The legendary D-1, Lew Sanborn was the first skydiver to attain expert status. He made his first jump in 1949 with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Sanborn was a national champion in 1954. In 1959, he and Jacques-André Istel opened Parachutes Incorporated in Orange, Massachusetts, the first commercial parachuting center in the United States. Sanborn is also an accomplished aviator who has piloted aircraft at many national skydiving competitions. Still active, he has made more than 6,000 jumps, and at least one in every state except Hawaii. Sanborn currently resides in Missouri.
