I’ve renamed this column “Anemometer,” as I intend to convey how the wind blows by providing information that USPA members will want to know.

Each year, roughly 55,000 Oahu locals and tourists visit Dillingham Airfield to skydive, glide and fly.

During the 2019 summer board meeting, USPA adopted and implemented an updated PRO-rating program with new jump requirements, qualifying areas and distances (the old standard of 10 accuracy jumps into a 32-foot circle no longer applies) and types of qualifying canopies.

From time to time, knots like the ones shown in this photo can magically appear in brake lines.

Stewart McArthur, D-24588, is a British skydiver who now lives in the U.S. Since his first jump on Halloween Day in 1989, he has racked up a wide variety of skydiving and aviation accomplishments.

In 1962, I was in winter training with the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Chuting Stars, in El Centro, California. One day, we were quite surprised to see Jacques-André Istel, president of the Parachute Club of America (USPA’s predecessor organization), arrive in his shiny new Cessna 182.

Skydiving didn’t really change my life, it was my life. It started at a very young age, even though I didn’t make my first jump from an airplane until I was 18.

Kirk Verner (front) and Niklas Hemlin of 8-way team Airspeed XP8 land in succession after a training jump at Skydive Arizona in Eloy.

Pteam Pterodactyl—Andrew Velazquez (left) and George Hargis—practice some acrobatic wingsuit routines over Skydive Arizona in Eloy.

Photo by Norman Kent | D-8369

Jumpers exit during the Florida Head-Down Record attempts hosted by Collective Pitch at Skydive DeLand, where they set a 47-way state record.

The USPA Board of Directors held its fifth meeting of the 2019-2021 term in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 29-31. For the second time, the board meeting was broadcast live via Zoom Webinar for USPA members to observe and over 130 USPA members registered to attend the virtual meeting.

At its January meeting, the International Skydiving Commission of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (world skydiving’s governing body), continued its discussions regarding the fate of the 2020 (rescheduled to 2021) World Skydiving Championships Mondial in Russia in August.

The country of Egypt has no civilian drop zones, but that doesn’t stop Skydive Egypt—a club of jumpers who are working to promote the sport in their country—from putting together spectacular boogies that feature jumps over the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Eleven people died during sport skydives in the United States during the last year, marking the lowest number of fatalities in any year since USPA began keeping records in 1961, when there were 14 fatalities.

USPA’s board of directors is holding its next meeting January 29-31 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Austin Larman (top left) and Josh Sattler fly above (from foreground) Erick Herrhaeger, Andy Farrington and Braden Roseborough during sunset at Kapowsin Air Sports in Shelton, Washington.

Doug Barron, D-30343 and a member of 4-way formation skydiving team SDC Rhythm XP, made an amazing comeback in the sport after being severely injured in 2018.

Camera flyer Matt Biggs shoots a formation building during the North Carolina State Record Attempts at Skydive Paraclete XP in Raeford.