Times-Advocate, 1982-12-01, Page 41SWOOP club has
Question: What is 61 inches
high, weighs 90 pounds,before
breakfast and flies? Answer:
Anne Tilker, one of approx-
imately 250 women in Canada
with a commercial -pilot's
licence, qualified to fly all air-
craft weighing 12,000 pounds
or less.
Flying is an all -absorbing
hobby for the petite Centralia
College grad and CCAT
veterinary lab service
employee who carries her
own cushions into the cockpit,
and once had to sit on her
purse and a spare pair of
jeans when she absent-
mindedly left her pillows at
home.
Most of Anne's spare time
is spent at the Grand Bend
airport where she learned to
fly six years ago. The majori-
ty of her 600 hours of flying
time has been logged while
carrying • jumpers aloft on
PILOT AND PLANE — Anne Tilker stands beside her little Bellanca Decathlon.
FREE FALL — Braden Whilsmith is obviously enjoying
gracefully through the air.
the experienceof floating
Dashwoo
Hotel
COMING EVENTS
Thurs., Fri., Sat. - Shillelagh - "Solid State"
Fri.,t Sat. - Dashwood - "Radius"
Sat. - Shillelagh - Antique Auction - Banquet Room
"Shillelagh welcomes all teams 'to the Lucan Cup"
Sat. - Dec. 11th - Hotel Challenge Pool Tournament
to be held at both Hotels - starting at 1:30
Sat. - Dec. -18th - Finals in the Hotel Challenge
Pool Tournament - at Dashwood
"Your friendly .neighborhood Pubs"
nunuu!Itfgll jl
IIIIiI'�INNiII if11h
�1rh, .
..►1'll
It is not only great food that makes a dining p/oce successful, but also
the people who cook it, prepare and arrange it and serve it while being
pleasant, attentive and hospitable.
The Three AAA See hos been built on service. Upon entering this unique
restaurant you will be impressed with the hospitality provided by the stall.
What people go to this restaurant for is good food and good food they gel.
For the entire month of December we offer the following Specials
FOR BREAKFAST two fresh country eggs, three strips of bacon, toast
and jam, home fried potatoes for only $ 1.99
FOR DINNER we offer the following specials
- 8 oz. strip loin steak with mushrooms done to your liking
for only S6.95
for 57.95
for $5.95
for only S6.25
- 8 oz. filet mignon with mushrooms
- Hom or Pork Cutlets
- Roast Turkey or Beef
The above specials include: choice of potatoes, soup or
juice, tossed s Comednsertand enjoy and hem. tea.
IAlso we have hooking dm s ,lt-,ul,lhlc' for aline ( hr>•irn,). ()inner Dart
. (groups up to ht) peopI(•)
Christmas gilt c c'rlihc airs amn .aildble ti>r that .pc( id!l)t�r•)n or) your Iist�
Call for reservations 235.2949 ,
OPEN 7 a.m. until Midnight
Sundays 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. . -4
Hwy. 83 and Hwy. 4. Exeter - .•
Plenty of Parking .*44/14 4 ,
its
one-way trips.
The local airport is head-
quarters for SWOOP, The
South Western Ontario
Organization of Parachutists.
On a recent Saturday after-
noon Anne was up and down
as often as the elevator in the
CN tower, ferrying groups of
club members (primarily
from the University of
Western Ontario) into the sky
for their first jump.
One of the jump masters
was Braden Whilsmith,
Grand Bend. Braden is torn
between his love for flying
and his infatuation with
skydiving. A licenced pilot, he
is equally at home behind the
controls or floating through
the air in free fall.
Every Tuesday and Thurs-
day in the fall, a SWOOP in-
structor travels to the
Western campus in London to
pass on his expertise to
members? of SWOOP. (With
approximately 125 enrolled at
any one time, the club is one
of the larger at the
university.)
