USPA, through their PR company JWalcher Communications, sent out this press release. Some interesting numbers among the cheeserific puns and giddy glossiness.

Contact:
Nancy Koreen, 540-604-9742, nkoreen@uspa.org

Skydivers Jump into Leap Year! — U.S. Parachute Association Reports Strong and Safe 2011!

January 31, 2012 – The U.S. Parachute Association reports that the breathtaking sport of skydiving continued to grow in 2011 and is poised to thrill even more jumpers throughout Leap Year 2012.

Last year, more than a half million people took the leap for the first time at some 200 USPA-affiliated skydiving centers across the country. Whether to cross an item off their bucket lists or discover a new hobby and passion, first-timers took the life-changing leap and experienced the thrill of a lifetime.

In addition to first-jumpers, USPA also reports an upsurge in experienced skydivers of all ages. First-timers and licensed skydivers together made more than 3.1 million jumps in 2011. At year’s end, USPA boasted membership of 33,515 – its highest since January 2002, shortly after the 9-11 attacks wreaked havoc on the aviation industry.

Even with skydiving clearly on the rise, accident numbers continue to remain low. In 2011, 25 people died skydiving in the U.S. – one out of every 125,000 jumps. Additionally, the five-year average of skydiving fatalities shows a steady decline, with an average of 22 per year over the last five years compared to 25 per year from 2002 to 2006 and 35 per year from 1997 to 2001.

Skydiving continues to improve its safety record due largely to safer equipment and better training. Student accidents are a small percentage of the total; most injuries and fatalities involve experienced skydivers attempting advanced maneuvers. USPA continues to make the sport safer by developing additional training programs and conducting its annual Safety Day – scheduled for March 10 this year – where drop zones across the country hold safety seminars and refresher training.

“We’re constantly striving to reduce the risk and increase the level of safety, especially for students,” said USPA Executive Director Ed Scott. “The sport’s continued growth attests to this improved safety and the indescribable life-altering experience of jumping out of a plane. With Leap Year upon us, what better time to take that leap?”

Image by Lambert: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/USPA-skydiving.jpg
Image by Bill Schmitz: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Dysfunction.jpg

About Skydiving and USPA

For sheer excitement and high-speed fun, no sport comes close to skydiving. But it’s not as extreme or intimidating as it may seem. Almost anyone 18 or older can take the leap after some comprehensive safety instruction. It takes just a half hour of ground school for a tandem jump, the easiest and most popular way to skydive for the first time. Tandem jumping allows students to experience the thrill of freefall while securely harnessed to a licensed instructor.

Founded in 1946, the U.S. Parachute Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at more than 200 USPA-affiliated skydiving centers throughout the country. USPA represents skydivers before all levels of government, the public and the aviation industry and sanctions national skydiving competitions and records. 

For more information on making a first jump or to find a skydiving center near you, visit http://www.uspa.org.

 

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Saturday January 21st brings the first meet of the 2012 season for the Florida Canopy Piloting League (FLCPA), taking place on the glorious pond at Skydive City, Zephyrhills, Florida. We have always been supportive of the FLCPA – it’s a league that fosters competition but also provides an incredible training environment for jumpers wanting to get into swooping, complete with top-notch coaches. It’s easy to get behind that kind of “pay it forward” attitude.

Quite a few of the top pilots in the world came up through the FLCPA, and this environment has fostered a few champions, both national and international. The FLCPA meets continue to draw a strong pool of competitors and 25 are already registered for Saturday. You can take a look at some of the names already registered on the Swoop League website. Pay special attention to competitor #20, and lets see if you can guess his or her name based on these few clues below:

• The person in question has just taken receipt of 2 brand new Comp Velocities.
• This swooper is a World Champion
• This swooper is not Jay Moledzki

Leave your guess in the comments below or on our Facebook page. Let’s see who can figure out the name of the mystery swooper!

This email just went out to everyone who signed the “Take Aviation User Fees off the table” petition at the White House’s new We the People site:

Why We Need Aviation User Fees

By Dana Hyde, Associate Director for General Government Programs, Office of Management and Budget

Thank you for signing the petition “Take Aviation User Fees Off the Table.” We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov and your concerns about user fees in a challenging economy.

In a challenging budget environment, the Obama Administration believes it’s essential that those who benefit from our world-class aviation system help pay for its ongoing operation. And we want to ensure that everyone is paying their fair share. For example, under current law, a large commercial aircraft flying from Los Angeles to San Francisco pays between twenty-one and thirty-three times the fuel taxes paid by a corporate jet flying the same route and using the same FAA air traffic services. This is why the Administration proposed to establish a new surcharge for air traffic services.

The proposed $100 per flight fee would generate an estimated $11 billion over 10 years, reducing the deficit and more equitably sharing the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community. All piston aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would be exempted.

We appreciate your petition’s acknowledgment that there needs to be an increased user contribution to aviation system funding in the current fiscal climate, and we recognize that some would prefer to raise the tax rate on aviation fuel. At the same time, we have concluded that a $100 per flight user fee is an equitable way for those who benefit to bear the cost of this essential service.

As we work to get our Nation back on a sustainable fiscal path, the Administration is making tough choices across the Federal budget and asking everyone to do their fair share. We recognize these shared sacrifices are not easy, but together with investments in our economic growth and job creation, they will make us stronger and more competitive for the future. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Congress and the aviation stakeholder community on this issue, and thank you again for your constructive input.

Check out this response on We the People.

