Recently, our European Sales Chief and one of the world’s skydiving legends, Herman Landsman, made a very special jump to celebrate his daughter Demie’s 100th skydive. The celebration took place in the air, with Herman joined by his son Matt, an upcoming pro skydiver and tunnel instructor. The Landsman family jumped the Icons, Pilot, Zulu, and Karma, for this epic occasion. Demi is well on her way to becoming an accomplished skydiver. Congratulations to Demie on her milestone jump, and kudos to the Landsman family for their incredible spirit and passion for skydiving.




“Unveiling the Legend: A Glimpse into an Epic Skydiving Journey”

Herman began his skydiving journey in 1977 during his time with the Dutch Special Forces. Yes, he has been jumping longer than many of you reading this have been alive! After leaving the military, Herman pursued a degree in civil engineering.
Returning to Suriname, South America, where he had spent part of his youth, Herman initially focused on engineering. However, it was here that his passion for skydiving truly took flight after a refresher course with two instructors from Paracentrum Texel in the Netherlands.
A year later, having completed his studies, Herman moved to Texel—not to continue engineering, but to fully immerse himself in skydiving.

Over the next 25 years, Herman worked at Paracentrum Texel, first as an instructor and later as the Drop Zone (DZ) manager. He played a pivotal role with the Mafia Brothers CRW team, which won bronze at two world meets and numerous Dutch national medals. Herman himself holds a national FS 4-way title. He began instructing AFF in 1984, just two years after the AFF method was introduced, and started tandem jumping in 1986. Additionally, he served on the Dutch Parachute Association’s board of safety and training for over 15 years.

Herman, often recognized by his iconic orange jumpsuit, has been a key figure in the growth of the European Big Way scene, and his involvement continues to this day.

In 1992, Herman co-founded Exotic Sky Adventures with Alexis Perry, organizing tropical boogie holidays that brought skydivers to some of the most exotic locations around the world. These events, which featured jumps from incredible aircraft with amazing groups of people, set the standard for skydiving events globally over their 25-year run. Even after Alexis stepped down in 2000, Herman continued to lead these adventures.

Herman’s focus, specific goals, and strategic planning have seen him participate in six FS large formation world records, two unofficial world records, and nearly every European and world record attempt for Bigway FS. Since 2007, Herman has been working very closely with FlyAerodyne. If you can’t seem to find him at an event, head to the Aerodyne tent—he’s most likely either there or in the air.


More about Matt Landsman: