Lost Drop Zones Project

Maybe someone mentioned them already but how 'bout Antioch and Pope Valley in Calif; Trinity NC (Tar Heel SPC)

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ParaPonderosa, Bong AFB(closed) near Kenosha Wisconsin.
Aero Park (Wisconsin Sky Divers) Franklin, Wisconsin
Rainbow Airport, southeastern Wisconsin(Milwaukee Skydivers?)
Bill Hasenfuss's airport, Omro Wisconsin (Oskosh)

Last summer I was in Oshkosh again for the EAA Fly-in.

Bill is still operating in Omro and jumping daily at the EAA airshow.

There was Del Ray Beach, Florida, home to some great and crazy relative workers in the late '60s snd early '70s.

Hoop

I checked with my dad. He used to fly a 182 in Montana in the late '60s for a DZ up there. This is what he said about it:

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Most interesting. I was stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base (Montana), some twenty miles north of the town, from waely September, 1965 to late November, 1968. I found it on the subject website under the Eastern Montana selection. We had B-52 C and D Models; KC-135s, and F-101 Voodoos....

I flew mainly out the Glasgow Municipal Airport (just North of the town) which I understand was an old World War Two B-17 training base. It had two 5,000-foot runways with 2,000-foot overruns each. I will have to give some though as to the other airports I visited. I never landed at but there was a small grass--dirt strip--at Fort Peck Reservoir. I also flew into Wolf Point a time or two. A Montana Highway Patrol officer lived their, and he liked to fly and I like to ride with him on patrol. I also seem to remember another strip to the west. And, I recall making a flight to/from Billings, Montana.

Has anyone ever heard of that DZ or know anything about it. Dad has never jumped, has no desire to jump, but he loved flying the jump plane. He said he had the only seat belt in the plane and he threw a fit when he saw my DZ's pilot wearing an e-rig. Basically calling him out and saying he'd never be able to use it and he'd be better off wearing a jacket to keep warm (the plane dad flew didn't have a door and was cold in Montana).

Was the "Aero Country", that you listed the same as-
Aero Valley in Roanoak, TX. A DZ run by Ed Dowdy and Edna White in the early 70's? I beleive that strip is now called NorthWest Regional airport.

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????

In Connecticut, Johnnycake Airport where CPI operated for awhile in the early '70s when we lost Ellington. There was also Monroe Skydivers in Monroe, CT and an operation used to be located in Woodstock, CT.

In Florida, did anyone mention Jimmy Godwin's operation in Eustis?

CPI used to go to St. Andre Avellin in Canada between Montreal and Ottawa for a lot of fun times with Duncan Grant, Howie Summerfeld, Tom Cook etc.

Anybody ever jump here:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Goodenow&state=IL#a/maps/l:::Goodenow:IL::US:41.391399:-87.636703:city:Lake+County:1/m:hyb:7:41.391399:-87.636703:0:::::/io:0:::::f:EN:M:/e

Can't remember the name of the airport, and it was even smaller back in the 60's/70's. Just outside a tiny blink of an unincorporated town named Goodenow (Il).

My conection to it was that as a little kid I lived on a farm in the area, and could see the jumpers descending under their rounds. Years later, as a teen, me and a few friends lived at an old abandoned farm only a mile from this airport. Never saw any skydivers those later years (late 70's).

Be cool though if there happened to be a grizzled skydiver or two that remembered the place. Non-grizzled would be OK too.

Hi Hoop. Guess I did create a monster.

I've managed to think of a few more. Lakeland, FL for one - I can't remember the name of the guy who ran it be we were getting hop and pops before noon for something like 75 cents.

I do web design but don't have the time to undertake this project. Surely there's someone out here who would like to spearhead the Lost DZ website. Each listing could have photos and stories.

How about Anderson, Indiana, run bu Jim Trantor?Jumped there in the mid 80's and it was a blast. Grass runway, lots of cessnas and static line students!