Before their first jump all
beginners are thoroughly
grounded in the proper pro-
cedures for safe parachute
jumping. They are taught
how to get out of the airplane,
how to steer the parachute,
how to land, possible
emergency situations and
how to react to them. At the
end of the six -hour course,
they practice jumping and
landing on an earth -bound
mock-up.
Aside from the rare broken
ankle, SWOOP has never had
a serious injury or fatality at
Grand Bend. The ceiling must
be at least 3,000 feet for a first
jump. Three students and
their jump master are pack-
ed tightly into the little Cessna
182 and off they go. At the cor-
rect altitude each in turn
climbs out onto the step, Leans
forward over the strut, arches
backward and launches his or
her body into space.
All jumpers" wear two
parachutes, a main and a
reserve. As they leave the air-
craft, the static line from the
plane to the backpack con-
tainer pulls a pin which
releases the main chute. If a
student freezes, or there is a
malfunction, a little instru-
ment in the container
monitoring the altitude and
rate of descent senses so-
meone is falling too quickly;
it fires a charge which fires a'
cylinder 'which pulls a pin
which activates the
0
6 ,
u
.
The
Country
tt
Spire
N FREE pen watch
g'with '100 purchase!';
(while supply lasts);,`
OPEN
7 Days
r.
t1
0
t1
1 10-5 1.!
KENNY ROGERS
DECEMBER 5
Toronto '39 p.p.
(reds)
Doc. 03 Simcoe lights (in-
cluding supper) *24
Dec. 04 Fronkenmuth
(lunch included at
Zehnders) *33
DECEMBER 6
NFL FOOTBALL
NY Jets at Detroit
$35 p.p.
Call
Ellison Travel
235-2000
Toll Free
1-800-265-7022
Exeter, Ont.
ups and
parachute.
Both Anne and Braden have
noted that 90 percent of the
students make the one jump,
jet their. certificate and never
ump again. They have ac-
complished their purpose,
and can brag for the rest of
their lives about their
experience. '
The true devotees progress
to free fall, deciding for
themselves when to pull the
ripcord after manoeuvering
through the air currents in the
closest approximation a
human can attain to
unassisted flight.
Braden, • a veteran of 165
jumps, says free fall is more
art than sport.
"When you fly an airplane
you fly a machine. In free fall
you fly your body", he said.
Another SWOOP member
busily packing his parachute
explained his satisfaction
with jumping. He said it was
the satisfaction of doing
something that most other
people can't - or won't - do.
Anne Tilker has jumped,
once, to see what it is all
about, but prefers to do her
flying in a machine. She is
now taking instruction in
acrobatic flying.
After five years of scrimp-
ing and saving, she made the
final payment last month on
her own Bellanca Decathlon,
a little single-engine machine
specially designedfor
acrobatics.
All money earned by -flying
jumpers goes back into her
plane. One hour's flying uses
nine gallons of aviation fuel
costing $2.40 per gallon. In-
surance and maintenance are
also costly. But such mun-
dane matters are left on the
tarmac while Anne is up in
the air practicing ham-
merheads, spins and snap
rolls.
"What I like about flying is
the freedom," Anne remark-
ed. "When you're up there,
you forget about everything
on the ground." -
Anne said many of her
passengers are surprised
when they first realize their
pilot is a girl. As far as her
fellow fliers are concerned,
she is "just one of the guys",
and wouldn't want to be
treated any other way.
Sitting on the ground beside
her plane, eating a ham-
burger barbecued by some
SWOOP members, watching
parachutes drifting back to
earth like giaht butterflies,
Jrr11111111
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ri All Down Filled
:Clothing, & Western
Shirts
Riding Equipment
Horse Health
Centre
I Western 'Boots,
Belts, Buckles &
Hats
Hours:
1 - 9 Weekdays
10 - 4 Saturday
Scott's
Leather &
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120 Sanders St. W.i
Exeter, Ontario
Phone: 235-0694
;nnnumoo>uunnnrnnnnuunna�
downs
Anne breathes a sigh of con-
tent. She has the best of both
worlds, head in the clouds and
feet on the ground.
