Ft Hood Sport Parachute Club

I remember when Don McGillicuty spent a considerable sum equipping his helmet with an SLR camera. He thought it was hot stuff, till a low-time jumper picked up a Super8 camera and had MOVIES!!!

Don was some kind of angry that he didn't think of it.
Sadly, Bruce Funk's wife Marlice told me that Don is no longer with is.

Spotting was an iffy situation, depending on who spotted of course. One load we exited right over the Ammo Dump. I remember thinking, all the way down, that I was going to die, shot by some private on guard duty, who thought the Russians were invading, using
Red White and Blue ParaCommanders.

Also, remember how incredible it was to see the book "Skies Call" In this age where every second jumper has a video camera or cameras plural, it hardly seems possible that a simple book could seem so incredible. That was Andy Keech's masterpiece. Hell I just got so nostalgic, that I bought a copy on Amazon.com

Freakyrat wrote:

"On the bright side, Remember our pilot Gary Lash. Gary flys Boeing 737-800's for American Airlines. "

Gary Lash was considered unflappable. One day about 10,000 ft, he suddenly turned ashen, turned to us and screamed "Get the fuck out NOW".

Most of us didn't understand what had happened, but Don McGillicuty later explained to us that the transmission oil pressure suddenly went to zero, and when this happens they have precious little time to land before the transmission freezes up, a bad thing. That ended that weekend's jumping.

I remember Claude Pepin. and Tom Boravicka, as they were my students in 66. We had great times at the DZ and club house. I left for Vietnam late 66. I made three hundred jumps there 65 66. Jerry Ryburn, Capt Thealogis was in charge of the Club. Sgt Barnes. Hop Harbeson.. other... Stan Troeller D 3361, scr 53

Quote

• Quote

Ok, 1962 I join the Texas A&M Parachute Team -- Aggies: hard core, old army ROTC Military academy. No civilians. 24 hr x 7 military. I had 10 jumps. Elected training officer! Trained Mike Linz and Mike Mullins. team memvers received 2-complete freefall-sport rigs.
Provided by Sgt. Ritchee / the Foort Hood Parachute Club. .... they gifted us rear, smoke grenades, C-Rations, flash-bang, flare pistols ....My, my. They were featured as part of the Conferdate Air Force and were a big part of the Texas Parachute Council that Fitch formed into PCS/USPA. Aggies went to every parachute meet in Texas, Oaklahoma and Lousiand. ....Looong dirives. All night. Parachute as sleeping bag sucks in cold.

Ft. Hood sends agents to Houston: In Houston 1965 my pal from Houston Bellaire High School shows George 'Hop' Harbeson with Stanley Troller (SCR 53) Ex-Nam vets, discharged onto humanity by U.S. Army, Ft. Hood into Houston's Wallace's Outlaws DZ and spa. Fit like a glove. Maxwell and Boravicka show up. Jumps happen. Hot. Jumpsuits = shorts + Big welders gloves.

gene Ritche is gone. Hop and Stan lurk on;

RW is beginning. We flew. We burned the blue

Hi Pat and all,
Ft. Hood SPC! Right before I started jumping (Late '63-early '64)a guy got out of the Army and came to Southland Skydivers in Hammond, La., turned out he had more jumps than Ben Seal our head Honcho so Numan M. Gill B-1929 from Ft. Hood SPC became the "Club Instructor!!" "Gil" was my FJC Instructor and subsequent JM .....till I made my "Clear and Pull" then although my jumps were still "supervised" for all practical purposes, I was 'on My Own!!" Him and Herb Golden,from Louisiana Skydivers in Baton Rouge, told stories about Carlos Wallace and other happenings in Texas!! Those were the daze!!

Hi bill,

Quote

.....till I made my "Clear and Pull" then although my jumps were still "supervised" for all practical purposes, I was 'on My Own!!"

Yuppers, that was how it was back in those days. Once you showed people you could pull silver, you were on your own.

Ah, those were the days,

Jerry Baumchen

JerryBaumchen

Hi bill,

Quote

.....till I made my "Clear and Pull" then although my jumps were still "supervised" for all practical purposes, I was 'on My Own!!"

Yuppers, that was how it was back in those days. Once you showed people you could pull silver, you were on your own.

