Going for the Gold—Kim Emmons Knor Reaches 1,000 Jumps and Earns USPA Gold Wings

Above: Photo by Bruno Brokken.

Kim Emmons Knor, D-221, made her first jump on December 13, 1959, at age 20. On November 6 at Jump Florida Skydiving in Lake Wales during the International Skydiving Hall of Fame Celebration Weekend, Knor—now age 86—made her 1,000th.  It was the culmination of a multi-year-long quest to earn the USPA 1,000-Jump Wings, affectionately nicknamed the “USPA Gold Wings” by the skydiving community. 

Though momentous, Knor’s 1,000th jump was (thankfully) much less eventful than her first: During her first landing, she took out power lines and knocked out heat and power to 42 homes near Chicago in the winter! Even with this slight hiccup, she was undeterred from the sport and soon sold her possessions (including the contact–lens-manufacturing company she owned), bought an open-ended plane ticket and began jumping all over Europe.  

Returning to the states, she started competing. In 1961, Knor was one of only two women to compete against men at the U.S. Parachute Team tryouts. The following year, she and Carlyn Olson, Nona Pond and Muriel Simbro formed the first U.S. Women’s Parachute Team. The team won gold at the Sixth World Parachuting Championships in Orange, Massachusetts. It was at that championships where she met her future husband, Max, a member of the Yugoslavian team who defected. They married and had two daughters together.  

The day after their first daughter was born, Max was injured making a test jump and required several surgeries. Shortly afterward, the Knors decided to stop jumping and raise their family. But the sport was still in Kim’s mind. After her husband passed away in 1997, she began attending Pioneers of Sport Parachuting reunions. There, Jerry Bourquin, a former mentor and U.S. Army Golden Knight, convinced her to get back in the air. So, in 2003, after a 37-year hiatus, she took up the sport again. 

After Knor returned to the sport, her love for it grew, and she set her sights on earning her gold wings. However, by May of 2023, at 84 years old and with 545 total jumps, she decided that doing it solo was not in the cards. But Knor is nothing if not determined, and with the help of drop zones all around the country, she began her quest for the gold by making tandem skydives.  

During this journey, she’s been an ambassador for the sport, inspiring people both inside and outside the world of skydiving. She’s appeared in USA Today, People magazine, and dozens of local television news programs, enthusiastically proclaiming her love for the sport and her skydiving family. 

Drop zones nationwide supported Knor’s mission by donating tandem jumps, helping her toward fulfilling her quest. Knor made her milestone jump while her daughters, Tara and Holly, celebrated the occasion by making tandem jumps on the same load. She received her Gold Wings surrounded by fellow skydivers, friends, and supporters who have cheered her on throughout her remarkable journey. 

The Following Drop Zones and Organizations Supported the 1,000-Jumps Effort

Photo by Anthony Armendariz.

Above the Poconos Skydivers
Aerohio Skydiving Center
All Veterans Parachute Team
Bay Area Skydiving
Boston Skydive Center
Chattanooga Skydiving Company
Chicagoland Skydiving Center
Cleveland Skydiving Center
Colorado Mountain Skydive
Des Moines Skydivers
Falcon Skydiving
Felicity at the Center of the World
GoJump Hawaii
GoJump Oceanside
Jump Florida Skydiving
Jump Omaha
Jumptown/MSPC
Kapowsin Air Sports
Lincoln Sport Parachute Club
Midwest Freefall Sport Parachute Club
Mile-Hi Skydiving Center
Music City Skydiving
Mustang Island Skydiving
NorCal Skydiving
Orange Skies Free Fall Center
Pacific Northwest Skydiving
Paradise Valley Skydiving
Pegasus Skydive Center
Pepperell Skydiving Center
Piedmont Skydiving
Saratoga Skydiving
Silver Wings Parachute Team
Skydive Elsinore
Skydive Front Royal
Skydive Galveston
Skydive Georgia
Skydive Golden Gate
Skydive Grand Haven
Skydive Greene County
Skydive Indianapolis
Skydive Midwest
Skydive Milwaukee
Skydive Moab
Skydive Monroe
Skydive New England
Skydive Orange
Skydive Palatka
Skydive Paraclete XP
Skydive Pennsylvania
Skydive Perris
Skydive Phoenix
Skydive Raleigh
Skydive San Diego
Skydive Santa Barbara
Skydive Sebastian
Skydive Seneca Lake
Skydive Shenendoah
Skydive Snohomish
Skydive Space Center
Skydive Spaceland-Atlanta