As businesses around the world are looking for ways to help Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, skydiving centers across the United States have found an unusual way to contribute to the Haiti relief effort—by using skydiving aircraft to transport food and medical supplies to the island.

“Jump aircraft are especially well-suited for these types of missions,” said Ed Scott, executive director of the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA). “Most have large cargo doors and are easily converted to carry cargo. Most of these aircraft are also able to take off and land on short and sometimes rough runways and landing strips.”

Shortly after the earthquake, USPA e-mailed information to its affiliated skydiving centers about the need from the U.S. government and relief organizations for aircraft to bring supplies and personnel from around the U.S. to Florida for staging, as well as directly to Haiti.

Keith George, owner of Skydive Jamaica, a new USPA-affiliated skydiving center, began working with the Jamaican Defense Force to fly a series of missions in and out of Port-au-Prince. In the first days after the earthquake, Skydive Jamaica used its King Air twin-engine aircraft to evacuate Jamaican residents from Haiti. Since then, Skydive Jamaica has been working with Missions International of America to provide airlift support for the organization’s efforts in Haiti.

Stateside, John Hart, owner of Start Skydiving in Middletown, Ohio (http://startskydiving.com), began looking for essential medical equipment that would fit in his Cessna Caravan aircraft. He called Doctors without Borders to find out what supplies the organization needed most. Hart learned that an essential digital x-ray machine was already en route by truck to Knoxville, Tennessee, on its way to Haiti. With fuel donated by his employees at Selection.com, Hart arranged for the aircraft to intercept the truck in Virginia and pick up the x-ray machine. From there, the Caravan flew to Knoxville to pick up an additional 250 pounds of medical equipment, continued on to a staging location in Ft. Pierce, Florida, and ultimately delivered the supplies to Port-au-Prince.

Other skydiving centers are also doing their part. Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, has flown several trips to Haiti in its DeHavilland Twin Otter, transporting 4,000 pounds of food, water, tents and medical supplies on each flight. Additionally, Frank Casares, owner of Mile-Hi Skydiving Center in Longmont, Colorado, is sending the center’s Twin Otter on a two-week aid mission to Haiti.

Skydive Cross Keys in New Jersey, south of Philadelphia, is also sending its Twin Otter for a two-week mission to ferry tents and medical supplies to Haiti. Area skydivers are assisting by donating tents, tarps and money to cover fuel costs. Samaritan’s Purse, a charity organization, has arranged for the Twin Otter to land on a remote grass strip in Haiti, rather than the over-crowded airport in Port-au-Prince.

“It’s great that the skydiving community has such valuable assets and aircraft to offer to the relief effort,” said Scott. “With so many people looking for ways to help, skydivers are excited to have this unique opportunity to come together and make a difference in the face of tragedy.”
Source: U.S. Parachute Association
About USPA:

Founded in 1946, the United States Parachute Association is a non-profit association dedicated to the promotion of safe skydiving nationwide, establishing strict safety standards, training policies and programs at more than 200 USPA-affiliated skydiving schools and centers throughout the United States. Each year, USPA’s 32,000-plus members and hundreds of thousands of first-time jump students make approximately three million jumps in the U.S. USPA represents skydivers before all levels of government, the public and the aviation industry and sanctions national skydiving competitions and records.

For more information on making a first jump or to find a skydiving center near you, visit www.uspa.org or call 1-800-371-USPA.