After my fourth jump at the North Pole in 1997 (I made six in all), I decided I really needed to collect the complete set and make a jump at the South Pole.

Parachutes are beginning to disappear … or, more accurately, the word “parachute” is beginning to fade from use to describe our sport, replaced by the word “skydiving”. 

Photo by Thomas Grana | D-34640

At the Highlight Skydiving Team’s training camp at Meadow Peak Skydiving in Marion, Montana, to prepare for countrywide demos commemorating the anniversary of the 19th amendment (which gave women the right to vote), Keri Bell swoops by her teammates during a photo shoot coordinated by photographer David Wybenga.

As of the September 15, 2020, deadline, 10 USPA members will appear on the ballot in the upcoming special election to fill the remainder of National Director Albert Berchtold’s term on the USPA Board of Directors following his resignation to serve as USPA Executive Director. The election begins November 2.

The USPA Board of Directors held its fourth meeting of the 2019-2021 term in Nashville, Tennessee, September 18-20. For the first time, the board meeting was broadcast live via Zoom Webinar for any USPA members to observe.

USPA’s board of directors is holding its next meeting September 18-20 in Nashville, Tennessee, and we are excited to announce that it will now be broadcast Webinar style via Zoom.

PIA released Service Bulletin PSB-10092020 affecting after-market tandem main risers constructed with obsolete RW2 rings. All sport tandem main risers produced with RW2 rings, or equivalent sized rings, are affected regardless of the hardware manufacturer, the date of manufacture, the material type or the forging process used. This PSB does not affect "solo" main risers that use RW2 rings. Compliance is MANDATORY – REPLACE BEFORE THE NEXT JUMP.

Over the past six months, COVID-19 restrictions have paused the active and busy lives we lead. This, of course, has extended to skydiving.

From June 25-28, after months of quarantine and little to no jumping worldwide, the participants of the P3 (Perris Performance Plus) Power Play appreciated these things more than ever and promised never to take them for granted again.

On September 10, 1995, 10 skydivers, a pilot and one person on the ground died when a jump plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the West Point Airport (now called the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport) in West Point, Virginia.

Photo by Elliot Byrd | D-32251

Josiah Rich and Jason Brigmon of U.S. Freestyle Team Axiom XP make a training jump at Skydive Paraclete XP in Raeford, North Carolina.

Mirjam Grossenbacher enjoys a freefly jump at USPA Foreign Affiliate DZ Skydive Switzerland in Reichenbach.

Brendan Greeley (left) and wingsuit flyer Alexander Lemaire carve around each other at Skydive Danielson.

Sven Jeseppi swoops in during a speed round at the Florida Canopy Piloting Association meet at Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida.

Jumping—usually from a structure—accounts for 5.8 percent of all suicides in the United States, and has an 85 percent success rate, which is similar to suicide by firearm.

Far too often, skydivers face difficulties pulling their pilot chutes, and the results are often far too serious.

For jumpers, earning a judge rating can be another means of progress and personal development within the sport.

A jumper caught this damage to his locking loop while performing a thorough pre-flight inspection of his gear before his first jump of the day.

Tandem instructor Mike Hennessy gears up a tandem student at Connecticut Parachutists Inc. in Ellington.