Jon DeVore is a skydiving maestro involved in all areas of the sport.

JON DEVORE’S reputation as one of the world’s most influential members of the skydiving community is not least backed up by his two World Champion titles in the sport. Then there’s his stunt work for Hollywood, 20,000 plus jumps, intrigue in all areas of human flight and current role as manager of Red Bull’s Air Force team, a position he has held for ten years. The list goes on…

What is striking about Jon is despite his astonishing achievements in the extremist of extreme sports, he is refreshingly down to earth and exudes a deep sense of thoughtfulness and reflection when he speaks. Then again, planning stunt shows to perfection for the world’s biggest names in the industry and working with the sport’s current crop of most daring stars surely requires the cool head and integrity he seems to possess.

We were honored to talk to the visionary about his lustrous career and hear his thoughts and views on the future of the sport.

When did you first get drawn to the sport of skydiving and when did you realise you were desperate to give it a try?

The first time I was really drawn to the sport of skydiving was when I saw the movie Point Break….back in 1991.  I knew right then that as soon as I could I needed to skydive!

Tell us about your first skydive and were you hooked instantly?  

I grew up in the small town of Juneau, Alaska.  When I was a senior in high school, a guy came through our town offering tandems skydives.  I was his first client.  After that jump I knew 100% that this was a sport I had to be a part of!

Jon DeVore is an advocate of all forms of human flight.

How many dives have you notched up today and which few stand out as the most memorable?  

I now have over 20,000 skydives.  Needless to say I’ve been blessed to be able to jump in a lot of amazing locations all around the world.  One of my most memorable jumps was our first jump during the filming of Transformers 3.  I was part of a 5 man team that was given the opportunity to be the first people to ever jump off the Willis/Sears Tower in Chicago.  That 5 way wing suit BASE jump was amazing.  Flying a formation over Manhattan and landing on a barge on the Hudson River was pretty amazing as well.  The list goes on and on……I feel very spoiled with the opportunities I’ve got over the years!

Wing Suit and BASE Jumping continue to excite Jon and spur him on to promote and influence the world of human flight.

Describe the feeling of becoming World Champion in the sport and what did it feel like when you gained the title for the second time?

Becoming a world champion was an amazing feeling.  It was awesome to receive confirmation that all the hard work and training was worth it.  The second time around was equally satisfying. There’s definitely nothing like the feeling of winning your first World Championship but there’s also something very special about being able to defend your title.

Who are some of the greatest skydivers you have worked with and competed against?

After being in the sport for over 24 years it’s hard to name all the amazing skydivers I’ve work and competed against. In the beginning my biggest inspirations in the sport was a group of four guys who were largely responsible for creating the sport of free-flying.  They are Olav Zipser, Omar Algehalan, Charles Bryan and Mike Vail… the original Freefly Clowns. The team I competed on was named Alchemy. Our biggest competition was the French team the Soul Flyers (Fred Fugen and Vincent Raffet). They were young ‘up and comers’ at the time of competition and they were amazing to compete against. They are still good friends to this day.

In your opinion who are currently some of the brightest prospects on the scene?

It’s hard to say right now. The sport is changing fast with the boom of i fly wind tunnels all over the world. These wind tunnels have enabled new skydivers to get years and years of jumping experience in just a few weeks. In a typical freefall you get one-minute of working time. So if you do ten jumps per day, you’re only getting ten minutes of practice. In a wind tunnel you can do a few hours per day which is the equivalent of 60 to 100 plus skydives of air time. It’s creating a new wave of skydivers and I’m excited to see the level of talent in the future.

Can you give us an insight into what it’s been like being manager of the Red Bull Air Force for the past 17 years?

It is truly an honor and privilege to be the manager of the RBAF team. Red Bull has blessed us with the opportunity to not only chase dreams we never thought possible but it’s given us an amazing platform to showcase our awesome sport of human flight. It’s also a lot of responsibility and work. Our team performers in over 50 live shows and filmed stunts per year.  As the manager I am responsible for coordinating and produce the majority of these shows. In the end, there’s no other job I’d want! It’s a healthy mix of work and play!

Jon DeVore gives the camera a smile before another jump into the sky.

What other areas of the sport are you currently involved in and how often do you currently skydive yourself?  

I focus on a handful of airborne sports. Skydiving, Wing Suit, BASE and speed-riding.  My training goes in waves. I often have to sit at a desk planning and coordinating shows and stunts but whenever I have a project coming up I try to go to the drop zone at least two to three times per week and jump as much as I can.