Jay Stokes: USPA / UPT Tandem Course at Skydive Skydown
Creating Idaho’s Next Generation of Professional Skydiving Instructors Led by Jay Stokes
At Skydive Skydown, we don’t believe in doing things halfway. When it comes to instructor training—especially training that directly impacts first-time jumpers—we believe in setting the bar as high as possible.
Tandem instructors are often a person’s first and only point of contact with skydiving. They aren’t just along for the ride—they are the face of the sport, the first voice of trust, and the standard by which the entire experience is judged.
They are the ones who introduce new jumpers to freefall, answer the questions no one knows how to ask yet, and shape whether that first jump becomes a once-in-a-lifetime thrill—or the beginning of a lifelong passion. The best tandem instructors don’t just take people skydiving; they help turn first-time jumpers into AFF students, licensed skydivers, and long-term members of the community that keeps this sport alive.
That’s why one of the next major events of the season was hosting a USPA / UPT Tandem Instructor Course led by Jay Stokes.
If you know the sport, you already understand the weight that name carries.
If you don’t, this course explains exactly why bringing Jay to Idaho mattered.
Who Jay Stokes Is — And Why That Matters
Jay Stokes represents a level of experience that very few people in the world of skydiving will ever reach.
What many people don’t realize—especially outside the Northwest—is that Jay’s story begins right here in Idaho. Long before world records, military freefall schools, and national leadership roles, Jay attended Capital High School in Boise. While his career has taken him around the world, his roots are local.
For more than five decades and over 28,000 skydives (and counting), Jay has been a driving force in shaping modern skydiving. He is a former Green Beret, a former President of the United States Parachute Association (USPA), and the current world record holder for the most skydives completed in a single day.
That record stands at 640 jumps in 24 hours, set in 2006—a mark that has remained untouched for nearly two decades. But Jay’s record attempts were never just about numbers. Many of them were turned into fundraisers, generating tens of thousands of dollars for causes including the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Special Olympics, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, and the National Skydiving Museum.
Beyond endurance records, Jay has helped set multiple world records, including the largest night formation skydives, and was inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2018. More recently, he was honored with the USPA Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a career defined by extraordinary contribution, leadership, and service to the sport.
In this interview, Jay Stokes discusses the mindset, preparation, and logistics behind his world record for the most skydives completed in a single day. Holding the standing record of 640 jumps in 24 hours, Jay breaks down what it took physically and mentally to accomplish a feat that remains unmatched nearly two decades later.
Beyond the numbers, Jay explains why the record was about more than endurance—using the effort to support charitable causes and advance the sport of skydiving. With decades of experience as a former Green Beret, USPA President, examiner, and master rigger, Jay offers rare insight into high-level decision-making, discipline, and leadership under pressure.
This interview provides a deeper look at one of the most influential figures in modern skydiving and the standards that continue to shape instructor training worldwide.
Today, Jay continues to shape the future of skydiving as a:
USPA and UPT Tandem Examiner
AFF Examiner
Coach Examiner
Master Rigger
Designated Parachute Rigger Examiner
Private Pilot
He is qualified to examine instructors in every method and has directly trained more than 15,000 Coaches, instructors, and Examiners whose students now populate drop zones across the world.
His influence compounds with every generation.
Jay doesn’t just understand skydiving from one angle—he understands it from every angle: athlete, instructor, examiner, rigger, pilot, military freefall leader, and governing-body architect.
Why Getting Trained by Jay Is Different
There are instructor/examiners who teach procedures.
And then there are instructor/examiners who teach judgment.
Being in proximity to Jay Stokes elevates you. Being trained by him fundamentally changes how you think about skydiving—how you manage risk, how you communicate under pressure, and how seriously you treat the responsibility of taking another human being into freefall.
Jay’s teaching philosophy was forged during 24 years in the U.S. Army, including time leading the Military Freefall School in Yuma, Arizona, where he trained some of the nation’s most elite jumpers and helped shape the Army’s tandem training program. That mindset carries directly into his civilian instruction: calm, precise, accountable, and uncompromising when it matters.
He doesn’t teach shortcuts. He teaches discipline, accountability, and decision-making built on decades of real-world experience—both civilian and military. His courses are demanding, thorough, and intentionally uncomfortable at times, because that’s where real competence is built.
This is next-level training, delivered by someone who has spent a lifetime operating at the highest standards.
Why Skydive Skydown Chose Jay Stokes
Bringing Jay to Skydive Skydown wasn’t about convenience.
It wasn’t about availability.
And it certainly wasn’t about checking a box.
We chose Jay because he embodies the exact standard we expect from our instructors.
At Skydive Skydown, tandem instructors are more than just rated jumpers—they are the first point of trust for someone experiencing skydiving for the very first time.
That responsibility demands the best possible training, delivered by the best possible educators.
By hosting this USPA/UPT tandem course with Jay, we ensured that our instructors were trained by someone who sets the global benchmark for professionalism, safety, and instructional excellence.
Building the Future of Idaho Skydiving
This course wasn’t just about earning ratings—it was a calculated move in building the foundation for where Skydive Skydown is headed.
Every candidate who went through this training left sharper, more disciplined, and better prepared to carry the responsibility that comes with tandem instruction. More importantly, they gained insight into why standards exist—not just how to follow them.
Hosting leaders like Jay Stokes is part of a broader commitment to raising the level of skydiving in Idaho and the Northwest. We believe world-class training shouldn’t require leaving the state—and we’re committed to bringing that level of education here.
Grateful for the Opportunity
We’re thankful to Jay for the time, knowledge, and leadership he brought to Skydive Skydown.
His influence reaches far beyond a single course, and the impact of this training will be felt for years to come—by instructors, students, and every person who trusts us with their first jump.
If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.
And this was exactly that.