On April 15, USPA and other general aviation groups won a reprieve for aviation businesses, including two drop zones, at Dillingham Airfield in Waialua, Hawaii.

Let me ask you this: When was your last aircraft emergency?

The 50-staters are indeed an exclusive group, and each has a unique story peppered with meeting dozens of new people while traveling thousands of miles across the continent.

The question of how to best manage and avoid risk is at the heart of any extreme sport. For skydivers this takes many forms: “What are the highest winds I should jump in at this location?” “Should I be jumping with a group this big?”

The USPA Board of Directors held its third meeting of the 2019-2021 term in Phoenix, Arizona, January 31-February 2. The board welcomed newly seated Central Regional Director Charles Crinklaw and elected Al King to fill the vacant national director seat.

Piloting a jump plane is among the most demanding of flying jobs, with multiple takeoffs and landings in a variety of conditions and with a variety of loads, as well as the need to refuel often throughout a day.

This annual summary looks at each 2019 fatality and places it in an appropriate category.

Katie Hansen and Matthew Fry of Team Polaris, the 2019 USPA National Champions of Freefly, get in some training at Skydive Perris in California.

Larry Melton flies the American flag on Veteran’s Day during the Jump For Valor Boogie at Skydive Sebastian in Florida.

Brought to you by three-time British Freefly Champion Joel Strickland. Strickland is a full-time freefly coach and tunnel-flying professional and a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Artistic Events Judge. Jumpers can read more of his writing or contact him for tunnel camps in Europe at joelstrickland.net.

For years, the USPA Board of Directors heard feedback from members who felt that the night-jump requirement for the USPA D License was outdated. The number of night-jump waivers submitted by applicants to the Safety & Training Committee attest to this fact.

During the ride to altitude at a summer boogie, an organizer noticed a twist in the lateral webbing on a jumper’s harness and informed him of the problem.

When jumpers take on the responsibility (and that’s precisely what it is) of getting their licenses, they are pledging to conduct themselves safely.

A canopy coach caught this incorrectly configured cutaway cable on a rig rented by his student, who was a licensed skydiver. A local packer had hooked the main canopy up to the container.

Instructors Kyle Whittier and Carmen Villamil (who mentions this photo in her “Profile” in this issue) take a student on his first AFF jump at Start Skydiving in Middletown, Ohio.

Patrizio Di Toma rides in a raft held by Alex Klöckner (left) and Franco Darman at the New Year’s Beach Boogie at USPA Foreign Affiliate Skydive Cuautla in Mexico.