About Us

James R Browning - Entrepreneur

TandemSkydive.com is the brainchild of James R Browning, President of Vertisan, Inc. Vertisan is Mr. Browning's company devoted to the development of e-commerce ventures. In addition, Mr. Browning is the President and CEO of Inadon Corporation. Inadon is a Web-based application development company specializing in solutions for Fortune 500 companies.

In addition to being the founder of Inadon Corporation and Vertisan, Inc., Mr. Browning also wrote and developed the "eBusiness Success Kit". The kit is a project management methodology for web development. It delivers the technical and theoretical secrets of successful web development in a step-by-step process that can be utilized by companies of all sizes. His methodology has been adapted for use by many major corporations such as UPS, Siemens, Raytheon, and Frito Lay.

Mr. Browning has over 15 years of eBusiness experience as a developer, consultant, and corporate leader. He has pioneered numerous successful eCommerce ventures with both Fortune 1000 companies and Internet startups.

Mr. Browning has appeared repeatedly on radio and television and is recognized as an industry expert in the Internet field. He is the author of "eBusiness Success, Step By Step" and conducts regular seminars on his "Steps to eBusiness Success." His philosophy that "Success is accomplishment beyond the scope of chance" is reflected in the practical and detailed process proven in the kit.


Jay Browning - Skysurfer

On a recreational level, Mr. Browning is a medal-winning skysurfer (D-26376) who jumps and trains out of Skydive City in Zephyrhills, Florida and the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales, Florida. Mr. Browning's personal website dedicated to the sport of skysurfing is skysurfer.com.

Mr. Browning has been an active jumper for six years. He started his skydiving career at Skydive Dallas, while building the website for Nikon. He was there five months working on the project, while allowed for extensive freefly training with Dusty Smith and Chris Fiala after completion of AFF. Mr. Browning received 75 coaching jumps and forever fell in love with the sport.

He purchased his first rig from Lee Fairbank immediately after completing the AFF program, which was a Reflex with an Icarus Omega 169 main. He learned how to pack that very rig in Lee's living room. Subsequently, he jumps the Javelin Odyssey exclusively now. The Reflex is stuffed and hanging on the wall.

After completing the Nikon project in Dallas, Mr. Browning returned to his home in Tampa, Florida. Upon returning to Florida, he was immediately befriended by Cathy Kloess "Packin Cathy" and they have been good friends for years. She has always given him good advise and kept him safe. He has been jumping full-time at Z-Hills since then.

His true passion for the sport rested in the discipline of skysurfing. He saw Rob Harris on television in 1995 and knew immediately that he was destined to be a skysurfer. He managed to recruit the assistance of Keith Snyder "Kebe" to give him a basic training in skysurfing. Kebe flew out to Z-hills and they made 26 skysurfing jumps in 3 days. It was a fabulous basic training session that put him on the road to true happiness in life.

Mr. Browning competed at the US Nationals for the first time in 2003. He was originally scheduled to jump with Joe Jennings as his camera flyer, but Joe had a scheduling conflict. Fortunately, Mr. Browning was able to team up with Paul Fairbanks "PLF" who also is based out of Z-Hills. They managed to get about 10 practice jumps before the start of the skysurfing competition. Because of his lack of experience and not having a solid team routine, they decided to compete in the intermediate class. Fortunately, they were an excellent pair who flew well together and they managed to take home a gold medal. They have their sites set on a gold medal in the open class in 2004.

Besides the upcoming competitions, Mr. Browning has teamed up with X-Games medalist, Sean MacCormac to set a high-altitude skysurfing record. They will be doing a skysurfing 2-way out of a balloon from 50,000 feet. Yeah... 50,000 feet. They have amassed all of the necessary gear and life support equipment and are training rigorously for the big jump. They will be making 100 practice jumps from 13,500, 3 practice jumps from 30,000, and one jump from 36,000. The practice jumps are scheduled for August 2004 and the 50,000 foot jump will be performed when the balloon manufacturing has been completed. Tad Smith from SkyDance Skydiving in California is working with the team on life support, Andy Serrano of SOCOM is providing technical assistance, and Sun Path is manufacturing the lift support vest which integrates with the rig.


The TandemSkydive.com Mission

TandemSkydive.com was designed to grow the sport of skydiving by attracting new individuals to the sport and assisting dropzones with marketing, advertising, and scheduling.


Surf's Up: Web Designer Dives Into Sky Surfing

The following is a reprint of an article written about Mr. Browning in the Tampa Tribune.

October 23, 2003 - Tampa Tribune
Section: SPORTS
Page: 2

Atricle by: BILL WARD

TAMPA - Less than two months ago, Tampa's Jay Browning sold nearly everything he owned - a successful software company, his home, assets, appliances and furniture - with one goal in mind: to sky surf in places around the globe and win the sport's World Cup by 2005.

His "Epiphany" came just a few days earlier, during a rafting trip in Jamaica. As he looked around in wonderment of the river's natural beauty, Browning realized he had never really had a vacation before. To top it off, he was surrounded on the trip by "20 of the nicest people I've ever met in my life."

They were all there to participate in a sky surfing show that was broadcast live on TV in Jamaica. And it was there Browning realized what's important in his life.

"Life was not about the great software applications I built, the accomplishments I had at work or the really cool cars that I drove," Browning said. "Life is about the people you are fortunate enough to spend time with, the relationships you have and the experiences you have."

And for Browning>, he found those things woven into sky surfing, a sport that combines elements of parachuting, snow boarding, surfing and gymnastics.

At 33, he's the oldest rookie in today's U.S. National Sky Surfing Championships in Lake Wales. But still single with no children, he's been able to totally focus on his dream. He's been training in the gym, lifting weights and running to get into the best shape of his life. Regardless of the outcome, he's loving the experience.

"I've changed my entire life and it's amazing," Browning said. "I've always had a huge mountain of pressure on my shoulders, having to focus on 20 different tasks or projects, and now it's gone. I can't describe the feeling."

Of course, Browning knows there are inherent dangers in a sport in which you are jumping out of an airplane at 13,500 feet and falling at speeds between 120-150 mph. Two of the biggest American stars in the sport, Rob Harris and Jerry Loftis, died during jumps.

Harris was killed in 1995 at 28 while filming a Mountain Dew commercial. The ad (which was eventually released) was a James Bond spoof where a tuxedo-clad man dives from an exploding plane. But the lines from Harris' two chutes got tangled during the complicated jump and his reserve didn't open in time. Loftis, another pioneer in the sport, died in 1998 at 29 when his chute failed to open.

Browning ultimately wants to marry his knowledge of Web-based software applications with sky surfing. Already, he's built an Internet site - www.skysurfer.com - that shows action clips and information about the sport.

"I haven't gotten rusty at what I used to do and I could always go back to writing [software] code," Browning said. "But after the experiences I've had lately, I don't see myself ever going back to the old days. This is what I'm supposed to be doing."

Tampa's Jay Browning, 33, will compete in today's U.S. National Sky Surfing Championships in Lake Wales.

















 
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