It's gone, runway is visible on Google Earth, but not a functioning airport anymore.
Craig

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in New Jersey we had :
Tri State Skydivers at Adams Airpark,Flemington (property is now owned,as i understand it , by Johnny Higgins,of the Chute Shop/North American Aerodynamics);
Manville,
Horizon Parachute Club Applegarth,
Asbury Park Skydivers,
Frenchtown,
RipcordParaCenter in Lumberton(1962-1986) ,
Lakewood P.I.,
Bridgeton(P.A.I.,circa 1980)

Nitro--

You also did not include my DZs.

Woodbine, NJ 1968 to 1975?
Fiarton, NJ 1975 to 1976.

And one in Bucks County, PA 1975 to 1977?

All three were very famiily-oriented where I encouraged people to bring children...

After the above DZs, I began flying at Pelicanland and a few other east coast DZs. Flying Jumpers was more fun that jumping.

That reminded me of Mooresville, IN, a short distance from IND and run by Bob (Bobo) Branch. There was a DC-3, D-18, and a C-180.

...and, of course, the brief PI midwest venture, in Crawfordsville, IN.

HW

Someone with the technical know how needs to organize this thread by State.

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I jumped one time with the civilian club at the Canadian Forces base at Lahr, Germany, in the early '90s before the Canadian bases in Germany closed.

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The Black forest Parachute club started at Canadian forces Base Baden-Baden, West Germany some time back in the 1970s.
Circa 1983, they converted all their student gear to piggybacks (EZE Flyers), albeit with all their old FXCs, Para-Commanders and 26' Lopo reserves.
Brian Alp (civilian) was the chief instructor/rigger/pilot when I arrived in 1985.
I jumped, rigged, instructed and flew there from 1985 to 1987.
My biggest project was to convert the student gear to square main canopies (Laser 9-cell, 290).
Pete ? took over as chief instructor/rigger after I left. Pete eventually moved the club to Lahr. ... around the time that Baden closed down and they moved the fighter planes (CF-18)back to Canada.
Lahr was the last Canadian base to close in Germany, just a few years before they desperately needed a logistics base in Europe to supply Canadian troops fighting in the middle east.

It is rumoured that the BFPC's Cessna 182 was sold to Forces Ottawa Sport Parachute Club (Embrun-Russell Airport, Ontario).

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The Calgary Parachute Club jumped at Drumheller for a few years, then lost/sold/? their Cessna.

Now the Calgary Parachute club is more of a drinking club with a skydiving problem.
Tee!
Hee!
Seriously, CPC is now a group of "boogie jumpers" (Lost Prairie, Eloy, whenever a Twin Otter arrives for the Alberta Provincials, etc.) that meets at the Beiseker DZ once or twice a year to make a few skydives and have a party.
Seems that they got spoiled by Twin Otters at big American DZs.
A few of the younger members (Dominic, etc.) jump regularly at Beiseker or Diddsbury, Alberta.

And then there was Topp of Tampa about 20 miles from Z'hills off SR54 just west of I-75.

Hoop

Hey Doogie,
I did some flying for Bill Smith , at a little dirt field, I seem to remember one runway, near Baldwin florida.
You had to clear each lift with Cecil Field which was then active with training for the navy.
don't remember how long it lasted but the difficulty of clearing with cecil field was a giant PIA so it likely was not in operation for long.
I do remember some activity at the Saint Augustine airport, one packing table, and half a dozen guys on a good weekend. I used the same packing table to pack some of the aerobatic pilots rigs there and in nearby airports.

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Was the "Aero Country", that you listed the same as-
Aero Valley in Roanoak, TX. A DZ run by Ed Dowdy and Edna White in the early 70's? I beleive that strip is now called NorthWest Regional airport.

No, Aero Country was/is about five miles West of McKInney, Tx. As a matter of fact, Roanoak is what I was thinking of when I put Rhome Airport in the DFW list. Thanks for the heads up.

Aero Country is still alive and well as an airpark for current and retired Southwest Airlines pilots who are into warbirds and aerobatics.

I think Omro is still in operation. RevJims home DZ.

Rainbow was called Parachuting Inc, Franklin Wis.

I'll add the Pig Farm, south east Wisconsin, Winfield Road.

Aero Sports Center, Camp Lake, Wisconsin

Sturtevant Wisconsin. Now a subdivision in the middle of town.

I remember a farmers field and quonset hut operation in northern Illinois somewhere around Hebron? Early seventies. Yup, logged in logbook.

