On Saturday, July 14, the U.S. Parachute Association became the official Host Country Affiliate of the International Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. The USPA Board of Directors made the decision to become a partner of the museum by committing to donate $25,000 per year for the next six years to the museum’s fundraising efforts.

While making a tandem skydive with instructor Iain Guthrie at Pepperell Skydiving Center in Massachusetts, Greicy Hoepers accepts a marriage proposal from Eliseu Matos, B-34200.

Dalton Carvalho | D-25058

I was an adrenaline junkie until I had a severe stroke in 2006. Last year, when I heard about a guy who was raising money to take people with disabilities to a wind tunnel, I was very curious. I didn't think that flying in a wind tunnel was possible for someone as immobile as I am, but I contacted him to see what he thought I could do.

Bill Jones, D-924, is a legendary skydiver, instructor, drop zone owner, innovator and the patriarch of a large skydiving family. Nearly the entire Jones family jumps: six of his children have made their livings from skydiving, and five of the six still do. At age 86—after actively sport jumping for more than 50 years—Jones still has skydiving goals, proving that this is a sport for life.

Wingsuit training is multi-faceted and requires both freedom and flexibility to change with the rapid development of suit design, competition formats and flying styles.

Acrylic on Canvas
 

Colleen Mondics | A-56684
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
cemondics.webs.com

AFF Instructor Cat Brown gives a hand signal to her student at Connecticut Parachutists Inc. in Ellington.

Photo By David Gerstein  | D-28242

Brought to you by Niklas Daniel and Brianne Thompson of AXIS Flight School at Skydive Arizona in Eloy. Photos by Isaac Hansen. Information about AXIS’ coaching and instructional services is available at axisflightschool.com.

In 2017, USPA conducted five standardization meetings for all current AFF instructor examiners and tandem instructor examiners, as well as those pursuing an examiner rating or attending purely for educational purposes. This was USPA’s first attempt at hosting the AFF and tandem meetings in one location and condensing the length of each discipline’s meeting to one day instead of two. The meetings went well, but the shorter meetings meant leaving out a lot of valuable information and discussion.

When you want to check out a new main parachute, chances are you’ll make a solo jump, open higher than usual and spend some time flying the new wing to get used to how it handles. Almost everyone who jumps a new main canopy does. After all, it makes sense. It’s a mystery how the new parachute will steer and flare compared to what you are used to, and who wouldn’t want to make a few jumps on it under controlled conditions with plenty of altitude to learn how to fly it?

A jumper experienced a main-parachute malfunction when the slider remained at the top of the lines after deployment and would not allow the parachute to inflate. He released the main parachute, deployed his reserve and landed safely.

As of August 2, 2018, 39 members will appear on the ballot in the upcoming election for USPA’s Board of Directors. All 22 seats on the board are up for grabs, with 18 members vying for the eight National Director slots and 21 members running as Regional Director candidates.

By Pete Jabczynski| D-25812

At Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, T.J. Hine, D-13580, catches the photographer’s eye as he prepares to exit for his 5,000th jump.

Brian Genereux hangs from a helicopter during the Bay Area Skydiving’s Grand Reopening Boogie on Memorial Day weekend.

Photo by Jessice Brownlow | D-30516