User:NorthPoleJeff
NorthPoleJeff (talk) 19:44, 10 July 2008 (UTC)Jeffrey C. Dyrek
Webmaster at YellowAirplane.com. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1972 to 1977. Went to boot camp at NTC/RTC Naval Training Center in San Diego California. Transferred to Naval Air Technical Training Command NATTC Memphis in 1972 and attended Avionics Class "A" School, Received Letter of Commendation from the Base Commander for attaining the highest grade in the class. Next attended the Advanced First Term Avionics School, AFTA, Class "B" School. Completed school as the top AT (Aviation Electronics Technician). In 1974 Transferred to Naval Air Station Lemoore, NAS Lemoore, California and was attached to VA-125 the Rough Raiders and worked on the A-7A and A-7B Light Attack Jet Fighters. In late 1974 transferred to Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department, AIMD, and worked on the ARN-52, ARN-21, ARN-105, ARN-84 TACAN Systems, and the ARM-30/31 and ARM-155/156 TACAN Simulators. In 1976 was transferred to VA-192 the World Famous Golden Dragons featured in the movies, "Bridges at Tokyo-RI" and "The Fighting Lady" Worked on the A-7E and briefly on a rare TA-7C. Again was transferred to AIMD and worked on the ASN-99 Projected Map Display System and the ASM-398 PMDS Automated Test Computer system. June 29, 1977, Jeff Dyrek fell 180 feet down a vertical drop, landed on the rocks, and was rescued by the NAS Lemoore SAR Search and Rescue Team. Was sent back to work in just two days, but sustained a broken back, crushed heels, damaged right elbow, a four finger size tear in the diaphragm, 40 stitches in the head, a concussion, brain damage and post traumatic stress disorders. Shortly afterwards, Jeff Dyrek was transferred to the USS Kitty Hawk and went on a Western Pacific Cruise, West Pac, until May of 1978. The ship traveled to Hawaii, Yokosuka Japan, Pusan Korea, Olongapo City Philippines, Singapore, Crossed the Equator, Pattaya Beach Thailand, Hong Kong, Okinawa and back to Hawaii and San Diego. On this cruise the USS Kitty Hawk Burned for three days: Launched the first sea test of the Harpoon Anti-Ship Cruise Missile: and was the first cruise of the Kitty Hawk to use the F-14 Tomcats from VF-114 and VF-213. While in the Philippines Jeff Dyrek took a U.S. Coast Guard Approved Sail Boat course. Completed multiple courses aboard the ship from Chapman College and traveled extensively in every country that he visited. While in the Navy and afterward, Jeff Dyrek climbed the following mountains. In the Sierra Nevada: Little Baldy 8,044 feet, about 25 times: Big Baldy twice: Alta Peak 11,204 ft. Twice: Sawtooth Peak, 12,343 ft. three and one half times: Mt. Whitney 14,496.811 ft.: Black Kaweah, but did not summit: Pyramid Peak: 9998 ft.: Mt. Shasta 14,162 ft, but did not summit. Participated in many hikes and mountain runs. In Hong Kong climbed Victoria Peak, today there is a building on it's summit. In 1979 Jeff Dyrek was Honorably Discharged from the Navy and then worked at Patterson Aircraft Company, PATCO, as an Avionics Technician working on Nav-Coms, ADF, Transponders, Glideslope Receivers, DME Distance Measuring Equipment, RNAV's Area Navigation Computers, ILS Systems, Slaved Compass Systems, 200 and 300 series Autopilots, and other various avionics equipment. While at PATCO Jeff attended many Cessna and King Aircraft Avionics Schools and took pilot training. Jeff worked on mostly on High Performance Single Engine and Multi Engine Corporate aircraft. In 1982, Because of the internal injuries sustained in the 180 foot fall back in 1977, Jeff was no longer able to work under the conditions required by bending and crawling under instrument panels at Patterson Aircraft Company and had to stop working there. In 1982 Jeff went to work at the Sacramento Army Depot as an Avionics Technician working on the APX-72 and APX-64 IFF, Identification Friend and Foe Systems. He also worked on the ARC-51 and ARC-54 UHF Comm's and the ARC-114 115 and 116 SLAE Small Light Weight Avionics Equipment, UHF Com's. In 1984 Jeff transferred to the ASD Automated Systems Division, later renamed the Automated Test Division ATD. There his job description was to design the software and hardware to automatically test highly complex electronics weapons systems. There Jeff worked on the YUK-19 YUK-64 Systems, the TSCD Tank Sight Control and Display System, the COMDAC Communications Data and Control System, the Aquila RPV Remotely Piloted Vehicle Systems, the AHIP Army Helicopter Mast Mounted Sight, the PATH Programmable Analog Test Head Prototype System, the Fire Finder Anti-Artillery Radar System. He ended up becoming the project officer on the Fire Finder Digital Test Project and received a letter of Commendation for development of the boiler plate of the Comdac programs. During the years of 1979 to 1984 Jeff was the Race Team Manager for Streetable Motorcycle, Motorcycle Road Race Team and M&J Racing Endurance Racing Team. In the years of 1982 and beyond, Jeff took the Leroy Ming Real Estate Course, the Ed Beckley Real Estate Course, many courses from SMI Success Motivation International, Many courses from Conant Nightingale, and the Joe Cossman Course. In 1989 Jeff's internal conditions became so bad that he was not able to eat properly or sit up at a desk and was forced to retire from the Sacramento Army Depot on Disability Retirement from the Civil Service Retirement System. There was a nine month delay in his retirement payment forcing him into bankruptcy and loss of everything that he owned. Jeff traveled across the country and ended up living in Benton Kentucky. Because of all of the extra courses he then founded the "March of Dimes Race Team," and was a Multi Level Marketing distributor for Energy Release Anti-Friction Metal Conditioner Lubrication Additive. Jeff went to trade shows demonstrating the product at the Arlington Park Go Kart Show, the Rosemont Car Wash Show and the Green Bay Logging show and competition. He appeared on television and radio talk shows and news programs. Jeff also took the headlines in multiple news papers due to his work on the March of Dimes Race Team. Plus Jeff became the race track announcer at the Southern Illinois Raceway for two years and announced the National Championship