Photo By Ellen Morris | D-26655

Neither wind nor the threat of a late-season snow storm could dissuade DZO Ole Thompson (second from right) and other intrepid jumpers from Vermont Skydiving Adventures in Addison from attending Safety Day, which the DZ traditionally holds in April rather than March due to the climate. 

Over Easter weekend, Skydive the South—a small, homey drop zone in Tuskegee, Alabama—transformed. The hustle and bustle of people, parachutes and airplanes brought about by the DZ’s first Easter Boogie (and fundraiser for two charitable organizations) was astonishing. 

The Spring Fling—which started at the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales back in 2004 with only 18 participants—has grown to be the world’s largest annual gathering of canopy formation skydivers (aka canopy relative workers or CRW dogs). The 2018 Spring Fling, which returned to Lake Wales this year, attracted 112 participants from 10 countries.

It sounds like a lot when you don’t yet have them. But in reality, 200 skydives is not that many. And in some cases, it’s not enough to prepare the jumper for the added complexity of flying a wingsuit, which adds risk and reduces comfort during almost every phase of a jump from exiting the plane to deploying the parachute.

Nick Barson doesn’t just say he loves animals. He proves it. In fact, more than 700 animals owe their lives to Barson and his nonprofit rescue operation charmingly named “Paws Landing.” Barson’s plan is to keep that number growing.

Danji “DJ” Marvin, D-22292, is an influential and safety-conscious AFF Instructor Examiner, Tandem Instructor Examiner and Coach Examiner who owns and runs The Ratings Center instructional ratings school. Marvin, along with co-host Nick Lott, also shares his enthusiasm and passion for the sport on Gravity Lab Radio. 

“The Perfect Nightlight”  
Aluminum, brass and steel rotating sculpture with LED lights

Timothy Uhl    |    A-79945
Walden, New York

This is an election year for USPA, meaning that each of the 22 seats on USPA’s board of directors is up for grabs by any USPA member who is qualified to run. 

Photo by Norman Kent  |  D-8369
Richard Scheurich (foreground) and Luis Prinetto from Team Fly4Life fly their Performance Designs Valkyrie Hybrid canopies in formation after a jump during the Fly4Life Flight Camp at Skydive DeLand in Florida.

In a sport that requires correctly functioning equipment for your survival, how much do you really know about your skydiving gear? Each year, fatal and non-fatal accidents stem from issues with skydiving equipment. The vast majority of these could have been avoided had the jumpers simply known more about their gear or performed basic gear checks to discover the problem before boarding or exiting the airplane. 

On April 18, The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale announced that the World Games 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama, will include canopy piloting. 

At Skydive Carolina in Chester, South Carolina, Sisters in Skydiving members Amy Milhorne and Christina Horner added a new activity to the drop zone’s SIS events: Dive-Flow Bingo! 

On March 9, a bright and sunny day, 90 skydivers and their friends and families gathered at the Museum of History in Granite in Felicity, California, to make some skydives, to enjoy a reunion of the Pioneers of Sport Parachuting and to attend a dedication of monuments. 

Photo By Ellen Morris | D-26655

Neither wind nor the threat of a late-season snow storm could dissuade DZO Ole Thompson (second from right) and other intrepid jumpers from Vermont Skydiving Adventures in Addison from attending Safety Day, which the DZ traditionally holds in April rather than March due to the climate. 

The energy and warm buzz at Skydive Perris in California on Easter weekend was so tangible you could gift wrap it! The drop zone’s Full Moon Masquerade—a Sisters in Skydiving event—drew Big Sisters, Little Sisters and even some guys. 

Skydive Puerto Rico in Arecibo, a two-year-old USPA Foreign Affiliate DZ, hosted the island’s first USPA Coach Rating Course in April. 

Sweet 16 | Photo by Zach Lewis | D-21616

At Skydive Arizona in Eloy, 16-way formation skydiving team Dallas Disturbance attends a training camp in anticipation of the upcoming skydiving season. 

This year, when Skydive Arizona in Eloy hosted its annual Easter Boogie, the event proved to be quite busy. Three hundred-plus people made the trip for the promise of “more sun, more jumps and more fun,” and the desert drop zone did not disappoint.