“Keep an Eye Out” on page 66 of the November issue of Parachutist contained incorrect information.

Early in the morning on Saturday, September 19, the staff at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, logged into the DZ computer to see the first video uploads already coming in from DZs in the Eastern time zone.

I became interested in skydiving my senior year in high school after watching a night demo jump into the school’s stadium. I approached the jumper and asked how I could participate.

Michael Kearns, D-16816, began jumping in 1976 while in the military. He made more than 200 special operations jumps in 14 countries, including night jumps wearing tactical gear, and also became involved in sport skydiving.

As I begin to bow out as USPA Executive Director, I want to share some skydiving truths that I have come to know. Some I’ve learned from others, some I had to learn myself, and many came to light in the course of working out problems and issues over 24 years at USPA.

Photo by Craig O’Brien | D-19294

Magician and C-licensed skydiver David Blaine takes off under a cluster of weather balloons to make a nearly 25,000-foot jump over Page, Arizona, for his YouTube special event “Ascension.”

From top, Todd Gleason, Eric Issacs, Victor Olivo, organizer Luis Prinetto, Max Salinas and Andrei Ponomarev enjoy a sunset angle jump during the Tropical Space Camp at Skydive Spaceland–Houston in Rosharon, Texas.

Jumpers form a big-way round, the signature formation of the 2020 Heroes Skydiving event at Skydive Paraclete XP in Raeford, North Carolina.

The USPA Instructor Rating Manual states in T3—Tandem Method, Section 3-4, F—Tandem Emergencies: “In the event of a main canopy malfunction, decide and act by 3,000 feet to cut away and deploy reserve.”

Keeping track of the manufacturer’s requirements for every year and model of AAD has become a really daunting task for riggers. They really need the help of the owner.

No s**t , there we were, thought we were gonna die. Fortunately, after 45 years of skydiving, I only have a few stories that begin like this.

On the morning of September 2, 9-year-old Dessa Blaine looked up above the small town of Page, Arizona, and saw her father, David, become a tiny dot in the sky.

I've insured skydiving airplanes for 25 years. In that time, I've paid for about 50 heavily damaged or totaled turbine skydiving aircraft. That's a lot of bent iron … unnecessarily bent iron. If you wonder why your insurance costs are so high, let me say it again: 50 heavily damaged or destroyed airplanes! There seems to be an insidious common thread in 85 percent of these accidents, and that’s the lack of following a checklist.

Liam Wertheimer runs out his landing at Skydive Spaceland–Clewiston in Florida.

Wingsuit flyer Craig Lambton carves around skysurfer Kyle Batchelor during Shredfest at Cleveland Skydiving Center in Garrettsville, Ohio.

Different line types create confusion among skydivers of all experience levels. What are the different types of lines? What are the pros and cons of each? Which size line is best for you?

On Saturday, August 15, more than 40 military veterans around the country took to the air on tandem skydives during the 6th Annual Freedom Freefall event.

So, you’ve been jumping for a few years and you’ve decided it’s time to work on earning a tandem instructor rating.

Dynamic warm-ups are a perfect way to get ready for a day of jumping. They increase your core temperature, and the increased blood flow enhances your nerve impulses and reaction time.