These were taken during his training exercises over Virginia which is where he is currently stationed. Photo from Ernie Torres.
The title of this story sounds like the lead in for a great joke, right? It’s not. Wait… what? This is an aviation site, why are we jumping out of perfectly good planes? Martial arts and power rangers? Yes, it’s a stretch, but hear me out. There’s aviation stuff below, I promise.
Not long ago I was approached by Ernie Torres, a Tang Soo Do Black Belt and AFF (advanced free fall) skydiving instructor who also happens to be a First Class Petty Officer in the US Navy. He came to me to share his ambition to shatter (pun intended) a skydiving world record which was set in January by Jason David Frank. You may remember Jason as the Green Power Ranger. According to Ernie:
“A new world record was set that combined the skills of skydiving and martial arts. This record involved breaking boards, which is normally performed during a martial arts demonstration… while skydiving. After seeing the attention it received, one thought came to mind; I can do better and use the publicity to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.“
Convinced he could further advance the world record given his unique skill set and background, Ernie approached the good folks over at SkyDive Arizona who agreed to donate the air time, the crew and all the skydiving talent that he would need to support him in his endeavor.
I reached out to Jocelyn Bernatchez, Marketing and Events Coordinator at SkyDive Arizona for details. The world record attempt will occur on Thursday, May 23 from their base in Eloy, AZ, which is roughly halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. Ernie will be joined by a crew consisting of some the most experienced skydivers in the US, likely including divers from Arizona Arsenal and Arizona Airspeed, the two premier Arizona skydiving clubs. According to Jocelyn:
“The aircraft will hold up to 23 licensed skydivers including Ernie. The climb to 13,000 feet typically takes 15-18 minutes. The skydivers will exit the plane with the pine boards and line up in free-fall. Ernie will come past each skydiver and attempt to break the pine board. He will continue until all the boards are broken or we reach break off altitude, when we separate to deploy our parachutes, usually around 4,000 feet.”
Ernie does his thing — falling on purpose.
The current record stands at just 7 boards, and the record before that was 5. So to make his mark on the record books all Ernie has to do is smash through 8 or more boards — in roughly a minute — while falling through the sky at terminal velocity, surrounded by his peers. What a rush!
I was hoping to give a bit more background on Ernie’s outstanding military service and his transition to soon becoming a veteran. Through my Navy contacts I was able confirm my assumptions. He’s indeed a decorated sailor with an exemplary service record. However, Ernie very carefully deflected all of my attempts to get this information directly from him. He always put the focus back on his cause: The Wounded Warriors, “Those that have sacrificed much more than I have. Those are the people that I am striving to support with this endeavor.”
The Wounded Warriors Project (WWP) is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. They receive a 4 star accountability & transparency rating from the third-party charity auditing firm Charity Navigator. The WWP provides services and programs to meet the needs of injured service members. A worthy cause, right? Let’s dig deep and support Ernie in his endeavor. All funds go directly to the WWP. No third parties, no gimmicks. Just helping our wounded servicemen and women.
So there you have it. A selfless serviceman seeks to claim a world record in honor and support of his fellow warriors. We wish Ernie the best of luck and anxiously await the record transitioning to a true hero and away from an actor who once played one on TV.
You can follow Ernie’s progress on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and of course I will cover the jump here.
While it’s not yet decided which perfectly good plane Ernie and team will be jumping out of, I know I have my fingers crossed for the old reliable N86584, a 1942 DC-3. How about you?
JL Johnson, Correspondent. JL is a twenty-something Sr. Business Analyst, semi-frequent traveler and lover of all things aviation. He’s based in Lee’s Summit, MO and attributes his love of aviation to his grandfather, a USAF Colonel who had him in “avgeek training” before he could walk. @User47 | AviationGeek.net | YouTube | Flickr | Instagram
Terminal 1 at YYZ on a snowy winter day in the early 1970s. I’m really glad I only worked there in the summer! Photo: Toronto Pearson International Airport
I was in my late teens in the early 1970s. For two summers, I had the absolutely perfect job that any young AvGeek would ever want ’“ working on the ramp at a major airport. Yes, I’m proud to say that I was a ’œRamp Rat’!
