Skydiving has its risks, but the flight to jump altitude should be the safest part of any jump. That depends almost entirely on the professionalism of the pilot.

Photo by Norman Kent | D-8369

At Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, 84 skydivers set the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale World Record for Largest Head-Up Formation Skydive.

At Skydive Orange in Virginia, David Wybenga gets down on one knee in front of Melanie Firth during a photo shoot for the couple's save-the-date cards for their upcoming wedding.

Attitude plays a vital role in skydiving, for both students and more experienced jumpers. And although we are not airplane pilots, as skydivers we share many issues in common with pilots. The Federal Aviation Administration long ago identified five hazardous attitudes of aircraft pilots that can often lead to accidents. Skydivers can also be affected by those same five dangerous attitudes and their consequences. 

Gary Peek, D-8884, who had served on USPA’s board of directors for 23 years, was found dead in his home in St. Charles, Missouri on August 13. A full recap of his USPA service will appear in the October Parachutist.

At the USPA Board of Directors’ summer meeting July 12-14 in Arlington, Virginia, the Safety & Training Committee discussed several issues.

Near sunset on June 21, a Beechcraft King Air crashed shortly after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield near Waialua, Hawaii, killing all 11 aboard, including pilot Jerome Renck.

Robert Crandall, the longtime CEO of American Airlines, once said the industry is always in the grip of its dumbest competitor. A corollary for general aviation—if there is one—is that the perception of safety is always set by the latest horrific accident.

The French government arranged a series of tributes to the heroes of Normandy that attracted more than one million people from across the globe for ceremonies, speeches and commemorative airborne operations.

Many top world-class competitors had a difficult time at the 14th Fédération Aéronautique Internationale World Cup of Freefall Style and Accuracy Landing in Cordoba, Argentina, May 18-26, and the members of the U.S. Accuracy Team were no exception.

May 24-27, 88 elite formation skydivers from more than a dozen countries and a team of five in-air videographers (Niklas Daniel, George Katsoulis, John Lyman, Jim Stengell and David Wybenga) came together at Skydive Arizona in Eloy to participate in the 23rd annual Arizona Challenge and celebrate the 25th anniversary of world-renowned formation skydiving team Arizona Airspeed.

The Fly Warriors (Raph Coudray, Luis Adolfo Lopez-Mendez and David Nimmo) get in a 3-way at USPA Foreign Affiliate Skydive Empuriabrava in Spain.

Jumpers fly head down during West Plains Skydiving’s Memorial Weekend Boogie.

At the P3 Spring Fling at Skydive Perris in California, jumpers build one of the intricate big-way formations that are the hallmarks of the event.

In the early 1990s, a skydiver reported that an automatic activation device saved his life. This jumper experienced a main parachute malfunction and pulled his cutaway handle but never pulled his reserve ripcord.

It’s a good idea to inspect your rig carefully at least once before each jump. If you pack for yourself, you need to inspect the critical parts of your rig each time.