North Shore NewsTom Sanders, of Haleiwa, Hawaii, will be inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame, Saturday,
October 19, at a banquet held at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California (USA). Sanders is one of ten individuals who will be inducted into the International Skydiving Museum’s Hall of Fame Class of 2019 during a skydiving celebration fundraiser the weekend of October 17th hosted by Skydive Perris, Perris, California. The Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those who, through leadership, innovation and/or outstanding achievements, have defined, promoted, inspired and advanced skydiving at the highest and sustained levels in the past, present and for future generations of skydivers.
Sanders made his first jump in 1978 and started the first full-time photo concession at a drop zone that same year. Since then he has logged more than 8,000 skydives, the majority with movie cameras and one or more still cameras on his helmet. Perhaps the most prolific camera flyer of his era, Sanders’ aerial work has appeared in numerous films, TV shows and commercials worldwide, as well as hundreds of major national and international magazines outside of skydiving publications. He helped inspire a new generation of skydivers simply from his aerial cinematography on the films “Point Break,” “Drop Zone,” Terminal Velocity”
and four James Bond movies (including the opening and closing sequences of “The Living Daylights”). In addition to his work for major clients, Sanders produced, directed and filmed the documentary “Over the Edge,” which won first place in every film festival it entered.
Sanders participated in several historic skydives, as well. He was in charge of the freefall camera team on the famous 1988 Olympic-rings jump at the opening ceremonies in Seoul, Korea, the first time TV audiences saw a live skydiving feed. More than a billion viewers saw the broadcast. He filmed President George H.W. Bush’s first sport parachute jump and also one of his later jumps during the opening of Bush’s Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. He was the cameraman for the legendary formation skydiving
team Mirror Image. In 2015, the US Army Golden Knights inducted him as an honorary Knight. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) awarded him its Gold Medal for Meritorious Service in 2005. Sanders
is still an active skydiving camera flyer four decades after starting in the sport.