My summer job was at Toronto International Airport (YYZ), then also known as Malton Airport. I worked in Terminal 1, the uniquely-designed round-concourse ’œAeroquay’. It’s long gone, having been demolished and replaced by YYZ’s new T1.
I was part of a crew of four; my boss, called the ’œlead hand’, and two other guys. No girls allowed in that club back then! We did everything, including baggage and cargo offloads and onloads, and cabin cleaning. I’d normally work the 2 pm to 10 pm or the 4 pm to Midnight shift, when the main international ’œpush’ happened at YYZ.
It was a transition period for the international carriers. Most still flew the early-generation 4-engine jets, like the 707, DC-8, and the beautiful but incredibly loud Vickers VC-10. The wide-bodies were just coming into the fleets, with early 747s, DC-10s, and L-1011s.
Short- to medium-haul flights were handled by DC-9s, BAC-111s, 727s, and a few 737s. The 737 wasn’t particularly popular with the airlines back then ’“ how times have changed. We worked turboprops, like the Convair CV-580 and Lockheed Electra. Any Airbus planes? Didn’t see any, because the A300 didn’t go into service with Eastern Air Lines until the late ’70s.
And just like any job, stuff happens. But for AvGeeks like me, there are many things I’ve remembered, all these years later:
When the later-evening Eastern Air Lines 727s arrived, our crew would rush to do the offload. Then we’d head to the cabin and grab a first-class dinner tray before the catering trucks came to empty the galley. Filet mignon ’“ yum.
While cleaning the cabin of a BOAC 707, a summer thunderstorm rolled over the airport. The winds were so strong that they actually pushed our chocked plane about six feet. There was a catering truck up on its lift on a 747 at the next gate ’“ I thought it was going to tip over.
Late on a pea-soup foggy evening, appreciating the surreal experience of driving around the ramp, oh so very carefully, as the wingtips lights of each plane loomed out of the fog.
Feeling a bit sorry for a co-worker, on the same foggy night. He was driving a van, and didn’t go the right way around the left wing of an American Airlines 727. He wiped out the left aileron. The plane was grounded for repairs for over a week. My co-worker’s career at the airport was permanently grounded.
Almost suffering the same fate, when I positioned a baggage tractor for an arriving BOAC 747. I confirmed with my lead to make sure it was in a safe parking spot, and then went up to put the Jetway on the arriving plane. The 747’s nose appeared and stopped, then the engines spooled up and the door came into position. I put the Jetway in place, then went back down to the ramp to find that the steering wheel of the tractor had been crushed by the inboard left engine cowling. The damage on the cowling was a small, 1 inch scratch. Many pictures, inspections and discussions ensued. The plane was cleared, though, and left on time. My lead and I were in ’œbig potty’, but kept our jobs. Luckily the steering wheel didn’t end up in that engine! And that 747’s registration ’“ G-AWNL ’“ I’ve never forgotten.
Ick ’“ cleaning the washrooms on charters coming from Europe. Double-ick ’“ those were the days before smoking was banned, so the armrest ashtrays had to be cleaned out, too.
Alitalia Boeing 747-100 taken in 1977 by Bob Garrard.
Working an Alitalia 747 that happened to be the flight that my parents were taking to Rome, and on to Tel Aviv. Much waving from their seats. Because of the connection and security issues at the time, their bags weren’t in containers, but had to be put in the ’œfree load’ hold just below the tail. Who was in the hold, and put their bag gently in place? Me! Who didn’t notice that the cart with their other bag ended up back in the baggage room? Ummm’¦me. And who got the 3:00 AM call from Rome, from my very p/o’d Dad? That would be’¦me again.
My favorite shift was being assigned to the refueling crew. All of the ground equipment had to be refueled, every day. Our lead had a van to drive us around, our crew all had clipboards with a list of the equipment, and we drove the tractors, belt loaders and even the aircraft tugs back and forth to the gas pumps. I’d try to grab one of the baggage container-loaders because they went really slow. I’d enjoy a beautiful summer evening on the ramp during the 20 minute drive to the pumps. And back.