So what do you think? Will we be seeing an extra $100 fee onto every skydiving load? Would that make you switch sports to paragliding, BASE jumping, or ground launching?

January 1st, 2012 Dr. T. Elaine McLaughlin passed away due to trauma sustained after a low cutaway followed by reserve deployed too late to inflate. The incident took place at Skydive City, Zephyrhills, FL.

Dr. T. Elaine was 60 years old and an active and current skydiver in Z-Hills. After deploying her parachute (a Spectre 120 in a Javelin container) at a normal altitude, her canopy was observed to be turning, followed by a very low cutaway. Reserve was deployed manually but did not have enough time to inflate. Sources from the dropzone estimate cutaway hight at approximately 700 ft and reserve activation at approximately 400 ft.
It is not known why the cutaway was performed so low. Details of the accident are still under investigation.

We send our sincere condolences to her family and friends in Z-Hills. Memorial services have already taken place. Her obituary in the Tampa Bay Times can be found here.

It’s Thursday, November 16th, 2011.
Today, Congress holds hearings on the first American Internet censorship systems – Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). It is understood that this legislation as written will NOT stop piracy, but what it will do is stop social media and sites thriving on user-generated content dead in their tracks. If this bill passes, the Internet and free speech with it, will never be the same.
Anyone operating a website or interacting on a social network could face blocking, risk of jail, and perhaps the worst – the end of fun. That includes us.

More info?
Click play or proceed to this infographic.

Don’t like it either? Americans, you can send a note to Congress saying so.

Well there’s nothing like raising awareness for our Troops. Throwing yourself off some insane mountains, buzzing the cliff face in a wingsuit and having a ton of fun is certainly a great way to do so.

In the build up to Veterans Day on 11 Nov (the funny British way of saying November 11), our British colleagues sell red poppies and everyone around the country wears one in recognition of those that have served. Our friends Jump4Heroes have emblazoned their gear with Poppy logos in an effort to get the message out in their own ‘extreme’ way. Our favorite video of theirs shows some pretty darn cool wingsuit proximity flying in the Italian mountains. Check it out and click ‘like’ if you support their efforts.

After many weeks of searching, the body of well-known skydiver Dave Brown has been located. Below is a message from Dave’s family: “Our family confirms the finding of the remains of our son, brother, cousin, and nephew in Moab. We are devastated by our loss of such a gifted young man. Special thanks to Moab’s Chief of Police, Mike Navarre, and his staff for their tending to us and Dave as a missing person. We also thank the volunteers at Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, Dave’s many friends far and wide, and Ryan Shaw and his students at Paradrenalin for their extraordinary efforts in searching for Dave. Dave’s loved ones had not heard from him since June 29. On October 23 a hiker found remains in the mountains surrounding Moab. On October 26 Chief Mike confirmed that the remains belong to Dave. We treasure the concern and best wishes of so many young people that were touched by Dave’s smile and sense of adventure. Private family funeral arrangements are in process. Please respect our need to grieve our loss within our immediate family. Blue skies, Dave. You are so loved and your incredible zest for life will be missed.” Dave Brown was one of a kind for sure. His memory is certain to live on in the stories we tell around the campfire for a long time to come. If you anything you’d like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments below or e-mail us.

Ted Strong, 1936-2011

Ted Strong D-16 4/7/1936-10/14/2011

A visionary from the beginning and a man with an enormous heart passed away on Friday.

There are too many stories to write about the legend that is Ted Strong. Ted strived to improve the industry that he loved without seeking fame or credit. He just wanted a safer and more inviting environment for everybody to enjoy and experience skydiving the way he did.

Ted Strong started skydiving in 1958, entered the US Army in 1959 with 100 jumps, and was stationed at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY for two years.  His duty there was to coach the USMA Cadet Parachute Team and the West Point Sport Parachute Club. In 1961 Ted started Strong Enterprises, a parachute company in his parents basement. He began by modifying round parachutes, sewing and making anything his friends needed to skydive. A friend once said “ Ted Strong’s company wasn’t there to make money, but to make parachutes for his friends” This quote personified Ted.

The industry and the world has lost a wonderful person and those that knew him will miss him dearly. Those that never had the pleasure of meeting him will feel his influence anytime they make a skydive.

Ted was awarded the USPA Gold Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002, “For almost a half-century of contribution to the skydiving community as a competitor, a sponsor of numerous US parachute teams, and, most notably, his unique innovation in parachute equipment design including the tandem skydiving system and its importance to the growth of the sport in general and USPA in particular.” [USPA] He was inducted into the National Skydiving Museum’s Hall of Fame last year.

Blue skies, Ted. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Strong family and the many, many people whose lives he touched.

The U.S. Parachute Association does not currently give financial support to teams out of their operating budget. The U.S. Parachute Team Trust Fund is a “tax-exempt fund [that] holds all donations in irrevocable trust and the interest it earns is distributed evenly to U.S. Teams for international competition.” [Source: USPA]

In general, teams come up with the money to compete internationally through donations, fundraising, or out of their own pockets. So, should USPA raise member rates so they can give National teams money to represent the U.S. in international competition?

Comments/discussion highly encouraged

photo by sushi♥ina

[UPDATE 10/5/11: I forgot to mention that this is not something USPA is considering. We just want to know what you guys think.]

Download Vigil AAD Product Service Bulletin #7 * or view the original Service Bulletin announcement.

*[Note: Original service bulletin was issued as 5 separate images. PDF compiled by Blue Skies Mag, no responsibility taken for errors in compiling.]