Sorry, I just got word that Clint and Earls aircraft was found today ( Sunday) and there were no survivors.
Let's take the time to reflect on the good times we had with our fallen brothers.
Fly high, Clint. On headings, Earl. We will miss you both.
BASE359
From all the jumpers down under (in Australia):
To all friends and family of Clint and Earl, our sincerest condolences. Our prayers are with you...
Tom B
I met Earl last winter so I didn't know him that well, but he sure was a charactor. He did some fantastic work at opening up new sights in a place where many of us had been jumping for years. Clint was one of my favorite jumping buddies, a great guy, and a close friend. He really was a special person. Thanks for all the good times. You will both be missed.
Please let us know when arrangements get made.
Joe C
It deeply saddens me to hear the conclusion to Clint and Earl's ordeal. My sincerest condolences go out to their families and friends. Having unfortunately put my family and loved ones through a vaguely similar ordeal, I have some appreciation of what you all must be going through. Please everyone take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and be strong through these difficult times.
WDC
http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/msg00614.html
00-426 - Canyonlands NP (UT) - Search, Aircraft Crash with Two
Fatalities
Noted BASE jumper Earl Redfern, 43, and fellow jumper Clint Ford, 22,
were killed in a plane crash on July 18th about three miles north of
the park. The aircraft was not located until 9 a.m. on July 23rd. An
intensive air search for their plane was conducted by local pilots,
the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Five
park employees who are also CAP members participated in the search
effort. On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 18th, Redfern, who resided
in Moab, Utah, and Ford, who resided in Brush, Colorado, departed the
Canyonlands airport in Ford's Grumman AA-5 aircraft to look for
potential BASE jumping sites. They did not file a flight plan.
Temperature in the area at the time of departure were between about
105 and 108 degrees. When they failed to return from the flight,
Redfern's employer, a local air taxi operator and another local pilot
flew the area, looking for them. Their efforts proved fruitless,
however, so they notified CAP, which began search operations. The UHP
helicopter joined in the search on Saturday, July 22nd. On the morning
of the 23rd, the crash site was found in Mineral Canyon, about 15
miles southwest of the airport. It appears that the aircraft clipped a
wing on the edge of the canyon wall and fell to the base of the
Windgate formation, where it burned beyond recognition. The bodies of
the Redfern and Ford were recovered by Grand County Sheriff's Office
personnel. Redfern was the leader of the group of BASE jumpers who
were jumping in the same general area last December. One jumper's
chute hung up on the cliff after deployment. Park personnel assisted
the sheriff in extricating that jumper during a technical night
operation. [Larry Van Slyke, CR, CANY, 7/24]
TO EARLS FAMILY, I WOULD HAVE COOKED HIM DINNER ANY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! joy
Thanks to Earl for opening up many new sites in Moab, Utah for the sport of BASE jumping future. Although I wasn't there to see this happening, I was proud of him for his recognition to the public about the sport of BASE jumping and what he stood for and expression of one of his favorite sports. He passed on from this world to something better and something more important. He left a legacy for us to follow. Remember, be cautious always, and have FUN ! Thanks to all of the friends of Earl's that I met in Moab, I had FUN !
Susan
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