If I was working on a cabin, I’d try to do the clean of the forward part of the plane. That included the forward part of the economy cabin, the first-class cabin, galley and washroom, and’¦the flight deck. I think I spent way too much time just sitting in the left seat. It took quite a while to empty the waste bins, you know. Except one day on a JAT Yugoslav 707, when the very imposing stewardess-in-charge told me ’œYou don’t clean, I clean! Go!’ (Yes, they were stewardesses then)
On those hot, humid, Toronto summer evenings, watching the 707s and DC-8s use just about every foot of the longest runway on takeoff. There was a hump about halfway along Runway 32, and the planes would pretty well disappear from view before they fought their way into the air, spewing black smoke from their max-power engines.
Do you think I had fun? You bet! And I’m sure that there are other current or ex-Ramp Rats out there that have other stories. Want to share? Please do so in the comments.
UPDATE: Our friends at Air Canada just sent me 5 fabulous archive photos. Have a look:
YYZ Aeroquay Terminal 1 before it opened in Feb 1964
Aeroquay Observation Deck – yes, you could go outside and watch the planes! The DC-8 is in Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) livery, pre-Air Canada.
The new YYZ Terminal 1 at night in 1964
A cold winter day, before Jetways. That’s a Vickers Viscount in the background.
Air Canada’s first 747-100, CF-TOA, along with a DC-9 and “stretch” DC-8, likely between 1971 and 1974.
This story written by… Howard Slutsken, Correspondent.Howard has been an AvGeek since he was a kid, watching TCA Super Connies, Viscounts and early jets at Montreal’s Dorval Airport. He’s a pilot, and gets away to fly gliders whenever he can. Howard is based in Vancouver, BC.
The Shuttle Endeavour rides to Los Angeles about a specially modified NASA 747 – Photo: Kevin Epstein – Aviation Photographic
When the final shuttle mission was flown by Atlantis, on July 8th 2011, the end of the NASA space shuttle program loomed. What would become of the magnificent aircraft (well spacecraft)?
With the expected crowds wanted to see the shuttle, it was ferried across the country to LAX on what felt like the world’s largest flightseeing aircraft — a specially modified 747 — called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. From this point the final mission for the Endeavour was ahead of it, but also a world’s first. A 12 mile journey across Los Angeles streets to its new (and temporary) home at the California Science Center.
The Shuttle Endeavour: Photo – Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
The science center is located at Exposition Park, which is home to the University of Southern California, a handful of other museums and also the LA Coliseum, where the 1984 olympics were held. This makes it an ideal location to handle the crowds, as there is plenty of space (and there sure was a lot of crowds the day I visited). The museum has the usual science center exhibits but the drawcard (at least for many folks) is the Endeavour, which currently lives in a temporary exhibit.
The spacecraft is in pristine condition though as it still shows the battle scars (pointed out by my guide Shell Amega) from its last mission into space. I would not have even realized these deep scars had they not been pointed out to me and it was these scars that had Cmdr Mark Kelly, who commanded STS-134, to make a go/no go decision. His choice was to either conduct a dangerous spacewalk to fix the damage or reenter the atmosphere with the damage as is. Cmdr Kelly made the decision to reenter as is, and they all made it back safely, finishing their final mission.
But the displays don’t just end at the shuttle itself. There are also a number of exhibits dedicated to the shuttle program including a genuine ’œSpace Potty’ where crew used the facilities in spaceflight (including the curtain installed just for when females first joined the shuttle program). There is the Rocketdyne Operations Support Center taken piece by piece exactly from the day of the last shuttle mission and put back together at the Science Center, including down to the position of mugs, pencils etc.
Misson 26 is a fantastic exhibition showing the people and places the shuttle went through on its journey across Los Angeles: Photo – Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
The one exhibit that really attracted me though was not the galley or the laboratory where the experiments were conducted in the cargo bay. It was ’œMission 26,’ which is a display of photographs used to chronicle the final mission for Endeavor and its journey through the streets of Los Angeles. This was a precision operation with laser measuring used to ensure that the shuttle did not damage things and any tree removed was later replanted (and they have been, with more to come).
Mission 26 though is full of the most stunning of photographs and video showing this journey through the streets. Not just of the shuttle itself but of the people, those who ventured out to welcome Endeavour to its new home.
