Rob Laidlaw

Robert John Laidlaw made his first skydive in May 1973 at the age of 19 in Manitoba, Canada. Over the five decades that followed, he became one of the most consequential figures in the development of skydiving education, coaching methodology, and instructor training worldwide. Born on October 7, 1953 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he has accumulated more than 24,500 jumps across a career that has touched virtually every dimension of the sport.

His early leadership emerged quickly. By 30 he had served on Provincial Parachuting Councils across three Canadian provinces, and in the 1980s he chaired the Canadian Coaching Working Committee, which released what is recognized as the world’s first formal skydiving coaching program. That milestone marked the beginning of a lifelong effort to bring structure and educational theory to a sport that had largely operated on informal tradition.

His contributions to instructional methodology have been foundational. He modified the Instructor-Assisted Deployment method in the early 1980s, developed the Progressive Freefall system in 1981, and was among the first in Canada to implement harness-hold training and ram-air canopies for student use. In 1998 he wrote and implemented the Tunnel AFF program at the moment SkyVenture Orlando opened, pioneering the integration of wind tunnel training into student and instructor development.

In 1992, Laidlaw co-founded Skydive University with Tom Piras, an organization that became a global resource for structured skydiving instruction. The coached levels of the USPA Integrated Student Program are grounded in SDU’s foundational work. In 2004, he authored the USPA Advanced Instructor Course, which evolved into the Examiner Rating Course now required for all USPA examiners seeking the highest rating in the organization. His involvement has continued, most recently contributing to the complete rewrite of the USPA Skydiver’s Information Manual and Instructor Rating Manual in 2025. SDU has consulted with national parachuting associations across the United States, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Paraguay, and numerous countries throughout Europe and Latin America.

As a competitor, Laidlaw represented the Canadian National Skydiving Team in 4-way and 8-way formation skydiving from 1978 to 1997. In 1983, as a member of the Canadian 4-way team “Go,” he won gold medals in both the 4-way and 8-way events at an FAI-sanctioned World Cup in Claresholm, Alberta. His international record also includes silver medals at the 1979 and 1981 World Meets, gold at the 1984 World Cup in France, and a bronze at the 1985 World Meet in Yugoslavia. He served as Captain of the World Team for the 357-person FAI World Record in 2004 and the 400-person FAI World Record in Thailand in 2006, the largest formation skydive in history at that time. The Canadian National 8-way team was named Federation of Canada Amateur Team of the Year in 1979, and Laidlaw received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal for Outstanding Citizenship, one of only two skydivers ever to receive that honor.

In 2016, Laidlaw received the USPA Gold Medal for Meritorious Service, recognizing his lifelong contributions to training, mentoring, and the professionalization of skydiving coaching worldwide. His induction into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame honors a career that has shaped how skydivers learn, how instructors are trained, and how the sport has grown into the globally recognized athletic discipline it is today.