Parachutes and Associates- Kellys Mooresville IN

[Steve Ross]

Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
Steve Ross D-7165

[me]

On Oct 27, 8:36 am, "Steve Ross" <sros...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165

First jump, 1979, out of an old Beaver. Some scruffy guy taught
the first jump course in a shed. They had a vending machine that
had beer in it. I was with the Purdue Skydiving Club. We drove
down early Saturday morning and spent the day in training. Winds
prevented us from making our first jumps, so we all crashed at
someones house. Drank too much and watched them play a game
called "starfire". Got up the next morning and finally got to make
our first jump. Was hooked ever since.

They moved to Frankfort by the early '80s, Slyde took it over
and ran it. There was a guy nicknamed "Splat" as I recall.
Last I heard, Slyde got divorced and left for California, I think
the Ex closed the place.

Kevin O'Connell

[ynotssor]

In news:1193665300.0...@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com,
me <ocon...@slr.orl.lmco.com> wrote:

> They moved to Frankfort by the early '80s, Slyde took it over
> and ran it. There was a guy nicknamed "Splat" as I recall.
> Last I heard, Slyde got divorced and left for California, I think
> the Ex closed the place.

From your description Slyde was Mark Schlatter; a simple Google search has
Dan Poynter's site stating that he lives in Texas, although the last time I
talked with Mark was at Perris. I have a rather remarkable story about
sleeping on his and Cathy's (sp?) front porch in Frankfort in 1986 while
jumping at P&A for a few days. It all ended up fairly well, but involved the
watchful neighbors at about 3 am, 2 police squad cars with flashing lights,
an ancient goose-down sleeping bag that was coming apart everywhere
simulating a winter's snowfall, and yours truly explaining my presence on
the front lawn to officers with drawn weapons. Mark and Cathy slept through
the whole episode.

I remember the Frankfort DZ for another reason: I was leaving last from a
full 206; Mark helped a low-timer with the exit and the rest of us basically
just built a speed star on them, each trying not to close last. As I
approached the others I noticed something in the air with us, getting
closer, and in the space of a second or less found that despite my
instinctive reaction to avoid the thing, it sped towards me generating the
second-most-intense fear I've ever experienced in freefall as it hit me ...
my shadow on a very thin almost-transparent layer of smoke or haze as we
fell through it.

There was a jumper there that worked at the pickle factory across the
highway, who strongly assured me that I did NOT want to know what went into
the making of pickle-relishes.

[me]

On Oct 29, 1:12 pm, "ynotssor" <ynots...@example.org> wrote:
> Innews:1193665300.0...@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com,

>
> me <oconn...@slr.orl.lmco.com> wrote:
> > They moved to Frankfort by the early '80s, Slyde took it over
> > and ran it. There was a guy nicknamed "Splat" as I recall.
> > Last I heard, Slyde got divorced and left for California, I think
> > the Ex closed the place.
>
> From your description Slyde was Mark Schlatter; a simple Google search has
> Dan Poynter's site stating that he lives in Texas, although the last time I
> talked with Mark was at Perris.

That's the last place I knew he was. That was a while ago though.

[snip]

> I remember the Frankfort DZ for another reason: I was leaving last from a
> full 206; Mark helped a low-timer with the exit and the rest of us basically
> just built a speed star on them, each trying not to close last. As I
> approached the others I noticed something in the air with us, getting
> closer, and in the space of a second or less found that despite my
> instinctive reaction to avoid the thing, it sped towards me generating the
> second-most-intense fear I've ever experienced in freefall as it hit me ...
> my shadow on a very thin almost-transparent layer of smoke or haze as we
> fell through it.

Same thing happened to me years later at Deland. Approached a
cloud and my own shadow suddenly was screaming at me. I wasn't
until I punched the cloud that I realized what it was.

[Bill Long]

Steve Ross wrote:
> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165
>
>

I jumped there 72-73 with Bob Branch, Dick Pigg, Mark was there then.
Crago, the Purdueans......
Bill Long D-2717

[philbr...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, October 27, 2007 7:36:42 AM UTC-5, Steve Ross wrote:
> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165

Does anyone have any photographs of the DC-3s that were used at Kelly Field in Mooresville? Or anything that might show the strip itself. I'm trying to document this airfield before it's lost to history. Thanks! Phil

[smil...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 8:36:42 AM UTC-4, Steve Ross wrote:
> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165

November 2, 1980.