Currently the California Science Center is building a true Air and Space wing to house the shuttle. NASA was a little bit puzzled and really worried that the plans were a bit out of left field as the shuttle will return to an upright position. Just as though it was sitting on the famous launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will sit surrounded not only by other spacecraft, satellites and displays but other aircraft as well. Once completed in 2017, it should make this a fantastic addition to aviation and space in Southern California.
The New Planned Air & Space Gallery at the California Science Center: Photo – Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
A visit to the California Science Center and the Shuttle Endeavour are free, but booking them online before you arrive (and thus a $2 fee) is the best avenue. Access to the shuttle is limited and the day I was there (in the middle of spring break mind you) tickets sold out early! It is still worth it though, the shuttle was a magnificent icon of just what we can achieve when we set our mind to it & it will hopefully continue to inspire people in our future.
This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent. Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.
During a recent trip to Paine Field, an Antonov AN-124 with Volga Dnepr Airlines was blocking the taxi way. A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 (there for maintenance) had to taxi down the runway and turn around before take off. It it is intereting seeing the size difference between the two aircraft.
Yes I am a milage junkie, just a selection of my cards – Photo: Mal Muir.
The last two articles I wrote on mileage running barely scratch the surface of it all (see LEG 1 & LEG 2). The ’œpoints game’ and loyalty programs are a hobby of mine, but I am by no means an expert. I will continue share what I know:
My name is Mal and I am a mileage junkie.
There are a number of reasons why people get into the points game and I have mine. I think the first real introduction to this world was using a website called Flyertalk. Once I got started on the site, seeing what points could get me, well, I was hooked. Reading other people’s reports of First Class seats, lounges, terminals, or benefits that came with elite status, it was all just too much, I had to do it.
At the time, I lived in Australia. Chasing points is not as lucrative there as it is in the US. There are limited options for domestic travel (what I was doing the most), but I earned what I could. When I first started, I decided I was going to be using my points towards ’œaspirational’ rewards. The high-end ones that most only dream of seeing.
Of course, everyone has a different idea of what is rewarding to them, but for me the epitome of that ideal would have been a First Class International flight. There was one I had my eye on: Qantas A380 First Class.
Qantas First Class Suite on its A380 – Photo: Qantas
But the real change came for me after coming back from a round the world trip. I had achieved Star Gold Status and I status matched over to Virgin Australia’s updated Velocity Program. I was given gold status and it was all easy going from there.
The first trip I had, I got access to the Virgin Australia lounge before my flight, which was an oasis. I could get a drink, a coffee or a snack and relax in peace and quiet. I received priority check in, boarding and security. It was all too much for me and there was no going back at this point.
When a promotion for double points came out, I did my first couple of mileage runs to keep my rewards coming. Then I moved to the USA & just kept it up. I could use my Velocity status with Delta and Virgin America, getting benefits with both airlines. I have now almost finished my re-qualification to Velocity Gold for another year & the thing is. It only took me two weekend runs to get my re-qualification & now I just want more. But where do I draw the line?
Delta Sky Club Access (like this one in Seattle) is just one of the little perks given to Velocity Gold members – Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com
The mileage runs in the US were very different to the ones I had previously done back in Australia. They were not as comfortable as you think with numerous flights in a day, tight connections (50 mins reduced to less than 15 in Minneapolis’¦ in winter…), long days, early flights and lots of cramped seats. Thankfully I always had those Delta lounges for an escape, but that’s not always possible. There were times when I just wanted it to be all over & other times when I loved every second of it. But this is the life I choose and for me, it is worth it.
Now my total outlook on flights and flying has changed. Not only do I look at price, but I look at the points earning, the route, facilities — so many other factors. A mileage run flight might take me hours to book and work out. A simple trip between two cities is NEVER that simple.
Points are definitely lucrative, if you know where to look (and there are plenty of blogs out there to help) and are willing to make a few sacrifices. I have a few rewards in mind, lots of points to burn, the possibilities are endless. But I do see Qantas First class in my future… and the ends do justify the means.
I will be concluding this series with one last LEG coming soon.
This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent.
Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.
