A main parachute that opens quickly and hard can be extremely dangerous. A hard opening can break suspension lines, tear canopy fabric, and injure, kill or incapacitate the jumper.

Organizer Christy Frikken smiles for the camera while leading a jump during the P3 Sequential Camp at Skydive Perris in California.

Monica Dunigan (10 o’clock), B-51298, celebrates her 100th jump with friends during the Ladies by the Lake Boogie at Cleveland Skydiving Center in Garrettsville, Ohio.

In December, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (the governing body for world air sports) announced that it appointed Markus Haggeney as acting secretary general following the departure of Secretary General Susanne Schödel.

In December, Advanced Aerospace Designs, manufacturer of the Vigil automatic activation device, issued reminders to Vigil owners about battery replacement.

Executive Director Ed Scott presents departing Director of Sport Promotion Nancy Koreen with a personalized gift thanking her for her years of service to USPA.

Each year, the Colorado Aviation Business Association and the Colorado Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars arrange for aircraft to collect tens of thousands of pounds of canned food and toys at Centennial Airport near Denver and distribute them to distant towns across the state where volunteers distribute them to veteran families in need.

On December 1, the Texas skydiving community said goodbye to Bob Hunter, D-15030, who passed away of natural causes in October. Hunter, a USPA Tandem Instructor who had made more than 8,000 jumps, was an integral part of the Texas skydiving community.

Over adult beverages at Tsunami Skydivers’ 2019 Party on the Playa boogie in Costa Rica, photographer Bruno Brokken was talking with a group of friends when he had a question: How would they like to make a jump over Meteor Crater in Arizona so he could photograph it?

In November, a team of formation skydivers and night-jump enthusiasts gathered at Skydive Arizona in Eloy to build large, multi-point formations with complete breaks between points.

At Skydive Perris in California, John Miller releases the ashes of his newly discovered half-brother, Randy, whom he met through DNA tracing for the first time last year and who died of natural causes before being able to make a skydive with his sibling.

Max Cohn, D-20252, made a name for himself in the 1990s as an East Coast freefly talent when most of the evolution of the discipline was occurring in the West and in Florida.

As an experienced skydiver, I’ve competed in 4-way [formation skydiving] in the advanced class at Nationals multiple times.

“Fly Free #4”
Acrylic on canvas

Lily Sayre | B-50998
Somerville, Massachusetts
Skydiveart.com

This year will mark the 53rd anniversary of the start of one of the most popular and enduring skydiving performance awards—the Bob Buquor Memorial Star Crest Recipient (SCR) award.

Photo by Bruno Brokken | USPA #96017

Jim Dolan, Brad Jessey, Janet Jessey and Casey Pruett fly a 4-way over Meteor Crater, the most well-preserved meteor-impact site in the world, in the desert of Arizona.

Rafael Dunin, Reid Moak and Andrea Nelson shred the skies during the Invasion boogie at Skydive Sebastian in Florida.

Wingsuit flyer Alex Stont makes his way back to the landing area after a jump with the Skytrash Wingsuit Team during the DBX Boogie at the Skydive Dubai Desert Campus in the United Arab Emirates.