sdva

Tonney Boan email
portrait

My love for skydiving started as a young boy when I lived in North Carolina next to a small county airport. I knew, from a very early age, I wanted to skydive and learn to fly airplanes. When my father moved us to MacDill A.F.B. in Tampa, Florida I had the good fortune to meet Dayton Bonadie, a dyed in the wool lover of jumping out of airplanes. Dayton introduced me to the MacDill A.F.B. Sport Parachute Club and since my dad was in the U.S. Air Force, I was able to join the club and learn this wonderful sport. I made my first two jumps on the same day in February 1975. From then on, I was never able to look at the sky the same again.

By the time I was a freshman in college I had earned my Static Line Jumpmaster Rating. What a blast, being able to vicariously enjoy the experience of others and witness it first hand. Upon transferring to the University of Maine I started the University of Maine Parachute Club and became one of the owners of a small parachute center in central Maine that we appropriately named Jump Maine Skydivers. After a few years I became sole owner of the drop zone and Mary (my better half) and I decided to buy our first airplane, a Cessna 182.

A few years running a skydiving center and working a full time job can be a little straining, so after our first child was born Mary & I had bought a real "fixer upper," a gorgeous Victorian in Waterville, Maine. I knew I needed to put in place a deprivation goal, so I decided I would take a sabbatical from skydiving to renovate our Victorian home. One beautiful Victorian completed and 5 years later, it was time to come to my passion with a renewed vigor.

Since leaving an executive position with a national business organization, with its many time demands and travel, I have been able to devote more time to student training, relative work, and building a vibrant skydiving center in central Virginia..... Skydive Virginia!, Inc. From the inception my partner, Mark Woods, and I have incorporated into the foundation of our mission statement to build a skydiving center that will not compromise on professional skydiving instruction, and we would build the kind of skydiving center that would enable people to feel very comfortable and welcome.

I really love the art of freefall relative work, or what some refer to as formation skydiving. I was fortunate to participate in the World Record Large Formation attempts in Lake Wales, FL where the largest formation was a 225-way. In 1995 I was able to organize the Virginia State Record attempts, where the most successful attempt resulted in a 69-way formation with one missing grip. In 1997 my good friend Roger Nelson asked me if I would be one of his Captains on the World Record skydives held in Ottawa, IL in July 1998. As a Captain I was chartered with finding the best talent to put on the World Record attempt and to do my utmost to make this event of world record dives succeed. The talent & determination that were part of this event resulted in two World Records. The largest F.A.I. freefall formation in the world, with the requirement of holding this together for more than 3 seconds, is now a 246-way formation. This formation was held for a remarkable 7.3 seconds. In addition to this record a Guinness World Record 259-way formation completed and held just shy of 3 seconds.

So the journey continues in this quest and love of skydiving. History making World Record accomplishments are indeed exhilarating, but there is something so unique about being able to share in the experience of those that embark in this sport for the first time. My wife has always commented about the effervescence that permeates from people after they make their first jump. The elation of that moment and being part of this is so special. So, I hope to see your smiling face in the friendly skies over Louisa, Virginia soon as you experience something that will forever change the way you look towards the sky. Blue skies, calm winds & happy landings........



For more information regarding skydiving... info@skydive-virginia.com