The program will be available when you check in to the Skydive Expo, but if you can do without a paper copy, download this electronic copy onto your phone, iPad, tablet, or print it at home!
Finally, the Skydive Expo exhibition hall is open to the public! Come see all your favorite vendors display their wares. Let’s be honest, you’re here for the swag, right?
Safety Under Canopy: What You Need to Know
Ian Drennan, Flight-1
How you can create a safer environment for yourself and others while under canopy and how to deal with unexpected situations: what to do and what not to do.
Ian Drennan, Flight-1
About the speaker: Ian Drennan is a Flight-1 Canopy Coach and provides canopy instruction to drop zones around the country. He is also a member of the PD Factory Team and has been a member of the U.S. National Canopy Piloting Team.
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4:00 pm
Safety Under Canopy: What You Need to Know, by Ian Drennan
Canopy Formation Safety
Mike Lewis, CF World Record Holder
Mike Lewis
About the speaker: Mike Lewis has been skydiving since 1976. He has accumulated a total of 8,000 jumps of which 6,000 are canopy formations. He was one of the organizers of the successful 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2007 canopy formation world record events. Mike has earned 2 world championships, 9 national championships, 17 world records and been on the U.S. Parachute Team at 7 world meets. Mike has spent 6 weeks of his life under canopy. In 2007 he was awarded the USPA Gold Medal for exceptional contributions to the sport of skydiving.
Getting Better Landings
John LeBlanc, Performance Designs (PD)
Learn about the fundamentals for a good, stand-up landing from flying a predictable pattern to timing the flare perfectly and everything in between, including some tricks and tips you won’t want to miss.
About the speaker: With 6,000 jumps and 35 years in the sport, John is the Vice President of Performance Designs and is their lead canopy designer. John holds a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has some interesting test jumps under his belly-band. John calls Skydive DeLand home and can at times be spotted flying his bi-plane around the area.
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5:00 pm
Getting Better Landings, by John LeBlanc
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Sisters in Skydiving, by Maxine Tate and Nancy Koreen
Sisters in Skydiving
Maxine Tate, Flight-1 and Nancy Koreen, U.S. Parachute Association
Informal conversation amongst fellow female skydivers for a chance to meet like-minded skydiver chicks, share some stories and experiences, discuss anything you want in a female-only environment – the good and the bad!! If there are any questions out there that you’ve always wanted to ask as a skydiver girl but just didn’t have the right environment to do so, come along and share whether it’s how to get your ratings, dealing with canopy related safety or handling egos on the DZ! It’s all up for discussion.
Maxine Tate, Flight-1
Nancy Koreen, USPA
About the speakers: Maxine is a Britchick originally, now living and working in Deland for Flight-1. She has been skydiving for 10 years, is a Coach Examiner and AFF Instructor/Evaluator, and was on both the Women’s World and British Formation Skydiving records.
Nancy Koreen works as USPA’s Director of Sport Promotion. She has nearly 6,000 jumps and has participated in multiple head-down world and state records.
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6:00 pm
Sisters in Skydiving, by Maxine Tate and Nancy Koreen
Freefall Photography
Norman Kent, Norman Kent Productions
Norman Kent will address the growing safety concerns related to the increasing number of cameras worn on helmets including GoPro, Contour, etc. Norman will address the potential for gear snags and present alternatives for solving the problem. It is the intention of Norman Kent Productions to bring awareness related to this problem before it becomes grater and before it any injuries or deaths are resulting from this new casual camera wearing trend.
Norman Kent
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10:00 am
Freefall Photography Safety, by Norman Kent
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Tackling USPA’s Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card, by Jim Crouch
Tackling USPA’s Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card
Jim Crouch, U.S. Parachute Association
Tips for trainers and B-License Candidates
About the speaker: Jim Crouch is the Director of Safety and Training for the U.S. Parachute Association, where he has held the position since July, 2000. He holds USPA AFF, IAD, and tandem instructor ratings as well as Coach Examiner and Tandem Instructor Examiner ratings. He has been skydiving for 19 years. Jim still works with skydiving students on a weekly basis as the owner Virginia Skydiving Center in Petersburg, VA. He also holds a Commercial Pilot rating for single and multi-engine airplanes. During his free time, he likes to sleep.
