Honoring the LEGACY of Don Solberg

Throughout his lifetime, Donald J. Solberg spent a total of 20 hours, 26 minutes and 16 seconds in freefall. That means gravity alone bore him through approximately 2,500 miles of sky – almost the distance from Los Angeles to New York City.

Don was born to Orvin and Roberta Solberg on June 21st, 1944 in Peoria, IL. The family soon moved to Hunter, ND, where Orvin, a pharmacist by trade, had purchased a drug store. As an amateur pilot, Orvin also appreciated North Dakota for the cornflower blue dome hanging over it.

Don took his first jump out of his father’s Cessna 170 in the summer of 1965. The 21-year-old skydiver stuck a stand-up landing on his very first try – a rare feat, even if he only managed it by accidentally landing in ankle-deep mud.

Thus began Don’s lifelong love affair with skydiving. The following year he founded Valley Skydivers – now known as Skydive Fargo, which has operated out of West Fargo Municipal Airport since 1984. Don spent nearly three decades as a skydiving instructor, taking enormous satisfaction from mentoring and teaching his hobby to newcomers from across the world. He regularly flew around the country to promote skydiving, received numerous awards for his dedication to the sport, and was a proud member of the United States Parachute Association (USPA) and the Parachutists Over Phorty Society (POPS).

Don made his last jump at age 70 in 2014. Health Issues started in 2022..then next he passed away in Feb 2nd 2024

Megean will forever feel grateful to her father for the incredible life he helped give her. That is why she founded the Donald J. Solberg North Dakota Legacy Skydiving Foundation, which promotes the great sport her father had devoted so many years of his life to. As part of its mission to keep Don’s passion and memory alive, the foundation gives away an all-expenses-paid skydive to someone each year in June – the month of Don’s birthday.

Any year might be someone’s last on earth. If you haven’t yet experienced the thrill of skydiving, don’t put it off until a day that may never come. You will be afraid to make your first jump. And if you stick with it long enough, you’ll still be afraid when you make your thousandth. “Anybody who tells you they’re not scared to make a jump, they’re lying to you,” Don once said. But when you break past that fear, you’ll feel something too few people ever truly do: free.

CONTACT US TODAY TO FOLLOW IN DON’S FOOTSTEPS