L-154’s John Heine-Parisi shows some of the medals he has won over his 40-year skydiving career.
L-154 member is professional skydiver
JOHN HEINE-PARISI says he has never fallen down during his 36 years working as a field construction Boilermaker. But when it comes to his second job, as a professional skydiver, well, that’s a different story. In fact, the L-154 member left his feet for the 10,000th time on Aug. 2, 2011, sailing earthward at 120 miles an hour before touching down to a controlled landing.
Heine-Parisi’s astounding jump count has been earned over 40 years, beginning as an Army paratrooper. He has jumped with some of the most elite skydivers in the world, including the U.S. Army Golden Knights and Special Forces HALO (high altitude, low opening) teams.
He has been a participant in numerous world, regional, and state records, he says. On many of his jumps, he carries 10 pounds of camera gear to document group jumps during freefall.
“I’ve been published in many magazines over the years, including cover photos and centerfolds,” he notes.
Heine-Parisi holds instructor certifications for both static and freefall jumps, and his demonstration skydiver rating allows him to jump into some of the tightest locations in the country, such as a night jump into Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of Buffalo Bills football team.
While the 10,000-jump count is indeed impressive, Heine-Parisi doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. He says he will continue to skydive “for as long as I can pack my rig and climb into the plane.”
