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Obituary
Paul, 85, died August 2, 2010, in the crash of his home-built gyrocopter at the Illinois Valley Airport (former Siskiyou Smokejumper Base). The gyrocopter has a rotor like a helicopter and a propeller like an airplane. It appeared that something came off the tail section as Paul was preparing to land. Paul jumped at the "Gobi" for three seasons (1948-50) before moving south for a full-time job. After his retirement from his job as a public utility worker in the late 80s, he moved back to Cave Junction. He had flown for over 60 years and said, "It's nice to have an airport where there isn't a tower and without planes being all over the sky." Any of us who worked on the Siskiyou Smokejumper Museum Project were able to see Paul and his flying machine as he loved flying and was in the air whenever he had a chance.
Identifier
Block_Paul_Cave-Junction_1948
Publication Date
August 2010
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Block, Paul (Cave Junction 1948)" (2010). Smokejumper Obituaries. 932.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/932
