12
The Coastal Buzz
Up in the air
DECEMBER 2021
Feet out. Climb out. Go! 14,242. That’s exactly how many times Bob Mehl has jumped out of an airplane. Mehl says, “To me, jumping is like walking down the street. Just another day. Depending on the weather and how much time I have, I jump up to 25 times in one day, but sometimes just one or two.
In reality, I jump as much as I can!” Mehl has jumped in over 22 states from California to South Carolina and in over 12 countries including Africa, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Canada.
A Family Affair Mehl started skydiving in the 1970s when he was just 16. He
Photo by Beth Klahre
Skydiver Thomas Herzog prepares to jump out of a perfectly good airplane owned by Skydive Coastal Carolinas. Intrepid reporter Beth Klahre went along for the ride.
didn’t jump again until 1974 in the U.S. Army. Skydiving is in his blood. “My uncles were in the 82nd Airborne Division specializing in parachute assault operations and in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, and they jumped on D-Day.” Today, Mehl jumps at Skydive Coastal Carolinas, a commercial skydiving center owned by Brian Strong, at Cape Fear Regional Jetport on Oak Island. Mehl’s wife Leslie is also a skydiver and instructor with 3,000 jumps of her own.
Photo by Beth Klahre
By Beth A. Klahre
Bob Mehl enjoys some #me on the ground, talking about skydiving.
