Ted Strong, native of Boston, Mass. started parachuting in 1958. In 1959, he entered the US Army with 100 jumps. While in the Army he completed jump school at Fort Benning, GA, and rigger school at Fort Lee, VA. He became the West Point Cadet Parachute Team coach. Upon discharge from the Army, Ted graduated from Boston University with an Associates Degree from the College of Basic Studies. In 1961, he founded Strong Enterprises in Quincy, MA. Strong Enterprises designs, develops, tests, and manufactures parachute equipment. He relocated his business to Orlando, Florida in 1976. Over the years, Strong Enterprises has designed round parachute systems, ranging from 4 inches to 64 feet in diameter. Some of his products include spin chutes for aircraft recovery, drogue chutes for drone remote controlled aircraft, drag chutes for ground vehicles, and cargo canopies for a variety of payloads.

Strong Enterprises has designed ram-air canopies from 6-sq. feet to 1,200-sq. feet in size, for payloads ranging from 10 pounds to 2,300 pounds. Currently, Ted is working on a parachute delivery system for All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) and has over fifty successful drops with rider/drivers on board from aircraft exit to landing. Highest altitude has been 25,000 feet.

Strong Enterprises has also done several static displays: a) Three Apollo 48’ parachutes suspended in open configuration at the Montreal, Canada, Worlds Fair (1967), b) Designed an open sport parachute (Para-Commander), for the Japanese Worlds Fair (1973), c) Designed and install a ram-air canopy with mannequin for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC in 1982.

Ted has the following FAA ratings:

· Private pilot license 
· Hot air balloon commercial license
· Master parachute Riggers license
· Past Designated Parachute Rigger Examiner having trained and
  certified over 300 senior and master parachute riggers.

The following USPA ratings and licenses:

· A,B,C, and D license
· Instructor license
· Gold wings (1,000 free falls)

Ted is also the received the 1989 Don Beck Achievement Award for designs or improvements in the parachute industry that have withstood the test of time.

Ted is a member of:

· USPA (United States Parachute Association)
· SAFE (Survival And Flight Equipment) Association
· AIAA (Aeronautical and Astronautic Association)
· PIA (Parachute Industry Association)
· S-17 Technical Committee on parachute rules and regulations.

For the past 40 years, Ted has regularly competed in the US Parachute Nationals, placing from 3rd from the top to 3rd from the bottom! He was the New Zealand National Champion in 1990 and the Australian Senior National Champion in 1990. Over the years, he has completed in many accuracy and style meets in the United States. Ted has averaged 100 jumps per year and has over 4,200 jumps to his credit.

In 1983, Ted came up with the Tandem Jumping concept (two people sharing the same main and reserve parachute). He holds the only US patent on a tandem system. Ted also holds a parachute harness patent and shares a multi-person vehicle patent. Strong Enterprises also has several patents on parachute designs. Ted has three patent applications currently in process.

Ted has competed locally and nationally in road races from 5k to marathons. In 1987 he became interested in triathlons and has competed in over 80 with distances varying from sprints to ½ iron-man distances. Ted hiked through the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine (1993), train name of PAKMAN. He has also biked across the country from San Diego, California to Orlando, Florida (1997-98). 

Wilfred J. A. Charette       HALO  & SafteyExpert	Dominic Del Rosso     NASA	J. B. Siegfried     Special Projects
Lindy Leach     Operations Director	Clayton Lay Thomas, M.D. M.P.H.      High Altitude Physician	Ted Strong      Strong Enterprises
	Andy Elson and Colin Prescot Balloon/Gondola Designers & Builders,  Launch Team Providers