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10:00 am
Tackling USPA’s Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card, by Jim Crouch
Compatibility
John Sherman, Parachute Labs dba Jump Shack
Presentation of the principles of harness/container to canopy compatibility, history, current law (AC-105), future needs.
Understanding Your Vigil AAD
Vigil USA
This seminar will include basic operational instructions for use with the Vigil AAD. A summary description of all parts, as well as important points to know when using a Vigil will be covered.
Wingsuit Acro 3D Flight
Fred Fugen, Vince Reffet, Stephane Zunino
Building on their skills as RW and freefly competitors, 3D wingsuiting techniques have developed. This seminar will cover the birth of 3D wingsuiting along with advice and general tips for safety and efficient flight
About the speakers: Fred, Vince and Stephane are members of the SOULFLYERS, all are accomplished skydivers that embrace every kind of human powered flight.
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4:00 pm
Wingsuit Acro 3D Flight, by Soul Flyers
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Canopy Collisions: Avoidance and Safety, by Brian Vacher
Canopy Collisions: Avoidance and Safety
Brian Vacher, Flight-1
How to avoid canopy collisions and what to do if you find yourself involved in one.
Brian Vacher, Flight-1
About the speaker: Brian is a member of the PD Factory Team, has been in the sport of skydiving for almost twenty years and has won world titles and held world records in multiple disciplines including canopy piloting.
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5:00 pm
Canopy Collisions: Avoidance and Safety, by Brian Vacher
Preventing Hard Openings
John LeBlanc, Performance Designs (PD)
There are many factors that jumpers can control to help keep themselves from having a hard opening. Regardless of the canopy you fly, these tips will help you get softer, more predictable openings on a regular basis.
About the author: With 6,000 jumps and 35 years in the sport, John is the Vice President of Performance Designs and is their lead canopy designer. John holds a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has some interesting test jumps under his belly-band. John calls Skydive DeLand home and can at times be spotted flying his bi-plane around the area.
Skydiving Goal Setting
Melanie Curtis, Skydiving and Life Coach
Want to get better? Want to do a team? Want to be on the next World Record? The way to get there is by setting goals and staying the course.
Get Published in a Skydiving Magazine
Lara Kjeldsen and Pierre Kotze (Blue Skies Mag), Elijah Florio and David Cherry (Parachutist), Ricardo Contel (Air Press), and Emanuele Bielli (90 Percent)
Short presentation and Q&A with editors from Blue Skies Mag, Parachutist, Air Press, and 90 Percent. What we look for, how to take pictures that have a better chance of getting published, and what kinds of articles we’re looking for.
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10:00 am
Get Published in a Skydiving Magazine, by the Magazine Posse
Intro to Wingsuiting
Taya Weiss, Raise the Sky
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about skydiving’s fastest-growing discipline but were afraid to ask. How to start, safety and training, and how long before you’re doing all that cool cliff proximity flying stuff, setting a record, winning a competition, or joining Project XRW.
Drag
John Sherman, Parachute Labs dba Jump Shack
A presentation of the mathematical formula for drag, its derivation along with practical applications, and how it affects the sport. This will include a study of air density and the dynamic pressure generated when we skydive.
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11:00 am
Drag, by John Sherman
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Javelin Reserve Packing, by Tom Parker & Andrew Karnowski
Javelin Reserve Packing
Tom Parker & Andrew Karnowski, Sun Path Products
Packing a reserve into a Javelin container, tips and tricks.
***This seminar will be at the UPT Rigging Loft***
About the speakers: Tom Parker started skydiving in 1991 and has 2,000 jumps, just over 100 BASE jumps, and over 15 years of experience in parachute rigging and harness/container design. Tom has been fortunate enough to work alongside some of the finest in our industry. He brings all of his experience in rigging and skydiving to Sun Path Products as a member of the engineering team.
Andrew Karnowski is a master rigger with Sun Path Products Inc. He started skydiving in 2005 at the Kansas State University Parachute Club and now has 750 skydives and 500 BASE jumps. He has lived in Idaho and Texas working as a rigger, instructor, tandem master and packer before being hired by Sun Path in the fall 2011.
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11:00 am
Javelin Reserve Packing, by Tom Parker & Andrew Karnowski
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The Sigma Tandem, Operations, and Q&A, by Mark Procos
Finally, the Skydive Expo exhibition hall is open to the public! Come see all your favorite vendors display their wares. Let’s be honest, you’re here for the swag, right?
