August 29, 2001

Hello Julie,

My name is Jim Holston, and I am a friend of Bernie Brouillet, who has been corresponding with you.

It is wonderful to see this tribute to your grandfather and great grandfather and a truly remarkable aircraft. My experience with the Norseman goes back to my youth, and my passion for the aircraft continues to this day.

I live in the town of Orange, Massachusetts, which is also the town where I grew up. I was born in 1957, and in 1959, the nations first sport parachuting operation, Parachutes Incorporated, opened at the Orange Airport. Early on they had 1 Norseman, and several Cessnas. The fleet of Norseman grew to five by 1962, when the 6th World Sport Parachuting Championship was held in Orange. (N13340, N61853, N69795, N7990K, N1207 were the five Norseman. Photo of PI fleet attached.90K missing from photo)

This was the busiest sport parachuting operation in the world at the time. We lived close to the airport and from as early as I can remember, (probably 4 - 5 years old), I recall the thundering takeoffs of the Norseman, as they flew over our home. My father taught me about airplanes and which ones were which, and I could identify a Norseman before I was 5.

I grew up on a heavy dose of flying model airplanes, and was very interested in anything that flew. I was treated almost daily to seeing Norseman fly over our house. On a busy day, there would be dozens of Norseman flights. I would also ride my bike to the airport to watch the Norseman whenever allowed.. When I was 8 years old, on August 8, 1965, my father arranged for me to take a passenger ride in the Norseman, since their was an empty seat on a jump load. It was my first airplane ride, and I remember it like it was yesterday. It was in the evening, and the wind was calm. I had to wear a bulky parachute, since the door was removed from the Norseman. The Norseman is big, and to an 8 year old kid, it was enormous. I think the step to get in the cargo door was as high as my chin. I remember the snarl of the big Pratt and Whitney as we took off. I could recognize various land marks from the air. Watching the student jumpers exit on static line jumps, with a separate pass made for each jumper, was fascinating. After the 9th jumper exited, we descended and landed on the grass runway, next to Runway 14 just as the sun was setting. Nate Pond was the pilot. I'll never forget that experience. I became fascinated with the Norseman.

At the age of 14, I got a week end job at Parachutes Incorporated. I would "shag chutes", which required hustling to the landing site of a student jumper, removing their gear, and loading it in a van to return to the packing loft. The next year I was trained to refuel the airplanes, and would rotate between shagging and fueling. I remember the climb up from the tire, to the foot holds on the landing gear and the side of the fuselage and up to the top of the fuselage to refuel the wing tanks on the Norseman. It was a long way up there! I also remember the oil tank held 23 gallons of oil, which was bigger than the gas tank on most cars. PI also flew Cessna 180's, a Twin Beech, and a DC-3.

At the end of the day, if a jump flight was not full, I would occasionally get a chance to ride in the Norseman. Between the ages of 15 and 17, I made many flights in the Norseman. On several occasions, after the jumpers exited, the pilot flipped the "throw over" control wheel over to the right side and let me fly a little. I got my first "stick time" in a Norseman.

At the age of 16, on Aug 17, 1973, I made my first parachute jump out of Norseman N13340. The attached picture shows me in front of Norseman N7990K before boarding 340 for my jump. I went on to make a few more jumps from the Norseman.

I used to spend time with the mechanics as they would perform 100 hour inspections, annuals, and general maintenance on the Norsemans, and became interested in mechanical things and systems. I considered a career as an A & P mechanic, but went on to an Engineering career.

I earned my Private Pilots License at the age of 22. I have owned a couple of different aircraft since then.

Parachutes Incorporated closed up in Orange in 1984. Two Norseman were still owned by PI then. N133340, and N61853. 853 has been restored by Mr. Courtwright, who I know is a friend of your grandfathers. Norseman N13340 was last seen in the Lone Star Flight Museum in Texas. Norseman N1207 was destroyed in a fuel exhaustion accident at another Parachutes Incorporated location in Lakewood New Jersey. Norseman N7990K was damaged in a landing accisdent at Orange in 1973, and I believe was purchased by a Canadian and brought back for restoration. Norseman N69795 crashed in 1979 about 1 mile off the departure end of Runway 19 in Orange after loosing power on take off with a full load of ten jumpers. (I will forward a scan of the news clipping if you are interested.) A few minor cuts and bruises, but everyone was okay, which is a real tribute to the Norsemans ruggedness. The aircraft caught fire after evacuation and was destroyed. I still have a fuel tank cap, and a fuel/air ratio gage from the wreck.

I have been assisting a gentleman in Australia, Thom Lyons, who has a web site of Parachutes Incorporated history, which includes people and aircraft. I have provided many Norseman photos I took at Orange for this site. The site is http://projectpi.skydiveworld.com  I believe it is one of the more extensive Norseman sites on the web. Thom contacted your grandfather for some help. We were trying to track down where Parachutes Incoprorated acquired their five Norseman. He provided a lot of valuable information.

I collect any Norseman articles, and photos I can get my hands on and have quite a scrap book. I have a set of large scale Norseman model airplane plans that I would like to build a replica from someday to put in a museum.

If you are interested, I will forward a few scans of photos of the Norseman of Orange. 

(Click here to view pictures)

The Norseman played a unique role in aviation history. I often think of how the Norseman changed the lives of many people in Canada and Alaska, and other remote parts of the world, by opening up areas that were otherwise inaccessible, hauling people, mail, supplies, serving as an air ambulance, and many other roles, including military service.

I will never forget my experiences with the Norseman during my youth. Thank you for your work on this site. What a great tribute to a great airplane.

Sincerely,

Jim Holston