Ron Donley, who turned 90 on Oct. 6, celebrated his birthday by jumping out of a “perfectly good airplane.” He was briefed, suited up, and tethered to a certified instructor for the tandem jump before the 1971 de Havilland Otter plane made a 20-minute flight to ascend to 14,000 feet. After jumping and free falling at 120 mph, they landed perfectly on a 300-foot-wide gravel target area.
Joining him at Skydive Spaceland Dallas were family, bocce team members, and dog park friends Jim Donley, Debra Donley, Fred Monroe, Mick and Mary Ann Caverley, Chris Marchant, Kathy Dial, Bruce Bosemann, Cole Anderson, Wendy Hicks, Liz Katz, Pat Hanshaw, and Rich and Kathy Jedlowski.
They all watched in awe as he glided to the ground. When he landed, he was asked whether he would do it again, and he said, “Probably not.” Typical Ron. We’ll all be waiting …