Insightful, fun, and REAL. Douggs takes you in his life journey and doesn’t disappoint”. Vinson Nelson The fact that Chris “Douggs” McDouggalis even alive to tell his story is incredible in itself. Douggs is known throughout the skydiving and BASE jumping communities as one of the most fun and adventurous people the industry has ever seen. There’s a dark side though – Chris has lost a lot of friends and it’s interesting to learn how Chris still gets enjoyment from a sport that has taken so much from him. Brian’s unique ability to combine a clearly defined technical explanation with his own self-realized Zen approach to flying offers the reader a truly comprehensive insight into the experience that is canopy piloting.”– Jay Moledzki, World Champion Above All Else – Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld

My main goal in life is just to have more fun than anyone else. And that pretty well sums me up”– Chris “Douggs” McDougall Bird Dream: Adventures at the Extremes of Human Flight – Matt Higgins The term ‘skydiving’ is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘sport parachuting’. Technically, skydiving refers to controlling one’s body in the freefall part of a descent, before the canopy is deployed. The freefall part of a descent can be simulated in a wind tunnel in indoor skydiving, which is a valuable training aid for the outdoor sport as well as a growing sport in its own right. Above All Else is an inspiring skydiving book that recounts the journey Dan BC made from a very young age to become a renowned world champion. After suffering severe and traumatic injuries in an airplane accident and dealing with his beloved friends’ deaths, that likely would have caused others to give up on their dreams, Brodsky-Chenfeld instead doubled down. This pure and genuine love for something is an inspirational story that I highly recommend you to read. Above All Else: A World Champion Skydiver’s Story of Survival and What It Taught Him About Fear, Adversity, and Success

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In Italy in 1483, Leonardo da Vinci imagined a design for what we would now call a parachute in a sketch in the margin of one of his notebooks. The design consisted of sealed linen cloth held open by a pyramid of wooden poles about seven metres long. His accompanying note read: “If a man is provided with a length of gummed linen cloth with a length of 12 yards on each side and 12 yards high, he can jump from any great height whatsoever without injury.” There is no evidence that da Vinci ever constructed such a device. A typical descent may be from between 4,000ft (1,219 m) and 12,000ft (3,658m), according to weather conditions and the type of jump being made. It will include a period of freefall before the parachute is deployed to slow the descent rate to about 1,000ft (305m) per minute for a safe landing.

The Parachute and Its Pilot from Brian Germain covers it all. Regardless if you are a new jumper or a seasoned skydiver, it has something for everyone. Indeed, this is a must-read for us all! Author Brian Germain is an industry-leading parachute designer, previous dropzone owner, creator of a popular flight skill and safety course, and host of a safety show on Skydive Radio. Yet, this is just to name a few of his accomplishments in our sport. Sufficient to say, Brian is very educated in the sport of skydiving and his book is now in its 5th edition, containing over 20 years of skydiving experience. Douggs has been in the sport for more than 20 years and traveled all over the world skydiving and BASE jumping. He is hugely respected for his experience, knowledge of the sport, and damn insane Aussie nature. Besides the crazy stories in his book, you can also learn from Dougg’s desire to chase and make your dreams come true and never stop living your life to the fullest. As well, this skydiving book gives us all some more insight into the skydiving and BASE jumping. Dougg’s honest point of view of extreme adrenaline sports is something we can all learn from. Bird Dream also includes a very informative introduction to the history of BASE jumping and wingsuit BASE jumping. The author discusses the technology behind the sport and how its been developing over the years. Higgins explains some technicalities of wingsuiting, offering readers some idea of the science behind a wingsuit and its flight. Are you interested in learning more about the development of BASE jumping and wingsuit? Bird Dream will be an exciting read for you. Body-Flight Basics – Andy Newell Skydiving and drug smuggling. Yes, you read that correctly. Sugar Alpha is the Skydiving Chicago must read book. You almost cannot even believe in Roger W. Nelson’s real-life. He wrote much of the book. However, after his unexpected death, Melissa Nelson (daughter) finishes the project that their dad had been writing for years.The 208B Caravan is world renowned as one of the leading skydiving aircraft. It is extremely reliable and stable, both on the ground and in the air. It’s superb short field takeoff and landing capabilities allow us to carry up to 16 skydivers at a time safely. Confessions of an Idiot is an autobiography of “a colorful life in freefall” by Chris “Douggs” McDougall. He is one of the world’s most experienced BASE jumpers. Douggs’ book covers the progression of an adrenaline junkie into skydiving and BASE jumping. He recounts in brutal honesty, stories of absolute lunacy, which will have you laughing in disbelief. Really, this is one hell of a life story. Read about Douggs experiences from hilarious adventures, to devastation, and pushing boundaries to their limits.