The Maytown Sport Parachute Club in Marietta, Pennsylvania, held its annual Fun Meet June 16. The competition included three rounds of accuracy landing in two classes, one round of 4-way speed formation skydiving scrambles and, for the first time, a blindfolded packing competition, which was very entertaining to watch.

On June 17—Father’s Day—expecting parents Jared Jorgenson and Julie Girard announced the gender of their baby during a jump at Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton, Washington.

May 25-28, past and current members of 4-way formation skydiving team Arizona Airspeed organized the Arizona Challenge, an event at which participants attempt complex and unusual large-formation skydives.

Everyone enjoys a good speedstar competition, and Spaceland’s fifth annual Transitions event on June 2 was a great example!

What do skydiving, poker and tequila have in common? It’s Skydive Elsinore’s Poker Run!

The skydiving community and Rotarians really came through for the world’s children.

This past May, USPA held its third annual Learn to Skydive Month.

The weekend of June 1-3, the drop zone hosted the first New England CF Introductory Camp.

Jumpers of all levels are invited to the Lookin' to Build event at Skydive Spaceland-Houston.

In March, Johannes Bergfors, a videographer and wind tunnel instructor from Sweden, launched a series of videos titled “First Perspective” on the skydiving YouTube channel Fallrates.

We've learned through the years that repeated exposure to high altitudes without supplemental oxygen is dangerous and harmful to humans.

I certainly hope to see Chas Hines' articles continue, and I encourage every licensed skydiver out there to go take a flying lesson or two, if for no other reason than to appreciate the workload a jump pilot has to endure.

I took my first-jump course in Iowa in 1983. But those were college days, which meant no time or money, so my jumping didn't really take off until the summer of 1986. It was because of skydiving that I met Tim. Tim took his first-jump course in 1987, and we started jumping together.

A properly sized and adjusted harness-and-container is essential to your safety both in freefall and under canopy. It’s likely that many jumpers who are reading this right now are in real danger of coming out of their harnesses during their next skydives and don’t even realize it.

Brought to you by Niklas Daniel and Brianne Thompson of AXIS Flight School at Skydive Arizona in Eloy. Photos by David Cherry. Information about AXIS' coaching and instructional services is available at axisflightschool.com.

Each year, the International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame inducts a select few men and women who have “defined, promoted, inspired and advanced the sport at the highest levels.” This year’s induction ceremony and gala dinner for the 10 newest members will take place during the 2018 International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame Celebration November 1-3 at Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida.

For skydivers, two things keep us in the sport—our passion for human flight and the amazing friendships we build with others who share that passion. One way to enjoy both is to be involved in large-formation skydiving events.

Thailand is magical. It deserves to be referred to as the “Land of Smiles.” Anyone who has been there will tell you it’s unforgettable. The air is warm and damp. Transitioning to the outdoors from an air-conditioned space feels like a warm embrace.

After exiting properly for your wingsuit skydive (covered in “Wingsuit Progression—Part Two: Exits,” July Parachutist), you still have the rest of your jump ahead of you. All skydives require planning and careful execution, but wingsuit skydives require just a little extra.

USPA achieved a milestone—40,000 current members!

Have you ever spent months working with a student, ensuring that you covered each category and transferred the necessary knowledge and skills, then proudly stamped the A-license card and watched in disbelief as he ran off to sign up for a 10-way speedstar competition with a freshly mounted GoPro on his helmet?

Photo by Roy Wimmer Jaglom  |  USPA #279679
Matt Leonard from Team Control Tower flies his canopy over new USPA Foreign Affiliate DZ Skydive Bovec in Slovenia.

Paint and marker
 

Heather Weter and Karen Figenshau | B-47715 and A-80088
Ozark, Missouri, and St. Louis, Missouri

Bill Wenger, D-3774 and a U.S. Army Golden Knight from 1974-1980, has dedicated much of his life to coaching and developing military skydivers, bringing dozens of teams to the USPA National Collegiate Parachuting Championships. He helped pioneer the 8-way FS discipline and earned numerous medals in FS and accuracy at national and world competitions. His peers describe him as “a great guy,” “humble,” “hard working” and “a great father” (to current Golden Knight Jason Wenger).

At Skydive Spaceland–Dallas in Whitewright, Texas, Debbie Bohannon, the wife of the late Richard “Bo” Bohannon, releases his ashes during a tandem skydive with instructor Ernie Long and friends (from left) Dave Eisele, Gary Haas and Scott Kucel.

Zach Lewis | D-21616