Everyone enjoys a good speedstar competition, and Spaceland’s fifth annual Transitions event on June 2 was a great example!

May 25-28, past and current members of 4-way formation skydiving team Arizona Airspeed organized the Arizona Challenge, an event at which participants attempt complex and unusual large-formation skydives.

On June 17—Father’s Day—expecting parents Jared Jorgenson and Julie Girard announced the gender of their baby during a jump at Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton, Washington.

The Maytown Sport Parachute Club in Marietta, Pennsylvania, held its annual Fun Meet June 16. The competition included three rounds of accuracy landing in two classes, one round of 4-way speed formation skydiving scrambles and, for the first time, a blindfolded packing competition, which was very entertaining to watch.

This year’s USPA National Skydiving Championships at Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Rochelle, Illinois, September 4-18 will feature changes to the vertical formation skydiving and wingsuit flying disciplines. USPA is adding an intermediate VFS test event and replacing the intermediate performance wingsuit flying class with an advanced class.

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 also selected three recipients for its Gold Medal for Meritorious Service, awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the skydiving community. All of the esteemed recipients will receive their awards at dates and locations to be determined.

The USPA Board of Directors held its final meeting of the three-year term July 13-15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read more to see the meeting highlights.

Organizer Jason Brigmon (bottom) makes a 2-way freefly jump with Neal Wiggs at Skydive Paraclete XP in Raeford, North Carolina.

Photo by Elliot Byrd | D-32251

Andy Beck and Jarod Thompson sit fly at Oklahoma Skydiving Center.

Photo by Zack Line  |  D-36774

Jumpers angle fly at the March Fly4Life Flight Camp at Skydive DeLand in Florida.

Photo by Norman Kent  |  D-8369

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

After landing, a jumper set his brakes and left the rig for a packer. The packer noticed that the jumper had stowed the left brake incorrectly by placing the toggle through the cat’s eye above the metal guide ring, which will not secure the brake line. The brake line would have released during deployment and resulted in a spinning main parachute if the other brake remained stowed. This common packing error is easily preventable by paying attention and stowing your brakes correctly.

“When can I downsize to a smaller main canopy?” This is probably the most commonly asked question at every drop zone around the world. It seems like everyone—from newly licensed jumpers to those with thousands of skydives—wants to jump a smaller parachute. The answer to the question is tricky and can mean the difference between an uneventful experience and a serious injury or even fatality. 

Skydiving coaches, instructors and instructor examiners would much rather spend time in the air skydiving than on the ground handling paperwork. While this is understandable (hey, nobody likes to fill out forms, right?), each rating holder’s administrative responsibilities are extremely important. 

AFF Instructors Anastasis Sideris and Dimitris Sourlis fly with student Christos Tsoros at USPA Foreign Affiliate Skydive Athens in Kastro, Greece. 

Photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis | D-31871

Canopy manufacturer Performance Designs would love it if every time you needed a canopy you'd buy a brand-spanking-new one. Of course, that's not always possible, and without a doubt there are some great deals on used parachutes in the marketplace. Many people choose to buy used, especially for their first or second sets of gear. If you do choose to buy used equipment, particularly a main canopy, you’ll need to do your homework.

The record series kicked off on April 20. First up was the three-day JOS world record event. Thirty-two skydivers in their 70s from Canada, Germany, Sweden and the U.S. participated.