The Sport Of Skydiving Becomes More Popular As The U.S. Parachute Association Turns 70-Years Old

According to a USPA press release, for the fourth year in a row, the U.S. Parachute Association is reporting continued growth, indicating that more and more people are not only jumping for the first time, but are taking up the sport as a hobby and a passion. In addition, this July marks USPA’s 70th anniversary.

In 2015, USPA membership again set record highs, topping 38,000 members for the first time in the association’s 69-year history. Last year, more than a half million people experienced the thrill of a lifetime, taking the leap for the first time. These first-timers and USPA members combined to make roughly 3.2 million skydives at more than 230 USPA-affiliated skydiving schools and centers across the country.

USPA also welcomed nearly 6,500 new members and issued more than 3,700 basic skydiving licenses, proving that more first-timers are coming back to pursue the sport and become certified solo jumpers.

Even as the sport shows increased growth, the USPA reports that accident numbers continue to remain comparatively low. In 2015, 21 people died in the U.S. while skydiving, or less than 0.007 fatalities per 1,000 jumps—among the lowest rate in the sport’s history.

USPA says skydiving continues to improve its safety record due in large part to safer equipment, better training and dedicated skydiving centers and instructors. USPA institutes safety standards, certifies skydiving instructors and establishes training programs for new skydivers, constantly working to make the sport safer. In addition, this year USPA will hold its 20th annual Safety Day, scheduled for March 12, where drop zones across the country offer safety seminars and refresher training.

“As USPA gets ready to celebrate its 70th year of supporting skydivers, we’re proud of our sport’s dedication to reducing the risk and making skydiving safer for both newcomers and licensed jumpers,” says USPA Executive Director Ed Scott. “We’re excited to celebrate this milestone and continue introducing people to the wonderful world of skydiving!”

The USPA tells us just about anyone 18 years of age or older can take to the skies after some comprehensive safety instruction. In fact, all it takes is a half hour of ground school to prepare for a tandem jump, the easiest and most popular way to experience skydiving for the first time. Tandem jumping allows students to experience the thrill of freefall from more than two miles up while securely harnessed to an experienced, licensed instructor.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.uspa.org