Part 52, page 291
Document date 22 May 2008
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 52 p. 291 (DB Cooper-21974), Other, dated 22 May 2008 — cooper.theunsolved.net/parts/Cooper-Part-52/pages/291
Transcript
The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.
Russ Gunby - ParachuteHistory.com Page 1 of 3
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Russ Gunby
Russ Gunby joined the US Army in 1940 and made his first jump in 1944 after trying for 3 years to get accepted into jump school. At the time, US Army regulations forbade soldiers from jumping outside of military operations jumps. Gunby disliked this rule and worked to get it changed. He did unofficial jumps, breaking the rules, by using surplus equipment and hiring a pilot for $50. He also founded the parachute club at Ft Ord, CA.
Gunby wrote Army Regulation 9519 in 1956. This regulation actively encouraged sport parachuting. He went around to many Army bases encouraging the establishment of clubs. Much to his dismay, he received a very cool reception to these ideas.
Gunby would ask a base Colonel to join the local club. The Colonel would ask, "Why?" Gunby would say "Why not, you've been jumping for years?" The Colonel would then reply, "How much will you pay me?".
Gunby said, "I was dumbfounded. For the first time in my life I found out there were Army paratroopers who didn't like to jump. That really shocked me. I was going around with my new regulations saying, "Hey look here, we can all jump." and everybody was saying, "You're nuts, man".
After AR 9519 was official, surplus equipment was made available. The big problem that surface was that anyone could claim to be a parachuting instructor. This lead to injuries and fatalities because of inadequate training procedures.
This situation prompted Gunby to hitchhike to the PCA Board meeting in NY in 1959. He asked about proposed safety regulations. He was voted Secretary/Treasurer by the end of that meeting.
Russ Gunby, C-350, was the first skydiving instructor in the US and conducted the first Instructor's course in 1959 in Phoenix, AZ. He also established the Area Safety Officer (now S&TA) and the Conference (now Region) method of representation.
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DB Cooper-21974
http://parachutehistory.com/men/gunbyr.html 5/22/2008
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