And of course Skydive Sandwich, drove by there a while back all hangers, houses and other things.

Went though my old logbooks to add this.

Osceola Wisconsin, home of the legendary "Annual Osceola Buffalo Hunt".

Two Rivers Wisconsin.

TRUE, Beloit Wisconsin. Very short lived.

Stanton Minn
.
Skymart DZ Lansing Il, mentioned already.

Mason Michigan, Jewett Airport.
Remember the t-shirts? "I survived Mason Michigan".
I didn't get one but I did save this.

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Someone with the technical know how needs to organize this thread by State.

Damn man, don't you know,
Never volunteer for anything.

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Hey Doogie,
I did some flying for Bill Smith , at a little dirt field, I seem to remember one runway, near Baldwin florida.
You had to clear each lift with Cecil Field which was then active with training for the navy.
don't remember how long it lasted but the difficulty of clearing with cecil field was a giant PIA so it likely was not in operation for long.
I do remember some activity at the Saint Augustine airport, one packing table, and half a dozen guys on a good weekend. I used the same packing table to pack some of the aerobatic pilots rigs there and in nearby airports.

Now that you mention it, I've heard there was a DZ out that way, but I have no information on it.

St. Augustine? Yikes! If I recall correctly there is a lot of water (Intracoastal) to one side of the airport.

Oh, two others I forgot about, don't know if they are relevant or not. Jerry Bird's Birdland in the mid 90's and is Frank Arena's place nearby still operating? I jumped at both but I didn't hear much if anything out of them by 2000 and I know Jerry has left the sport.

Am I the only one that's jumped at a lot of now "deceased" DZs? I feel like a widowmaker, almost every place I've jumped at is now gone and I don't have a great deal of history in the sport.

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Osceola Wisconsin, home of the legendary "Annual Osceola Buffalo Hunt".

St. Croix Skydivers. They were first at the Osceola Municipal Airport, then at the private strip out on County road X.
Also you can add Skydive Hutchinson in Minnesota.

Stanton,MN was Minnesota Skydivers Club and they moved to Owatana,Mn then to Waseca, Mn and are still jumping there.

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Someone with the technical know how needs to organize this thread by State.

Damn man, don't you know,
Never volunteer for anything.

It's pretty easy to do using many of the various blogsites (Wordpress, Blogger, etc) out there by adding tags to each post....or by setting up categories, etc. There is also Google Groups where all members can create pages, start discussions,etc Here is a tour of Google Groups. The beauty of these free things is that you don't have to know anything about setting up a website, etc. The disadvantage is that you have to work within their limitations.

I'm really quite amazed at how many places have been mentioned. This would be a big job...that's why using a blog or group and setting up multiple users would spread the work around. It would be very cool to have stories/photos/Google Maps documenting these places.

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I think Omro is still in operation. RevJims home DZ.

Rainbow was called Parachuting Inc, Franklin Wis.

I'll add the Pig Farm, south east Wisconsin, Winfield Road.

Aero Sports Center, Camp Lake, Wisconsin

Sturtevant Wisconsin. Now a subdivision in the middle of town.

I remember a farmers field and quonset hut operation in northern Illinois somewhere around Hebron? Early seventies. Yup, logged in logbook.

And of course Skydive Sandwich, drove by there a while back all hangers, houses and other things.

Went though my old logbooks to add this.

Osceola Wisconsin, home of the legendary "Annual Osceola Buffalo Hunt".

Two Rivers Wisconsin.

TRUE, Beloit Wisconsin. Very short lived.

Stanton Minn
.
Skymart DZ Lansing Il, mentioned already.

Mason Michigan, Jewett Airport.
Remember the t-shirts? "I survived Mason Michigan".
I didn't get one but I did save this.

A few others from that region were; New Richmond, WI. Robbie Murray operated his Twin Beech out of there for awhile in the early(?) 80s.
Kimball, MN had Gary Hannah's Beech in the 75 or 76 timeframe.
U of M Skydivers over in Howard Lake, MN.
7-Hills Skydivers near Madison.
Clear Lake, MN, and Trout Air, MN also I think but I never made a jump at either.