As communities paid tribute and honored the heroes of 9/11, Skydive Spaceland skydivers paid their respects too. Skydive Spaceland and the top competitive team, Dallas Disturbance, offered their tribute style with the ground and aerial homages.
“The entire Spaceland organization has genuine appreciation and thankfulness for all service members,” said Spaceland owner and founder Steve Boyd. “Today, we have a chance to express this in the sky and to honor our nation’s many heroes who provide us our freedom and liberties to pursue the opportunities we all enjoy.”
Dallas Disturbance is a 16-person competitive formation skydiving team founded in 2015 and a member of the Skydive Spaceland organization. Dallas Disturbance is a 3-time silver medalist at the U.S. Parachute Association National Competition.
The competition team consists of 18 members, ranging from ages of 26 to 70.
Air Force veteran and Spaceland’s Dallas drop zone manager Ben Nelson unfurled a large American flag while flying his parachute overhead.
“It’s an incredible honor each time I’m able to make a skydive with our flag,” he said. “Today hits home especially hard for me, having served in Afghanistan and Iraq. That our community pulls together even tighter on occasions like this is especially uplifting.”
Additionally, the team “built” a 9/11 16-person aerial formation in the sky.
“Building a ‘9/11’ in the sky is meant not only to honor all the heroes of 9/11 and those that served and sacrificed in the 20 years since but also to help bring a divided country we all love together for a few moments,” said Dallas Disturbance founder and captain Ron Shipp.
A group of 33 skydivers, Parachutists Over Phorty Society, also did a Twin Towers-themed skydive at the Houston location.
The 9/11 Skydive Spaceland drop zones were located in Dallas, Houston, San Marcos, Atlanta, Ga., and southern Florida.
Skydive Spaceland is a three-generation family-owned and -operated skydiving business headquartered in Rosharon. The company facilitates about 200,000 skydives per year.