Jacques-André Istel will receive the 2007 USPA Lifetime Achievement Award on February 14 at his Museum of History in Felicity, California, "in recognition of his pioneering spirit as he promoted skydiving in America, United States Parachute Teams, and collegiate parachuting competition while serving the United States Parachute Association and its predecessors."

Born in France in 1929, Istel and his family moved to the United States to avoid the outbreak of World War II. Istel made his first jump in 1950 using a flat-circular parachute rented from a former military paratrooper, and went on to become Executive Vice President of the National Parachute Jumpers and Riggers (NPJR), a fledgling organization of a few barn-storming parachutists, run by Joe Crane. The NPJR became the Parachute Club of America and later the USPA. As the USA’s representative to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s (FAI’s) newly formed parachuting commission’s meeting in Vienna, Austria, in 1955, he committed to bringing a team to the 3rd World Parachuting Championships in Moscow, Russia. The next year, along with six other young jumpers including Lew Sanborn, D-1, the team placed sixth out of 10 nations competing.

He visited a parachute center in France on his way back from the world meet and was introduced to the freefall and landing techniques they had mastered. It gave him the confidence to convince the U.S. Army that it should "place men silently, unobserved and accurately in enemy-held territory." Istel and Sanborn developed a curriculum that would teach those techniques to soldiers, and their efforts became the impetus for the forming what became the U.S. Army Parachute Team.

In 1965, after serving as President of the International Parachuting Commission (IPC), the FAI named Istel Honorary President by saying "He was the only person to have held every major position in parachuting; parachute designer, innovator of training methods, instructor conference leader, national champion, world record holder, team captain, team coach, team leader, leader of delegation, IPC delegate, president of national association, president of world championships, and president of IPC." In his skydiving career, he earned license numbers B-17, C-28 and D-2. Says Istel, "Lew Sanborn thought I should have [D-] number one, but his first jump was before mine and I believed then, and still do, that no one is more deserving of D-1."

Istel made his last jump on July 10, 1973, when he flew the Bahamian national flag into a demo on Independence Day, the island country’s actual first day of independence. Jumping from a four-place Cessna, Chuck Embry was the second jumper and Bill Booth was third.

By the end of the second day, all rounds in formation and vertical formation skydiving had been completed, as well as all sport and team accuracy jumps. With the weather turning from fog this morning to marginal winds for the last round of individual classic accuracy, the focus changed to the 6-way speed. Two teams that were granted re-jumps made them first, increasing the chances that the meet will finish today. Click here for up-to-date scores.

As expected, with perfect weather, jumping started at the crack of dawn and the last load exited just at sunset. With many of competitors entered in most of the events, and because of some re-jumps, none of the events completely finished. But 2- and 4-way formation skydiving will finish up their final round, as will vertical formation skydiving. The 6-way speed event has only one round complete so that continues.

Today's windless, cloudless skies make for ideal landing accuracy conditions and 94 of the 110 competitors are in either classic or sport accuracy, the final events of the meet. The schedule is still on course to finish by tomorrow night's banquet. Click here for updates results.

Meet director Bill Wenger briefs 2008 Collegiate competitors.	Jumpers load Skydive Spaceland's Twin Otter for the first round of competition.
Photos by Larry Bagley.

While virtually the entire country is covered in piling, blowing snow, 110 college-age skydivers from 15 institutions of higher education have arrived at Skydive Spaceland for the 51st annual USPA National Collegiate Parachuting Championships. Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-60s the rest of week at the drop zone located just 30 miles south of downtown Houston, Texas. With two twin Otters and a super Caravan, every round of the seven-event meet is expected to be finished by the closing banquet/New Year's Eve party planned for Wednesday, December 31. Medals and championship titles are up for grabs in classic accuracy (both individual and team), sport accuracy, 2-, 4- and 6-way formation skydiving, and 2-way vertical formation skydiving. And the "Most Competitive Competitor" will not only walk away with the highest honor, he or she will earn the Istel $500 scholarship award.

Check back for timely updates, click here for the latest scores and watch for a complete report in an upcoming issue of Parachutist.