Parachutist Around the World

Check out our interactive map of Parachutist Around the World.

Take your magazine on a tour around the world and e-mail communications@uspa.org your shot of a current USPA member reading an issue in front of a recognizable, well-known landmark.

Safety Day 2008

Saturday, March 8, is USPA’s Safety Day. Jumpers across the U.S. and at DZs around the world will get together to knock off the winter rust and gear up for another skydiving season. Here you’ll find an in-depth outline of what you should expect from your drop zone’s Safety Day.

Safety Day information →

Vertically Speaking
a Parachutist Pictorial

Photo by Luciano Bacque.

This month’s pictorial celebrates skydiving’s vertical flyers with some amazing images of freeflying.

Legends of the Sport: Joe Crane
by Mike Muscat

In 1971, USPA established what is now the USPA Lifetime Achievement Award. To this day, the award honors the true legends of our sport. Their contributions helped form the sport of skydiving as we know it today. The first installment in this series takes a look at Joe Crane, a true pioneer in the world of sport parachuting.

Kaleidoscope Dives 2007
A Parachutist Photo Essay

In November, Skydive DeLand in Florida played host to talented formation skydivers from 16 countries as they put together complex formations resembling images seen through a kaleidoscope. This month’s photo essay takes a look at some of the stunning visuals their formations created.

Photo by Gustavo Cabana; design by Rags Raghanti.

2006 Leonardo da Vinci Parachuting Diploma Recipient: Scott Rhodes
A USPA Staff Report

Photo by Larry Bagley.

After decades of service to the skydiving community, Scott Rhodes was honored with the 2006 Leonardo da Vinci Parachuting Diploma this past December. As only the fourth American to ever receive the prestigious award, his career speaks for itself.

The Future of Skydiving
by J Schrimsher

Photo by Jennifer Tinucci.

What if someone could get in some quality flying time well before he reached the legal age for jumping? That’s exactly what a brother and sister, ages eight and 11, are doing as they hone their flying skills in a wind tunnel on their way to becoming skydivers.

Getting Up There: Jump Planes Through the Years
by Ed Scott

The fourth installment in this series takes a close look at the Cessna 206, the big brother to the 182, with more lift capacity and power than its older sibling. With all its positive qualities as a jump plane, it’s no wonder 206s have become so commonplace at DZs throughout the world.

Hog Flopping
by Chuck Bryan

Photo by Harry Parker.

In late fall, skydivers visited Skydive Palatka in Florida for the annual Hog Flop Boogie. One of the boogie’s highlights, the hog flop competition, involved belly-flyers backflipping between points as they raced against the clock.