Learn how to pro-pack a main parachute from PD rep Alex Bittner. Alex will cover the basic packing technique that you can use with any parachute. There will also be a short Q&A if time allows.
***This seminar will be at the UPT Rigging Loft***
About the speaker: Alex is a local DeLandite with 800+ jumps and five years in the sport. He has spent the past few years working at PD as a marketing rep and demo coordinator. Alex recently took the video slot for CSC Rhythm and also shoots video for his fiancée Jess on their freestyle team Ragamuffins.
Canopy Safety at Your DZ
Shannon Pilcher, Flight-1
The topics that are being discussed around the country by DZ management and the USPA in order to make your DZ a safer place. Find out what the pivotal areas are, get informed and get involved in the conversation.
Shannon Pilcher, Flight-1
Shannon Pilcher is one of the founding members of Flight-1. He has been a professional Canopy Coach for almost ten years and has been a key figure in developing Flight-1’s Training Program. He and other members of the Flight-1 team continue to be involved in discussions with DZOs and USPA on canopy related safety.
In the Air and at the Bar
Charles Wilkin, Attorney at Law
Drop zone liability for alcohol-related incidents.
Charles Wilkin
Charles Wilkin is a C-licensed skydiver, a licensed member of the Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee bars and a shareholder of his own 12-lawyer firm, GlassWilkin pc. Charles has expertise in civil and commercial litigation; business, employment and labor law; and defense of wrongful death actions. Charles also holds an AV Preeminent rating issued by Martindale-Hubbell, a testament to the fact that his peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence, and has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the roster of Super Lawyers. His years of litigation experience includes jury trials in both state and federal courts, and representation of employers before administrative agencies and in organized labor matters. Charles is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Arkansas and flies on 4-way team Dallas Storm
Aerodynamics for Dummies
Julien Peelman, NZ Aerosports
Julien Peelman, NZ Aerosports
About the speaker: Julien Peelman has a Master’s Degree in Aerodynamics, specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and a Master’s Degree in Research. He came to NZ Aerosports for a look, more as a skydiver than as an engineer, but after three beers decided he didn’t want to go back to France after all!
Everest Skydive
Tom Noonan, Everest Skydive
As Everest Skydive enters its fifth year of expeditions into the Himalayas, team member Tom Noonan and recent expedition attendee Bill Booth discuss the future of the world’s most extreme civilian HALO skydiving expedition.
Tom Noonan, Everest Skydive
About the speaker: Tom Noonan has been a member of the Everest Expedition Skydiving Team since its inception along with Wendy Smith, Derek Thomas and an international team of professional skydivers. Tom continues to bring sport and tandem skydivers into the Himalaya.
USPA Instructor Refresher Jim Crouch, U.S. Parachute Association
Tips and reminders for AFF and Tandem Instructors.
About the speaker: Jim Crouch is the Director of Safety and Training for the U.S. Parachute Association, where he has held the position since July, 2000. He holds USPA AFF, IAD, and tandem instructor ratings as well as Coach Examiner and Tandem Instructor Examiner ratings. He has been skydiving for 19 years. Jim still works with skydiving students on a weekly basis as the owner Virginia Skydiving Center in Petersburg, VA. He also holds a Commercial Pilot rating for single and multi-engine airplanes. During his free time, he likes to sleep.
XRW Taya Weiss, Raise the Sky
From stunt to emerging discipline, ask all your questions about what’s coming next. Find out how we do it and what equipment we use, and all about the skills and organization that brought XRW into the skydiving vocabulary.
Tracking Jump Safety
Luis Prinetto, Skydive Sebastian
Various flight patterns for them, correct separation procedures, and in particular the danger of unintentional movement when learning to fly on your feet and head.
Luis Prinetto, Skydive Sebastian
About the speaker: Luis has been skydiving for 14 years and accumulated over 7,500 jumps. His dedication and passion for the sport is strong and his skills make him sough after around the world, organizing and coaching individuals, teams and groups of all sizes. Luis’ happy disposition and easy smile make him extraordinarily approachable and jumpers thoroughly enjoy working with him.
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Join the Skydive Expo and Strong Enterprises for a memorial celebration of Ted Strong’s life.
