Although you may have heard talk of USPA, you may still wonder what USPA is exactly and have questions about your role in it. USPA is an internationally recognized skydiving organization governed by a volunteer board of directors consisting of members of the skydiving community. The board, supported by paid staff at headquarters, serves USPA’s rating holders and members. USPA’s mission is three-fold:
- to promote safe skydiving through training, licensing, and instructor qualification programs
- to ensure skydiving’s rightful place on airports and in the airspace system
- to promote competition and record-setting programs
The Association
The United States Parachute Association is a voluntary, not-for-profit membership organization of individuals who enjoy and support the sport of skydiving. In 1946, USPA—then called National Parachute Jumpers and Riggers—was first incorporated in New York with an estimated 100 members. Now, USPA has tens of thousands of members across the globe, and many countries use USPA’s materials, standards, and credentials as the foundation for skydiving in their nations.
In its sporting role, USPA is the official U.S. skydiving representative recognized by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the official skydiving representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in the U.S.
In its governing role, USPA is officially recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the representative of skydivers in the United States. Although the FAA does not mandate that sport skydivers have USPA membership to jump in the United States, the agency does recognize USPA as the skydiving authority in the U.S. As a result, most drop zones in the U.S. affiliate with USPA, adhere to USPA policies and guidelines, and require USPA membership.
USPA operates under a constitution and bylaws that define the organization's purpose. They are contained in the USPA Governance Manual, available on the downloads page on USPA's website or from USPA Headquarters.
United States Parachute Association
5401 Southpoint Centre Blvd.
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22407
(540) 604-9740
uspa@uspa.org
www.uspa.org
Board of Directors and Leadership
USPA is governed by a board of directors, elected by USPA members every three years. The USPA Board of Directors meets twice a year to address concerns from the membership and review guidelines and regulations. These board members are volunteers who are active skydivers, drop zone owners, jump pilots, and other members of the skydiving community from across the country. USPA members can attend these biannual board meetings in person or via live broadcast.
The USPA Board consists of 22 members in total. This includes eight National Directors, elected by the USPA membership at large, and 14 Regional Directors, one from each designated geographical region of the U.S. Regional Directors and their jurisdictions can be found at uspa.org/regions.
The Board makes procedures and policy via the committee system following an agenda set prior to each meeting. To each committee, the president appoints committee chairs, who then appoint committee members and non-voting advisors. These committees research agenda items before meetings, discuss these in person at the meeting, then recommend additions, changes, deletions, and waivers for full board vote. Any USPA member can request that items of interest be put on the agenda of the appropriate committee by contacting their Regional Director or completing the Proposed Agenda Item form found at uspa.org/bod.
The board of directors elects its Executive Committee—president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, chairman of the board, and a member at large—from its membership. Other committees are Competition, Finance & Budget, Governance, Group Membership, Membership Services, Regional Directors, and Safety & Training. You can find contact information for members of the board and the committees at uspa.org/bod.
Nearly all drop zones have at least one USPA Safety & Training Advisor (S&TA) who is appointed by and serves as the direct link to their USPA Regional Director. The S&TA is a local jumper who is available to the drop zone’s members to provide administrative services and information.
Headquarters Staff
The USPA staff are paid employees whom the USPA Executive Director hires to implement the vision of the board and to serve members with administrative needs such as membership applications and renewals, ratings, licenses, and awards. The Executive Committee of the USPA Board hires the executive director, who reports to the board president. Staff headquarters is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. You can find contact information for headquarters departments and staff at uspa.org/staff.
Your Role as a USPA Member
As a member-led association, USPA is comprised of board members, staff, rating holders, appointees and regular jumpers. USPA members determine who sits on the board of directors and therefore, the direction of the organization. So, in a sense, you are USPA. In the U.S., you can skydive without a USPA membership, but USPA makes skydiving in the U.S. possible. You can support skydiving by being a member in good standing and striving to follow the Federal Aviation Administration’s Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and USPA’s Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs).
What happens if you don’t follow the FARs and BSRs? The Compliance Group investigates purported violations of the FARs and BSRs, as well as misconduct as defined in the USPA Governance Manual. The group consists of four members of your elected board as well as the USPA Director of Safety and Training at USPA Headquarters. If you willfully violate the BSRs or FARs as a member or an instructional rating holder, the Compliance Group could bring disciplinary actions, such as suspending or even revoking your ratings or membership, against you. For more information on this process, see the USPA Governance Manual Section 1-6.
Skydivers can only continue to enjoy self-governance if each is aware of their role, as well as the roles of others, in the community. Continue to follow USPA guidance as best practices. Continue to adhere to FAA regulations. Continue to respect local authority with an air of collaboration. And most importantly, continue to update your knowledge and develop your own good judgment.
About this Manual
The Skydiver’s Information Manual (SIM) provides basic skydiving standards—the Basic Safety Requirements (BSRs) and recommendations that USPA members have agreed upon as providing for the conduct of safe and enjoyable skydiving. It also describes the programs USPA administers to recognize individuals for their expertise, ability to train others, and proficiency or tenure in the sport.
Although the SIM provides much basic information for skydivers, each jumper should research further and consult USPA and industry officials, documents, and other media, as well as other reliable individuals for clarification and additional information.