Sport Parachute Council of Ontario

The Downturn in Skydiving in the U.S. in the 21st Century

by Gary Peek, May 2006

 The 1990's saw an increase in skydiving activity that delighted skydivers, skydiving instructors, and drop zone owners everywhere. The talk of the sport was how great things were going and how many people were finding the wonderful sport of skydiving. However, just as the 1990's were good for skydiving, the turn of the century brought a downturn in skydiving, when the same skydivers, instructors, and drop zones owners were left wondering what happened.

 The increase in activity in skydiving in the 1990's was an anomaly.

It was caused by a good economy, a few decent skydiving movies like "Point Break" popularizing the "bad boy" image of skydiving, and the fact that "extreme" sports and doing "extreme" things became popular at that time. It was not a "new horizon in skydiving" where skydiving became a "mainstream" sport which changed the industry and provided the opportunity for many people to build careers on it.

The current downturn in skydiving activity is, most of all, skydiving adjusting itself after the anomaly. Skydiving activity is now at about the level that it would have been if this anomaly had not occurred, perhaps even better!

Some contributing factors:

The "downturn" in skydiving (at least in the US) in the early 2000's was caused by a number of things, including the economy, the problems in aviation caused by the terrorist attack on the US, insurance prices, and fuel prices. But it was, and continues to be, caused by the sport and industry itself as well.

Skydiving may have been one of the first of the extreme sports to become popular in the 1990's when "extreme" seemed to be the popular thing to do, but some of the other extreme sports that followed in popularity were much less expensive. Young adults were the segment of the population most likely to participate in extreme sports, but they did not have as much disposable income as other groups. So many of them made a number of jumps, but few of them stayed with the sport long term.

In the 1990's the sport of skydiving began referring to skydiving as "safe". The better gear that was being developed in the 1980's and 90's provided the potential for improved safety, but this was not fully realized, at least not for long. Eventually the sport realized that it should not refer to skydiving as safe, but this misconception had sold many people on the idea of skydiving. When accidents happened, the public was likely to bring lawsuits to dropzones, encouraged of course by the growing trend in the US for citizens to not accept responsibility for themselves, but to blame others.

Tandem skydiving became widely used as a way for drop zones to make money rather than as a training method, which created multiple problems. Tandem skydiving provided another way for skydiving to erroneously refer to skydiving as "safe". It also provided a passive carnival-style skydive ride for those people interested in "instant gratification". Drop zones and instructors often encouraged their "passenger's" passive participation rather than encouraging  their "students" to learn skills in a sport that would give them a sense of accomplishment and encourage them to continue in that sport.

 

Other reasons for the downturn in skydiving activity

 Skydiving is not as fun as it used to be, for a number of reasons:

Skydivers that are not extremely current are criticized as not being "safe".

Experienced skydivers who want only to skydive periodically and have fun are often criticized. These skydivers are looked down upon because they do not care to pursue particular disciplines or planned dropzone activities, or to be coached by famous name skydivers, all of which increase the cost of their skydiving.

 Students who are not current are looked upon with suspicion and assumed to be "dangerous".

 Even though they may now have much more disposible income available for skydiving, experienced skydivers who quit skydiving when they were younger and now wish to continue are often treated as being "old", and with old (or lacking in) knowledge and skills, rather than being welcomed back with open arms.

 Very current and experienced skydivers, and often, drop zone owners and their staff, for the most part are gear snobs, suggesting that if a person does not have the latest gear that they are unsafe, even if this gear is perfectly safe for the type of skydiving the owner intends to do.

 Experienced skydivers that practice the "latest" skydiving discipline are often snobs, suggesting that they are better than the others.

 Skydiving is more commercialized and more expensive (even beyond the economy and fuel price issues)

 Skydiving instruction has been made more formalized, allowing for less flexibility, and causing it to cost more. Commercial skydiving operations often take advantage of this to require that their students make more jumps and more expensive jumps.

 There is an increasing divide between recreational skydivers and "professional" skydivers, or instructional staff. The path from being an experienced jumper interested in working with students to an instructional rating holder is longer and more expensive.