Ah, those were the days,

Jerry Baumchen

Hi Jerry!!!!
to start off, from one old timer to another, "How the he2xl are ya??" Yup that's the way it was and the "Turbine Baby's" as my buddy Caz callz em', will have no clue!! But truth again is stranger than fiction!! "And!," this is true!! Related to me on the A/C parking apron in front of the old admin bldg at Hammond Airport, La. Back a few cases of beer ago about the year 1965, One Phillip "Cappy" Connors D-1011 told of his first adventures with jumping in La. My getting "cleared" after my JP may sound hairy to most newbies but Cappy has me topped by a bunch!! When Louisiana Skydivers got started back in '61 or there abouts nobody knew how to skydive so someone knew this jumper from Texas named "Dusty" Rhodes who came over and trained some of these first people and put them out on their first static line jump at Hammond Airport!! I was in High School at the time and was an airport bum because me and a bunch of my buddies were in the local "Civil Air Patrol!!" and recall this!! Well Cappy had made 2 static line jumps at Orange Mass.!!!!! So Dusty made him the CSO (Club Safety Officer) because he had the most jumps!! Well as Cappy related here he was in Bob Landry's Cessna 172 at 2500' over Hammond Jump mastering 2 first jump students on their first static line jump then getting out on the step and "Doing his first Static Line Dummy Rip Cord Pull!!!!!!!".........And I remember watching some guy packing a 28' C-9 canopy there on the parking apron with a copy of Bud Sellick's book laying on the concrete next to him for directions!!!! Yes Jerry, as you stated,"Those were the daze!!!!" Thanks for jogging my memory!!! I love it when a plan comes together!!!!

Blue Skies, Black Death!!!!!!!

freakyrat

I almost forgot Dave Regenthal. He put my out on my first square jump on a Strato Cloud up at hits DZ at Gatesvelle, TX.

Hey There BiggieRat! Talk about a "blast from the past?" I stumbled upon this a while back and the memories put me into the zone. I actually spoke with Jim Hanke about a year ago...He and Margo are retired in Arizona. Bill Pelitier (passed away some years back) and I started American Parachute Center at Gatesville because he was about to be RIF'd and I was getting out (no more wars) too, we wanted to make sure we had somewhere to jump.
Ended up moving the DZ up to Hearne, TX...10,000' runway. Stayed in operation til early 80's. I haven't jumped since but miss those times and all you folks. Bruce Funk flew me up to Minnesota (this was centuries ago) to be in his wedding party when he married Alice...I'd sure like to find or make contact with Bruce, he trained and put my brother out on his first jumps in Gatesville. I'll have to look, I might have a picture or two from the FHSPC days. Dave [email protected] D-3118

Nice to hear from you Dave. I kind of slowed down a little bit on jumping because it's the start of hockey season and living in Dallas that means the Dallas Stars and Allen Americans. I still have those memories of Ft Hood and Gatesville and Hearne. I was in Connecticut last weekend for the Skydiving Hall Of Fame Induction ceremonies. Got to meet Paul Poppenhager and some other old timers of our sport. See Yah.

I started jumping at Fort Bragg with the XVIII Abn Corps PC before coming to Fort Hood--made 300 FF's the first 12 months. We jumped Holland DZ a lot when there was available aircraft (mostly a Beaver), made a lot of jumps out at Gene Paul Thacker's place in Raeford, NC., so some names run together but here's a few from back in the FHSPC days that I thought of while reading this thread: Warren Seitzinger, Paul Lemieux, Tony Fonseca, Graham Gardner, Frank & Connie Welter, Homer Hudson, Greg "Smitty" Smith, Terry Litts.

I'm going to have to see if I can find that picture Tony Fonseca took of the 5 of us jumping with masks and a pumpkin on Halloween. Also think I have one a dozen of us lined up in the pea gravel mooning Ed Avery...pic he took of us flying over low in a jet ranger (Seitzinger flying, of course) while we were waiting for the ceiling to lift.

Excellent to hear from you-stay safe...be well.

Jumped there in '86 and '87. ops were sporadic, also jumped and flew for "Aggies over Texas". Used to go down to Fentress as well. Always a good time at Fentress...


VMO

Wow...saw this thread and recognized many names. Biggie Rat, Arnold and Sheila Lindley just to name a few.

I was an instructor/jumpmaster at Austin Parachute Center in Manor and started jumping with the Ft Hood club in '77 (I think), and jumped a Black Spectrum Starlight. My time with the club was kinda short due to getting transferred to SoCal in '79.

Patrick Sims

Hello everyone, my name is John Mullins, I jumped at Fort Hood will a group of Air Force guys.

We came up from Bergstrom AFB, in Austin. below is the only pic i have.

I taught at Austin Parachute Center and would jump now and then at Ft Hood in '77 and '78. I remember Biggie Rat, Arnold and Shiela Lindley, but that's about it. Always had a good time there.

Does anyone have memories ft hood spc circa “69 or “70.

jim 

scr 2197

Edited June 25, 2020 by Jim thompson

Yes I remember the Huey, but not the pay part. This Laura Hood, might have been the nurse that took care of me when I was injuired.I tried inserting a pic, but was unable to.