Why Choose USAPR

USAPR was founded by President/CEO & Course Director Sandy Reid in 2000 and, since day one, Mark Baur has served as Chief Instructor. Our goal has remained consistent in our 20+ years of operation: we do not aspire to be the biggest rigging school, only the best.

Between us, we have nearly 100 years of skydiving experience and more than 90 years of rigging experience. We have long been renowned as being among the most elite Master Riggers in the world, and we continue to invest our time and energy into USAPR because we are passionate about advancing the safety and integrity of recreational and tactical skydiving.

We are acutely aware of the intense responsibility our industry’s riggers and packers have to the  civilian and military communities. When we are trusted with their training, we provide instruction of the very highest caliber.

Depending on the core competency of each session’s candidates, our ratio is either one instructor to two students or one to three. Since our founding, we have educated, trained and certified more than 350 civilian and military riggers, each of whom is considered world class.

Sandy earned his Master Rigger certificate in 1974, is an FAA DMIR and DPRE, holds his private pilot license, and is a USMC combat veteran of the 3rd Recon BN. Mark became a Master Rigger in 1982, is an FAA DPRE, holds his commercial pilot license, and is an Army veteran of the 101st Airborne Division. Collectively, we have more than 10,000 jumps.

But we don’t just know our stuff … we literally wrote the reference books used by instructors and riggers the world over. Sandy authored the 2005 edition of the Parachute Rigger Handbook , and in 2017, Mark published the indispensable Integrated Guide to Parachute Rigger Tests, commonly known as “The Green Book”.

USAPR is housed in a 3,100 square foot studio with dedicated space for hands-on instruction, practical application, packing, independent study, inspection, and testing. Designed for parachute rigger training, we proudly provide a comprehensive resource library, a diverse inventory of parachutes and gear, and all requisite equipment, materials and supplies.

Our studio feels like a rigger’s veritable paradise because it is! After rigging in makeshift lofts and converted hangars for 45 years, Sandy built his dream space from the ground up.