 

Basic problems with skydiving that skydivers often forget or will not admit

No one cares about skydiving except skydivers. The general public is more interested in a fatality than they are something positive about skydiving. The only time most people care about skydiving is when they want to make a single jump. The sport is simply lucky when someone enjoys it enough to continue.

 Skydiving is almost entirely a frivolous activity that uses the world's dwindling supply of fossil fuels.

Skydiving for the most part is not "professional".  (No it's not!)

Skydiving aircraft have accident and incident rates that exceed other commercial aviation industries. Things that are considered inappropriate in other aviation activities are considered normal in skydiving.

Drop zone "help wanted" advertisements for instructional staff often contain references that the applicant be "sober" or not be a user of illegal drugs. It is apparent that the skydiving industry attracts substance abusers.

Student skydivers with problems or "issues" (physical or skill) are often made fun of with widely circulated videos, some of which are shown in public venues.

Advertisements for skydiving and skydiving related products often contain sexual content and are accepted as normal by many skydivers. Some of the photographs and videos contain explicit sexual content and are shown in public venues.

Many people attempting to make a living from skydiving live in vehicles at a drop zone. Some of these places are actually referred to as "ghettos".

Only a handful of skydiving businesses or organizations are professional enough to have names that are a registered trademark.

 

 Suggestions for dealing with the reality of skydiving in the 21st Century

"Professional" skydivers:

 Stop trying to make a living on skydiving! This is impossible to do in a professional manner except in areas:

1. where the weather is extremely good most of the time.
2. where there is a very large population base nearby.
3. that have absolutely no other drop zones nearby.

 Pursue business interests outside of skydiving. Consider getting a "real job".

 Drop zone owners:

If you are having trouble making ends meet, then downsize! This seems to be a difficult thing for drop zone owners to do, even though many businesses in difficult economic times have no problem laying off employees or selling off divisions of a corporation that are not profitable.

 If you are a drop zone owner and have children in the business, encourage them to pursue other business interests.

Unless the reason you are a drop zone owner is to be popular with other skydivers, then operate your drop zone as a business. Set prices at the point where profit is possible.

If experienced jumpers ask you for discounts or "deals" and you cannot make money at that price, tell them no. No further explanation is necessary.

Treat Tandem skydiving as the training method that is was designed to be, and train your Tandem students well. Show them the gratification they will experience by learning to be a skydiver rather than a passive rider.

Your "competition" is not your neighboring drop zone, but is other recreational activities. Skydiving is just another "extreme" sport now, and is not special. You must help your fellow drop zone owner in order to survive.

Experienced jumpers not "working" in the skydiving industry:

Do not open a drop zone unless there is an overwhelming reason to do so!  (Do not let your ego "overwhelm" you.) You do not possess any special skills and knowledge that seasoned drop zone owners do not have, particularly if you do not have business experience.

If you are tempted by the concept of "cutting away" from your real job, (as portrayed in the movie "Cutaway"), don't!

Remember this: Except for larger drop zones that cater to experienced jumpers and have a large volume of experienced jumper loads, drop zones make little (if any) money from your business.

If you have started skydiving recently, you have probably been spoiled! You have gotten used to drop zones that have provided you with facilities and aircraft that are possible only because their student skydivers have needed them and paid for them.

If a drop zone is student oriented in order to be profitable, and they allow you room on a load, then take the slot, shut up, and go skydive. Consider it a privilege to have a drop zone nearby where you can do this, because many skydivers must travel a long way to a drop zone.

When drop zones offer you a discount of any type or amount, thank them, purchase jumps at that price, and go skydive.

Do not ask for a discount or "deal" without providing a deal to the drop zone. You are already getting a deal.

 

Author's Comments

I would like to thank a number of my friends and colleagues in the sport of skydiving for reviewing this writing and for their comments and ideas.  The suggestions for dealing with this downturn are mine, but the reasons for the downturn have been items of discussion among many people for a number of years. Although some people may consider the direct manner of this writing to be negative about the sport, I consider it to be positive, by identifying and catagorizing many of the issues leading up to the inevitable downsizing of the sport, which will have a positive effect on the sport in the long run.