John’s special “ILWU” canopy is a “navigator” model that allows him to control the direction of his descent through the air. The chute was custom-made and took 9 months to complete. He plans to jump with his union-chute in Montana this month.
Before John Eberhardt started jumping out of airplanes, he was working on the docks as a Local 13 member and later as a foreman with Local 94. Co-worker Manuel Cabrera got him to take his first jump on July 7, 2002 in the Mojave Desert town of California City – just down the highway from Boron.
“With my first jump, I found out why the birds sing,” said John. “The adrenalin rush is like no other. I’m now ready to jump without any apprehension.”
John was 62 when he took his first big leap. Nine years later, he’s completed 468 jumps including 17 “base jumps” – that’s right, they jump from cliffs, bridges, buildings, antennas, and mountain tops. John has also fallen five miles, completing two jumps from 31,000 feet – higher than Mount Everest and requiring similar special breathing equipment with oxygen in order to avoid black-outs in the thin atmosphere.
For extra kicks, he’s jumped out of hot-air balloons at 4,400 and 5,800 feet from the ground.
Location-wise, his jumping adventures have taken him to Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, and Virginia – as well as California.
John is an Army vet, but didn’t jump during his military service. He was initiated into ILWU Local 13 by International Union President Harry Bridges on September 5, 1963. In 1984, he transferred to the foremen’s Local 94.
Despite his retirement and obsession with skydiving, John hasn’t forgotten his roots. “Harry founded and fostered the union foundation that provided a good life for me, my wife and our two daughters, Monika and Jennifer. Our rank-and-file concept here is like no other trade union. We take it for granted sometimes, but need to remind ourselves how fortunate we are and we must remain vigilant.”
John plans to keep jumping, and maintain his positive attitude. “I’ve been very fortunate in being a member of the ILWU family. You can plan the day, but you can’t plan what’s going to happen. I have no regrets in my life.”
– Al Perisho, Local 63 Pensioner