Skydivers drop supplies into Haiti

Skydiving centers across the United States answered a call to help ferry supplies to Haiti.

The destruction and levels of homelessness caused by the quake have created a demanding need for everyday supplies, ranging from food and water to blankets and medical equipment. This is where American skydivers have stepped in to assist the relief efforts.

Following the earthquake, the United States Parachute Association (USPA) the self-governing body for skydiving based in Fredericksburg, Va., sent a call for its member centers to help transport supplies to the island.

“I have a lot of operators out there that could really help,” said Ed Scott, USPA
executive director.

Following the trend of American skydiving relief efforts, local jump center Start Skydiving of Middletown, Ohio, also flew a mission to the island.

John Hart, the owner of Start Skydiving, spoke with the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders to learn which supplies were most needed and found an X-ray machine was currently being transported by truck to Florida, where it would then be shipped to Haiti.

Hart loaded up 1100 pounds of supplies and other medical supplies, including crutches and casting equipment, into his Cesna Caravan aircraft. He then flew to Knoxville, Tenn., to intercept the truck carrying the X-ray device and other medical equipment.

Working in conjunction with the group Missionary Flights International for organizational support, Hart went to Ft. Myers, Fla., the Bahamas and finally on to Port-au-Prince.

The X-ray device flown to Haiti is one of only a few that is operational in the region surrounding the capital. The machines are essential in treating the many cases of crushed or broken bones caused by falling debris or collapsed buildings that are prevalent following any earthquake.

Hart described the scene on the ground as hectic and fast-paced.

“The Air Force was running the airport, and everything was very well organized,” he said.

Hart, who is also a member of Team Fastrax, the professional skydiving team that jumps into Nippert Stadium for University of Cincinnati home football games, said he saw an opening to make a real impact.

“I wanted to do something unique,” Hart said. “This is an opportunity to do something good.”

The main airport in Haiti has been under the control of the Air Force since Jan. 15, when the Haitian government temporarily ceded authority to the United States in order to speed up relief efforts.

Hart is making a second and final trip to Haiti next week to a more remote part of the island where only smaller aircraft are capable to land on local airstrips.

Skydiving aircraft can easily convert to cargo planes, said Nancy Koreen, director of USPA
sport promotion.

The size of the planes also enables them to land on shorter runways, unload quickly and be back in the air in a short period of time.

Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Ill., used their DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft, to fly three trips to Port-Au-Prince between Feb. 1 and Feb. 6.

With fuel costs funded by missionary groups and the aircraft donated by Skydive Chicago, each trip carried a payload of more than 4,500 pounds of food, medical and other essential supplies to the city.

“The trips were surreal, like stepping into a movie for 30 minutes and then hopping back into the plane and flying home,” said Rook Nelson, a pilot with Skydive Chicago. He decided to help because he said it was the right thing to do.

“I hope that if I was ever in need someone would help me out,” he said.

The earthquake in Haiti is not the first time relief efforts of this type have been conducted by members of the skydiving community.

There were instances of skydiving aircraft and equipment transporting supplies to parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.