Jerry Bird: The Making of a Skydiving Legend

by Linda Collison, Jerry Bird, Sam Alexander

"This book is such an important part of skydiving history.”—Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, 6-time world champion skydiver, author and motivational speaker.

Jerry Bird became the 20th century's most widely recognized skydiver during the evolution of sport skydiving in America. This book is a compilation of writings by many who knew and flew with Bird, and by Jerry himself—a skydiving life-and-times of Jerry Bird from 1963 into the 21st century. At the heart of the book are inclusions of Jerry’s own oral storytelling transcribed in his inimitable voice. It is both a group sports biography and a personal memoir of one man whose name became legendary among jumpers around the world and whose influence on sport parachuting is evident today. Alongside accounts of record-setting dives and competitions are glimpses into the freewheeling skydiving subculture of the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s. The book includes many historical images, references, footnotes and bibliography. “A long-awaited salute to skydiving’s most iconic and admired ambassador," writes Jan Works, editor with Pat Works of United We Fall and other skydiving publications.

"Jerry Bird's skill and wisdom helped to make me the skydiver I am today!”—Kate Cooper-Jensen, skydiving coach, world record holder, co-founder of Jump for the Cause.
"Skydiving with Jerry Bird is like playing golf with Tiger Woods.”—Mark Knutson, owner and CEO at STUNTS Adventure Equipment, LLC.
"A cornucopia of stories”—Dieter Kirsch, German 4 and 8-way champion. FAI World Record holder.

502 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

Linda Collison is the award-winning author of novels, short stories and creative nonfiction.

She has enjoyed a composite career as a registered nurse, a professional skydiving instructor, a volunteer firefighter, parent, and freelance writer. After nursing school Linda studied history at Metropolitan State University. Together, with her husband Bob Russell, she has sailed thousands of miles aboard Topaz, their 36-foot sloop, whose home port is Hawaii. They also served three weeks as crew aboard Endeavour, a replica of Captain James Cook's 18th-century ship -- and it was during the crossing from Vancouver to Hawaii that the idea for Star-Crossed was born.

Published by Knopf, Star-Crossed was chosen by the New York Public Library to be among the Books for the Teen Age -- 2007 and inspired the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series. Collison also writes coming-of-age fiction and short dystopian fantasy pulp fiction as L.S. Collison.

Linda loves to travel, by land or by sea. Fast cars and slow boats are her favorites.

Reviews

[Victor Nickolich · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The untold story of the man who transformed skydiving and inspired a generation.”
Jerry Bird takes us on a thrilling journey of personal strength and determination, breathtaking adventures, world-class competitions, and daring stunts in renowned films. His extraordinary skill and magnetic personality earned him the admiration of thousands of skydivers worldwide. Seldom one man in our sport has inspired so many.
In one unforgettable story, Jerry recounts a hair-raising escape while skydiving in Scandinavia — a daring adventure of danger, courage, and international intrigue, straight out of Ian Fleming. Only this time, it’s not fiction — it’s the real JB.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.
— Lince

[Maurine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a great walk down memory lane. But much of the writing was not very well written. The organization went back and forth in time which was confusing sometimes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fully admit to reading this only because Jerry Bird is John's uncle, but I was surprised how much I got into all the skydiving stories. And this is coming from someone who hates flying, let alone actually jumping out a plane - not for me, no thanks! The stories of world records being achieved were fascinating, and the stories of near-death adventures were often nail-biting. This book was written in an interesting style, though, a mixture of Bird's own words, as well as stories from people who knew him or magazine articles from the time. This often meant you were hearing the same story from different perspectives which could be interesting, but often felt repetitive. It also meant jumping around in the timeline a bit - but that happens. Our lives aren't always happening in a neat novel-like plot timeline. If you can accept those things, and have any interest in skydiving, I recommend this one.