USPA tasks each Safety and Training Advisor with filing an incident report when a skydiving death occurs, but S&TAs are not the only people who can file a report, and a death is not the only reason for filing one.

As chief judge at the 2019 USPA National Collegiate Skydiving Championships at Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales, Kirk M. Knight chose to receive USPA’s prestigious Gold Medal for Meritorious Service—bestowed on him by unanimous acclaim of the USPA Board of Directors earlier in the year—at the banquet following the event.

Over the last two years, the skydiving fatality rate in the U.S. has reached record low levels. Overall, skydivers across the globe are also doing a better job with safety. (Thank you all for that.) But when even one of us is lost or injured in a skydiving accident, it is one too many.

At Skydive Elsinore, Brian Hromin leads an angle jump toward the Santa Rosa Mountains. 

Ingvild Finvåg, D-34774, celebrates her 600th jump by hanging from a hybrid with friends at Skydive Spain in Seville.

Kasha Farrington flies in a wingsuit stack over Katie Hansen at the She Flocks event at Skydive Perris in California.

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.

In 2019, the USPA Board’s Compliance Group received reports of 63 possible infractions of USPA policies that could merit disciplinary action.

Safety Day presents the perfect opportunity to strengthen the relationship between jump pilots and skydivers.

As a Safety and Training Advisor, it’s important to take a leadership role during your drop zone’s Safety Day activities.

A jumper came to me after his first cutaway, concerned about damage to his reserve system.

Canopy formation coach Brian Stempin high fives new CF jumper Scot Flynn during a training jump at the Freeze Your Pups event at Skydive DeLand in Florida.

James Rick Highsmith, D-5863, recently published “In Search of Christmas,” an illustrated children’s book   that touches on Highsmith’s love of skydiving.

USPA Foreign Affiliate Skydive Empuriabrava in Spain, one of Europe’s largest drop zones, is now offsetting its carbon dioxide footprint by supporting certified climate-protection projects.

In January, AXIS Flight School announced the release of a new app following three years of development in partnership with Good Goblin Games.

Marie Clark and Jessica Maviano created the She Flocks event so women could fly, learn, share and meet others who share a passion for the discipline.

In December, the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale announced that it has cancelled the 2022 FAI World Air Games, which were to take place in Turkey.

Tyler Buffington swoops in for landing at Skydive Arizona in Eloy.

At the 2018 DC-3 10-Way Speed Money Meet at Skydive Arizona in Eloy, an all-female team called Seek This!—comprised of some of the most accomplished female skydivers in the U.S. and headed up by Ellen Monsees—chalked up an impressive victory.