Skydiving's popularity soars to new heights

Things are looking up for the skydiving industry.

According to the U.S. Parachute Association, 2007 made history as the year skydiving took a dramatic turn upward as one of the most popular adrenaline sports in the nation.

USPA reports that '07 was one of the safest on record with only 18 skydiver fatalities- out of more than 2.5 million jumps. That number surpasses a 1962 record for skydiving's fewest accidents.

Considering that in the early 1960s the USPA was only about 10 percent of its current size, with just 3,353 members, and the aggregate number of jumps was considerably less than today's 2million-plus jumps, this record stands out even more as a testament to years of strict safety standards, training policies and programs, said Ed Scott, executive director of USPA.

"We should all take pride in the strides we have made in skydiving safety the past half a century," Scott said.

Significantly more people are taking up the sport in the new millennium.

USPA membership soared last year, with a significant number of new skydivers joining its ranks. USPA ended the year with more members (31,264) than the previous year for the first time since 2002. The total number of new members in 2007 was 4,900, reversing a five-year downward trend. It's also the highest number of new members since 2003.

The skydiving industry also saw an unprecedented upturn. By the numbers:

•The number of A licenses issued in 2007 (2,019) was higher than last year and ends a six-year decline.

•More B licenses (1,182) were issued in 2007 than anytime since 1997.

•The number of C licenses (627) and D licenses (465) issued in 2007 was higher that any year since 2004.

•There were more USPA Tandem Instructor ratings (203) than in 2005 or 2006.

•USPA issued more AFF (accelerated freefall) Instructor ratings (662) in 2007 than any time since 1997.

•In 2007 USPA issued the most Coach ratings (662) since the program began in 2001.

The USPA's comprehensive 2007 Skydiving Review, with additional skydiving stats and demographic details, will be released in early spring.

- Courtesy of Robert Arends, U.S. Parachute Association.