kansas

The orginal Mid American Sky Sports was in Hutchingson. The Kaw Valley Skydivers used Mesa Verde in Topeka in the 60 & 70's , Later became Topeka Skydivers in about 77 or so till the mid 80's. KSUSPC also used that field for many years till they moved to Wamego.

There was a Green county club in Wellsville for years too. And a place in Tonganoxie in the 60's.

I seem to recall a place in Lyons in the 80's or early 90's?

There has been a number of jumps made @ Forbes Field both miltary & civil. in the 70's & 80's.

Skydive Wichita is gone. And for some reason I was thinking they did some of the filming for the Gyspy Moths in Valley Center? I would have to check on that one.

Outside of Ks.

Jump Hawaii gone.
Strasburg Co. Front range skydivers?
Fredricks Co. The orginal Longmont.
Also next door to Longmont was a place a crazy guy ran a school out of his house (can't remember his name) he did time in the Fed pen for flying without a airmans cert.

Birdland Fl.
Jimmy Godwin's place Umatilla Fl.
Frank A's Place in Bushnell Fl. LOL
New Oxford Pa.
Morgantown Pa.
Rome Ga.
Skydive Sandwich Ill.
Old Skydive Chicago Ottawa Ill.
Carolina Institute Skydiving

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[pms07 3]

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Mid American sky sports in Garnett Kansas

Strasburg Co. Front range skydivers?
Fredricks Co. The orginal Longmont.
Also next door to Longmont was a place a crazy guy ran a school out of his house (can't remember his name) he did time in the Fed pen for flying without a airmans cert.

Strasburg; been there back when the 402 then Slocum's Beech was around. FRS was actually at Ellicott first, then moved to Calhan, CO. Both are closed.
Pete Terry had the Beech (and a 180?) IIRC at Longmont but I think Ed Herson is probably who you are thinking of. I can remember driving home from Sky's West (also closed) mid-day more than once because it was too windy for experienced jumpers and seeing students under canopy on cheapos/T-10s at Frederick..

[pms07 3]

[reply
There was a Brit who ran a small operation at Tahlequah for awhile in the early '70s, then moved to another airport in Oklahoma. For the life of me, can't remember his name or the second soon-to-be-defunct DZ.

hoop

[stratostar 5]

Yea I couldn't remember if it was called FRS when in Strasburg, cuz I remember that being more south around the springs.... Brain mold from old age I guess.

Pete Terry's 180, made my first jump out of the plane and yes Ed Herson is who I was talking about.......Fandango's Truman Sparks comes to mind, he had that Helio Stallion there and got busted flying it wothout a ticket, I remember the Fed's telling him to stop doing that and well he kept on and they really busted him. I jumped across the fence with the Longmont crew or Ellen & Tim's place @ the Fort, I had a high school buddy who jumped @ Ed's.

Hey it was all good times. Never did jump Strasburg.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[airtwardo 7]

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Wish I could take my son (just started jumping) to one of the old DZs.

In Ill
Benton, the old Pekin DZ, Sparta, Irving, Isley, Kanaakee, Chicago Hammond, Goreville, Ewing

Trackers Inc. Annawan.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jdthomas 0]

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Mid American sky sports in Garnett Kansas

I seem to recall a place in Lyons in the 80's or early 90's?

The lyons dz was nice, I enjoyed a few jumps there myself. the local campgrounds where nice as well.
very friendly people out there.
Joe

www.greenboxphotography.com

[ksjumper 0]

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Sky Sports Hutchinson Ks.
Kansas Aero Sports Cheney Ks.
OZ Sport Parachute Club Lyons Ks.
Doc's place Udall Ks.
Savutes Strip Kechi Ks.
Maize Airport Maize Ks.
Doc's Place Oxford Ks.
Eldorado Ks.

Any more I am missing???

I think Dave Snyder ran Skysports in Herington, KS then moved to Hutch.

JM

[skybill 22]

Hi Pat,
Thinking back over the years, 1969-70 I was in the Navy, Westpac 7th Fleet. Got to Subic in the Philippines and headed over to the Paraloft at Cubi Pt. Hey guys any jumping going on?? Got a couple in with the Cubi Pt. Sport Parachute Club, good fun.

1976, Najafabad Iran (near Isfahan) working for Grumman Aero, and a friend from Bell Heli. we wrangled some helo time for 11 practice jumps and a "4th of July demo for the Grumman/Bell 4th of July Party."

Whenever a couple of skydivers can get a plane and some place to jump..Fly out to the desert, a place on the River or to a beach in Mexico, camp out, go fishing, surfing, make a few jumps, drink some beer. (don't know about Mexico these daze?!!!)

Short lived DZ's but DZ's none the less.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Douggarr 6]

Greene, N.Y.

Shawanga, N.Y.

SCR-442, SCS-202, CCR-870, SOS-1353

[377 22]

Calsitoga California, 1960s.

DZ was on the airport grounds which had an active glider operation too.
Saw my first skydiving there around age 13. I was HOOKED. It was, to me, the coolest thing in the entire universe. Talked to the jumpers who were incredibly patient with a whuffo kid. They let me hold line tension in packing, answered a zillion 'kid" questions and told me to join them when I turned 18. I counted the days, but when I made my first jump at age 18, the Calistoga DZ was gone. I made my first jump at Livermore CA, another lost DZ.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[airtwardo 7]

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[3331 137]

Hartwood Virginia.

It could have been a Gold Mine for Tandems and AFF.

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[WGore 0]

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LAGNAF Skydivers, Ava, NY 1960's
Evansville Skydivers, Chandler, IN late 60's early 70's
and Boz, wasn't there a GCSPC in Franklin, TN and Jonesboro, GA for awhile?

Bill you are thinking of Franklin KY. That ended up moving to Elkton KY after 5 months. The GA DZ you are thinking of was Jenkinsburg GA.

GUNFIRE, The sound of Freedom!

[racerman 0]

There were several in Ohio that I can remember:
Greene County SPC in Grove
a DZ at Millersburg airport
and a DZ located next to a set of railroad tracks that was nothing more than a shack on some farmers field. The exact location escapes me but it was in northern Ohio