africapete

Thank you for posting this tribute, Chris - Martin was truly a great man and a wonderful friend. I believe that one of the tests to determine true friendship is whether people will think of you on a daily basis when you pass away, and Martin will certainly be remembered by a great number of people every single day. Rook agreed without hesitation to do a flyover at Martin's funeral, and the sight of the Otter flying over low and slow, landing lights on, brought tears to everyone's eyes - a fitting tribute to a great man. Here is what Kent Terry wrote in a newsletter of the Marseilles Rotary club in a tribute to Martin : " At the cemetery just prior to Pastor Tom's word people stood outside of the tent and looked skyward. From the southwest came a twin-engine plane at treetop level as a flyover in memory of Martin. I guess our lives are like that. We come into view, are right there and then all too quickly it sometimes seems we are gone over the horizon. I am so glad that Martin landed with us. " Beautiful words, and very true. Peter Haley.

I say "ditto" to all the remarks above about Jim's article - truly a delightful read and it means a lot to those who have seen the sport evolve from struggling 2-ways to mega-formations and wonderful equipment today. We should all be greatful to the pioneers who made skydiving what it is today, jumpers and manufacturers alike. Thanks, Jim ! Peter Haley.

Very cool indeed, Tonto - makes you realise how fortunate new jumpers are today with the modern equipment and training available. I started jumping at Bloemfontein Skydiving Club in 1979, lowest "D" in my logbook is D 181, Staf Du Plessis from 1 Parachute Batallion. Those were the days when toothpaste was still white ... Peter Haley .

Thank you - appreciate it ! Peter.

Just spent a great afternoon at Skydive Chicago - beautiful weather, nice people, the DZO grilling free cheeseburgers for everybody - thanks, Rook ! On a serious note : most senior jumpers have experienced the agony of losing a friend or witnessing somebody get critically hurt at some point during their respective careers. We all know that there is no magic cure to ensure safe jumping, but a good start would be to listen to what experts have to say about safety. Please read Rook's weekly update for Sept. 12 under the "Bulletin Board" on the SDC website [www.skydivechicago.com]. If somebody would be so kind to make a clicky it would be appreciated. Great food for thought, and it makes a LOT of sense. To quote from his last paragraph : "To wrap things up please when trying something new, ask yourself is it worth the reward? Can I perform this maneuver ? Stick to what you know and land safe under an open parachute ! ". Safe landings Peter Haley.

QuoteRedrocka is right, Skykef is an excellent DZ according to two of my good friends Bertus and Hein Geldenhuys who are tandem masters there. Just Google " skydiving in Israel" and click on Skykef. They are very impressed with the setup there and are doing a ton of tandems. Club operates mostly on Fridays and Saturdays, and they have a Twin Otter too - not a Super Otter though, but more than adequate. The club is 50 miles from Tel Aviv. Let me know if you don't get a reply from them, I'll forward you Bertus's phone number. Hope this helps!