Tuesday June 2, 2026 PAC 750XL
Charles Norman SHAY, Medic (Bronze Star, Silver Star, Légion d'honneur), turns 100 this upcoming June 24. He is a Penobscot tribal chief from Maine, US, currently residing in Normandy. Him and 85 member of his community served in WWII. He was with the U.S Army 16th Infantry, 1st Division, "BIG RED ONE", on June 6th 1944. We'll jump into a Ceremony remembering native american involvement in WWII.
Charles Norman Shay Profile (Wikipedia)
Wednesday June 3, 2026 PAC 750XL
We'll bring in the colors to Bretteville sur Odon, Calvados, Normandy, France. We'll be greeted by the UNC and its members, their newly appointed President and a french Senator.
Union Nationale des Combatants
Thursday June 4, 2026 PAC 750XL
Mont Saint Michel is a 1000 year old medieval city on a tidal island and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We'll be jumping at Val Saint Père a 1934 grass airfield in Avaranches, in the Mount Saint Michel Bay. After we land, we'll tour the medieval city together with a private guide to give us access to restricted areas*. Bobby Goldman compared this skydive to jumping the Blue Hole in Belize.
Friday June 5, 2026, PAC 750XL
This is the 2025 Jump for illustration purposes. 2026 jump to be announced.
The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Designed in 1942 then built in under a year in great secrecy, within hours of the Allies creating beachheads after D-Day, sections of the two prefabricated harbours were towed across the English Channel from southern England and placed in position off Omaha Beach (Mulberry "A") and Gold Beach (Mulberry "B"), along with old ships to be sunk as breakwaters.
Saturday June 6, 2026, TBA
This is the 2025 Jump for illustration purposes. 2026 jump to be announced.
We'll jump into the city of Caen (similar in size to Tampa, FL), to celebrate its founding 1000 year ago! We'll tour its castle, abbey and historic center and wrap up our adventure at one of its most authentic restaurants! It is a very rare opportunity to skydive over a major french city like this, we can't appreciate enough Caen's mayor special permit for our historic demo jump!
This year's accommodation will be on a historic bio horse farm estate run by Gaelle and Claire. Their passion for permaculture, mindful living and the french countryside will take our trip to the next level. They will cater our event banquet, in the barn, with local ingredients from neighboring farms. The farm is a 5 min drive to the seaside.
The art of French Cuisine takes another dimension in the countryside. Our hosts at the Gîte will delight us with their finest craft expertly paired with the finest wines. All the ingredients grown on their land or the neighbor's meat. The setting will be a historic farm building turned impromptu restaurant at the end of the universe for the night!
June 2, 2025
Our journey shall begin Monday, June 2nd*, Our accommodation booking starts at 18:00, (6pm), and it will be around a 4h drive. We want to get there early so we can be ready for jump preparation starting at 8:00 the next day.
* Book your plane tickets accordingly, or plan to spend the weekend in Paris! Reach out to Tommy when you look at plane tickets! Tommy & Starhopp Staff will be in Paris, France weeks prior and after the event, available to help/entertain. It's best to arrive Sunday in France and spend Sunday evening in Paris. Airports for Paris are CDG (Charles De Gaulle), and ORY (Orly).
Event Jersey, French Foreign Skydiving Permit (FFP), Mandatory French Liability Insurance, Permits, Rescue Boat if sea landing on the 3rd, Transport & Logistic to the Airfield / back from the demo areas. Food, Meals and beverages are not included.
Some of the earlier jumps will be out of a PAC 750XL, a NZ Crop Duster. This is to keep event costs down, as well as allow for more freefall / creative exits, as this aircraft is setup for skydiving.
Event is hosted by Tommy Papatango, a french born Aerodyne sponsored Athlete, FAI World Record Holder residing in San Francisco, CA and Arno Charlie, PRO french Demo Skydiver, president of the National Combat Veteran Association. Tommy has organized skydiving adventure trips since 2018 in Europe, Africa and Asia. Daniel von Zitzewitz and Noelle Mason will drive our vehicles, massage, DJ, pack parachutes, and make sure everything runs smoothly.
Retired French Special Forces / Military Freefall Instructor. Combat Veteran. Pdt. of the UNC Veteran Association.
Co-pilot TBA
Fly in a couple days early, and let's explore Paris together! Tommy was born in Paris and is excited to share some of his best finds. We'll skip the Eiffel Tower, but definitely stop by Notre Dame, Montmartre, Pigale, authentic french markets and its best restaurants and wine bars. On Sunday, we'll rent our own boat to go up and down the Seine River and kick off a week of jumping.
