"The WPST is like being a Blue Angels jet pilot but with a parachute"…

What is the WPST?- The World Parabatic Stunt Team is a group of high performance parachute pilots with aerial stuntmen that provide a variety of unique and crowd pleasing stunts. Using specially designed  parachutes the WPST's aerial maneuvers and landings are revolutionary.

What is parachute swooping?- Swooping is a sport where aerial athletes (parachutists) jump from an aircraft or launch themselves from a fixed object and fly high performance parachutes through courses set up over the ground, water or down a mountain. Swoopers exceed speeds of over 90mph during a swoop. Unlike traditional skydiving, swooping takes place at ground level in front of a crowd.

What is the history of swooping?- The history of swooping goes way back and nobody knows for sure which parachutist started doing it first. We will focus here on the history of competition swooping. The first swoop competition was organized by BJ Worth who was a stuntman in Hollywood and got the idea for Blade running (flying parachutes through a course down a mountain) while filming a skydiving stunt over a ski resort. We would like to also point out that BJ Worth became the President of the United States Parachute Association and the International Parachuting Committee.

BJ organized the 1st Blade running swoop competition in 1996 at a ski resort in Big Sky, Montana. That same year a couple of skydivers at a drop zone in Gardiner, NY organized the 1st pond swooping competition just miles from the original location of Woodstock. These competitions continued for a few years but it didn't become an organized tour with structure until 2000 when Jim Slaton teamed up with the creator of the "Airblade" Reggie Estaugh and formed the Para-Performance Pro Blade Tour. The PPPB continued until 2003 and then Jim formed the Pro Swooping Tour.

Jim and the Pro Swooping Tour was instrumental in getting Canopy Piloting (a.k.a swooping) accepted by the United States Parachuting Association and the International Parachuting Committee. Jim and the PST staff organized the 1st IPC World Cup of Canopy Piloting in 2003. The PST continued on until 2004 and Jim formed the amateur League called the CPC (Canopy Piloting Circuit). The CPC would become the avenue for all pilots wishing to turn Pro and join the Pro Tour. In late 2005 Jim created the World Swooping Association and the World Parabatic Swoop Team to gain exposure for the sport at the world level.

How much experience does the WPST have? WPST members have thousands of jumps and the team leader has over 10,000 parachute landings! Team members have been in the sport between three and fifteen years and are held to the highest standards to become team members. Some of the WPST members are National and World level champions and are actively evolved with the aviation community.

What is the difference between typical parachutes and WPST parachutes?- Unlike traditional ram-air parachutes that are between 150 & 250 square feet, WPST parachutes are between 46 and 90 square feet and very fast. WPST parachutes are specifically designed for swooping and incorporate “cross bracing” that is built into each self inflating cell. When the parachute inflates the cross bracing locks the canopy into position forming a more stable, more aerodynamic wing. In addition, these parachutes have thin airfoil section and no stabilizers for increased performance. WPST parachutes can fly at speeds of over 100mph and land at speeds of over 70mph!

What is swooping’s appeal?- Swooping is an action extreme sport with high spectator and sponsor appeal. Swooping is the spectator friendly aspect of skydiving. Swooping is a world class event recognized by the World Swooping Association, International Parachuting Committee, International Olympic Committee and United States Parachuting Association. Swooping has a variety of sponsorship opportunities similar to NASCAR racing. Sponsors have the opportunity to advertise their brand on the team parachutes, truck, aircraft,  athlete's uniforms and more. 

How many events do the WPST attend each year?- The WPST attend more than  a dozen competitions or exhibitions each year. The WPST not only performs at air shows but also outdoor events, festivals, competitions and more!

Where does the WPST live and train?- The WPST headquarters is in Longmont outside of Denver, Colorado where the team trains. The team also has offices in Texas and California.