[dona...@aol.com]

I believe I was the first to jump there when Parachutes and Associates opened that drop zone in 1970. I was on the staff as an instructor and rigger and jumpmaster for about ten years. I am still in touch with Bob Branch, Dick Pigg, Bill Dazey and many of the others who jumped there. Mike Donahoe dona...@aol.com

[cjfm...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 8:36:42 AM UTC-4, Steve Ross wrote:

> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165

I made my 1st sport jump there in 1971 ,and last jump there in 1980 , when I came out to interview for surgical residency at Methodist .Still jumping , though a whole lot less .Chuck McHugh, MD C-9520

[Phil Brooks]

[Sherri Weidman]

[Sherri Weidman]

On Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 8:13:39 AM UTC-4, Phil Brooks wrote:

My then husband, Victor Weidman, jumped there in the 70s. We came down from Purdue. Im sure I have photos. Sherri Weidman she...@sherriweidman.com

[Stonewall Jackson]

Greetings,
I flew into Kelley’s many times durning the 1970s while going to school at Vincennes University. I would visit my grandmother that lived across the road from the golf course. If any body has pictures of the field/restaurant they would like to share I would greatly
appreciate it.

[John W Samples]

On Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 8:36:42 AM UTC-4, Steve Ross wrote:

> Hello, Anybody out there who jumped at Kellys in the 70s and early 80s.
> Steve Ross D-7165

I did a story for WFYI-TV Channel 20 around May of 1980 a few weeks after a fatality at the field. It was my first jump and I nearly nailed the pea-gravel pit. I did a follow-up a couple of weeks later and put the mic in the pit for my closing stand-up, but I got cocky and missed the entire airport by nearly a mile. Also, the jump-master had either a bad day or a wicked sense of humor; he dropped me opposite of where he should have based on the wind test.

John Samples
js...@outlook.com

[Bruce Bowman]

I jumped there in 1980 with the IU Skydiving Club.

Bruce

[Bruce Bowman]

If anyone is still looking for photos I have some from 1980, taken under canopy of my 3rd jump.

https://www.facebook.com/bruce.bowman.96/posts/pfbid02kT7v4upxHXz55rQLJxXaaVBp8BWf1H6GLvYCRQbtvYi8rjfLWRs2vqu5CdnLEXhRl

Bruce

[Riley Greenup]

Bruce, I'd love to see the photos--I live on the site of the old airfield now--but for some reason it's not letting me view them. is there any way you could put them in a google drive folder or email them to me?

[Riley Greenup]

Phil,

Did you ever finish your documentation of the airfield? If so, is it available somewhere I could access it? I live on the site of the old airfield and have been going nuts trying to learn about it but cant find a single thing other than this thread here.

[Phil Brooks]

Sorry for the late reply, for some reason I wasn't alerted to your comment.

No, and thanks to a question by a friend this morning, I'm renewing my quest! that's how I found this.

I DID find this photo in my collection, and got it published on a friend's website- search for "Kelly".

https://www.ruudleeuw.com/guestphotos-62.htm

I'd like to visit you on your property sometime if you don't mind. Have friends that live just south of you, so I'm down there periodically.

Phil

[Riley Greenup]

Phil,

You're welcome to come out but through further research, it turns out I live right on the other side of the property line from the old airfield. I'm told by my old-timer neighbors the skydivers used to land in what is now my yard. I'm to the east of the old airstrip. What's your email? I can send you what info I have from the county of the current owners of the old airfield.

We have a sort of town historian who works for the library who was able to give me some info and newspaper articles on Kelly Airfield. His name is Bill Buckley; his email is bi...@mooresvillepublic.lib.in.us He told me the airstrip was owned by Kelly Poe, the same Kelly Poe who owned Poe's Cafeteria right near the end of the strip. I can send you what I got from Bill as well.

Happy to help how I can