Congratulations to retired US Air Force Pararescueman Jimmy Petrolia for setting a skydiving record that was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the Highest Altitude Wingsuit Jump at 37,426 feet.
On Veterans Day November 11th 2015, Jimmy Petrolia, jumped out of a plane with only his wingsuit gear and a lot of courage at over 30,000’ ft. His attempt was to raise funds and awareness for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), an organization that exists to support the children of Special Operations Forces that have fallen in the line of duty.
Although the jump took place in late 2015 Jimmy was surprised to learn of his success when an email arrived March 8th, 2017 informing him of his achievement. He was surprised to say the least.
Jesse Levin, CEO of Tactivate worked to put the jump together. Jesse built Tactivate as a way for the military Special Operations veteran and entrepreneurial communities to intersect. He reached out to Spotter Up and his other friends and we happily got him connected with footwear brand LALO Tactical.
To start the event off right LALO generously donated $2000.00 dollars to the event and offered quite a few items to be raffled off. Spotter Up was able to get Jimmy an interview slot on NPR through our friend Matt Victoriano a Marine Scout/Sniper who interviewed on their channel multiple times. The event to raise $5000.00 was exceeded and Tactivate and it’s friends raised over $6015.00. A good event indeed. Communities working together getting it done.
Once Jimmy posted to social media the congratulations from friends and family members began to come in. Jimmy stated on his Facebook page, ” So the word is out, it is official. Guinness finally gave me the Record! Highest Altitude Wingsuit Jump 37,426 feet. We will try to put out some official coolness and thank everyone who supported the project. At this point, I’m just overwhelmed! Team Murica!”
Jimmy additionally wrote, “The official Guinness email arrived yesterday, needless to say I was really happy. There was a lot of hard work put in before, during, and long after this jump was completed. I am very happy to say we, a small group from varied backgrounds, succeeded. Little people can still make a big difference. A record was made, but there was a bigger purpose. There are many American patriots that have given so much for YOUR freedom. Give a little back, it’s not over…. Please help those who fought for your freedom. There are great organizations like the Special Operations Warrior Foundation that still need your help. The following link ( posted at bottom of this article ) is to a short video on the jump and thanks to the people who stood with me. Tactivate Spotter Up Tactical LALO Tactical Combat Flip Flops Bad Seed BASE Skydiving Services LLC Vegas Extreme Skydiving FlySight SkyDance SkyDiving “
Doing a jump like his is an expensive process. A diver is required to wear an oxygen mask due to the low levels of oxygen in the atmosphere at very high altitudes. Jumping at 30,000 feet also meant that Jimmy needed to wear a suit and equipment capable of protecting him from the cold.
Friend and Pararescueman Troy Arce stated, “My former teammate Jimmy Petrolia has officially broken the world record for the highest Altitude wingsuit jump. 37K plus. I was happy to witness this event last year with other former PJ team mates. Fitting to say that we used to read about “the freaks” in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The event took place at Skydance at Yolo County Airport near UC Davis. Brought back memories of Dave Power who passed last year from Lou Gehrigs. Dave moonlighted there as a tandem master while also working as a PJ at Moffett. This is where we all learned more about how to freefall thanks to Dave.”
Jimmy made everyone proud and in fact his son is on reccord stating, “Jimmy Petrolia is & forever will be one of the toughest acts to follow. MY BADASS DAD HOLDS A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD. One of the coolest parts of this whole mission was the bigger picture purpose behind it all. As always, I am so proud to be your kid.” Spotter Up agrees.
Here is it is for the record books: 37,426 feet (official)- 37, 7440 (unofficial). The temperature at that altitude was negative 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Maximum forward airspeed of 206 mph. His distance flown was 16.5 miles.
A big thank you to all of the companies that sponsored or were involved in making this event happen. If we forgot anyone let us know and we’ll update this page! Thank you all. Congratulations Jimmy from Spotter Up. You’ve inspired a lot of people!
Companies that made it happen.
- Tactivate
- Spotter Up Tactical
- LALO Tactical
- Combat Flip Flops
- Bad Seed BASE Skydiving Services LLC
- Vegas Extreme Skydiving
- FlySight
- SkyDance SkyDiving
The crew that jumped from 30,000 as part of the effort to support Jimmy Petrolia and the SOWF
Jimmy with his family and Jesse Levin of Tactivate