Fill out this form to email this article to a friend

Your name		Your email
Recipient email	You may enter up to 20 multiple email addresses, separated by commas.
Your message
Validation Code	Hear validation code
	Enter validation code

We were unable to send your email.

Click here to try again.

Little talk, lots of action from 65-year-old skydiver

By Mike Camunas, Times Staff Writer
In print: Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Bill Brandon, 65, comes in for a landing in Zephyrhills. Brandon, who made his first jump at 22, has made more than 11,100 jumps.
	[MIKE CAMUNAS I Times]

Story Tools E-mail this story Contact the editor Print this story Comment on this story Social Bookmarking Digg Facebook Stumbleupon Reddit Del.icio.us Newsvine

ADVERTISEMENT

ZEPHYRHILLS

Bill Brandon doesn't speak quite as often as he jumps out of a plane.

Brandon, 65, who has logged more than 11,100 jumps in his 43-year skydiving career, is known as a quiet guy. He's a jumper whose seen and done it all, which is probably the reason why he doesn't always speak his mind.

"He never makes a mistake (when he jumps)," Skydive City boss and long-time friend T.K. Hayes said.

"He's dead-on every time. That's the years and years and years of experience on him. He knows so much. … He'll interject once in a while, but then it's always such a real piece of wisdom."

Brandon made his first jump in January 1965. He was just a green, 22-year-old officer in the Navy. It was a static line jump, which is a cord connecting the deployment bag of the parachute to the aircraft and opens the chute automatically.

"You always remember your first jump — it doesn't matter how many you've had," Brandon said. "I remember it, and, oh yeah, I was scared to death."

Brandon has been at Skydive City since it opened in the '80s.

When Hayes took over in 1995, Brandon was a part-time jumper, but Hayes always needed Brandon to do tandem jumps.

Brandon would always oblige. Finally, Hayes asked Brandon if he wanted a real job.

"He was just like, 'Um, yeah, okay,' " Hayes recalls. "That's about it. I really twisted his arm."

Perhaps Brandon is a man of few words, but Hayes realizes the depth of Brandon's experience he has employed.

"I always kind of joke because everyone will go, 'Well, he's kind of an old guy and kind of quiet, so he doesn't have much personality,' " Hayes said. "But then I say, 'Yeah, well, anything you've done (in skydiving), Bill's done five times.' He's not afraid of anything or doesn't restrict himself to anything.

"There's probably only 20-30 jumpers in the country that have done (more than 11,000) jumps. Nowadays, with the airplane technology, you have the ability to do lots and lots of jumps, but it's common to see people with (3,000 to 4,000) jumps and it's still rare to see people with as many as Bill."

Another longtime friend and fellow jumper, Bill Sinclair, can't argue with Hayes' stats. A regular at Skydive City and still a frequent jumper at 82, Sinclair has personally seen many of Brandon's jumps.

"He jumps as though there is a revolving door on the plane," Sinclair said. "I've seen him jump just about anywhere."

Not all of Brandon's jumps have been perfect, because he claims he's had about 12 chute malfunctions, in which it didn't open properly and his backup chute deployed. Brandon added he was scared, but added: "As you can see, the emergency worked fine."

But Hayes is right.

If you want Brandon to talk, it might take some prodding, though once he gets going, he'll just keep talking, especially about skydiving. Well, that's because it's been such a big part of his life, and now, he could probably do it with his eyes closed.

Though Brandon never would.

"I guess it's going to feel like second nature after a while," Brandon said. "There is a certain amount of anxiety, for anyone that's up there in the plane and because of what you're doing. As time goes on, you're going to sort things out and remember what happens up there. It's more clear on the way down after a while.

"I don't want to retire anytime soon, but I can imagine my life without diving, sure. I like to do other things, like I bike a lot. But I'm going to keep jumping. I know I am. As long as I can pass the physical."

Got a good story idea on someone or an upcoming event? Then Community Sports Editor Mike Camunas can be reached at mcamunas@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.