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Craig Uyeda.
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September 5, 2020 at 1:54 PM #10160
Dianne and I are heartbroken but grateful. We just heard that Juanita Jackson passed away shortly after noon today. She and her husband Andy set into motion in 1979, a project that enabled the CSS to have the greatest flying site in the world. Blessings to her family and friends.
I will have to check but I recall Andy died 35 years ago on this same date.September 5, 2020 at 3:08 PM #10161Thank you Andy and Juanita for all you both have done.
September 5, 2020 at 3:29 PM #10162‘Nita after a tandem flight from Marshall to Andy Jackson Airpark.
September 5, 2020 at 4:00 PM #10163Very sad news!!!😢😞 I’m so sorry. Our heart-felt condolences go to all her family and friends. We are so appreciative and eternally grateful to both of them for having done SO much for our flying community.❤️ If it wasn’t for them, AJX wouldn’t be around for any of us to enjoy. I’ve only met her a couple of times, but she seemed like such a very nice, sweet lady. Let’s hope we can keep their dreams alive and going for many more decades to come.
If anyone has a Juanita and Andy Jackson story they’d like to share, please do! We’d love to make sure that they’re never forgotten. We’d like for others to be able to read and learn about them, as well as their wonderful contributions to free-flight. 🙏
September 5, 2020 at 5:17 PM #10167A pic of Andy ‘n Nita taken about 1980.
September 5, 2020 at 5:18 PM #10168A pic taken the day Andy ‘n ‘Nita got their new sign and placed it by Kendall and Pine Avenue. John Zurlinden (standing by the sign) was who painted it for them.
September 5, 2020 at 6:18 PM #10171Pine Crest Air Park started in 1979 as a 3.5 acre chunk of rock and sage. With a lot of work it became a bit less of both.
Andy n Nita decided to get a cow and some turkeys. The cow (named “moo”) was in a small fenced area and the turkeys ran around uncaged.
One day Andy tells us it’s time to elastrate Moo. So I say I will tackle and hold Moo down then Andy can work the tool and rubber band. I had seen videos of cowboys doing 3 second tackles of this sort of thing so I was game. Andy and Nita got years of laughing memories from seeing me being dragged around end to end of that fenced area. I was getting beat up and busting a gut laughing as well.
The turkeys loved to join in the haki sack games. The game involves a bit of jumping while using the feet to keep the sack in the air. Those turkeys were sneaky. Their goal and success (usually 2 or 3 times an hour) was to wait until the perfect opportunity and Blitz Kriege to intercept the sack and run away with it. Then it became a game of chase with all the pilots running around in circles all around the break down area trying to get the haki sack back.
Most memorable haki game was when a couple of swedish female pilots were visiting for a few days. By the 2nd or 3rd day they were feeling quite at home and decided to go topless (like at home) during the usual after flying beer time. Of course on seeing the tops come off someone immediately got the haki sack and asked the girls to join the game. Usually there were 3 or 4 pilots at most in a game but this time there was at least a dozen. And the pilots were very accommodating by passing the sack constantly to the girls to keep them busy jumping and learning the game. 15 minutes of this went by before Nita decided to exit the mobile home to investigate all the noise and laughter. She pointed a finger and waving it back and forth including verbal instructions, it meant the shirts had to go back on. Imagine 25 pilots in the LZ collectively groaning a big “aw” like whiney kids who were just told by their parents that play time was over.
September 5, 2020 at 6:47 PM #10172Tim Ward
General MemberWhew. At a loss for words.
I’m sorry to hear it. Can’t imagine there’s anyone who ever met Juanita who isn’t sorry to hear it.
September 5, 2020 at 9:35 PM #10174Scott Smith
General MemberThat news makes me very, very sad.
Scott Smith
September 6, 2020 at 10:30 AM #10178Ken Howells
General MemberI celebrate Nita!
Ever cheerful and loving she embraced the world and everyone in it.
I started learning to hang glide in the summer of 1985 and Andy died from cancer that Labor Day weekend. I hadn’t seen the place when it was party-like but understood that it was. Nita could have packed-up and walked away from the airpark and hang gliding and been perfectly justified and understood.
But she stayed a while, and hung on long enough for a smooth transition and clout later when the State water project threatened. There were some fun Christmas parties at Nitas with the pilots way back when.
So I got to keep flying hang gliders here in my home town and got involved with the club and got a job in hang gliding and met a whole lot of interesting people and made some lifelong friends.
Few have had such an impact on the course of my life.
Thanks Nita!
Love,
Ken
September 29, 2020 at 5:00 PM #10301Here is the info on Juanitas service.
The service is oct. 8th at 10 am Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3520 E. Washington St. Colton, CA 92324 (909)825-3024 is the phone number
September 30, 2020 at 11:39 AM #10307Thank you for posting the info, Rob. Is anyone from the CSS club welcome to attend, or is it a close friends and family type of event? I’m also curious how the Covid-19 situation affects attendance.
September 30, 2020 at 12:17 PM #10309George Stebbins
General MemberI am saddened to hear of Juanita’s passing. I remember her and Andy with great fondness. Without them, we’d have no flying site here.
Clear skies and thermals to both of them!
October 2, 2020 at 10:00 AM #10327There is a 100 person limit on attendance. I am told that the close family and friends will likely be well under that limit so those who knew Nita and want to attend please feel free to join. Masks and distancing will be required. No hugs or hand shakes.
October 6, 2020 at 10:45 AM #10349DHG read it and sad hear from happen
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