Above: Kaine Wadsley and Eric Reese exit from a balloon over Skydive Arizona in Eloy. Photo by Kelly Kalvelage.
Ben Kellogg managed to arrive at Gladewater, Texas, just in time to get on the sunset load. By the time the aircraft climbed to altitude, the winds had picked up dramatically. The group exited before anyone on the ground could stop them. Kellogg was last out.
“I pulled at 4,000, but then I got pushed back the entire time under canopy,” he recalled. “I was running out of airport to land on. Behind me was all woods or water. When I reached about 300 feet I stopped going backwards and surged forward. I was on the edge of the runway about 50 yards from the water. It was the scariest jump I’d made in 21 years.”
In 2025, moments like that linked a small cohort of skydivers chasing one of the sport’s most elusive milestones, a challenge with a history that stretches back decades: making a jump in all 50 states.
The Legacy They Were Chasing
For Kellogg, the idea came about in April 2020, when he found an article in Parachutist about some skydivers who had landed in all 50 states and documented their achievement in their logbooks. USPA doesn’t formally recognize the feat or keep records, but skydivers Harry and Betty Moore have tracked the jumpers who achieved it. The Moores were the first American couple known to complete the circuit, a Japanese couple were first.
This remains an exclusive club. Two notable people are in that original group: Lew Sanborn, D-1, one of the fathers of our modern sport, and Rich Piccirilli, who flew in the first 20-way star organized by Hall of Famer Jerry Bird. Sanborn saved the “best for last” and jumped in Hawaii, and Piccirilli completed his by doing the famous Four Corners—Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico—all in one day. Jumping in four different states in one day is a claim few can make.
Jumping in all 50 states is a daunting proposition. Not very many ordinary citizens have even visited all 50 states, let alone landed a parachute in them. You need patience, fortitude, blue skies and low winds—and a bit of luck to avoid weather holds and aircraft issues. It’s also a considerable financial investment to travel the country. Some states—Wyoming, New Hampshire, Delaware and South Dakota—don’t have active drop zones, so creativity is needed to make a skydive happen. Luck sometimes factors in, as well: The current achievers bumped into each other and shared tips and contacts about the hard-to-jump states without active DZs. Since that first group was celebrated in these pages, five more skydivers, including Kellogg, completed the circuit in 2025.
Two Decades to the Finish Line
It took 5,750 jumps over 21 years for Kellogg to achieve the dream of making at least one jump in every state. He made his first static-line jump on June 26, 2004, in Ohio, long before the idea of jumping in the other 49 states crossed his mind.
By January 2024, he realized he had already jumped in 35 states and set a goal of finishing the remaining 15 by the end of 2025. He began with Hawaii and, three months later, traveled to Texas, where his memorable Gladewater jump occurred. Then it was back to New Mexico where he coincidentally met and jumped with Preston Clark, who was five states ahead of him in his 50-state journey.
Next, Kellogg hit Wyoming and Colorado and then headed to Kansas. He took off from one airport and landed at another to achieve his jump in Wyoming, thanks to an accommodating airport operator.
“I added Jump Omaha and Des Moines Skydivers on my way toward the Dakotas,” recalled Kellogg. In Iowa, the drop zone operators Katie and A.J. Horrigan introduced him to Kaine Wadsley, who was also working on skydiving in all 50 states. Kellogg then went through Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota and on to Fargo, North Dakota. Alaska stood out. He said, “it’s the most beautiful place I have been to. I can’t fathom a place more beautiful on earth.”
He finished with an East Coast push in September, saving his final jump for Smithfield, Rhode Island, at Skydive Boston, recently purchased by Brett Mickelson. Though primarily a tandem operation, Mickelson arranged a four-way from his Cessna 182. The linked exit funneled but stayed together, and the group completed all planned points. When Kellogg landed, hugs and photos followed.
Ben Kellogg celebrates his journey with friends at Skydive Rick’s in Petersburg , Ohio. Photo by Kay Kuhns.
Five Years on the Road
Preston Clark logged all 50 states in just five years, driving 24,121 miles and flying another 30,609 miles, not including jump flights. He began skydiving at Skydive Carolina in 2020 and finished at Skydive Panama City in Florida. Military relocation and COVID-related DZ closures slowed his progress. “By the time I got licensed, I realized I was already at seven states,” he said.
After leaving the Army in 2021, Clark moved to North Carolina for school and adopted Triangle Skydiving as his home DZ. He jumped in surrounding states, then embarked on a cross-country trip from his childhood home in Bridgewater, Virginia, to Skydive Perris in California to “see the country, fish and check out different drop zones.” That trip added roughly a dozen states.
Returning east, he based himself at his grandfather’s home in Rhode Island, completing most of the Northeast in two weeks. By summer 2023, he had nearly 30 states. A move to Nashville for work followed, with Skydive Tennessee becoming his home DZ. He logged his 43rd state at the end of 2024 and tackled the final seven challenging states in 2025.
One standout was a sunrise jump in Delaware at the defunct Skydive Delmarva, flown by a pilot from the U.S. Naval Academy Parachute Team.
“He tried to tell me I didn’t owe him anything, and that he was just helping support the journey,” Clark said. “I appreciated the gesture, but I know a sunrise jump is an early wake-up call for a pilot, and I paid him for the fuel and his time.”
Clark coordinated his Wyoming jump with Wadsley, Otto and their friend Ben Pritchard, all strangers until that morning. They were put in contact with each other through word of mouth; everyone knowing they were 50-state candidates. With approval from the Evanston airport manager, they worked with the DZO of Skydive Ogden, Utah, who flew his Cessna 182 over the mountains for an early-morning jump.
