JPCatholic Professor Sets Skydiving World Record

Dr. Jeremiah “Jerry” Jackson, Professor of Business at JPCatholic, recently set the World Record Highest Altitude Parachute Jump for his age group (70 years old). He trained at “SkyDance Skydiving” in Davis, California, and jumped on March 25 from an altitude of 30,000 feet. The jump required the use of supplemental oxygen, and Jackson fell for 2 minutes and 40 seconds before opening his parachute. The outside air temperature at altitude was a bone-chilling minus 40 Fahrenheit, and his freefall speed in the thin air was 160 miles per hour.

Waiting on the ground for the sunset landing was his wife Nina Jackson. Both celebrated the record that night with Mexican food and a bottle of Chardonnay. The new 30,000-foot record significantly beat the old record of 17,900 feet set last year by a group of jumpers near Houston.

Jackson has been skydiving for almost 49 years, and has accumulated 16 World Records, mostly for large freefall formations. He has approximately 2200 parachute jumps, and 36 hours of freefall time. He also holds the official National Aeronautic Association roundtrip transcontinental USA speed record for single engine prop planes, that he set in an experimental airplane he built himself. An engineer by education, Jackson and his wife have published three aviation-related books, including one about wineries near small airports titled “Wine Flights.”