Often, USPA receives incident reports that describe a chain of bad decisions that led to an injury. Many of these reports recount instances where a jumper spent far too long working on something that felt fixable but wasn’t. So, it is refreshing to receive a report that ends with the words, “I stayed altitude aware, trusted my training and had a safe, smooth landing.”

Tandem instructors began using hand-mounted video cameras (aka handcams or handicams) in the last 20 years or so, and in the last decade, their use has become commonplace.

While inspecting a rig prior to a reserve repack, a Federal Aviation Administration Senior Rigger discovered that the yellow indicator threads on the webbing of the leg straps were severed.

Photo by Randy Forbes | D-10858

James Davis dives toward a building formation during the Wuest Ways event at Skydive Perris in California.

This 20-minute documentary shares the stories of all those who call Dillingham Airfield home and conveys what will be lost if the Hawaii legislature chooses to close the airfield.
It takes just ONE MINUTE to send an email to Hawaii legislators asking them to save Dillingham Airfield. We have made taking action easy by setting up a form for skydivers, aviators and Hawaii residents here: https://savedillinghamairfield.org/

Nancy Koreen, D-18240, is a world-record-setting skydiver and freefly load organizer with more than 9,800 jumps to her credit. She has also worked behind the scenes to promote skydiving in myriad ways, rarely taking any credit.

Twenty-five years is no small amount of anyone’s lifetime. A quarter of a century. Roughly one-third of the lifespan of an average American male. And the number of years Ed Scott has dedicated to the U.S. Parachute Association, the sport of skydiving and skydivers across the United States and around the world.

There can never be a blanket definition of where that thin gray line is, since we all have different ideas of what is and is not offensive.

This is my 144th and final Gearing Up column since becoming USPA’s Executive Director in December 2007.

Ever since I was a little kid, doctors told me that I would be limited to certain activities because I was born with spina bifida. I never even entertained the idea of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, and anyway, skydiving was something that terrified me. That all would change after going to Skydive Perris in California.

This year, my wish list is all about the basics that make skydiving safer.

When a jumper inspected his United Parachute Technologies Vector after receiving a reserve repack, he noticed that his rigger had neglected to secure the reserve ripcord to the reserve pin.

Kelly Turbeville and Erika Schneid freefly at Skydive Carolina in Chester, South Carolina.

Photo by Craig Amrine | D-23425

Vanessa Larroca participates in the Flips and Shenanigans freestyle event and competition at Skydive Arizona in Eloy.

Incoming Executive Director Albert Berchtold updates USPA members on matters of the organization. Learn more at https://uspa.org/ OR https://parachutist.com/. Blue Skies!

Voting is now open for the special election to fill a National Director vacancy on the USPA Board of Directors.