Article reproduced with permission from the Mason County EDC The goal of skydiving is straightforward: jump from an airplane and experience the rush of wind falling through the air at 120 mph before opening the parachute and landing safely back to earth. However, this unique adventure can lead to so much more than just taking that leap of faith. “After 50 years of skydiving, it is really awesome to think about all the opportunities I had to meet people from all over the world,” said Jeff Farrington, owner of Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton, Washington. “Traveling all over the world while jumping with my family has been an unbelievable experience.” Family Business From Sanderson Field in Shelton, Skydive Kapowsin, provides tandem skydives, accelerated freefall training and a location for skydivers to enjoy the company of others with similar interest and advance their skills in all areas of skydiving. Farrington and his wife Jessie founded the company in the 1970’s, operating out of Thun Field at the Pierce County Airport, south of Tacoma.
JUMP ZONE | SHELTON,W
As the business grew, they built a residential airport on 200 acres in nearby Kapowsin. Jessie’s father was a WWII fighter pilot and skydiving was a way for him to continue in aviation. “He was an integral part of guiding us along in our business,” Farrington said. “He kept jumping until he was 85 years old.” They moved to their current location at Sanderson Field in Shelton in 2005, where, by 2020, they have provided 321,437 jumps! “We grew out of that residential air park, which is not the greatest setup to run a business,” said Farrinton. “Shelton and the airport were glad to have us, as it was underused, and it gave us room to grow.”
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“Andy and my nephew Luke have logged around 27,000 jumps each, which puts them in rare company that very few people in the world can compare to,'' said Farrington. Today, they have aircraft that can easily put up 600 jumpers per day with their grown children, Andy Farrington and Keri Bell, running the business. Jeff and Jessie still help with items like overseeing the maintenance on all their airplanes.
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