thedrifter
08-25-07, 07:12 AM
Aug. 24, 2007, 10:59PM
Most of skydiver, 89, makes the jump
By RICHARD STEWART
2007 Houston Chronicle
ROSHARON — The only problem 89-year-old Fred Winter had with his first parachute jump was that his fake leg came off as he was getting into the plane and he had to make his dive without it.
Otherwise, everything went just as planned, proving Winter's boast that "just because you're an amputee it doesn't mean you can't do things.
"I didn't do this for the thrill of it," he added. "I did it to inspire other people who have lost limbs."
Instructor Robert "Hoop" Williams, who was strapped behind Winter during the tandem jump, said he will never forget the experience.
"I never left anybody's leg behind in the plane before," Williams said.
Winter had to sit in the grass of the landing field while somebody fetched his leg from the airplane.
Eric Boyd, who operates Skydive Spaceland, said he knows of other amputee skydivers and has known of cases of people who jumped when they were past 90, but the combination is very rare.
"Maybe Fred can make this an annual event and do it every year until he's 100," Boyd said.
Winter was tuned down by the Marines 65 years ago because of a high school football knee injury. He became an Army Air Forces sergeant in World War II and once crash-landed in a transport plane in a Philippine rice paddy.
"I went through four campaigns and never got a scratch," he said. "And then I got my leg blown off while hunting quail on my own property."
That happened in 1983 when a hunting partner's gun accidentally went off, shattering Winter's ankle."
Winter said he yelled the traditional "Geronimo!" as the pair left the plane at 14,000 feet over Brazoria County. They fell at 120 miles per hour for a full minute before Winter pulled the parachute rip cord at 6,000 feet.
"That's the part I liked best," Winter said, "floating under the parachute. It was just beautiful and quiet up there."
richard.stewart@ chron.com
Ellie
Most of skydiver, 89, makes the jump
By RICHARD STEWART
2007 Houston Chronicle
ROSHARON — The only problem 89-year-old Fred Winter had with his first parachute jump was that his fake leg came off as he was getting into the plane and he had to make his dive without it.
Otherwise, everything went just as planned, proving Winter's boast that "just because you're an amputee it doesn't mean you can't do things.
"I didn't do this for the thrill of it," he added. "I did it to inspire other people who have lost limbs."
Instructor Robert "Hoop" Williams, who was strapped behind Winter during the tandem jump, said he will never forget the experience.
"I never left anybody's leg behind in the plane before," Williams said.
Winter had to sit in the grass of the landing field while somebody fetched his leg from the airplane.
Eric Boyd, who operates Skydive Spaceland, said he knows of other amputee skydivers and has known of cases of people who jumped when they were past 90, but the combination is very rare.
"Maybe Fred can make this an annual event and do it every year until he's 100," Boyd said.
Winter was tuned down by the Marines 65 years ago because of a high school football knee injury. He became an Army Air Forces sergeant in World War II and once crash-landed in a transport plane in a Philippine rice paddy.
"I went through four campaigns and never got a scratch," he said. "And then I got my leg blown off while hunting quail on my own property."
That happened in 1983 when a hunting partner's gun accidentally went off, shattering Winter's ankle."
Winter said he yelled the traditional "Geronimo!" as the pair left the plane at 14,000 feet over Brazoria County. They fell at 120 miles per hour for a full minute before Winter pulled the parachute rip cord at 6,000 feet.
"That's the part I liked best," Winter said, "floating under the parachute. It was just beautiful and quiet up there."
richard.stewart@ chron.com
Ellie