“He had to have woken up at four in the morning to make that flight. It was a great favor. That landing area 7,200 feet above mean sea level was a little spicy for us low-lying Tennessean and Iowans. The four of us split the $500 fee to ferry the plane over from Ogden and back.”
In Mississippi, Clark relied on the DZO at Cloud Chasers Skydiving in Louisiana, who scouted a landing area and secured landowner permission in person. “Talk about going out of your way to do something for a stranger,” Clark said. “I hopped in with the pilot for the first load of the day, and she took me on a quick 15-minute flight over the border until we got to the spot. I waved adios and bailed out.”
Clark credited the experience to the people he met. “It was surreal to explore all parts of the country and see so many different places, faces and drop zones. The skydiving community is incredible. I’ve never made so many cold calls and emails to complete strangers, but every time I was met with open arms by DZOs and other jumpers. I can’t tell you how many times I would show up to a drop zone on a Saturday afternoon, and within an hour I had been offered a spot to crash at the DZ or was invited to go out to eat. It speaks to how friendly and supportive our community is; there are no strangers in the fun-jumper world. Even a quiet, shy guy like me was welcomed with love.”
Clark, Otto, Pritchard and Wadsley pose at the airfield in Evanston, Wyoming.
This is 50
Kaine Wadsley began his 50-state journey in 2022 after several years as a professional skydiver. Living in Iowa made regional road trips efficient. “As costly as it was and juggling time off work, it was easiest to make road trips out of the majority of the states,” he said.
Early trips included Christmas at Eloy, Arizona, with jumps in Kansas and New Mexico along the way. On the return, he added Oklahoma and Arkansas on New Year’s Eve. Another trip covered the Northwest. He flew into Bozeman, Montana and jumped at Meadow Peak Skydiving—famous for hosting the long-standing Lost Prairie boogie—then added Idaho, Montana and Oregon.
A 12-day Northeast and Midwest swing produced limited jump days due to weather but added multiple states, including New Jersey, New York and Connecticut in a single day. Other highlights included prop-starting a plane in Louisiana and jumping from a biplane in Tennessee. Nevada was last. “I was finally able to climb out of a plane and say, ‘This is 50.’”
Wadsley reflected, “I met a lot of amazing and helpful people along the way and saw a lot of cool places. I would do it again in a heartbeat and encourage others to try the challenge. For anyone working in the industry, it will give a new perspective on how other drop zones operate. I am more than thankful for all the drop zones that helped me to complete this journey and hope they encourage others to do the 50.”
Preston Clark poses at Alaska Skydive Center in Palmer, his favorite jump location.
Exploring the World
Rayann Otto made her first skydive in Iowa in 2022 and moved quickly from novice to 50-stater. With just 400 jumps, she was the least experienced in the 2025 crew, yet her background included skydives in 10 additional countries: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Greece, Israel, Panama and Spain.
She decided to pursue all 50 states after a friend began working toward the goal. “I already had four states, and I thought it sounded cool to get all 50,” she said. What followed was a focused and efficient push that relied heavily on timing, networking and a willingness to say yes when opportunities appeared.
Her most memorable jump came in Delaware, a state without an active DZ. Mike Davidson helped make it possible by flying her to the site of the former Delaware DZ, where they exited and landed. “It was super nice of him to help me get that state crossed off since there isn’t a drop zone there anymore,” Otto said. Otto completed her final state in California at GoJump Oceanside, jumping with her friend Kristopher Calicott. The landing marked the end of a rapid and unconventional path to a milestone that often takes decades to achieve.
Rayann Otto jumps with fellow 50-state candidate Kaine Wadsley at Skydive Spaceland-Houston in Rosharon, Texas.Photo by Kaine Wadsley.
Money Well Spent
Kevin Trittschuh began his quest differently. Trittschuh, whose home DZ is in Panama City, Florida, started skydiving in Mississippi after a college friend challenged him to go for a solo jump following a tandem. On New Year’s Eve 2013, he resolved to skydive in all 50 states, a goal that would take just over 10 years to achieve. He would have completed it in seven years, but life changes and minor health setbacks delayed Alaska until 2025.
Hawaii proved the most expensive state, with airfare, rental car and other costs, while Florida and Mississippi were the cheapest, requiring minimal travel. Some jumps stood out for their thrill factor: a HALO skydive from 30,000 feet at West Tennessee Skydiving and an inverted biplane jump at the same location.
Reflecting on his decade-long journey, Trittschuh emphasized the people he met along the way. “No matter where I went, I ran into someone I knew, or someone we both knew, and always found the friend I hadn’t met yet. The experience far exceeded the value of the money spent. Everywhere I went I appreciated the beauty of our country. I would probably never have seen the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and so many other places if I hadn’t done the 50-state tour.”
Very few skydivers have landed in all 50 states, and fewer still have done so in overlapping time frames, relying on shared knowledge, chance encounters and mutual support. As this small group demonstrated in 2025, the challenge remains alive. The question is not whether it can be done—but who will be next.
Kevin Trittschuh hangs from an inverted biplane at West Tennessee Skydiving in Whiteville. Photo by Mike Mullins.
About the Author
Doug Garr, D-2791, is an author, journalist and regular contributor to Parachutist magazine; he wrote the April 2020 article on jumping in all 50 states. He has only jumped in three countries and 16 states to date, but he was on the 4-way that Ben Kellogg made to complete his circuit last September in Rhode Island.