for the NMMA National Modified Midget Association. In 1991 Jeff Moved to Illinois and continued working on the sales and promotion of Energy Release and the March of Dimes Race Team and became the announcer at the Lamoine Ramblers Motorcycle Club in Macomb Illinois. the I-74 Raceway in Knoxville Illinois, for both the Stock Cars and Go Karts and announced for various other races, the Griggsville Fair, the Monmouth Fair, the Roseville Fair, the Skyler County Fair, the Loretta Lynn Motorcycle Challenge and others. Jeff became a Staff Writer and New Products Editor for Pit Stop Magazine and a Staff Writer and Regional Editor for the Speedway Magazine. Also, Jeff became the News letter Editor and Web Page Editor for IAC International Aerobatics Club Chapter 61 and the EAA Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 350. Always working with kids, Jeff, in coincidence with the above events started the Y-I-BET Program which stood for Youth Innovative Business Environment Training. This program took kids from the local public housing to motorcycle races and allowed them to work at the track and sing the Star Spangled Banner and say the Pledge of Allegiance at the races, took them to many air shows, Air Force Bases, various museums, fishing, snorkeling and gave the kids the chance to do things that kids in public housing would never have the chance to do. The Y-I-BET Program was published in Sports Aviation Magazine, the Worlds Leading Professional Aviation Magazine. Jeff's articles were also published in Sport Aerobatics Magazine as well as many racing and professional industrial magazines. Jeff, during these past years attended Chapman College, West Hills College, College of the Sequoia's, Sacramento City College, and Western Illinois University. Jeff Lectured in many Jr. High Schools, High Schools, Universities and Clubs and Museums. As time went on Jeff's internal injuries became much worse causing him to endure many operations and losing everything that he had. He ended up living in a garage at his mom's house and took care of his mom and ailing dad. Here, to stay involved with aviation and computers, Jeff started YellowAirplane.com in 1997 and worked most of the time just being able to lay down with the keyboard in his lap and not do too much more. He was not able to sit upright for very long or the staples in his esophagus would start to cut him and he would suffer very badly from internal bleeding and severe pain. Still interested in being part of society and building the YellowAirplane website, Jeff was interested in new opportunities. In 1999 a man named Curtis Lieber called Jeff and asked if he could advertise his North Pole Tours on the YellowAirplane website. That was a great opportunity for a new product to market on the site. Jeff started marketing the North Pole Tours for a total of nine years. During that time, Jeff's physical condition was getting very bad and the multiple stomach operations just gave a temporary relief then made everything much worse. In 2002 he told his friends that he was going to go to the North Pole and intended to die there wishing to be buried in the ice. In April of 2002 Jeff did indeed travel through Moscow and the Northern Siberian Town of Khatanga to the Geographic North Pole. Much to his surprise, after many years of the doctors saying that he couldn't have any alcohol, the Russians drowned him in Vodka. In just three days the restriction in the esophagus was gone and his ability to eat solid food was almost normal. The problem of the restriction was caused by an infection. The fifteen or sixteen dilations were not necessary at all, it was an infection caused by Acid Reflux Disease which caused the severe restriction and the Vodka fixed the problem. But the operations caused many, much worse problems. Jeff again went to the North Pole, through Norway, in 2003 and was a promoter, recruiter, and guide for the Worlds First North Pole Marathon. His videos were the only successful videos of the event. In 2004 the adhesions from all of the dilations were causing Jeff serious problems and even though he was invited to be a guide on that expedition, he couldn't go. In 2005 Curtis Lieber called Jeff and again asked him to go as a guide. Jeff said that his condition was too bad and that it was impossible. After many conversations on the telephone, Jeff finally agreed to go only as far as Longyearbyen Norway and just to work as a helper. Two days after Curtis purchased the plane tickets for Jeff, Curtis said that he was going to go to an Antarctic Expedition to Peter Island on the DXpedition and that Jeff would have to be the Expedition Leader for the 2005 North Pole Expedition. So that is what happened. The 2005 Expedition was probably the most elite expedition to ever go to the North Pole. It had eleven members who climbed the highest mountain on every continent and they became the first members of the Grand Slam Club. The Grand Slam Club was Climbing the tallest mountains on every continent and then skiing the last degree to the Geographic North Pole. On the 2005 Expedition, Jeff Dyrek set three new records. He was the First Disabled Veteran to ever Lead a North Pole Expedition. He was the First Expedition Leader ever to be tricked into leading an expedition, and he was the First Expedition Leader to Just Send His Members to the North Pole and Not Go Himself, since he never went past the city of Longyearbyen on this expedition. In 2008, Jeff has never recovered from the operations and the expedition and has been laying down for most of the time afterwards with a keyboard in his lab and unable to sit upright at his desk. This is a true story. He is able to eat and doesn't require any anti-acids nor drugs for acid reflux but does drink twelve ounces of red wine and two swigs of whiskey a day which have stopped the restriction in his esophagus almost entirely. This is why he wrote the story, "Why God Sent Me to the North Pole" Type that phrase into any search engine to read the story. The only problem now is that the staples and the adhesions cause internal bleeding and severe pain plus anxiety disorders keeping Jeff from being active in any way.
Y-I-BET on the Youth of America
Why God Sent Me to the North Pole
Western Illinois University Newspaper Article