Press Release - Cheryl Stearns, United States Parachute Association Museum’s Hall of Fame Inductee (2010) joins Children of Fallen Heroes Nonprofit.

"It's not a natural act to jump from a 'perfectly good airplane'. Overcoming that fear opened my world to all kinds of possibilities."

- Cheryl Stearns

Cheryl Stearn, United States Parachute Association Museum’s Hall of Fame Inductee (2010) has now joined the Children of Fallen Heroes as an Advisor for Skydiving and Accuracy program.

About Tandem and Indoor Skydiving Program

Children of Fallen Heroes Tandem and Indoor Skydiving program that serves the spouses and children of qualified heroes*, the camps help self-discovery, both in and out of the activities. 

CFH delivers programs using tandem skydiving therapy as a way for children and spouses to experience adventure. The program challenges participants in a way that helps them discover that they can do more than they thought possible. This is done through individuals and teamwork to discover their strength of character and an aptitude for leadership.

By spending time together, family members begin to understand they are not alone in their grief. This ‘normalizing’ of their grief experience is especially important to children and teens. The acceptance of all feelings at our programs builds a new community of understanding and companionship.

About Cheryl Stearns

Cheryl Stearns is an aviator and the most successful competitive skydiver in the world.

Her accomplishments include:

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• United States Parachute Association Museum’s Hall of Fame Inductee (2010)

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• Embry-Riddle Eagle of Excellence Award, Daytona, Florida (2009)

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• Action Maverick Award from STREB, New York (2009)

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• Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award from Atchison, Kansas (2007)
• Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame inductee (April 2007)

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• Embry-Riddle Wall of Fame inductee, Daytona, FL

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• Wiley Post Commission’s 2005 Wiley Post Spirit Award recipient. This annual award recognizes an aviation innovator and pioneer who does not receive government or corporate funding.

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• A specially created Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) Centenary Medal awarded to her for her significant personal contribution to the development of air sports and aviation (October, 2005)

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• Diplome Leonardo da Vinci, the world’s highest award in aerosports, for her unique achievements in skydiving.

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• Two-time Women’s Overall World Champion in style and accuracy parachuting (1978, 1994)

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• A total of 30 world records in parachuting. At one time held four different world records simultaneously: a feat no other parachutist, man or woman, has matched.

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• Being the first female member of the Army’s elite parachuting team, The Golden Knights

• Thirty times U.S. Women’s Parachuting Champion

• Three time overall women’s style and accuracy champion at the military world championships (1991, 1995, 1996)

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• Guinness World Record holder for the most parachute jumps in 24 hours by a woman – 352 jumps (November 8-9, 1995). During this endurance test, Cheryl added an additional challenge by aiming for a five-centimeter target on each jump. Despite the cold and wind, Cheryl hit the target a record 188 times: 104 in daytime, 84 at night.

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• Over 20,000 skydives, the most of any woman in the world

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• Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Pope Air Force Base campus.

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• US Airways Captain on the Airbus 319/320/321, Boeing 737 and Embraer 190, and a First Officer on the Boeing 757/767. She has flown over 75 different types of aircraft and over 20,000 flying hours.

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At age 17, Cheryl began skydiving in Scottsdale, Arizona after convincing her mother to sign the permission form and loan her the required forty dollars. Her father, not thrilled that his daughter was skydiving, tried to encourage her in a new direction by paying for her flying lessons. Cheryl loved doing both hobbies and set her sights on becoming a champion skydiver and a professional pilot.

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Cheryl continued developing her piloting and parachuting skills while she attended Scottsdale Community College on a tennis scholarship. In 1975, after obtaining an Associate’s in Arts degree, Cheryl contacted world-renowned skydiving coach, Gene Paul Thacker, to see if he would hire her to work at his drop zone and coach her in competitive skydiving. After Thacker promised to help her, Cheryl moved to Raeford, North Carolina, with her dog, her parachute gear, and fifty dollars. Between flying and maintaining planes for Thacker, Cheryl focused on competition in the “classic” events of parachuting, style and accuracy.

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Style is a type of freefall competition where the skydiver attempts to execute a predetermined sequence of maneuvers (turns and back loops) in the shortest possible time, while staying on heading. Accuracy is controlling the parachute during landing so that the skydiver’s heel touches a target placed in the landing area. Currently, a dead center is achieved by landing on a two centimeter yellow dot within a 38 centimeters in diameter (about 15″) black disc.

In 1976, Cheryl won her first national championship and set an accuracy world record. She joined the Army in 1977 and became the first female member of the Golden Knights, their elite parachute team. During her six years with the team, she won many national and international championships and did numerous special skydiving demonstrations. Parachuting into the grounds of the Statue of Liberty while trailing the American flag was one of her more memorable jumps. In 2003, the U.S. Army Women’s Museum at Ft. Lee, Virginia, honored Cheryl by opening an exhibit featuring her accomplishments in parachuting and aviation. Cheryl retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Master Sergeant and served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Army Women’s Foundation.

​Besides her success in skydiving, Cheryl has excelled as a pilot. After earning her instrument, multi-engine, and instructor ratings in Arizona and gaining experience flying for Raeford Aviation, she taught flying during her free time while in the Army. She also earned her Bachelor of Science in Aviation Administration (Magna Cum Laude) and Master of Aeronautical Science degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Pope Air Force Base campus. She subsequently gained experience flying medical evacuation, teaching and competing in aerobatics, flying and jumping for Air Show America, and flying for Henson Airlines. In 1986, Piedmont Airlines hired her. Cheryl is currently an Airbus 319/320/321 Captain for US Airways. She has been a Captain on the Embraer 190 and a First Officer on the Boeing 757/767. She has over 20,000 flying hours.

To view more please visit http://www.cfheroes.org

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