John B. Sherman

John B. Sherman, studied Mechanical Engineering at Tennessee Technology University and Boston University, completing his curriculum at Rockford College. He has attended the University of Minnesota - Sandia National Laboratories Short Course in Parachute Technology and Decelerator Systems. He has studied under Theo Knacke, the brilliant parachute designer who actually built parachutes for the German Luftwaffe before the Second World war. He worked for Chrysler Corporation for fourteen years as an engineer, becoming an efficiency expert. While at Chrysler he was the one who first conceived of and articulated the idea of the "mini-van," calling it at the time, a "one-man-van." That product went on to become the most successful vehicle the company ever produced.

A founding member of the Parachute Industry Association, John has served as Technical Committee Chairman as well as other leadership positionss within the PIA. John authored the "rewrite" of Part 65, Subpart F of the Federal Aviation Regulations, which is the document governing parachute rigger requirements. He also wrote Federal Aviation Advisory Circular 105d, paragraph 6b, which are the rules governing assembly or mating of approved components from different manufacturers, by parachute riggers.

Perhaps John Sherman is best known as the designer of the SST,Racer and Elite line of parachute harness/container systems. He founded Parachute Laboratories, Inc. in 1969, better known to you as Jump Shack. Not only did Sherman pioneer the construction techniques used by virtually every rig manufacturer to this day, he also taught or trained and employed most of the current manufacturers in today’s parachute industry. As one of the first true engineers in the parachute industry, Sherman originated the concept of the hot-knifed and bound, single piece container construction. He further developed his manufacturing techniques to create the first integrated harness/container which still holds the only single unit certification by the FAA.

He purchased the rights to, and improved on the "Pop-Top" reserve, designing it into his single harness, dual container, tandem assembly, marketed as the "SST/Racer". This piggy-back system was decades ahead of its time, and is still today recognized as the lightest, strongest, quickest deploying system commercially available. He invented the adjustable reserve closing loop we call it the "Quick Loop."Recent R&D has resulted in the Racer being the easiest rig to cut away from, even in high load situations. Sherman has dramatically improved 3-Ring riser construction and introduced non-compressible housings to the sport and military markets.

Being the computer aficionado that he is, John single-handedly "computerized" the Parachute Industry in 1994, by creating the PIA Electronic Bulletin Board Service (BBS), which spawned the increasingly popular "rec.skydiving" news group on the Internet. All of this led the PIA to invest in its first computer and develop its own website. For Jump Shack, John introduced the first Multi-Media CD ROM Catalogue that can be used to order parachute gear over the Internet, from anywhere in the world.

A Master Parachute Rigger since 1971 he has owned and operated a Certificated Parachute loft for over twenty-five years. Simultaneously, he has designed, built, tested, and manufactured Certificated parachute assemblies in his FAA Approved manufacturing facility.

Jump Shack is one of the major sport parachute companies in the world. Through the research and development arm of this company, Sherman has continuously been involved in the advancement of decelerator technology, most notably the redesign of the "Probe and Drogue" mid-air refueling system, for which he has been awarded a U.S. Patent, and which is to become the NATO standard. His variable speed drogue maintains a constant drag, to accommodate the refueling of helicopters as well as jets. In 1976 the British Government selected Mr. Sherman's proprietary system for tactical use by the Special Air Services. Since then the Elite Delta - Jump Shack’s military version of the Racer container system - has been adopted by more than half a dozen other military organizations around the world.

John was a researcher and test jumper who contributed significantly to the development of square parachute reefing systems. He participated in the early square parachute studies at Notre Dame University. Additionally, John created the PRO-Pack method of folding or packing square parachutes, at a time when most others understood little about how parachutes opened and flew.

One of John’s most recent successful designs is that of the Racer Tandem System, including its’ "CAD created" main and reserve canopies, that are both TSO’d. Jump Shacks’ Elite Tandem System was revolutionary in several aspects of design and safety back-up systems. The Elite Tandem was the first tandem system to incorporate a 3-point drogue release, and a direct drogue-to-passenger-harness attachment, for improved balance and control. The incredibly long gliding, tactical-type tandem canopies feature lighter toggle pressure than other comparably sized tandem parachutes.

Currently John is collecting parachute opening shock and speed data for a major study, using an in-house designed and built, Computerized Data Logger, "wired" to a specially made harness. At Jump Shack, the learning and discovery never stops!

John has 2600 jumps, was the first U.S. competitor to Medal in all the disciplines of Style, Accuracy and Relative Work in National Competition. He was instrumental in introducing Relative Work as part of U.S. National Competition. He pioneered the Ten-Way Speed Star techniques that are still in practice today, designed the first 3-Dimensional skydives, and was largely responsible for the successful design of the 200 Way World Record Formation, by building the computer model which measured and "forecasted" problems before they occurred, as well as many other monumental skydiving formations. He is a USPA rated I/E (AFF & S/L), a pilot with Commercial, Multi Engine & Instrument ratings.

He lives in DeLand, Florida with his wife Nancy, also a skydiving professional, their eighteen-year old son Johnny, a college student, and a Yellow Labrador Retriever named - of course - Racer.