by Jessica Kniffen | A-35942 | Phoenix, Arizona

It all started on Christmas Day in 2002 when my mom gave my dad a gift certificate to make a tandem. Curiosity got the best of my mom and me, and in the summer of 2003, we also made a tandem. I made a second in the spring of 2004, and then in May of 2005, I decided I would do one AFF jump in order to say that I had gone skydiving. (I never felt that a tandem was skydiving.) After my first AFF, I was addicted. In August 2005, I earned my A license and before I knew it, I was at the drop zone every opportunity I had. more »

The slow economy has hit state and local governments hard in recent years, and it’s no surprise that many have acted to address their budget woes by targeting business sectors with new tax initiatives. In the past couple of years, several states have begun imposing new sales-and-use or amusement taxes, collectively known as “transaction taxes,” on skydiving business owners. Several DZs were forced to pay back taxes and interest totaling thousands of dollars, which in some cases threatened the DZs’ continued viability and in all cases increased the cost of skydiving. When DZs began asking for assistance, USPA—helped by several DZOs and their tax attorneys—carefully researched the applicability of state and local taxes to aviation businesses. more »

In 2004, I made my first tandem skydive. Two months earlier, I told my husband and his friends that they were crazy for doing it, but after seeing their reactions, I decided to give it a try. After my first jump with Martin Swords at Gold Coast Skydivers, I was hooked. My progression was very slow, but due to the patience of the local staff and experienced jumpers, I stayed with it. more »

Most associations don’t have a board of directors as active as USPA’s is. Many other boards have perfunctory meetings where they rubber-stamp decisions and policies driven by the staff. This is not so for USPA, whose board has marathon working meetings where they get hands-on: discussing issues, setting policy and making decisions that guide the future of the sport and the organization. It is precisely for this reason that the board election process is so important for USPA members. more »