26 February 2025
Back in 2017, Ingus Augstkalns became the first person to successfully skydive from a drone.
The low-altitude jump—1,083 feet—was, in fact, made possible by the drone, as the acknowledged minimal skydiving height from exiting a plane is between 2,500 to 4,000 feet.
For the jump, Augstkalns climbed atop a 394-foot radio tower in Amata, Latvia, grabbed ahold of a 28-propeller drone, ascended an additional 656 feet, and free fell for a few seconds before deploying his chute.
At the time, Augstkalns stated: “The emotions are fantastic. Both because of how easily and quickly the drone lifted me, and because Latvia has proved itself in innovation and technology. It is obvious that we will see an increasingly important use of drones in our everyday lives. My skydiving friends all over the world will be excited about these new opportunities. We live in an exciting time.”
But how many skydivers are following Augstkalns' lead?
Well, a simple Google search turns up a lot of data regarding the Augstkalns drone jump, but not much more. It appears Augstkalns might not just be the first to skydive from a drone, but the only skydiver to solely use a drone for a jump.
The United States Parachute Association—a non-profit entity that "promotes safe skydiving through training, licensing and instructor qualification programs," as well as advocate competitions and record-setting attempts—in its 2025 "Skydiver's Information Manual" does not mention drone diving even once.
Eight years on from Augstkalns' showing skydivers a new way to dive by drone, it seems the practice has not taken off.
If you discover otherwise, please alert The Droning Company readers by sending a note to Editor Michael Molenda at mmolenda@thedroningcompany.com.
Watch the 2017 Drone Jump!
