Cheryl Stearns is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 skydiver

Skydiver

A skydiver is a person who engages in the sport of parachuting. It may also refer to:* SkyDiver a futuristic submarine featured in the TV series UFO* "Skydiver" a carnival ride produced by Chance Morgan...

. Stearns is noted for having won the Bronze Medal in Women's Overall Individual Style

Freefall style

Freefall style is a category of sport skydiving competition. Competitors aim to perform a predefined series of aerial maneuvers including front and back flips , turns, and rolls in the least amount of time. Competitors are timed for the length they take to perform the series of maneuvers...

 and Accuracy

Accuracy landing

Accuracy landing is one of the oldest skydiving disciplines, in which skydivers attempt to land as closely as possible to a pre-determined target.-Competitive accuracy landing:...

 at the XXV World Parachuting Championships in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 in 2000
. Stearns is also noted for the most total parachute jumps made by a woman—15,560 jumps as of August 2003
--as well as the most parachute jumps made in a 24 hour period by a woman—352 jumps from November 8–9, 1995
. More recently, Stearns has been involved in a project--StratoQuest--which endeavors to break Joseph Kittinger

Joseph Kittinger

Joseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...

's long-standing record for the highest altitude parachute jump ever, with a jump from at least 110,000 feet. Stearns made her first jump in 1971 at the age of 17 and is currently a pilot for US Airways

US Airways

US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....

.

See also

• Felix Baumgartner
  Felix Baumgartner
  Felix Baumgartner is a skydiver and a BASE jumper. He is renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career...
  
  
• Joseph Kittinger
  Joseph Kittinger
  Joseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...
  
  
• Michel Fournier
  Michel Fournier (adventurer)
  Michel Fournier is a French adventurer and retired Air Force colonel. He has been involved in planning attempts to break freefall jumping height records, but has yet to be successful in carrying out an attempt...
  
  
• Steve Truglia
  Steve Truglia
  Steve Truglia is a stunt coordinator, stunt performer and Action Unit Director in the UK. He is also an experienced Television Presenter and Actor, having trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. He is a registered Full member of the UK Equity Stunt Register as a Stunt Co-ordinator, and has been...
  
  

External links

• StratoQuest - Web page describing Stearns' effort to break Joseph Kittinger's record for the highest altitude parachute jump ever.
• Wired 9.08 - Wired magazine article about the StratoQuest project.