Amazing Photos of Skydiving in the 1960s

In World War II, thousands of combatants across the globe experienced exiting an aircraft and parachuting to the ground, either as a paratrooper dropped into combat or as flight crew escaping a crippled aircraft. Some servicemen discovered that it was enjoyable, and after the war ended kept jumping.

 
 
 
The National Parachute Jumpers and Riggers was born in 1947. This group would later become the Parachute Club of America, and finally its current iteration: the USPA (United States Parachute Association). Parachuting as a sport had begun to permeate the international community.
 
In the 1970s, sports skydiving became very popular thanks to a quick-release system of the main parachute based on the three rings or rings, designed by engineer Bill Booth, that allowed anyone to use it.
 
 
Sport parachuting in the US got a big boost by having the World Championships at Orange, Massachusetts in the early 1960s. Most of these shots from Vince are at OSPC in the mid to late ’60s.
 
 
All female load

 

Apartment packing

 

Apres Jumping LSPC, Lakewood, NJ

 

Beach 18 & Ron Blake

 

Connecticut Parachutists Inc.

 

Couple at the Inn

 

Dragged by a PC

 

Fran with a beer

 

Fun on the bowl

 

George exiting the Norseman

 

Girl packing PC in St Jerome, Canada outside Montreal

 

Girl photographing

 

Ground crew in DZ

 

HUEY jump

 

Jacques Istel in orange jumpsuit. George Theirault (Terry-o) in PI shirt

 

Jimmy with one white boot

 

Ken Benson at beach

 

Ken misses nothing

 

Lake Placid meet

 

LSPC packing tables

 

LSPC student

 

Manifest Board

 

Many canopies

 

Me and my "new" Hustler - Jump # 16

 

Mike Horan's Santa Jump into downtown Orange

 

Mom and kid

 

New and old aircraft

 

Not a water jump

 

OSPC flight line

 

OSPC Office Help

 

OSPC ramp

 

Packing in the grass

 

Para woods snow

 

PC near landing

 

Pete Peterson exiting the Cessna 182

 

PI Staff Meeting

 

Practicing relative work?

 

R&B PC

 

Red White & Blue PC

 

Robert "Sonny" Dickey D-1719 doing a Hop & Pop

 

Self portrait. Shot this at arm's length at about 2000 ft

 

Spectator on table

 

Spectators

 

St Jerome (Montreal) jumpers

 

Standup

 

Stinson N13477

 

Sue Rademaekers

 

Sue Rademaekers' C-4083 Water Jump

 

Take my picture

 

This jumper decided to jump a reserve as a main

 

TU dragged

 

Vic Deveau and George with student

 

Waiting for

 

 
Winter meet