Skydiver at Ellington Airport sets record with 100 jumps
Jun. 17—ELLINGTON — It took skydiver Doug Hendrix, 27, of Storrs about 13 hours Wednesday to do something that hasn't been done in 15 years — he set a state record for the most skydiving jumps performed in a day by jumping 100 times at Ellington Airport.
A crowd of spectators, friends and members of Connecticut Parachutists, based at Ellington Airport, gathered at the airport on Route 83 to watch the determined Hendrix make history.
On his jumps, which he made every 7 minutes or so, he appeared as a colorful speck in the sky before landing on the field at the airport.
Hendrix set the goal of 100 jumps as part of a fundraiser for the Ellington Volunteer Fire Department.
"The drop zone relies on them during emergencies and this is a way of giving back," Hendrix said.
He's holding online raffles for skydivers and non-skydivers at 8 p.m. June 26 where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the fire department.
Mark Izzo, a skydiving instructor for Connecticut Parachutists, held the previous record of 61 jumps in 12 hours in 2006, but according to club members, it was an unofficial record because he didn't declare he was going for a record.
Hendrix began his quest at sunrise, a little after 5 a.m., with an estimate of accomplishing his goal around 3 p.m. The day before the event, he said that each jump itself would probably take about 5 minutes. With refueling the plane and perhaps some rest times, he predicted an average of 7 minutes per jump.
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Hendrix hit the halfway mark with his 50th jump. At 6:17 p.m., he hit his goal of 100 jumps.
"It was a great day," Hendrix said later. "It took a little longer than my initial estimate but it was very smooth."
He managed his jumps by thinking of them in groups of five at a time.
At the end of the day, Hendrix said Ellington firefighters came out and had their fire truck in the field.
"They had a water cannon and I landed underneath it," he said. "That was pretty cool."
RECORD BREAKER
WHO: Doug Hendrix of Storrs, a member of Connecticut Parachutists Inc.
WHAT: 100 skydiving jumps in a day
WHEN: Wednesday
WHERE: Ellington Airport
Hendrix had a main parachute and a reserve parachute for every jump. He was assisted by five crewmembers who served as packers. After each jump, one of them re-rolled his parachutes and fit them into his container, then he got back into the plane.
Pilots Bob Smith and Brian Knight took turns taking Hendrix up in the Cessna 182 plane owned by Connecticut Parachutists.
The day before, Hendrix explained that a skydiver typically jumps from about 13,000 feet but in trying to set his record and to save time, he didn't have to be that high. Instead, he planned to jump each time from just 2,500 feet.
Ethan Beattie, one of Hendrx's packers, was at the ready with a first-aid kit if needed. He said the club always has two on hand when they train every weekend.
"Parachuting is like a family," said Emily Paul, also a packer. "We help each other out."
She explained how Hendrix rotated in his parachute while descending to get to the ground more quickly.
To onlookers, Hendrix's mission to set a state record appeared to proceed smoothly. However, there was one change he made at about 11 a.m. Until then, he'd been landing around the corner from some low buildings on the field at the airport. But then the wind changed direction and was coming over the buildings so he moved his landing spot to the windward side to avoid turbulence.
Hendrix has been skydiving since 2012. He started the sport during his undergraduate years at the University of Connecticut and recently earned his Ph.D. from the university in material science and engineering.
"No one grows up knowing how to skydive," he said.
As for the skill involved, he said that while skydivers undergo a 25-jump course, a lot of the learning is through doing.
He may be too modest about that. Ellington Fire Chief Jack Rich II said it's likely difficult to jump from a plane thousands of feet in the air and descend at just the right angle to land.
"I'd never jump out of an airplane and I work at an airport," Rich said. "If I had to guess, you probably become light-headed at the very least.
Rich said some of the injuries from skydiving can be significant, and that the firefighters respond to the airport a half dozen times a year for skydiving incidents.
"We are extremely appreciative for his efforts and can't thank him enough," Rich said about Hendrix's fundraiser that will benefit the fire department. "We are 100 percent volunteer and get funding from the town. Anything that we don't get from the town, we have to fundraise to pay for."
The majority of people watching Hendrix were fellow members of the Connecticut Parachutists, including his packers and Safety Coordinator Rob Szabo.
Club member Stefan Tokarz of Shelton, who's been skydiving for almost 10 years, said he's the oldest graduate affiliated with Connecticut Parachutists. At 71 years old, he's completed 750 jumps.
"We're like a family here," Tokarz said of his fellow jumpers. "What Doug is doing for the club today is very important."
There is still time to participate in the online raffles Hendrix is promoting where the proceeds will go to the fire department.
For the raffle for skydivers, visit
www.skydivect.com/record-skydiver
For the raffle for non-skydivers, visit
Anyone with questions can email record@skydivect.com or message Hendrix on his Facebook page.
For more coverage of Somers and Ellington, follow Susan Danseyar on Twitter: @susandanseyar, Facebook: Susan Danseyar.
