Russ Gunby

Russ Gunby had a distinguished and varied career in skydiving, making significant contributions to the sport and its community. He joined the US Army in 1940 and made his first jump in 1944. Dissatisfied with the restrictive rules on non-military jumps, Gunby founded the parachute club at Ft. Ord, CA, and worked to change regulations, leading to the creation of Army Regulation 9519 in 1956, which encouraged sport parachuting. His efforts to establish safety standards led to his election as Secretary/Treasurer of the Parachute Club of America (PCA) in 1959.

Russ Gunby was the first skydiving instructor in the US and conducted the first instructor’s course in 1959 in Phoenix, AZ. He also established the Area Safety Officer (now S&TA) and the Conference (now Region) method of representation. He authored “Sport Parachuting – a basic handbook of sport parachuting” in 1960, a cornerstone in safe training methodologies, which sold over 80,000 copies. Gunby said of “Sport Parachuting” … “In the beginning the book filled the void in the absence of knowledgeable instructors.” His book was instrumental in documenting methods and procedures for the safe training of skydivers. Gunby’s Army career saw him rise to the rank of Major before he resigned in 1960 to become the full-time Executive Director of PCA, relocating its headquarters to Monterey, CA.

Gunby served as Executive Director until 1963 and then as PCA President in 1964, overseeing the organization’s transition to the United States Parachute Association (USPA). He received the USPA Achievement Award in 1977 and PEIA’s first Achievement Award in 1981 for his lasting contributions to parachuting safety. Don Beck, PEIA Secretary, said, “When the Parachute Equipment Industry Association first decided to create an Achievement Award, the principle criterion was a major contribution to the sport parachute field, but most importantly, it had to withstand the test of time. Without question Russ Gunby’s contributions meet that criterion. His book, Sport Parachuting, has been used as THE training manual for a whole generation of skydivers and those training methods are still being used. PEIA is proud to present this award to an outstanding man in the field of parachuting safety.” Despite battling lung cancer, Gunby remained dedicated to the sport until his death on April 8, 1982. His legacy includes the development of safety regulations, training programs, and the foundational structures of modern sport parachuting.