Ted Strong, D-16, began parachuting in 1958 and trained jumpers at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point until his discharge in 1961. That year, he founded Strong Enterprises, a manufacturer of parachute equipment now based in Orlando, Florida. In 1984, Strong designed and built the first tandem system. Tandem jumping is now the most common method for introducing people to the sport. With more than 4,900 jumps, Strong remained active skydiving making about 60 jumps a year until his death in 2011.