PACK WITH CARE — SWOOP member Steve Houle
carefully packs his own parachute. He has been sky div-
ing for two years.
On
The
Dining Lounge D Tavern
Beach
Grand Bond
OPEN YEAR ROUND
NEW HOURS
Fri., Sat., Sun.
Lunch and Dinner
Weekend Special
Whole Nova Scotia Lobster
9.95
Sandbar Room
Dancing, Darts, Shuffleboard
New Low Prices
Open Fri. and Sat. nights
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS FOR
NEW YEAR'S EVE
$45.00 per couple Includes everything
Reservations Appreciated
238-2251
6.1)` .e •/�e,,,ao V.`
.o,.e• c
COLONIAL HOTEL
238-2371 -
-~
THE GABLES TAVERN °°°
�QO Grand Bend 238-2393
e'.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!! a
Gabies New Year's Eye Party
'Lunch Buffet and All Party Favours Inc.
Dance to the Great Sounds of
"The Good Question Band"
$ 10.00 p.p. or S19 per couple
Tickets available at both bars
Entertainment every Fri. and Sat.
9:00 p.m. -1:00 a.m.
This weekend Dec. 3 & 4 "Tight Squeeze"
Dec. 10 and 11 "Odds 'n Ends"
Dec. 17 and 18 "Spirit"
Our Dining Room is open everyday
7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Breakfast. Lunch and Dinner
Good Homemade Daily Specials
Don't forget Movie Night •
every Thursday 9:00 p.m.
This week's feature: "Convoy"
with Kris Kristoferson
Times -Advocate December 1. 1982
Pape 15A
010•10f
FESTIVE
SEASON '82
loin us for a spec ial
Christmas Day
Buffet:
A traditional Christmas feast with
all the• trimmings. Main course
features Roast Goose or Roast
Turkey. Served from 1:00 to 5:00
p.m. Phone 524-2191 for reser-
vations.
$16�Sper person
Now accepting bookings for "
Christmas Parties
Call us today!
Come...
enjoy the best of the season.
A Day's Outing At
Benmiller:
A satisfying lunch before a brisk Winter
walk. A rewarding dinner after a day on
local ski trails. A piping hot drink curled
in front of the open hearth fireplace. A
relaxing stay surrounded by pleasant
service and age old charm. Interesting
shops and nature's unspoiled country
splendor.
There's Tots to do and see in Benmiller.
Why not gather a few friends or visiting
relatives and make a day of it at Ben -
miller. Where you are always
WELCOME.
Or8 Benmiller
Inn
For Reservations Please Phone 524-2191
Nestled in Benmiller, Ont., just 7 kilometres east of Goderich
Huron County Road 1, just off Highway 8
LICENCED UNDER THE L.L.8.O.
ET
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1411wi
IATA
;4/e%
46., MAW
A Special Holiday
VILLA VACATIONS
1982-83
PORTUGAL
4 WEEKS
only $899
cosy, tr°r
v+° QO00�l
Includes:
Round trip private
charters. Toronto to
Lisbon
2 nights in Lisbon
- 27 nights in Algarve
villas)
- private fully equipped
vi.Ilos
- all transfers
- Services of
representptive
a
tour
JAMAICA
1 Week from $599 p.p.
Includes:
• (2 bedroom -4 persons)
• round trip transportation -
on Air Canada
- transfers' and baggage
handling
- accommodation at villas
for 7 nights
• Services of tour
representative
air conditioned 2
'bedroom villas with
• full kitchen
• services of a cook maid
and gardener .
private swimming po"ol
MARCH BREAK SPECIAL
S100.00 Off Per Couple
JAMAICA
Ironshore Villas
S689 p.p. (regular $739)
Based on 2 bedroom villa - 4 persons
235.2000
1.800- 265- 7022
Fall and Winter hours
Mon. to Fri.. 8:30 to 5:30
Saturdays, 9:30 to 4:30
Evenings by appointment
Located in Exeter's Old Town Hall